The 2026 NFL regular season is approaching, with the opening game (Super Bowl LX rematch) between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots scheduled for September 9 followed by the Dallas Cowboys going against the New York Giants on September 13. Ahead of the season opener, the predictions are swarming from everywhere, with a few foreseeing a standout season for the Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.

“I think this is the year that Dak Prescott finally breaks through and we have that Prescott MVP pick,” ESPN’s Steven Ruiz said on This is Football.

“The case is he’s going to throw for 5,000 yards. He’s going to throw for a billion yards and a billion touchdowns. Playing in that offense, playing with those two receivers… I think it’s going to be better than last year, where last year was historically bad.

“If they just improve marginally and the Cowboys are in the playoff race… I think we discount this a lot when we’re making MVP picks. If you look at, like, the past couple of MVPs, even going back like a decade, the candidate that has the strongest month that finishes the strongest always seems to win. It doesn’t really matter. It’s not a full-season award, to be honest. So, I think Dak has a chance to do that.”

Prescott has been favored to be the MVP pick this year over other NFL quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, who are favored to receive the honor almost every year. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has won the NFL MVP award twice and is near the top of the voting every year. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills quarterback won his first MVP honor for the 2024 season and has finished in the top 5 contenders for five of the last six years.

Prescott is already 10 seasons into his NFL career, with just three seasons where he racked up less than 3,000 passing yards.

Meanwhile, in his breakout season in 2019, Prescott threw for 4,902 yards while posting 30 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games. However, ESPN’s Steven Ruiz believes the Dallas Cowboys signal-caller may cross the 5,000 mark this year, and the assessment isn’t without reason.

The Cowboys’ offensive unit averaged 403.1 total yards per game (ranking 1st in the NFL) and scored 27.7 points per game (ranking 7th in the NFL) last year. Prescott led an offense featuring Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson.

Heading into the 2026 season, Dak Prescott will be on the field with the same offense. During an appearance on the Up and Adams Show, Prescott revealed that he has labeled his daily cell phone alarms “Super Bowl 61” as a constant reminder to manifest his ultimate goal every single day.

Last year, Prescott racked up 4,552 passing yards and 30 TDs in 17 regular-season games, while their defensive unit struggled, resulting in a 7-9-1 finish. But this offseason, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys underwent a major defensive overhaul.

The hiring of defensive coordinator Christian Parker and the additions of Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and Kenny Clark have lifted morale. But the actual output will be judged only when the Cowboys and Dak Prescott begin their 2026 season.