The team won the NFC East in 2021. But the Dallas Cowboys will no longer have a lot of familiar faces on their roster. Will the club return to the playoffs?
Nine games into the season, the Dallas Cowboys owned a 7-2 record and looked as good as any team in the league. Led by coordinator Dan Quinn, the club rebounded from an abysmal defensive showing in 2020. And quarterback Dak Prescott enjoyed a bounce-back year after missing the final 11 games of ’20.
Including a disappointing home playoff loss to the 49ers, Mike McCarthy’s squad was a mediocre 5-4 in its last nine outings. Jerry Jones’ team lost quite a bit of talent during the offseason. So what could we see this season?
3. Cowboys bold predictions: Team will score 100-plus fewer points
This past season, Mike McCarthy’s club ranked first overall in total yards gained per game. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gained more yards through the air. Dallas featured the ninth-best rushing attack in the league in terms of yards gained. And the Cowboys racked up an NFL-high 530 points.
But this will be a different year for the team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. McCarthy’s squad will be down left tackle Tyron Smith indefinitely with a knee injury. Left guard Connor Williams and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson signed with the Miami Dolphins. Right tackle La’el Collins was released and joined the Bengals. And wideout Amari Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns.
A year ago, the Cowboys’ offense pierced the end zone 55 times. But the defense and special teams added nine touchdowns. Hard to imagine the latter happening again. And the Dallas’ attack may struggle to find itself with the numerous changes.
2. Cowboys bold prediction: Dallas will finish 3-3 vs. NFC East rivals
Exactly half of the Cowboys’ dozen victories this past season came against their NFC East brothers. Dallas swept all six of their divisional meetings and did it in extremely convincing fashion.
The club swept the playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles by a combined 92-47 count. They rolled over the New York Giants by 44-20 and 21-6 scores. And the newly-dubbed Washington Commanders were no match for the 2021 division champions, outscored a combined 83-34 in the span of 15 days in November.
Do the math and that’s six win by an astounding 240-107 score. Yes, the NFC East has been pretty underwhelming in recent years. In 2020, Washington won the division with a 7-9 record.
But this offseason, the Eagles made their share of impressive moves. They dealt for former Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Brown, signed pass-rusher Hasson Reddick (Panthers) and picked up cornerback James Bradberry after he was cut loose by the rival Giants. New York now has a new head coach in Brian Daboll and looks much-improved in the trenches.
Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys struggle in their clashes with their NFC East rivals in 2022. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Birds completely reverse their 2021 results in the clubs’ rivalry. And the Giants might sneak up on the Cowboys at least once this fall.
1. Cowboys bold prediction: Dallas fails to qualify for the playoffs
Yes, the Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East in 2021. Now they set out to defend their division crown. But it’s worth noting that no team has won the NFC East in consecutive years since the Philadelphia Eagles turned the trick from 2001-04. And the Cowboys have not made back-to-back playoff appearances since the 2006 and ’07 seasons.
If the Cowboys get off to a miserable start, things could get interesting in Arlington. All told, four of the club’s first six games are against 2021 playoff teams).
They host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals to start the season and then visit the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams and rival Philadelphia Eagles in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. Let’s suppose the Dallas offense can’t get out of its own way early on. Will Jerry Jones start to show some impatience?
Mike McCarthy is his eighth different head coach since purchasing the team in 1989. But he has only made a change at the top during the season once. That was in 2010 when he fired Wade Phillips and promoted Jason Garrett. It could be a trying year for this club and the “D” in “Big D” could stand for disappointing.