Dak Prescott has 498 career attempts. He has thrown four interceptions. Unless he throws an interception in his first two attempts Sunday, the Cowboys quarterback will break the NFL’s record for the fewest interceptions in his first 500 attempts.
“To me, it’s just numbers,” Prescott told reporters Wednesday. “The milestone doesn’t mean anything. As I said, my main focus is taking care of the ball, keeping the ball in our team’s hands. Whatever the stat is really doesn’t mean anything. You’ve just got to go out there and take care of the ball week in and week out.”
Prescott set the NFL record for most passes to start a career without an interception (176), passing Tom Brady, who went 162 throws without a pick for the Patriots in 2000-01.
In 477 attempts as a senior at Mississippi State, Prescott was intercepted five times. So, as Todd Archer of ESPN points out, in Prescott’s past 30 regular-season games in college and the NFL, Prescott has thrown nine interceptions in 975 attempts.
For those wanting to see Prescott throw downfield more than last season when he completed only 38 passes that traveled at least 20 yards through the air, ranking tied for 23rd, Prescott attempted four such passes Sunday, according to STATS. That ranks him in a tie for sixth, with Sam Bradford leading the league with eight attempts that traveled 20-plus yards through the air.
“I think I took more risks in the Giants game than I did in the other Giants games,” Prescott said. “I don’t know if that’s the most I have taken. We liked our matchup or certain matchups down the field. It wasn’t a number we said we were going to get to or a number we said we weren’t going to throw them after that. If it was there. If it was one on ones, take them, and I trust my guy.