Dallas is sitting pretty at 6-2 with the 5th seed at the bye. But are they for real? In this article we will go over 5 reasons to be optimistic about the Boys, and 5 reasons to be pessimistic about them.
REASONS TO DOUBT DALLAS
- Defensive Back
With all the hype that the front seven for Dallas has brought in, many people are overlooking the glaring flaws in the secondary. Trevon Diggs isn’t playing well, allowing 28 catches on 45 targets, the fifth most in the league/ He isn’t generating picks like he did last year, and he definitely won’t sniff the Pro Bowl. Anthony Brown is solid but can’t make up for Diggs getting burnt every other play.
- Dak Prescott can’t win in big moments
Death, taxes, and Dak Prescott peeing himself in the playoffs. The three constants of life. No matter how you try to paint it, Dak has won less playoff games than BLAKE BORTLES. So even if the Cowboys do make it to the promised land of the playoffs, there’s no guarantee that Dak performs better than we saw last year. If they make the five seed, they likely play the Buccaneers, who they lost to earlier in the season. Win the division and they get a bye and likely have to face off against the Eagles or Giants in the divisional, two teams better built than the Boys. In playoffs games where he loses, Dak has thrown for 4 touchdowns and three interceptions.
- Coaching staff misusing Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot.
With Pollard set to be leaving this offseason, it makes sense for the Cowboys to not want to drive up his value, but the staff woefully misuses him. Zeke is an incredibly inefficient back, averaging 2.1 yards per game less than Tony Pollard. Yet the staff has handed the ball off to Zeke 109 times before he got injured, compared to Pollard’s 55 carries. This is surprising coming from Kellen Moore, but the Cowboys need to run Zeke into the ground because of the giant contract he signed. Don’t expect much change when Zeke comes back healthy after the bye.
- AFC Heavyweights
Let’s hypothesize, for a second, that Dallas gets incredibly lucky and runs the table the rest of the way to the Super Bowl. Who in the AFC could realistically get to the Super Bowl and could Dallas beat? The Bills would kill them. The Chiefs would kill them. The Dolphins would kill them. Heck, even the Ravens are a better built roster at the moment. It would be the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history if Dallas made it. They’re a top-heavy team, and it shows.
- Fly Eagles Fly
The biggest threat to Dallas’s aspirations lies in their own division. Philly is the only unbeaten team left in the NFL, and there is a biiiiiiiiiig gap between the Cowboys and them.
Quarterback? Advantage Philly.
Receivers? Advantage Philly.
Tight End? Advantage Philly.
Secondary? Advantage Philly.
Physicality? Advantage Philly.
‘Delphia neutralized Micah Parsons last time they met the Cowboys. They were able to make Cooper Rush throw 3 picks before halftime. All the talk of “JaLeN HuRtS HaSn’T pLaYeD A rEaL dEfEnSe” disappeared in an instant. Philadelphia outmatches Dallas in almost every aspect, and it’s clear as day to see.
REASONS TO BELIEVE IN DALLAS:
- Micah Parsons
Straight up beast. This guy hasn’t lost a step from last year’s All-Pro campaign. He can be played off the edge, outside linebacker, or inside linebacker. He’s the ultimate chess piece on defense, and it shows every game. Teams double him on nearly every snap, freeing up DeMarcus Lawrence to rush the passer. This dominant defensive effect he brings on every snap allows Dallas to have lapses in coverage most of the time.
- Soft Schedule
Dallas has the 2nd softest schedule to finish the year, which is huge for their playoff chances. The only game one can reasonably see them losing is against Philadelphia in December. While they will likely lose a trap game, that doesn’t knock the idea of going 13-4 with the fifth seed in the playoffs, which just might be a real possibility.
- Michael Gallup Coming Back
It may not seem huge, but Michael Gallup coming back is great for this offense. Defenses can no longer just stuff the box and double up on Lamb. However, now defenses have to respect Gallup, meaning they get another defender out of the box, which frees up Lamb along with Elliot and Pollard for the rushing attack. Keep in mind, Gallup was a 1,000-yard receiver three years ago. Whether the ACL tear has limited him remains to be seen, but the talent is there for Dallas. If he can get back to that point, good. If he can’t, Dallas should trade his albatross contract. In either faucet, a solid WR2 always opens up the other options on the field.
- Quality Wins against Cincy and L.A.
Cincinnati and Los Angeles are not what they were last year, but the Cowboys have still beaten both Super Bowl participants from last year, both with their backup quarterback, Cooper Rush. Tony Pollard played extremely well both times, and the team’s run defenses are not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Los Angeles has Aaron Donald and Bobby Wagner, while Cincinnati has Trey Hendrickson, D.J. Reader, Sam Hubbard, and Logan Wilson. The Boys need to be able to win against quality opponents such as these if they want to come into the playoffs prepared. Speaking of which…
- Lack of Quality Playoff Teams in the NFC
The Atlanta Falcons have a good shot at winning the NFC South. I could end the article right there. None of the other teams in the NFC (besides the Eagles and 49ers) seem to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Minnesota defense is very suspect. Atlanta will be starting Marcus Mariota. New York has had help from all of their opponents to get to 6-2. Seattle is very limited when playing teams with above-average offenses. Simply put, Dallas is the third best team in the NFC this year. And they’re not that far behind the other contenders. But can they put it all together?
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