National Football League

Before Cowboys-Chiefs, Skip and Shannon debate Dak Prescott vs. Patrick Mahomes

Published Nov. 17, 2021 4:16 p.m. ET

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It's a matchup that has Super Bowl implications written all over it.

Both the Cowboys and Chiefs desperately want to walk away with a notch in the win column when the two teams clash Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports app (4:25 p.m. ET) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. And for the host squad, it looks like the two-time defending AFC champions have finally reclaimed their mojo after a dominant 41-14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. 

But the opening sequence of the Chiefs' 2021 showing wasn't so impressive.

Patrick Mahomes II and crew were far from the explosive unit they'd consistently been since his NFL debut. They turned the ball over with an alarming frequency to open the season, while the Chiefs struggled mightily on the defensive end. 

Before their recent three-game winning streak, the Chiefs were 3-4 and buried at the bottom of the AFC West. 

Mahomes, meanwhile, was being criticized for his shortcomings.

It appears as if the 2018 NFL MVP might have righted the ship, after his five-TD performance at Las Vegas. The test against Dallas on Sunday might prove whether the Chiefs are truly back on track as the team to beat in the conference.

For the Cowboys, their trajectory has been starkly different.

After falling to Tampa Bay by just two points to open the season, Dallas amassed six straight wins to take firm control of the NFC East. Dallas was grounded in Week 9 by Denver, but bounced back with an emphatic win over Atlanta in Week 10. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn got a feel-good revenge win over the team that fired him, stifling the Falcons in a 43-3 effort.

But Kansas City is not Atlanta.

And the ramifications of a potential win at Arrowhead are not lost on those in Big D.

"It’s not any other game in Missouri, I’ll tell you that," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week on 105.3 The Fan. "Everybody’s so excited over this matchup, and I am, too. I have such respect for their coach and organization. If we go up there and come out with a win, it would be a hallmark win for us this year."

It'd be a win to remember for Dak Prescott as well, who is amongst this season's MVP favorites and has been on a tear as of late.

The Cowboys quarterback currently tops the NFL in passer rating (110.8) and ranks second in completion percentage (70.3%). He also has tossed at least two TDs in seven of the eight games he has started this season and pilots the league's highest-scoring offense (31.6 points per game) and best total offense (433.9 YPG).

But the QB on the other side of the ball isn't too shabby, either.

A Super Bowl LIV champ, Mahomes' 2021 stretch hasn't come close to mirroring his first three years at the helm of the Chiefs' offense. Still, he's first in completions (271), second in passing yards (2,940) and second in passing touchdowns (25) at the season's midway point.

Last week marked his best showing of the year. Mahomes erupted for 406 yards through the air, five passing TDs, and 0 INTs, becoming the first-ever QB to reach 400+ passing yards, five TDs and avoid the interception bug more than once in his career. 

Mahomes is just one of two QBs with multiple games of at last five passing TDs this season. The other is Tom Brady.

Coming into Sunday, much of the chatter will continue to surround Prescott and Mahomes, but for Shannon Sharpe, he believes Mahomes is easily the superior of the two.

"This ain't even close," Sharpe said Wednesday on "Undisputed."

"[Mahomes] is younger, and he's better. You go back and look at the [NFL's] 101-year history, this young man is doing things no player has ever done before that's played the position. He was just named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He's second in passing yards and second in TD passes. 

"Dak is a phenomenal player. Since 2016, he's gotten better and better. But he ain't that guy."

Skip Bayless –– unsurprisingly –– disagreed, looking at the current form of the two gunslingers.

"Right here, right now, Pro Football Focus grades Dak as the seventh-best quarterback in the National Football League. They grade Patrick Mahomes as the 21st. Dak has played better this year than Patrick Mahomes. …

"The most crucial, telling stat in football is turnover differential. Right now, the Cowboys are plus-five in turnovers, sixth in the league. Kansas City ranks 30th. Only the Jets and Jaguars are worse."

While Prescott and Mahomes will meet for the first time in their careers, Sunday's matchup is dependent on a number of other key factors. Both defensive units will have tall orders as they're charged with stopping explosive units, and both come into the affair fresh off their best games of 2021.

After allowing 32.6 PPG in their first five matchups, the Chiefs have shrunk that number to 15.6 through their last five.

Meanwhile, for Dallas, the three points it surrendered to Atlanta were the fewest since Week 17 of the 2017 season (a 6-0 victory over the Eagles).

Loaded offensive arsenals will be on full display, and the Prescott-Mahomes showdown deserves top billing. But don't be surprised if the team that reigns supreme Sunday is the one that crafts the better scheme for its defensive regime.

Check out the full "Undisputed" discussion below:

Skip Bayless on Cowboys vs. Chiefs: Dak Prescott is playing better than Patrick Mahomes, so I trust him more I UNDISPUTED

Not only will Sunday's clash of the Cowboys and Chiefs be a battle of two division leaders, it could also be a crucial game for Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes’ MVP hopes this season.

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Dallas Cowboys

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NFL - Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 11/21/2021

Patrick Mahomes

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Skip and Shannon: Undisputed