Analyzing how Dallas Cowboys can still win NFC East
At this point in the Dallas Cowboys season, many are already reading mock drafts and looking up film of some of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft class. It has been that kind of year for America's Team. Injuries all over the roster — especially to starting quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive tackles […]
At this point in the Dallas Cowboys season, many are already reading mock drafts and looking up film of some of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft class. It has been that kind of year for America's Team.
Injuries all over the roster — especially to starting quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive tackles Tyron Smith and La'el Collins — have hampered the team in a major way. Mike McCarthy has undoubtedly had a difficult challenge on his hands in year-one on the job.
With the Cowboys sitting at 2-7 heading into week 11 of the NFL season, the playoffs should be far from any picture; however, this has been anything but a typical football season. Despite the ugly record and disappointing play, Dallas is just one-and-half games back from the division lead.
The Philadelphia Eagles currently sit atop the lackluster NFC East with their less-than-stellar 3-5-1 record following a loss to the New York Giants. The Giants, who may be playing the best football in the division — if you can say such a thing — sit in second at 3-7.
Dallas and the Washington Football Team are tied at the bottom of the division, each posting a record of 2-7. Washington knocked off the Cowboys 25-3 in week 7, and the two squads will play again on Thanksgiving Day.
The Dallas Cowboys have a realistic path to winning the NFC East in 2020.
As bad as the Cowboys have been since Dak Prescott went down early in the season, there is still a clear pathway for Dallas to reach the postseason in 2020. It feels weird to even type out such a sentence, but it is true.
This has to do with a combination of how bad the three other teams in the division are and how each of the team's schedules look on paper more than the Cowboys actually being good.
Cowboys remaining schedule:
- @ Minnesota Vikings
- vs. Washington Football Team
- @ Baltimore Ravens
- @ Cincinnati Bengals
- vs. San Francisco 49ers
- vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- @ New York Giants
Eagles remaining schedule:
- @ Cleveland Browns
- vs. Seattle Seahawks
- @ Green Bay Packers
- vs. New Orleans Saints
- @ Arizona Cardinals
- @ Dallas Cowboys
- vs. Washington Football Team
Giants remaining schedule:
- BYE
- @ Cincinnati Bengals
- @ Seattle Seahawks
- vs. Arizona Cardinals
- vs. Cleveland Browns
- @ Baltimore Ravens
- vs. Dallas Cowboys
Washington remaining schedule:
- vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- @ Dallas Cowboys
- @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- @ San Francisco 49ers
- vs. Seattle Seahawks
- vs. Carolina Panthers
- @ Philadelphia Eagles
Based on the above schedules, the Dallas Cowboys probably have the best chance of grabbing a few wins. The current NFC East leader, the Philadelphia Eagles, face a gauntlet — facing five potential playoff teams before closing the season against two division foes.
Both New York and Washington have challenging games on their schedule as well, making it difficult to point to a team that has the clear edge in coming out on top at season's end. Dallas will likely still be alive all the way to week 17, simply because of how porous the teams that make up the NFC East are this season.
The defense finally looks to be coming around and figuring out some things — albeit that could be because the unit played a struggling Carson Wentz and banged up Ben Roethlisberger in its last two games. More of the concern about the Cowboys is on the offensive side of the ball.
Garrett Gilbert played nicely against the Steelers in week nine, and the offense finally showed signs of life for the first time since Prescott went down. That said, Andy Dalton will be the starter against the Vikings in week 11, and it will be interesting to see how the offense operates with the former Bengals signal-caller back in the lineup.
Gilbert's ability to move around in the pocket is something that Dalton is not known to be able to do. Is the veteran quarterback going to hold up behind a banged up Cowboys offensive line? If not, the Vikings may make it a long day in U.S. Bank Stadium.
Obviously, Sunday will go a long way in shaping the rest of the Dallas Cowboys season. As it stands now, though, America's Team has a realisitic path to win the NFC East for the third time since 2016.
Featured Image Via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
