Last weekend, the Cowboys' season came to an end. But what many saw as a failure, I saw as a huge success.
The Cowboys entered the season with Tony Romo as the starting quarterback, Kellen Moore the backup, and rookie Dak Prescott as the third-string quarterback. Moore broke his ankle in training camp and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Then, Romo went down in the preseason with a broken bone in his back. Prescott, fresh out of Mississippi State, was now the starter. Many predicted another awful season following the loss of Romo, after going 4-12 without him last year. Instead, Dak led the team to a franchise record 11-straight wins, 13-3 record, NFC East title, and the No.1 seed in the NFC.
Not to mention, Prescott didn't exactly come out of college anointed as the greatest thing since sliced bread. He was drafted in the fourth round and was the eighth quarterback taken. However, this fourth round rookie quarterback just went toe-to-toe with the great Aaron Rodgers and fought to a 31-31 tie with 35 seconds left. The difference of the game in this classic shootout was that Rodgers got the ball last. In his first playoff game, Prescott was spectacular and matched Rodgers throw for throw. He also overcame a season-high 18-point deficit in this game and some awful calls by the referees.
Dak's future is bright, just like the rest of this team. Ezekiel Elliott is a force. He led the NFL in rushing this year and has been eating his way through opposing defenses yard by yard. Dallas has built a wall also known as the offensive line. Dez Bryant proved against Green Bay that he is still a top wide receiver, he just needs to stay healthy. Other than Jason Witten and Doug Free, the entire offense is under 29 years old. This team is going to be together for a long time. This year was a step in the right direction, especially after going 4-12 last year. Transitioning from Romo to Prescott smoothly will benefit this team. They are in a much better position than a team like the New York Jets, who have had a revolving door of quarterbacks and can't seem to hit on any of them, or a team like the Indianapolis Colts who have a top quarterback and some good talent but still can't find their way to the playoffs.
Dallas is poised for a very successful run. With a few changes to make to improve the defense in the draft and free agency. they should be one of the favorites for next year's Super Bowl. With this extremely young core, I predict that over the next decade, Dallas will win at least two Super Bowls. All they have to do is stay healthy and not beat themselves and they'll be the team to beat for a long time. The rest of the NFL has a problem, and that problem is Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant, the wall, and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys.
