Dak Prescott

Why the Cowboys' season could hinge on Sunday's game in Green Bay

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:57 p.m. ET

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Dieter Kurtenbach

Dak Prescott has been fantastic for the Cowboys this season — MVP-worthy, perhaps — but he has not cemented his spot as Dallas’ starting quarterback.

That job, at least according Prescott, is still Tony Romo’s, and Romo is nearing a return to the active roster.

The Cowboys have the best kind of quarterback controversy going — two excellent players vying for one spot on the field.

The first five games of the year, Prescott proved he can cut it in the NFL, but with Romo eligible to return following the Cowboys’ Week 7 bye, Dallas’ Week 6 game at Green Bay Sunday looks to be a pivotal contest in the team’s campaign.

If Prescott goes out and has a monster game — if he outduels Aaron Rodgers — how on earth could the Cowboys’ coaching staff bench him?

If the rookie struggles against one of the NFC’s perennial powers, the move to go back to the established starter becomes an easy decision.

It all hinges on one game.

It’s not going to be an easy game for Prescott to win, either — it’s his toughest test yet.

It’s a chicken-egg scenario, but the Cowboys have the best rushing attack in the NFL — has Prescott thrived because of it or been the impetus for the ground-game dominance?

It’s probably a little bit of both, but against the Packers, that ground game is likely to be stifled.

The Packers boast the best rush defense in the NFL — Green Bay is allowing 42.8 yards per game so far this year.

The onus will be on Prescott to make the Packers’ banged-up secondary pay for the team's run-stuffing scheme.

It’s something that Romo has done time and time again in his career.

The optics of a win Sunday would go a long way for Prescott — a win on the road in Green Bay in the game of the week, against Rodgers would build up the rookie’s legend even more (if that’s at all possible).

The Cowboys clearly have something good going with Prescott at quarterback — going back to Romo could knock them off course and make the rest of the season a melodramatic, passive-aggressive quarterback controversy, the kind only the Cowboys could pull off.

You can already see the stories about Dez Bryant complaining. You can already hear Jerry Jones making vague, prodding statements on North Texas sports-talk radio shows.

The soap opera could easily consume the rest of Dallas’ playoff-worthy (dare we say Super Bowl-worthy?) season.

The Cowboys probably won’t have to deal with that if Prescott has the best game of his young, promising career Sunday.

No pressure, kid.

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Dak Prescott

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