National Football League

Skip and Shannon name NFL's top 10 QBs — does Dak Prescott make the cut?

Published Dec. 2, 2021 6:45 p.m. ET

Heading into Week 13, a handful of quarterbacks have solidified their place as the best the NFL has to offer at the position in 2021.

And on Thursday's edition of "Undisputed," Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe broke down who they believe are the top 10 QBs in the league right now — and some of their picks might surprise fans.

Bayless was up first.

"[Tom] Brady, [Aaron] Rodgers, [Patrick] Mahomes. I got Kyler [Murray] up there. Matthew Stafford – I don't trust him long term, but you can't argue with what he's done so far. … Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, … Josh Allen, … Joe Burrow – Pro Football Focus grades him out right now third in the league, and I can't argue with that.

"Which brings me to the 10th spot. … As much as I hate to admit it, you know who I have there because I can't argue with the numbers? Kirk Cousins. Look what he's done. He's thrown 23 touchdowns to three interceptions. … Can I sweep that under the carpet? I can't because it's just too good."

While Bayless' top nine might not come as a shock, spot No. 10 might have, considering he left Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott off the board.

Furthermore, Bayless didn't even have Prescott at No. 11, instead going with Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.

"My man Dak … baffles me. He perplexes me. He often torments me." Bayless said. "He takes me to the top and drops me on my head down at the bottom. … He is wildly inconsistent."

Prescott started off the season strong, boasting a 73.1 completion percentage, 115.0 passer rating and 16:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio through Week 6.

Since then, in four starts, he's put up a 64.4 completion percentage and 89.6 passer rating, including just six TDs and three INTs.

Still, through Week 12, he ranks eighth in passing yards with 2,932 (more than Rodgers, Burrow, Matt Ryan and Jackson) and is tied for eighth in passing TDs with 22 (more than Murray, Carr, Jackson and Carson Wentz).

And his 104.2 passer rating? Fifth behind only Stafford, Cousins, Rodgers and Murray.

In addition, Prescott has four 300-plus yard passing games this season — as many as Mahomes, Ryan, Cousins and Allen. Only Herbert (six), Carr (six), Stafford (six) and Brady (five) have more.

Shannon Sharpe had most of the same names as Bayless, but in a slightly different order, with Prescott sneaking in at the very bottom of his top 10.

"I got Mahomes, Rodgers, Brady, Lamar, Kyler, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and even though Matthew Stafford is going through these struggles, I still believe those guys are better than Dak," Sharpe said. "I don't think anybody thinks [Prescott] is a top-five quarterback.

"He's 17th in QBR. He's behind guys like Wentz, Cousins, Tua [Tagovailoa], Mac Jones, … Jimmy [Garoppolo]."

Being a top-10 quarterback in the NFL might not be at the top of Prescott's to-do list as the season comes to a close and the Cowboys look for their first NFC East title since 2018.

But if he plays like a top-10 QB, everything else – presumably – would follow suit.