Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was watching Monday Night Football in support of his childhood friend, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. But what Kershaw saw on the other side was someone else who did what the Dodgers' ace does regularly -- put the ball where he wants, when he wants.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott looked like an MVP-caliber QB in Monday night’s win over the Lions, completing 15-of-20 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
What was most impressive on Monday was Prescott’s downfield accuracy.
He was 5-of-6 for 113 yards and three touchdowns on throws at least 15 yards downfield. Prescott joined Ben Roethlisberger and Kirk Cousins as the only quarterbacks with a three-touchdown game on such passes this season (Roethlisberger has done it twice). Stafford was 0-of-7 on such throws.
Prescott ranks seventh in the NFL with a 52 percent completion percentage on throws at least 15 yards downfield this season.
His 9-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio on such passes is tied with a fellow MVP candidate, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, for second-best in the NFL. Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons leads with an 11-to-1 ratio.
This was a bit of a different look for Prescott. He had completed only five passes thrown at least 15 yards downfield in his previous three games combined. He had three such touchdowns in his previous seven games combined.
Overall, Monday's performance improved Prescott's stats in a number of ways. Prescott now has the fourth-highest completion percentage in the NFL (68 percent). Coincidentally, that’s almost identical to how often Kershaw threw a strike this season –- 69 percent of the time, the best for anyone who made at least 15 starts.
