Every year around this time, Cowboys fans usually start making Super Bowl predictions. The difference between me and these fans is that I’m a little bit more realistic. And with my realistic and unbiased point of view I believe the Cowboys will reach the NFC Championship Game.
Now let’s completely forget about the last season because it was destroyed by injuries. Literally, in the offseason our best cornerback, Orlando Scandrick got injured and was out for the season. Then, Tony Romo and Dez Bryant both got injured for a significant amount of time. And when they came back they weren’t completely healthy. Some shining moments of last year includes the emergence of Byron Jones, Demarcus Lawrence and a decent running game. Another thing that was clear to the human-eye was that we had an underrated defense. Last year, our defense had the tendency to stay in games until it was transparent that Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassell weren’t going to put points on the scoreboard. Then, they usually gave us during the end of the game. Our defense held almost every team quiet until the third quarter because they gave up due to lack of productivity on offense. Which is powered by Tony Romo. Without Tony Romo we suffered tremendously. The games that Tony Romo did play in his record was 3-1. The rest of the quarterbacks were a combined 1-11. So basically, if Tony Romo gets injured this year, forget about this article.
The Cowboys have made several moves since the ending of the season. Including drafting Ezekiel Elliott and signing Alfred Morris, while also making minor moves on the defensive end. The hype around Ezekiel Elliot has been crazy. He is projected to be the starter Day-1 in front of two 1,000 yard rushers. This is because of his versatility and how he can effect the game in many ways. With a solid running game and offensive line, you have arguably a top-five QB and WR on one side of the ball. The attention that the running game will draw and the attention a healthy Dez Bryant would pull in would allow Tony Romo to torch defenses like he did in 2014. If you don’t remember the 2014 season, Tony Romo was voted second behind Aaron Rodgers for MVP.
I think the defense will pull it together with return of Orlando Scandrick. Orlando Scandrick was very important in the 2014 season. Also with Byron Jones at safety, I do not believe teams will be successful at throwing the ball all over the field on us. And Sean Lee, Rolando McClain and Anthony Hitchens is a solid linebacker core. The problem with the Cowboys will always be leadership and injuries. If the Cowboys avoid injuries, and Tony Romo leads this team like he has done in the past, the Dallas Cowboys will be in the NFC championship game. For those, who read this and thinks that Tony Romo is mediocre because of how many playoff wins he has, just remember that 2014 was the only year that the Cowboys had a consistent running threat and a decent defense. Years before that we had Felix Jones, Marion Barber and our defense was always at the bottom of every ranking. It shouldn’t be difficult to win the division because the other 3 teams are still struggling to find their identity.
In conclusion, the only thing that is stopping the Dallas Cowboys from going to the NFC Championship game is the Dallas Cowboys. If we could avoid injuries and suspensions, we will be a top team in the NFL. The Cowboys can score with anybody, and we should be able to stop teams. My prediction is that our record will be no worse than 11-5 and at least the NFC Championship game. Our schedule is easy, so this season should be entertaining.
