ESPN Analyst Drops A Scorching Hot Dak Prescott-Patrick Mahomes Take

Few would argue that Patrick Mahomes in the gold standard for quarterbacks in the NFL.

The Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller is as dominant as it gets in the postseason — he’s 15-3 with his only losses coming against Tom Brady and Joe Burrow — and Mahomes is tracking to be the first quarterback to win three straight Super Bowls in NFL history.

Which prompted a debate on ESPN’s “First Take” about which QB the panel would take if they had to beat Mahomes in one game. Gary Striewski’s answer was by the far the most divisive.

“If you give me one quarterback to beat Patrick Mahomes, whether it’s at Arrowhead or whatever…give me Dak Prescott,” Striewski said . “I want Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to beat him.

“…All the talk about Dak Prescott — he can’t win in the playoffs — this guy was 12-5 last season, and what do you need to beat the Chiefs? You need to be able to go toe-to-toe not just with Mahomes but with their offense. It just so happens Dak Prescott led the No. 1 scoring offense in all of the National Football League.”

Striewski pointed to the fact that over their last 50 starts, while Mahomes has the edge in QBR (71 to 66), Prescott has a better completion percentage (68 to 67) with the same number of touchdowns (105) and one fewer interception (38 to 39).

While those cherry-picked stats seem to fit Striewski’s premise, what doesn’t is Prescott’s 2-5 playoff record or the fact that his numbers worsen significantly in the postseason.

Prescott has a worse completion percentage (64.5 playoffs, 67 regular season), touchdown percentage (5.1 playoffs, 5.2 regular season) and passer rating (91.8 playoffs, 99.0 regular season), plus a higher interception percentage (2.5 playoffs, 1.9 regular season) in the playoffs compared to the regular-season.

Related: Sticking Point In Dak Prescott-Cowboys Contract Negotiation Revealed