NFL Pressure: Who’s Feeling the Heat?

Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP

Is Dak Prescott feeling the heat? According to the stats, he’s been phenomenal since week six, leading the NFL in QBR and EPA/play. However, despite his impressive performance, he’s still struggling to shake off the narrative that he only beats up on bad teams. Even though he’s faced less competitive defenses, his QBR of 81.8 against the Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Giants, Panthers, and Commanders is far superior to the combined QBR of other non-Dak quarterbacks facing those teams.

When Kellen Moore left for the LA Chargers and Mike McCarthy took control of the offense, Dallas’s system turned into a high degree of difficulty, precision-based offense, which demands perfection. Initially, the Cowboys couldn’t produce explosive plays, relying on Prescott to lead the offense down the field steadily, which led to trouble against great defenses. However, after playing a softer schedule, the team has regained its top-five spot in explosive plays under Prescott’s leadership.

The Cowboys’ best hope of matching up with the best in the NFC is to add sizzle to their offense and rely on their all-world defense to take the ball away, a strategy that has proven to work for the team. Rumors of moving on from Prescott after the season are unjustified, as he is playing as well as at any point in his career and deserves to be closer to MVP conversations than exit rumors.

The NFC is suffering from a lopsided conference problem, with fewer competitive teams compared to the AFC. While teams like the Buffalo Bills are struggling, the AFC has a number of competitive teams. The NFC has less depth and struggles with sloppy quarterback play and bad coaching, leading to difficulties beyond its core four teams. The division between the NFC and AFC is becoming more evident due to the concentration of young, talented quarterbacks in the AFC, raising questions about the fairness of the current conference system.

Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills, despite their strong underlying metrics, have been struggling due to close losses. McDermott’s seat is getting hotter, especially since this year is about righting the wrongs of back-to-back, grim playoff losses. Anything short of a championship would put his job at risk.

Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, is facing the tough decision of potentially firing head coach Bill Belichick or sanctioning a trade in light of the team’s underperformance since Tom Brady’s departure. This is uncharted territory for Kraft, and a Super Bowl win isn’t looking likely, putting additional pressure on him to make crucial decisions.

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John Smith

ohn Smith is your NFL insider, providing in-depth coverage of football’s biggest league. With a passion for the game and a keen eye for statistics, John delivers game analysis, player profiles, and breaking news to keep readers updated on all things NFL.