Dak Prescott has only spent six weeks as a professional starting quarterback, but he can already claim an NFL record. The Dallas Cowboys rookie threw nine passes against the Packers without throwing an interception, eclipsing Tom Brady’s record for the most pass attempts without an interception to start a career.
Dak Prescott passes Tom Brady in the record books
Prescott has now thrown the most passes without an interception to start an NFL career.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In the third quarter of Dallas’ game against the Packers, Prescott finally threw an interception, on a short pass intended for Jason Witten. The pass was intercepted by Morgan Burnett, and it snapped Prescott’s streak at 176 passes.
Prescott had already set the rookie record for most passes to start a career, but still trailed Brady, who played sparingly in his first season before ascending to the Patriots’ starting role the following year. Brady threw 162 passes without getting picked off in 2000-01.
Prescott broke the record with a pass to Terrence Williams in the first quarter of their game against the Packers.
Prescott slipped to the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft despite a storied career at Mississippi State. The former Bulldog was a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree who helped bring his team from the conference’s basement to battle for supremacy in the toughest division in college football. As a senior, he posted a sparkling 29:7 TD:INT ratio while leading MSU to a Belk Bowl championship.
The accurate Bulldog was the eighth quarterback selected in last year’s draft, due in part to some questions about his off-field behavior. He was arrested for driving under the influence in March 2016, less than two months before the draft. His breathalyzer samples came back as either invalid or insufficient, and he was found not guilty of the charges later that summer.
In the third quarter of the Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Prescott established the high mark for the number of passes without a pick for a rookie with 135.
The record was previously held by fellow rookie Carson Wentz and was broken at 134 passes when Wentz threw an interception in the Eagles’ 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Wentz and Prescott had been trading the record back and forth until Week 5. The new rookie record for the number of passes without interceptions sits at 176.
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