2013 Dallas Cowboys Preview

2013 Dallas Cowboys

Welcome to the NFC East, the division where everything is made up and the points don’t matter! Obviously, the points do matter in football, but the first part of that Whose Line reference rings true: everything is made up from season to season. There is no telling what these teams will do on a yearly basis, and you could make a case for ANY of the four teams to win the division, all of which are very possible. The Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are all worthy and able to be crowned champions of the NFC East, because they are all so inconsistent not only year to year, but from GAME to GAME. It’s maddening. We’ll get to all the other teams in this division in due time, but the first team on our slate is the Dallas Cowboys, who bring all that inconsistency I was just talking about to life. Every year it seems like they have enough talent to go far in the playoffs, but time and time again they find a way to finish 8-8. Tony Romo, statistically, is one of the best fourth quarter QBs ever, but he’s labeled as a choker because he’s only won one playoff game and finds a way to mess up the most important moments. The Cowboys are right in the hunt for the division every year at the end of December, and they find ways to lose Week 17 every year to knock themselves out of the playoffs. Just last year, they were 8-6 before losing to New Orleans and Washington in their final two games to finish at 8-8, and out of the playoffs. Once again, like every year, the NFC East is wide open for the taking, and winning this division is more important than ever. The entire NFC is completely loaded, and every single team could feasibly win at least seven games. Seattle and San Francisco are in an arms race out West; the Saints, Panthers, and Bucs are all improved and ready to challenge the Falcons in the South; and the gap between the Packers and everyone else in the North is as small as ever. Odds are that the East is only going to get one team in the playoffs this year, so Dallas is going to have to be strong from start to finish if they want to be a contender. All the pieces are there: Tony Romo is a good enough quarterback to win the Super Bowl, theoretically; if healthy, DeMarco Murray can be productive; Dez Bryant is going to be an absolute monster this year (more on this later) to complement Witten who will man the middle of the field. The defense needs work but has individual talent with DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, and Morris Claiborne. The Dallas Cowboys are the most frustrating team in the NFL...is this the year that they learn how to win?

Schedule

As I said, the Cowboys were about to win this division last year until they lost their final two games and finished 8-8. Their schedule is not too crazy, as they only have to play (outside the division) the NFC North and the AFC West as their inter-conference games, along with St. Louis and Chicago. Dallas has a bunch of primetime games, so you better get used to seeing them. They start off against the Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, then travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. Last year they beat Big Blue to open the season and lost on the road the following week to an underrated Seattle team. I sense a little deja vu. The Cowboys are impossible to predict, so, naturally, I’m going to give it a shot right now.

Week 1: W vs NYG (don’t worry, there will be revenge)

Week 2: L at KC (classic Cowboys letdown game after a big win)

Week 3: L vs STL (bad Romo game)

Week 4: W at SD

Week 5: W vs DEN (crazy Romo game)

Week 6: L vs WAS (RGIII)

Week 7: W at PHI
Week 8: L at DET

Week 9: W vs MIN
Week 10: W at NO (big win going into bye week)

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: L at NYG (big loss coming out of bye week)

Week 13: W vs OAK

Week 14: L at CHI (Bears’ D has Romo’s number)

Week 15: W vs GB

Week 16: W at WAS (clutch win)

Week 17: L vs PHI (Week 17 at home? What else would happen?)

After all those ups and downs, I think the Dallas Cowboys will finish the season 9-7, a fair prediction, and a more faithful one than what most people are giving them. Whether this record is good enough to get them in the playoffs or not will be seen. Here’s a little teaser, though: I do think they finish somewhere in the top two spots in their division. The next team preview up will be that of New York Giants, where the homer bias will come into play almost never. For those wondering how I could think so highly of the Cowboys, a lot of it has to do with this guy right here...

Bold Prediction: Dez Bryant will have 94 rec, 1,504 yards, 14 TDs, and finish as the #1 fantasy WR.