National Football League

How good are the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott? Trip to K.C. should provide answer

Updated Nov. 19, 2021 1:41 p.m. ET

By Matt Mosley
Special to FOX Sports

On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes finally gets a crack at the team he grew up rooting for.

The son of a major-league pitcher, Mahomes was great at every sport at little Whitehouse High School, located 100 miles east of Dallas. He was born in 1995, so his knowledge of the Cowboys' Triplets had to come via highlights.

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Mahomes is the gold standard of 20-something quarterbacks, and he'll one day wear a gold jacket. He led the Chiefs (6-4) to the AFC title game his first year as a starter, and he's coming off consecutive trips to the Super Bowl.

Of the two quarterbacks meeting Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium on "America's Game of the Week" (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), Mahomes has by far the least to prove.

The Cowboys (7-2), meanwhile, haven't sniffed an NFC title game in a quarter-century.

If Dak Prescott leads them that far in the 2021 playoffs, he'd immediately surpass Tony Romo as the best Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman. Now, he can't do that Sunday, but a win would be great for his résumé and could put him in the thick of the MVP conversation.

Prescott, who has played one fewer game than Mahomes this season, leads the league in passer rating, to go with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. Mahomes is second in TDs, with 25, but has the third-most interceptions, with 10, which surely has the attention of Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs.

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Prescott might not admit it, but a Cowboys win over the Chiefs would be another important step for him. For the Cowboys, it's the biggest measuring-stick game of the Mike McCarthy era. Winning at New England was nice, but taking down the NFL's best quarterback this side of Tom Brady would be nicer.

It has been interesting this week to hear Mahomes talk about how much he loves watching Prescott play. It's easier for a quarterback such as Mahomes to lavish praise on a contemporary when he has accomplished much more than him.

"He’s a tremendous leader," Mahomes told Dallas-based reporters. "He has been a starter in the league for a long time now. He’s athletic. You can see that by the way he played in college, and he can make a lot of big-time throws."

Mahomes would love to beat the Cowboys, but a win would mean more to Prescott. The sixth-year QB needs a Super Bowl appearance to truly enhance his reputation, but beating Mahomes and the Chiefs wouldn't be a normal regular-season victory. It could be a springboard for a possible No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC.

And while McCarthy and Chiefs coach Andy Reid both have Super Bowl rings, it's pretty obvious from the past few seasons that Reid is more revered. McCarthy's best years came with Aaron Rodgers, but now he has the rare opportunity for a second wind with another elite quarterback.

McCarthy and Reid have both been fortunate to work with Hall of Famers such as Joe Montana and Brett Favre. This week, McCarthy wasn't ready to make any comparisons to those players.

"I mean, I love Dak Prescott and the way he's playing," McCarthy said. "I don't think it's fair to compare great quarterbacks. But what's exciting about Dak is he's continuing to grow, too. He has got a lot of great football in front of him. But we just got to build off what he's doing."

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Reporters around Dallas know it's better to turn to Jerry Jones when looking for hyperbole. And the Cowboys owner is effusive in his praise for Mahomes.

It still eats at Jones that he didn't surround Romo with enough talent to win a Super Bowl. He admires the way Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and his personnel staff have surrounded Mahomes with offensive weapons, and he believes he has finally done that for Prescott.

As for McCarthy, his best move since coming to Dallas was probably allowing offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to be the most influential voice in Prescott's ear.

Prescott's leadership style might be what McCarthy needed after many years of dealing with Rodgers. Prescott is relentlessly optimistic, and he has a knack for empowering teammates and coaches. Rodgers is obviously a brilliant player, but he has a much different personality.

Prescott will never be as gifted as Mahomes, but you could say that about every quarterback in the league. What they have in common is a staggering amount of self-belief and confidence.

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Mahomes signed his record-setting contract extension (10 years, worth up to $503 million) before Prescott. Interestingly, Mahomes was comfortable with an unusually long-term deal, while Prescott fought hard for a shorter-term contract (four years, $160 million) that should allow him to capitalize on another one in his early 30s.

I think the Cowboys are better than the Chiefs right now, and Prescott has played more consistently than Mahomes. Plus, it sounds like the Cowboys have the right mindset heading into what could be one of the most-watched games of the regular season.

"If I was a fan, this is a game I'd watch. Especially with two excellent quarterbacks," McCarthy said Thursday.

Running back Zeke Elliott chided reporters for constantly asking about "statement" games.

"This is another football game," he said. "Every team we play is a very good football team. If we go out there [and] get a win on the road in a hostile environment, I think that would be a statement."

The best sign for Cowboys fans is that this team no longer seems enamored with itself. But if Prescott prevails over Mahomes, the Cowboys hype train will be full-steam ahead.

And rightfully so.

Matt Mosley has covered the Cowboys for The Dallas Morning News, ESPN, FOX Sports and Texas Monthly Magazine. He also co-hosted afternoon-drive radio in Dallas for 10 years and is now heard on ESPN Central Texas, home of his alma mater, Baylor. He makes regular appearances on "The Herd" on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio.