The Cowboys' Upcoming Schedule Could Be a Gift or a Curse for Dak Prescott

In the world of sports, there's a cliché that you can only beat whom the schedule places in front of you. The underlying idea is that a team or player can't be penalized for beating up on weaker opponents.

In recent weeks, though, that's exactly what Dak Prescott and his Dallas Cowboys have been doing. Since a Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, America's Team has gone 5-1 against a weak schedule. And, during that stretch, the quarterback played his way into the MVP conversation.

Well, things are going to get much tougher moving forward.

And while it's easy to think that difficult opponents are less than ideal—they present a higher chance of posting poor numbers and losing games—things aren't unilaterally bad for Prescott. In fact, the Cowboys' remaining schedule could be either a gift or a curse for his MVP chances.

Let's break things down.

Prescott Has Feasted Against a Soft Schedule

While it may feel like an eternity ago, flash back to the start of the 2023 NFL season. The Cowboys were somewhat inconsistent, and their quarterback was at the center of that narrative. Things reached a head after Dallas was blown out by San Francisco in Week 5, a result that suggested a massive gulf in quality.

Some, like Emmitt Smith, suggested that Prescott wasn't the long-term answer to Dallas' problems. Owner Jerry Jones, however, stepped forward and threw his public support behind the signal-caller.

And, since then, things have been on an upswing. The Cowboys have gone 5-1 since that defeat, with the only loss coming to the league-leading Philadelphia Eagles.

Prescott has also delivered on an individual level, throwing for 1,874 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions during that stretch. Those performances could have been even better, but the scorelines have been so lopsided that Dak has been able to take the end of games off.

Those results have pushed the quarterback into the MVP conversation, but there is a caveat: Critics can argue that he's been taking advantage of easy matchups.

During the six-game stretch in question, the Cowboys faced the Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Giants, Panthers and Commanders. Only one of those teams (Philadelphia) is in the postseason picture. The rest are all below .500.

As the cliché says, Prescott and his teammates can only play the teams in front of them. That said, it's not unreasonable to want to see a bit more evidence before crowning Dak the league's MVP.

A Tougher Test Is Looming

If you're in the camp that feels the Cowboys were collectively taking advantage of a series of gimmes, you're in luck. As of Thursday, things are going to get a great deal harder.

Starting with a Thursday night date with Seattle, Dallas will face Philadelphia, Buffalo, Miami and Detroit before finishing the season against Washington. Tankathon lists that as the fifth-hardest schedule remaining, when ranked by opposition winning percentage.

It goes without saying how that stretch could be bad news for Prescott. Facing tougher teams increases the chances of a loss. Even if the Cowboys win, it's possible he'll post an uglier individual stat line than he's become accustomed to. And while the focus is on the big trophy at the end of the season, poor performances will also tank the QB's chances at an MVP title.

But remember how we said the schedule could also be a gift? Let's consider things from that perspective.

If one of the criticisms levied against Prescott is that he's taking advantage of an easy schedule, performing well down the stretch would certainly change that narrative. Imagine if the Cowboys host the Eagles and Dak outduels Jalen Hurts, the current MVP favorite. Wouldn't that reflect well on the Dallas QB?

And while they might not receive the same hype as going against Philly, strong performances against Buffalo and Miami would also look good. The Cowboys' Week 17 date with Detroit is also slated to be a nationally televised game, which could give Prescott the perfect chance to state his MVP credentials to the football world.

At the risk of trotting out another cliché, pressure will cause Prescott and his teammates to crack or harden them into a metaphorical diamond.

We'll have to wait and see which outcome we get.