America’s Team isn’t getting as much love as you’d think after finishing last season as the best team in the NFC. The Dallas Cowboys are only slight favorites over Big Blue to win one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. Although this team brings back virtually its entire offense from last season, the defense has a lot of new faces in new places.
NFC East Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Cowboys +185
New York Giants +189
Philadelphia Eagles +265
Washington Redskins +445
Why the Dallas Cowboys Will Win the NFC East
Dak Prescott was phenomenal as a rookie. Although many believed that the Cowboys season was up in smoke after Tony Romo was hurt at the start of the year, Prescott was able to pilot the Cowboys to a 13-3 regular season record and only had a couple bad performances.
The most impressive trait that Prescott showed in his rookie season was his ability to make good decisions. Prescott didn’t try to force passes into tight spots or double coverage, but progressed through reads until he either found an open receiver or threw the ball away. He ended the season throwing just four interceptions on 459 passes, an incredibly small amount for a rookie.
If that’s what Prescott can do as a rookie, opposing teams in this division must be terrified to consider what he can do in his second year. Prescott will have more familiarity with the offense and that could lead to a massive season.
Dallas still has the best offensive line in the NFL too. Although Doug Free retired this offseason, the other four members of this unit are among the best in the league. La’el Collins and Zack Martin are both fantastic guards, while Tyron Smith is dominant at left tackle. Travis Frederick is one of the league’s best centers too.
If you’re thinking about going against Dallas to win the division, who would you take instead? That might be the best reason to bet on the Cowboys. Although the Cowboys are likely to regress a bit this season, none of the other teams in the NFC East have the talent the Cowboys do. The Giants, Eagles, and Redskins all have far more questions than Big D.
Why the Dallas Cowboys Won't Win the NFC East
Who is going to run the ball in the absence of Ezekiel Elliott? Although Elliott is currently appealing his six-game suspension, it’s unlikely that the sentence gets reduced much, if at all.
Without Elliott, this running game looks a lot more pedestrian. Neither Alfred Morris nor Darren McFadden have the same explosiveness that Elliott does. Opposing defenses won’t have to be as concerned with the run and that will make things more difficult for Prescott.
Dez Bryant hasn’t been fully heathy either of the last two seasons. Although he is the best receiver on the team, the injuries are starting to pile up and there are concerns over how effective he can be going forward. His catch rate has fallen off a cliff the last two seasons with less than half the passes thrown his way ending up as completions.
Orlando Scandrick and Byron Jones are going to need to play well this season. They are the two returning members of a secondary that came together well last year. The major question is at the No. 2 cornerback spot. Nolan Carroll is the projected starter, but hasn’t been that good since entering the league. That could be a problem considering the receivers that are in the NFC East.
The defensive line is worrisome too. This unit didn’t see many times pound the ball against them because of how great the offense was, but there isn’t really an impact player along the front four. There isn’t even a proven contributor as most of the defensive line is full of young, relatively unproven players. If teams can keep it close enough where they can stick to the run, that does not bode well for this unit.
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