Who Won The NFL Weekend? Dak Prescott And Ezekiel Elliott, The Cowboys’ Rookie Sensations

For years, the refrain for the Dallas Cowboys has been the same: If Tony Romo is healthy, they’re playoff contenders. Once one of his ever-imperiled bones snaps, however, they collapse. It was perhaps the single biggest factor in their record dropping from 12-4 in 2014 to 4-12 last year. Whether it’s his collarbone or his spine, Romo’s tenuous health has always been the biggest concern in Dallas, but those days might finally be over with the emergence of Dak Prescott.

Through five games, Prescott has yet to throw an interception, the longest streak to start a career by any rookie ever. On Sunday, he and fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott — as a high draft pick, a byproduct of the Cowboys’ lost 2015 season — tore up what was supposed to be a pretty good Cincinnati Bengals defense to put Dallas at 4-1, first place in the NFC East. Prescott will still sit for Romo whenever the latter is ready, but the future past the 36-year-old incumbent is bright indeed.

Prescott has mainly found success by sticking to underneath and crossing routes, peppering the diminutive Cole Beasley with targets all season. For someone whose accuracy was questioned coming out of college, it’s been a pleasant surprise to see Prescott playing within himself. Though his yardage totals haven’t been all that impressive, there’s no bad way to have complete 18 of 24 passes, with a touchdown pass and this touchdown run:

If Dak’s success has been surprising, his backfield mate has ascended to what has seemed like his birthright as one of the very best running backs in the NFL. Ezekiel Elliott, after going for 134 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries during Week 5, leads all of football with 546 rushing yards this season, and he has an unreal combination of tackle-breaking power and breakaway speed to produce runs like this — it looks like the two Bengals defensive backs have Zeke bottled up before he splits them like they’re from a mid-major college:

Of course, neither of the young bucks would be having the success they’re enjoying if they weren’t playing behind the Cowboys’ offensive line, which might be the best in football. Quarterbacks make mistakes when they’re pressured, and running backs can’t make moves at the second level if there are bodies in the backfield with them. The line is what makes it happen, and Dallas’ big men up front have been as good as advertised.

Though the Redskins remain as inconsistent as Kirk Cousins and the Giants are a crushing failure on offense, the Cowboys do not have a cakewalk to the NFC East title — Carson Wentz’s Eagles are right there at 3-1, and they probably have a better defense. It should be a fun division race, and all of a sudden it looks like we could have a rivalry that blossoms for years between two young and talented teams.

Other Week 5 Winners:

Tom Brady: His Deflategate suspension finally behind him, Brady returned to re-assert the Patriots’ dominance with over 400 yards passing. When New England has Brady and Rob Gronkowski healthy, they make a strong case as the best team in football. Jimmy Garoppolo was good enough in Brady’s absence to quiet most fears about what would happen in the case of an injury at quarterback, but didn’t do quite enough to start a full-blown QB controversy. That’s just as well, because it doesn’t look like Brady is going anywhere.

All that being said, the Browns have made every QB they’ve faced this season look great, and beating Cleveland isn’t ever enough to make you the top winner of a certain week.

LeSean McCoy: It’s been a couple of years since Shady was one of the hottest running backs in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, as off-field troubles have combined with decreased effectiveness and a trade to Buffalo to steadily decrease McCoy’s national profile. The nature of the NFL’s star machine means McCoy’s moment in the spotlight won’t come again, but he’s back to being an incredibly effective running back. He racked up 150 yards on only 18 carries against a stout Los Angeles Rams front line, and his Bills have a winning record again. At 28, Shady is likely closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but he looked as fast as ever on Sunday:

Marcus Mariota: The Titans’ second-year QB has had a rough go of it so far in 2016, just like his team. As talented as Mariota is, he still has a lot to learn about coverage and protection, but he was nearly perfect against the Miami Dolphins, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth. His 94.4 QBR was third among all quarterbacks this week, and with DeMarco Murray having a resurgent season beside him, he could actually make the Titans an exciting team. It might sound crazy, but that’s what running quarterbacks do; it’s just as crazy how little hype he seems to have around the league. Mariota could still be special, as he showed today.