Dallas Cowboys

Is Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in the same class as Kirk Cousins?

Published Feb. 9, 2022 6:03 p.m. ET

When Dak Prescott inked a four-year, $160 million deal back on March 8, 2021, everything changed for the Cowboys’ quarterback.

His "overachieving" story was over. The "underdog" narrative that came along with him after being selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft was essentially no more.

Prescott put together a solid 2021 campaign, throwing for 4,449 yards and a career-best 27 touchdowns while leading the Cowboys to an NFC East title and a spot in the postseason. But Prescott and the Cowboys fell flat once again in the playoffs, dropping a 23-17 decision to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round.

With the loss, Prescott’s career playoff record dropped to 1-3, which resulted in the following thoughts from Colin Cowherd.

"Dak is kind of in the same class as Kirk Cousin," Cowherd said on "The Herd." "We don’t put him in the Josh Allen class. We don’t put in him in the Kyler Murray-dynamic class. We don’t put him in Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers or Brady’s class."

When taking a closer look at Prescott’s and Cousins’ stats over the past six years, the numbers are very comparable.

Both Cousins and Prescott have played in exactly 97 games in their respective NFL careers. Prescott has started 85 of those games, while Cousins has started 95. Prescott holds a career passing percentage of 66.6% since 2016, while Cousins sits at 67.4%. Prescott has thrown for 22,083 yards and 143 touchdowns during the span, while Cousins has thrown for 25,397 yards and 176 touchdowns.

From a win-loss standpoint, Prescott has a 53-32 (.623) mark as an NFL starter, while Cousins sports a 48-45-2 record (.505). Prescott does have more playoff appearances than Cousins (four), but he is just 1-3 in the postseason, while Cousins is 1-2 as a starter in the playoffs.

Prescott's 1-3 mark in the postseason is identical to the playoff record former Cowboys QB Tony Romo had in his first six years in Dallas.

When it comes to head-to-head matchups, Prescott holds a 4-1 record against Cousins.

Following Sunday's Super Bowl showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, FOX Bet is expected to release new odds for the 2022 campaign.

Where will Prescott and the Cowboys land on that list?

It's possible a Super Bowl is the only way Prescott can launch himself into a new tear of comparisons.