(that's what all you Dak detractors refer to in Rodgers, right?)
and its funny you mention the 2018 AFCCG and brady making a come back (he is the GOAT). yet not mention Mahomes and how the defense let him down, and mahomes did everything in that game too. so how could mahomes not be able to win the AFCCG in 2018....I guess he wasn't any good back then. he only became good in 2019...right? and then in 2020 he choked in the superbowl not being able to win it.
Wow, lots of things to unpack here. Firstly, why are you calling me a Dak detractor? I have said in many different threads that he is a top 10 QB in this league. Is it because I’m not calling him great? What things has he done that are ‘great’ achievements for an NFL QB? He is a good, pro-bowl caliber QB who earned his contract. That’s pretty solid, with a long career ahead of him to attempt greatness. It may be hard to believe if you fall on the side of pro or anti Dak, but I am neither. I am a Dak realist, he is exactly what he is, nothing more and nothing less.
And to your 2018 AFCCG point, yes 100% Mahomes was blamed for that loss. Time and time again he came up short in the 4th and overtime. He lost it as much as Brady won it. But you know what happened the next year? He redeemed himself.
I have criticized Dak for his bad plays and bad games. but I don't laser focus on those games only, given every QB has those games including the great Brady.
and in the two playoff losses with Dak. one him as a rookie going against the great Rodgers (that's what all you Dak detractors refer to in Rodgers, right?). and that coming down to a defense not holding GB back and allowing them 3, not one, but 3 big plays to convert first downs and get in field goal range. is that Dak's fault? against the Rams, was it his fault for giving up 250 yards rushing? Rams rushed and converted at will. tell me how that's his fault?
because in those games, despite everything that happened, Dak put his team in position to win, and then he wilted. In the packers game, despite everything, you only lose by 5. Here are 3 of the last 4 drives Dak led: punt, fumble lost, turnover on downs. That’s how the game ended. So yes, Cowboy had problems. Yes, not every single statistic when he’s not even on the field is entirely Dak’s fault (you keep using that hyperbole). But never, ever, ever, ever would Brady end a playoff game like that. If Mahomes ever did, he would rightly be blamed for it. Russell Wilson has never ended a playoff loss like that.
You didn’t lose by 20, you didn’t get taken behind the wouldshed, any of those drives go all the way and Dak rightly gets praise for beating Rodgers. But Rodgers took advantage of the moment that the other QB passed on: Field Goal, TD, TD, kneel to end the game. That was Aaron’s last 4 possessions that game, no hyperbole necessary. We can blame your defense, but why were they so good for 2.5 quarters? Because Rodgers wouldn’t stand for it anymore. Why did Dak suddenly disappear when the fourth quarter started? Where the Packers suddenly all-world on D? Did ray lewis and Reggie white come out of the tunnel for the second half? Or Is it alway his play callers fault every time? Dak was rookie, there’s always that.
let’s look at his only other playoff appearance in his career: 2018. St. Louis Rams, despite the insane rushing stats, despite the crazy time of possession difference, it was still only a 1 possession game! Time for Dak to play 2-minute hero, let’s see what he did:
Punt
TD
Downs
TD
That loss of possessions by downs is glaring, but otherwise this paints a very different picture than the Packers game. Dak was driving, Dak was scoring. So how did we get the result we did? Before those drives the Cowboys scored on 1 single drive to open the game. Before the 4th quarter flurry, Dallas had a total of 7 points. What was Dak’s excuse then, was it Garrett? Was it the crazy good Rams D? Dak is part of every solution, just as he is part of every problem. Maybe his defense gives up a lot of yards, but why is he choosing not to keep his team in the game by scoring to match the opponent? Is he not good enough or do we go with other excuses for him?
I think I understand most of your argument, but one part is still a little off to me. Let’s do a comparison, this very much ties into Dak’s situation:
QB A and QB B played a similar amount of seasons through their careers. However, QB B was notorious for having top coaches, and regularly had a strong, if not dominant defense.
QB A: more yards, many more TDs, similar INTs, better YPA, higher completion %, more pro bowls. However, QB A never won a SB, never made a SB, and it would have been a surprise and a big deal if he even brought a team to a championship game.
QB B is a super bowl champion, has made multiple super bowls, many championship games, despite putting up inferior numbers, being less accurate, and having (in some cases) dramatically better teams and organization(s) around him. Virtually everyone sees QB B as the superior QB having the superior career.
I would go so far as to say QB A couldn’t necessarily be blamed for a lot of his playoff losses, he plays reasonably well in most of them. Well enough not to lose, you could say. And while QB B played well in the playoffs, he’s no Tom Brady, and by the stats you know he was never known as a high flying gunslinger type. In this scenario, without knowing the specifics of their situations, do you think it’s fair that QB B is considered superior?
For as much as is out of Dak’s control, a lot is still in his control. He could have beaten GB, he could have beaten StL, despite everything going against him. In both games he did play good, but in neither game did he play great.
