DALLAS — Dak Prescott doesn't just appear to be picking things up from where he left off; the Dallas Cowboys quarterback seems to be better than he was before he broke his leg.
So says Brett Favre. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback talked about Prescott's sensational three-game start on "The SiriusXM Blitz with Brett Favre and Bruce Murray" on Tuesday.
"I'm not surprised by how well he's playing," Favre said. "I'm going out on a limb here and I know it's only a few games into the season, but I think the injury has made him even better. And sometimes that happens for whatever reason."
Favre pointed to the different directions that star players get pulled in, and that an injury allows a player to center themselves and focus on the basics.
"I know that for me, and I'm really basing this off of my experiences, I played my best football after an injury," said Favre. "I can't point to one thing in particular, but I think you can get consumed by a lot of things in pro football. Media, meetings, fans, the pressures of living up to the expectations and the money. But when you get hurt, you're kind of focused on overcoming the injury and just playing and playing within yourself."
Prescott broke his leg on Oct. 11, 2020, midway through a 37-34 win over the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. The two-time Pro Bowler spent the entire offseason rehabilitating and had a positive effect on other Cowboys who were rehabbing throughout the offseason.
Through three games, the Cowboys are 2-1 with Prescott completing 86-of-111 for 878 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 110.1 passer rating.
Favre also points to how well the Dallas defense is playing as another factor that has taken the stress off of Prescott.
Said Favre: "I think last year, before he got hurt, their defense is playing much better. They're a force to be reckoned with this year. I think last year I think up until he got injured, he felt the pressure that we have to score every time, and no quarterback can succeed in those circumstances."
The Cowboys defense leads the NFL with eight takeaways through three games. In 2020, the Cowboys defense needed 10 games to hit eight takeaways.
Dallas hosts the 3-0 Carolina Panthers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at AT&T Stadium. A win would give Dallas their first three-game winning streak since Weeks 14-16 of last season when Andy Dalton was filling in for an injured Prescott.
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