Stephen A. Smith made his stance on Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy very clear following the Dallas Cowboys' upset loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Dallas looks to be a fierce contender this season, boasting an explosive attack while retooling the defense. However, they now stand with a 2-3 record after losing to a Tampa Bay side that missed star quarterback Baker Mayfield due to injury.

Smith reacted to the game on Friday during his appearance on ESPN's First Take. There, he expressed his stance on Purdy being better than Prescott due to success in crucial moments.

“He's not better than Brock Purdy. He's not. Just watch. Just look at him. Look at the two play. It's night and day. Now you can point to, ‘oh my goodness, Brock Purdy's got Kyle Shanahan.' Well, da*n it, whose fault is that? How many coaches is it going to take for Dak Prescott to win playoff games? Only got two in 10 years. How much? How much of a pass are you going to give him? Here's what I will say: He handled the whole situation in the tunnel with the utmost class. He is class personified. Yes, Jack is the ultimate professional,” Smith said.

"He is class personified, Dak is the ultimate professionalist."@stephenasmith comments on Dak Prescott and his postgame encounter with stadium staff ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0Y1bvXNPq5

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 9, 2026

How Dak Prescott, Cowboys played against Buccaneers

The Cowboys are underperforming on both sides of the ball, with major weaknesses coming into the spotlight as their Buccaneers loss puts them at serious risk.

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Dallas had a decent start, leading 10-7 at halftime. Despite this, Tampa Bay ignited with 17 points in the third quarter, something Dallas never recovered from. They attempted a late rally down the stretch, but the visitors ended the hosts' comeback hopes by intercepting Dak Prescott's last pass of the night.

Dak Prescott struggled as he couldn't put big passes past the Tampa Bay defense. He completed 24 out of 42 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. Javonte Williams led the run game with 12 rushes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, George Pickens had his best performance of the season with nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 6 as kickoff commences on Oct. 18 at 8:20 p.m. ET.