LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Despite his rocky start to the 2018 season, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak 0Prescott earned the long-term extension he likely will receive this offseason with his play down the stretch.

Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is arguably the most scrutinized position in all of sports. Everything the Dallas signal-caller does is under a microscope, and no matter how much they succeed, nothing is seen as good enough unless they reach the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had a very shaky start to his 2018 campaign. Through his first eight games of the season Prescott had thrown for just ten touchdowns to five interceptions, had a passer rating of 90.3, and his completion percentage was around 61%, a very poor number.

Many questioned if Prescott was really the guy that could lead Dallas to even the postseason, and no one would have approved of giving him a contract extension this coming offseason. Prescott was under the most criticism he had been in his sports career, and in the face of adversity he has faced his entire life, he came up big once again.

In the final eight regular-season games of his 2018 campaign, Prescott threw for 12 touchdowns to just three interceptions, had a 72% completion percentage, which was best in the NFL in the last eight games, and posted a passer rating of 103, top five in the league in the final eight games.

Prescott played like his 2016 self that led Dallas to a 13-3 record and the number one seed in the playoffs, and ultimately lead Dallas to the postseason once again, and ended up winning his first postseason game over the Seattle Seahawks. Despite all the critiques and struggles he went through Prescott never wavered, and neither did the team and organizations confidence in him.

If you follow anyone within the Dallas Cowboys organization you can see just how much this team loves and plays for number four. Owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones have been very clear about their affection for Prescott this season, and have been clear without directly saying it that they plan to keep him in Dallas for a long time.

Back in November Jerry was very direct in his comments that the team had plans to sign Prescott to a long-term deal and after his late-season performance there seems to be a decent chance it could happen this offseason. Although Prescott is not a superstar, the Cowboys would be very smart to lock him up long-term this summer. If they get a deal done now they could possibly save some money before Prescott hits the open market and has other teams bidding on him.

People will always be overly critical of Prescott because of the title he holds, but when you get down to it he is a quarterback that can win you a championship and can help you be competitive week in and week out.

If Dallas is able to bring in a new offensive coordinator this offseason who can help unleash Prescott’s running ability in next year’s offense we could see another side of Prescott’s game we have only seen small glimpses of to this point.

This team believes in Prescott, and more importantly, this organization believes in him as well. He showed down the stretch this season that when the lights shine brightest he shows up the most.

Dak Prescott will never be the next Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or Joe Montana. And that’s perfectly fine. What he will be is a solid B quarterback who is beloved by his teammates and coaches and puts everything on the line with a warrior mentality every single week. Like it or not, Dak Prescott is going to be behind center in Dallas for a long time, so you better get used to it.