How Dallas built the NFL's 1,586-pound MVP
— -- This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Dec. 26/Jan. 2 issue.? Subscribe today!
Dak Prescott settles under center, makes eye contact with the middle linebacker one last time to get his bearings, then taps his right foot on the turf, signaling for tight end Jason Witten to come in motion. It's late on a Thursday night inside the glimmering Nordic temple of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and the Cowboys are clinging to a 14-9 lead. They have the ball on their own 46 with 6:37 remaining, but you can feel it: After struggling most of the night in this Week 13 matchup against a top-five defense, the Dallas offense needs to make something happen, and fast.
A few months ago, of course, nothing the Cowboys did in December was supposed to have any consequence whatsoever. In August, Tony Romo hurt his back and was replaced by Prescott, the fourth-round draft choice and eighth quarterback picked overall. So much for the season. Then, in keeping with the overall theme of 2016 -- "Wait, what?" -- Prescott turned out to be nothing short of extraordinary. With him and sensational rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys somehow went from zero expectations to the projected top seed in the NFC.
But the real reason for Dallas' unlikely run is its five wide-bodies up front, a unit so dominant there has been talk of naming the entire group the 2016 NFL MVP. It's now in perfect sync at the start of this critical drive. As Prescott's right foot hits the turf, Witten's right hand lifts off the ground. He moves with purpose behind the line, first passing right tackle Doug Free, then right guard Zack Martin, center Travis Frederick and left guard Ronald Leary, before coming to a stop just behind the outside shoulder of left tackle Tyron Smith, the man who set this juggernaut into motion.
It's time for something big.
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