Dak, Dan Marino & Manning in NFL Record Books?

As Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott enters his ninth year in the NFL, he could step into the rarest of air this season.

Prescott needs just four games this season in which he throws three or more touchdown passes and he will join Miami Dolphins great Dan Marino and Indianapolis Colts/Denver Broncos great Peyton Manning as the only players to achieve such a feat in their first nine years in the NFL.

Prescott is sitting on 36 such three-TD games after eight seasons in Dallas, and this particular stat is certainly a feather in the cap of a player who has been such a lightning rod of diverse opinions from fans and media.

The number, though, would seem to establish that Prescott is one of the most valuable commodities the Cowboys have. ... which is incredibly important to Prescott as he continues negotiations with the Cowboys for a contract extension beyond this season.

In his previous eight seasons, Prescott has topped 30 touchdowns in a season three times, including last year when he led the league with 36 scoring throws and finished second in the MVP voting.

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Dak as Marino? Dak as Manning? That's not quite right. But the numbers are the numbers .. and with a 17-game schedule opening on the road at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 8, Prescott will have plenty of opportunities to join these two Hall of Famers.