Colin Cowherd claims Dak Prescott never had a season like Sam Darnold

Say what you want about Dak Prescott; just don’t say he never had a season like the one Sam Darnold is having.

Talk about a tale of two takes as it pertains to Darnold. First, it was Stephen A. Smith on ESPN claiming he was skeptical of Darnold because he hadn’t thrown for 300 yards in November, conveniently ignoring the two games in December where the Minnesota Vikings quarterback surpassed that 300-yard number. And less than an hour later, Colin Cowherd was on FS1, claiming Dak Prescott isn’t a patch on Darnold’s fanny.

The assessment started with a fair take from Cowherd, saying the Vikings should be looking to build their future around Darnold instead of J.J. McCarthy, who they took with the 10th overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft. But then it turned into some sort of Dak Prescott slander.

“Has Dak ever had a year that looks like Darnold? Not to me.” – Colin Cowherd on Dak Prescott, who finished second in NFL MVP voting last season. pic.twitter.com/Z8JENS1pNb

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 2, 2025

“He could work; he was kinda good in the preseason,” Cowherd said of McCarthy. “What does that mean? Dak looked great in the preseason. Dak’s talented. Dak’s a starter. But has Dak ever had a year that looks like Darnold? Not to me.”

Tough to make that claim less than one year removed from Prescott leading the league in touchdowns and finishing second in the 2023 NFL MVP voting. Darnold might end up with more touchdowns and a higher passer rating than Prescott, but he’ll definitely have more picks, a lower QBR and won’t finish second MVP voting. Depending on how he plays in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions, you might even be able to argue Darnold in 2024 was better than Prescott in 2023. But you can’t argue Prescott has never had a year like Darnold’s.

Now, if you want to make the argument that J.J. McCarthy has never had a season that looks like this one from Darnold, that’s a take everyone can get behind.

[The Herd]