National Football League

Dak Prescott's encouraging return could bode well for the Cowboys' future

Updated Sep. 10, 2021 7:00 p.m. ET

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There's no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL, but sometimes, you can find a silver lining in defeat.

Such is the case for the Dallas Cowboys, who lost their season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-29 on Thursday. Despite the loss, if the play of starting quarterback Dak Prescott was an indication of what's to come, the franchise might soon see a great return on its investment.

After Prescott fractured his ankle 11 months ago, the Cowboys still invested $160 million in their quarterback during the offseason, $95 million of it guaranteed.

He was held out of the majority of training camp due to a shoulder injury, leaving questions about whether he would be able to play in the Cowboys' Week 1 opener. But on Thursday, Prescott looked the part of a franchise quarterback.

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The sixth-year starter went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady, tallying a 101.1 passer rating, compared to Brady's 97 mark.

Prescott's performance excited Skip Bayless, who believes it was a sign of things to come for the quarterback in 2021, as he explained on "Undisputed."

"He's going to stand up and live up to [the money] that Jerry Jones is paying him because this will be his year to take a deep breath, relax and seize control of this franchise," Bayless said. "I think Jerry witnessed his future. I think Jerry now has a chance to win a Super Bowl before Dak's contract is up."

Although the Cowboys have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, there might be merit to Bayless' lofty claims.

Prescott saw his passing yards increase every season from 2017 through 2019, and he was on pace to throw for more than 5,000 yards, which would have been a career high, before his ankle injury in 2020.

But while there was a lot to like from Prescott and the Cowboys' offense in their Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers, there were also things that need to be cleaned up, according to Shannon Sharpe.

"Forty-five of his 58 passes were less than 10 yards down the field," Sharpe said. "He only completed three passes of 15 yards or more. When Tom Brady was 3-5 in the red zone, Dak Prescott was 1-4."

Prescott playing so well in his return to action, while still having plenty of room to improve, could be a good sign for the Cowboys going forward.

Plus, the quarterback's confidence was sky-high after he took the reigning Super Bowl champions down to the wire, with him telling Tom Brady "we'll see you again" after the game.

If Prescott continues to improve on his solid start to the season, his proclamation might not be so far-fetched.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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National Football League

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott

Tom Brady

Skip Bayless

Shannon Sharpe

Skip and Shannon: Undisputed