Cowboys-related bold prediction is exactly what's needed to steal the NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-3 at the midseason mark and would need eight wins over the last nine weeks of the season to reach 13 total victories. That sounds like a tall task. But that's exactly what FanNation's John Macon Gillespie is calling for with the 2023 Cowboys' second half of the campaign in the […]
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-3 at the midseason mark and would need eight wins over the last nine weeks of the season to reach 13 total victories. That sounds like a tall task.
But that's exactly what FanNation's John Macon Gillespie is calling for with the 2023 Cowboys' second half of the campaign in the outlet's second-half NFL bold predictions:
Bold prediction: The jury is still out on the Cowboys after an up-and-down start to the 2023 campaign. I believe the final ruling will be favorable in “Big D,” but not favorable enough to win a division title or a Super Bowl.
I could very well see Dallas getting to 13 wins this season, but with the machine that is rolling in Philadelphia, the NFC East may be out of reach.
Still, by the postseason, Mike McCarthy’s “Texas Coast” offense should look more efficient than it has thus far. I think the Cowboys finish second in the East, but they manage to reach the NFC championship before failing to reach the Super Bowl.
—John Macon Gillespie
You'd assume 13-4 for the season would have Cowboys fans happy as heck. But Macon Gillespie makes an intriguing point when talking about how even that could not be enough to win the NFC East.
Recently, I wrote about the Cowboys' playoff picture and how the division title seemed unlikely for America's Team considering the games in common and conference record, where Philly is 6-0 (vs Dallas' 2-3 mark).
Although I agree with Macon Gillespie that even 13 wins could mean falling short, I'll go ahead and bet that 13 would get the job done, as long as one of those wins comes against Philly in the Week 14 rematch.
It almost seems like this bold prediction from FanNation is exactly what the Cowboys would need to be division champions.
Per Aaron Schatz's DVOA metrics, the Eagles are expected to win 12.7 games with the Cowboys sitting at 10.7. In other words, 13 wins might be the magic number to rip the division away from Philly's hands.
Now granted, to get to 13, the Cowboys need eight wins, and the Eagles just need five. That's why even the magic number of 13 is no guarantee. I do expect the Eagles to drop some games soon as their schedule gets significantly hard, however, so consider me skeptical but hopeful.
Despite the Eagles' upcoming tough stretch of games, the task to win the division seems complicated because the Cowboys have a tough stretch starting in Week 13 as they take on the Seahawks, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins, and Lions in a span of five weeks. You can read more about it in the story below breaking down the team's full playoff picture.
Cowboys Playoff Picture: Can they steal the NFC East?
Where they stand.
