Way too early NFL predictions: AFC/NFC Championship Game matchups

NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys surprised us last season, in that the defense was nowhere near as awful as we expected. As for offense, it definitely helped to have a healthy DeMarco Murray put together a career year in the backfield.

Murray is gone now, replaced by Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams. As Murray was frequently injured before last year, and as the team has arguably the best offensive line in football, the Cowboys seem to feel as though the line will help guys like McFadden replicate Murray’s numbers.

This feeling seems to be shared with the players, as Randle recently told the Dallas Morning News that he felt Murray didn’t get as much out of the efforts of the line as he could have.

It’s going to be a dogfight to get out of the NFC East, not to mention the NFC in general, but the Cowboys appear to have both the offensive and defensive talent to do it.

So who would win in a battle between the Packers and Cowboys? It was a close battle (with a call of a questionable nature) last year, and could, as with the AFC battle we discussed, depend on home field advantage this season.

I think the Packers would have more luck jamming up the Dallas offense than the reverse. It’d be close, but I’m giving it to Green Bay today.

Colts versus Packers at Super Bowl 50? That’s a fun game to think about.