5 NFL teams who could shock us and play for a conference championship

Maybe a new head coach is the panacea to what has been ailing them?

Not since 1995 have the Dallas Cowboys been good enough to play for the right to go to the Super Bowl. They may have won Super Bowl 30 that season over Bill Cowher’s Pittsburgh Steelers, but we couldn’t reasonably expect Barry Switzer to keep Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys dream alive for much longer. The Cowboys have had their moments, but have disappointed.

Along with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas has a clear enough path to win the NFC East, as the New York Giants and the Washington NFL team are rebuilding. The Cowboys have had a talented roster for a while now, but had been at a major coaching deficiency for the better part of a decade. While he’s not without his warts, Mike McCarthy is still a massive upgrade over Jason Garrett.

Even though starting quarterback Dak Prescott will play on the franchise tag, McCarthy spent a year out of football, hoping to learn what he got wrong in his final years with the Green Bay Packers. One thing that would absolutely serve him is to run the damn ball for once with Ezekiel Elliott. He’s better at pounding the rock than any back McCarthy ever had in Green Bay.

Defensively, the Cowboys may take a step back, but this team is one where if everything comes up aces, they can be good enough to win the NFC East, multiple playoff games and lose in the NFC Championship game for the first time in decades. Getting to a conference title bout would be a huge accomplishment, as a generation of Cowboys fans have never seen their team there.