The Dallas Cowboys shocked plenty of people last season with their surge to the top of the NFC standings. That wasn’t supposed to happen with rookies at quarterback and running back. Dak Prescott took the reins from Tony Romo and was fearless. Ezekiel Elliott produced one of the best rushing seasons in Dallas history. And together the two powered the Boys to a 13-win regular season. Elliott is facing a suspension that could put a dent in the NFC’s best run game, but the team is poised to make up for its disappointing playoff loss last year and is plenty motivated heading into 2017.
Opening NFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Cowboys +400
Green Bay Packers +550
Atlanta Falcons +600
Seattle Seahawks +600
New York Giants +1000
Minnesota Vikings +1200
Arizona Cardinals +1400
Carolina Panthers +1400
New Orleans Saints +2000
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2000
Washington Redskins +2000
Philadelphia Eagles +2500
Detroit Lions +2800
Chicago Bears +5000
Los Angeles Rams +5000
San Francisco 49ers +10000
Key Players for Winning the NFC
Darren McFadden – Faced with the loss of Elliott for six games at the start of the season, McFadden becomes the biggest piece in the Cowboys’ offense. Part of what made Prescott so efficient last season was the team’s ability to run the football, taking the QB out of obvious passing downs. Dallas led the NFC and placed second behind Buffalo in the entire league by running for nearly 150 yards per game with Elliott accounting for 1,613 yards on his own. Now, McFadden isn’t Elliott, but he’s a damn good back. Two years ago he racked up 1,089 yards on the ground to place fourth in the NFL and he didn’t take the lead role until midway through the season. He should be rested, too. McFadden had just 24 carries last season after spending a majority of the season recovering from an elbow injury.
Dak Prescott – The situation is different heading into the new season and how Prescott handles it will tell us a lot about how good the Cowboys can be. The circumstances sucked, but Prescott more than made the most of it. Injuries to Romo and Kellen Moore gave Prescott the opportunity last season, now he’s got the keys to the entire offense. Last season’s unit was built for Romo and it started up front. The line was graded one of the tops in the NFL. The horses are back and the Boys will again be a run first team, but it will up to Prescott to keep the chains moving and not make mistakes. He threw just four interceptions in 459 pass attempts last year, but two of those picks came in a late-season loss to the Giants. He also tossed a pick in the playoff loss to Green Bay.
Taco Charlton – The Cowboys recorded 36 quarterback sacks last season, which was an improvement from the year before but only ranked as the 13th highest total in the league. One area the coaching staff has signaled out that needs improving is the pass rush and the club looked to Charlton, who was taken with the 28th pick in this year’s draft. Charlton comes to Dallas with lofty credentials. He amassed 10 sacks at Michigan last season and was a projected first round pick. He was also ranked the seventh-best edge rusher by Pro Football Focus. Aaron Rodgers took the Boys apart in last year’s playoff matchup and the hope is that Charlton, along with Jaylon Smith, can supply more of a push up front to disrupt the timing of the better quarterbacks in the league.
Nolan Carroll – The Cowboys’ secondary took a hit this offseason with corners Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr and safety Barry Church all departing. To help fill the void, the team inked Carroll to a free agent deal. His stay in Dallas got off to a tumultuous start after Carroll was arrested for a DUI, but he owned it, and has moved on. And he’s an important cog for the back end of the defense. Carroll has played in all but five games over the past four seasons and is familiar with the NFC East after spending the last three years in Philly. He slides into a starting role alongside Orlando Scandrick and will serve as a mentor to the four rookies who are looking to crack the roster.
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