Kyle Shanahan praises “CEO” Dak Prescott ahead of 49ers vs. Cowboys – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

Kyle Shanahan has great admiration for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Shanahan was asked on the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area's “49ers Game Plan” what he thought of the Dallas signal-caller ahead of the crucial “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the two storied franchises.

“Dak is a stud,” Shanahan told Greg Papa. “I think he’s a real CEO of a company. You can tell he's the obvious leader. He's the type of guy who never goes too high and never goes too low. I think he is one of the better competitors in this league, he will fight you until the end.

“If you let him know what the cover is, if he knows where to go, if you get him into a rhythm, he can tear you to shreds as well as anyone. However, he's neither really fast nor a guy who really scares you with his legs. If you fall asleep with him, he'll make you pay for it. He will do anything to win and that’s why you have to deal with him.”

Prescott had his best year as a pro last season, finishing second in the NFL MVP voting behind Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The 31-year-old parlayed that performance into the richest contract for a player in NFL history, signing a $240 million deal a day before the season began.

Results since then have been mixed, as Prescott and the entire offense have suffered regression. Poor decisions and poor play by the receiving team have led to an increase in interceptions and bad passes. Add in a leaky defense that can do nothing to stop a potent offense and you have the recipe for a mediocre record.

Both Dallas and San Francisco find themselves in a precarious position in the NFC playoff standings as the underdogs look inward and time is running out to right the ship. So the prime-time duel carries extra weight this time, as the loser will fall even further out of postseason contention.

Given the way the 49ers limited Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' offense last week, Prescott and the Cowboys' offense will have a lot of work to do Sunday night at Levi's Stadium.

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