On Sunday night two hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, will go head to head in a crucial NFC East division battle. The Eagles will be led by 2016 2nd overall draft pick and MVP candidate Carson Wentz. The Cowboys will stand behind 2016 4th round pick and reigning offensive rookie of the year Dak Prescott. This promises to be one of many future classics between the two outstanding second year pivots over the next decade. When comparing the 2 QB’s, the Cowboys obviously got far better value in the 4th round but which team got the better player? The following my attempt to determine who is better between Wentz or Prescott?
In order to determine who the better quarterback is, I will compare them on 7 variables that I feel are critical components for a successful QB in the NFL. They are Leadership, Arm Talent, Statistics, Running Ability, Pocket Presence, Ability to Win and Clutch Performer.
1. Leadership:
Both players became day 1 starters for their respective teams under very different circumstances. Wentz was considered the QB of the future for a franchise in transition and he won the starting job, and the respect of his teammates, right out of the gate. Prescott was thrust into the starting role by an injury to a franchise QB and came out of nowhere to earn the starting job with the full support of his teammates. Both QB’s command their huddle and appear to have no distracting off the field issues. I will have to score this a draw here.
Score: Wentz 1 Prescott 1
2. Arm Talent:
There is a reason that Carson Wentz was drafted 2nd overall and Prescott slipped to the 4th round. Just watching these two play, it is obvious that Wentz can make more spectacular and accurate throws. Prescott is more successful relying on his ins
tincts and decision making. In my opinion Wentz wins this argument hands down.
Score: Wentz 2 Prescott 1
3. Statistics:
Both quarterbacks have started all 25 career games (although Prescott played sparingly in the meaningless week 17 loss to the Eagles). Below is a breakdown of each quarterbacks career statistics.
| Record | comp% | Yards | TD’s | INT’s | Rating | |
| Wentz | 15-10 | 61.80% | 6044 | 39 | 19 | 87.3 |
| Prescott | 18-7 | 66% | 5661 | 39 | 8 | 101.6 |
Wentz has the advantage in passing yards but Prescott holds the edge in every other category including wins and passer rating. Dak Prescott gets the nod here.
Score: Wentz 2 Prescott 2
4. Running Ability:
Prescott is the clear winner here with 519 career rushing yards and 10 TD’s compared to 361 yards and 2 TD’s for Wentz.
Score: Wentz 2 Prescott 3
5. Pocket Presence:
With Dallas’ offensive line you would expect the Wentz has been sacked more often than Prescott has. That is true but not by a lot. Wentz has been sacked 56 times in his career. Prescott, who is catching up fast after last week against the Falcons, has been sacked 43 times! One criticism that I have for Dak Prescott is that with all his running ability he does not move well within the pocket. Wentz on the other hand has excellent footwork. I have to rule in favour of Wentz here.
Score: Wentz 3 Prescott 3
6. Ability to Win:
It may not be completely fair in a team sport like football, but QB’s are measured by their ability to win games. For now Prescott has the edge in total wins but that may change the way the Eagles are playing this season. Looking a little deeper into those wins Prescott has a 7-4 record in close games decided by 7 pts or less while Wentz is 4-7. This is relevant because a QB has much more responsibility in close games than in blowouts where they often lean on the run game. Furthermore in November and December, where games are more meaningful, Prescott owns and impressive 8-2 record. Wentz’ record on the other hand is only 3-6 during those months. That record becomes 2 and 6 if you don’t count the win against the Cowboys last season who were resting key starters including Dak Prescott, and conversely Prescott improves to 8-1! In this case, all arrows point towards Prescott as the guy with more ability to win.
Score: Wentz 3 Prescott 4
7. Clutch Performer: Score: Wentz 3 Prescott 4
There is a good reason why people have high regard for guys like John Elway and Joe Montana. It is the same reason Tony Romo and Peyton Manning have their detractors. That is because no matter how many touchdowns or yards they throw for, people remember them for what you did when it mattered. More football fans remember “The Catch” or “The Drive” than any of the records those guys have accumulated. Here are some key measurables that I consider a good indicator of which QB is more clutch. First of all Dak Prescott has accumulated 5 fourth quarter comebacks and 6 game winning drives in his career thus far. Carson Wentz has just 2 fourth quarter comebacks and 2 game winning drives to his credit. I also took a closer look at both QB’s passer rating in critical situations. Below compares the passer rating for each signal caller on 3rd down, in the 4th quarter, when the game is tied and when their teams are trailing.
| 4th quarter | 3rd Down | Tied | Trailing | |
| Prescott | 96.6 | 92.4 | 109.9 | 94.3 |
| Wentz | 73.9 | 87.4 | 83.7 | 81.4 |
Dak Prescott is clearly the superior passer in these critical situations and in my opinion is the more clutch player.
Final Score: Wentz 3 Prescott 4
There you have it, no disrespect to #1 overall pick Jared Goff, but the best quarterback of the 2016 draft class is, drumroll please……….. Dak Prescott. Let’s go Cowboys!!!!!
All Data collected and verified through https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
*Dak Prescott photo by Keith Allison (c) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
**Carson Wentz photo by Keith Allison (c) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Really interesting, I can see these two battling for the division for years to come.