As the 2021 NFL season heads into the conference finals, some quarterbacks from teams eliminated in the playoffs are coming under fire. Two of the most criticized are Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers, this after their teams fell to the 49ers. However, for the brother of the Cowboys quarterback, the criticism is not being balanced.
Last Sunday, Tad Prescott expressed himself on Twitter comparing his brother to the veteran Packers quarterback. According to him, Dak has been more destroyed by the critics and the press after his elimination than Rodgers has been.
So Dak throws for 254 yards with a passing and a rushing touchdown against the 49ers in a home loss.said the older brother of the Dallas quarterback. “Aaron Rodgers threw for 225 yards with no TD passes and also loses at home to the 49ers. Yet one is constantly called the greatest of all time and the other is constantly questioned as a franchise quarterback. Please explain it.”
So @dak throws for 254 with a passing TD & 1 rushing against the @49ers in a loss @home, @AaronRodgers12 throws for 225 no TD’s and also loses at home to the @49ers yet one is constantly called the Goat, while the other is constantly questioned as a franchise QB. please explain
– Tad Prescott (@ 86Prescott) January 23, 2022
The responses to Tad Prescott’s tweet were immediate. Many of them criticized that comparison between the two quarterbacks only for one game and not taking into account the differences between the careers of Prescott and Rodgers.
Because of this, Tad posted another tweet replying to the responses he received. In it, he said Rodgers won his only Super Bowl in his seventh year while Prescott is only in his sixth season. In this way, he implies that his brother is close to achieving his first NFL championship. This, it is worth indicating, pointing out that Dak’s way of working cannot be compared with that of a veteran like Rodgers.
Guys I understand @AaronRodgers12 has a ring. a ring it took him 7 years to win, dak just finished his 6th season, Aaron just finished his 17th. Stop comparing the full body of work of a guy who was drafted when the other was still in middle school.
– Tad Prescott (@ 86Prescott) January 23, 2022
Is Tad Prescott’s comment valid?
Beyond the fact of defending his younger brother, Tad Prescott’s words are misplaced for several reasons.
First of all, and setting aside their failures this season, there are differences between the careers of Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott in the NFL. In 17 seasons, Rodgers has won a Super Bowl and has been MVP three times. In fact, he is a strong candidate to retain that title this year after winning it in 2020. Meanwhile, in his six years in the NFL, Prescott has only managed to reach the divisional round of the playoffs in the 2018 season.
Also, Tad’s tweet may have been premature. Prescott’s brother made his comment Sunday morning, just under 12 hours after the Packers’ elimination. In fact, Aaron Rodgers has been the topic of conversation for many journalists and analysts in recent hours. And this was seen with more force on Monday in opinion programs such as Get Up, First Things First Y First Take, among others.
On the other hand, the new failure of Rodgers in the postseason was the subject of memes and ridicule on social networks. Even a fast food site in Chicago went viral after offering a promotion celebrating the elimination of Rodgers and the Packers, the Bears’ arch-divisional rivals.
.@Realrclark25 is pointing fingers at Aaron Rodgers ????
“Aaron Rodgers is supposed to be the baddest man in the world and [the Packers] scored 10 points, at home, in an ice fortress nobody wants to play in. At some point, we have to look at Aaron Rodgers!” pic.twitter.com/zlXTojnM6A
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) January 24, 2022
Oh damn! @49ers win! Come to the bar for a beverage, and enjoy endless amounts of cheese fries on the house, courtesy of @AaronRodgers12 snd the @packers. Ain’t no @TomBrady, ain’t even no @drewbrees legacy, and owned by motherfucking science. #discountdoublecheck @RobbieGould09 https://t.co/oMLpyylKrG
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) January 23, 2022
The wave of criticism towards Rodgers is not surprising. Despite his performance, the quarterback adds numerous losses in the playoffs, especially in campaigns where Green Bay was a clear favorite for the Super Bowl.
In his 14 seasons as the Packers’ starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers has made the playoffs 11 times. Of those, they have reached the NFC final six times. In five of those finals, Green Bay lost the NFC championship. While, in the only one he won (2010), he was crowned Super Bowl champion the following game.
Regardless of Rodgers’ performance, this leaves the Packers pretty shaky. In fact, according to a Fox Sports Twitter post, no team has as many playoff losses in the last 20 years as Green Bay.
Over the last 20 years, no team has more home playoff losses than the Green Bay Packers. pic.twitter.com/Nx9rqcSVtW
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 24, 2022
Now, this is not to say that Dak Prescott doesn’t deserve criticism. Despite his numbers and his performance in the first games of the season, the Dallas quarterback disappointed. His performance clearly took a hit after the calf injury he sustained in Week 6 against the Patriots. And seeing what happened to Ezekiel Elliott’s injury, it is very likely that the Cowboys are also withholding information about Dak.
This isn’t the first time Tad Prescott has come to his brother’s defense, and it won’t be the last. However, this is not the best time for it, and less to compare it with other quarterbacks. At the end of the day, Dak Prescott is the one who must prove himself with his own accomplishments. And while his family and Cowboys management think the quarterback needs time to win titles, the cowboy nation won’t be as patient.