“I’m just showing people how to express their adversity to allow it to become their strength,” said Dak, as he accepted his WPMOY award for the 2022 NFL season. The following year? He used that newfound strength to finish second in MVP voting, right behind Lamar.
Still, God continues to give us opportunities to grow through adversity. For Dak, this has included—though not been limited to—the loss of his mother to cancer, the death of his brother to suicide, a devastating compound fracture to his ankle in 2020, and, most recently, a partial avulsion to his hamstring tendon, once again prematurely ending his 2024 campaign. And let’s not forget, he’s endured all of this while NFL media and social media continue to dog him—mainly because of a particular star on his helmet.
One of my favorite comfort films is Creed II. In it, former superstar boxer Adonis Creed lands in a hospital bed after a brutal loss to Viktor Drago—the son of the man who killed Adonis’s father in the ring. His journey of recovery takes him to a dark place, forcing him to look in the mirror and confront what he’s really fighting for. Eventually, Creed defeats Drago—and more importantly—conquers the anxiety, fears, and doubts born from trauma and uncertainty.
And I’ll tell you what: Dak has come out swinging in the early rounds of this bout. Currently, he’s at the helm of the most explosive offense in football, leading the league in yards per game. He’s also first among QBs in passing yards, first in completions, and third in completion percentage. His 8 total touchdowns to 3 interceptions is even a bit misleading—one pick hit the turf, and another came off a George Pickens drop.
So why is this team 1-2-1? The blame lies with the 32nd-ranked defense in football, giving up a staggering 421 yards per game through four contests. But again—adversity becomes strength. Dak’s 7.9% bad throw rate is the lowest of his career. And he’s doing it behind an offensive line ranked 31st in true pass set grade (PFF). Plays like this aren’t necessary when you’ve got good protection. He doesn’t have that luxury.
In the prime-time tie against Green Bay (seriously, can we get rid of ties in American football?), Dak added a 122.8% win probability to Dallas—the second-highest of his career, per Next Gen Stats. Dak Kent is putting on the cape to save the day, and his situation refuses to be his kryptonite.
The most impressive stat to me? The blend of Adjusted EPA and PFF grade. Adjusted EPA—“expected points added” per play—accounts for pass protection, dropped interceptions, receiver errors, and more. Combined with a player’s game grade, it gives a complete picture of performance under pressure. Among all quarterbacks, Dak stands alone—averaging a perfect 100 grade in every single game this season. For comparison, Darnold, Allen, Love, and Jones trail him, with only Darnold averaging above 80. Translation: despite weak pass protection and frequent drops, Dak is putting in Herculean effort to keep this team competitive.
This brings us to the big question: How do you define MVP? Is it wins? Stats? Replacement value? To me, this is strikingly similar to the 2024 Bengals. Joe Burrow played out of his mind, dragging Cincinnati to wins with near-perfect performances.
For me, MVP stands for Most Irreplaceable Player (there’s no V, I know). Russell Westbrook won MVP in the NBA because he had to drop 42 triple-doubles to get his team into the postseason. Take him off that roster? They’re in the bottom five. Take Dak off this roster? Same result.
So, suppose a player is producing perfect grades, leading the league’s most potent offense, posting the highest expected points per play, and increasing his team’s win probability by 100%. How is he not in the MVP conversation?
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