Archer - Game-by-game predictions: Dallas Cowboys

Game-by-game predictions: Dallas Cowboys


Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas Cowboys reporter


Predicting a season five months before it even starts with so many unknowns is impossible. There are too many twists and turns that will happen between now and the season opener. But that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun and go off what we think we know right now and make a guess. So with that in mind, hold on for a slow start but a fast finish by the Cowboys.

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13 vs. New York Giants, 8:30 p.m.

There was a time Eli Manning and the Giants owned AT&T Stadium. Not anymore. The Cowboys will make it five in a row against New York overall. Cowboys 31, Giants 23. Record: 1-0

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20 at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m.

The story of the week will be DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL in rushing last year for the Cowboys but left as a free agent for the Eagles. But don’t be surprised if another former Cowboy, Miles Austin, has a big day. Eagles 33, Cowboys 27. Record: 1-1

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.

With a new coach, the Falcons could be a quick-turnaround team considering the talent they have on the offensive side of the ball. If they get better up front, then this will be a tougher game than many believe. Cowboys 31, Falcons 28. Record: 2-1

Week 4: Sunday Oct. 4 at New Orleans Saints, 8:30 p.m.

The Cowboys last trip to New Orleans was an embarrassment. They aren’t close to being the same team, but the same can be said about the Saints and not in a good way. Still, Drew Brees has some magic inside the Superdome. Saints 41, Cowboys 35. Record: 2-2

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11 vs. New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m.

Tom Brady will be making his first and likely last trip to AT&T Stadium for a regular-season game. The defending Super Bowl champs might have suffered some losses, but they are still the best-coached team in the league and know how to get it done. Patriots 31, Cowboys 27. Record 2-3

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25 at New York Giants, 4:25 p.m.

The Cowboys have won three in a row at MetLife Stadium and will desperately need to get to .500 with a win here. Coming off the bye week will be a big help. Cowboys 24, Giants 21. Record: 3-3

Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m.

The Cowboys won at Seattle last year in a game kept close by some special-teams gaffes. As much as the Cowboys had an offensive formula to beat Seattle in 2014, the defense was outstanding. They get the job done at home versus Russell Wilson. Cowboys 24, Seahawks 20. Record: 4-3

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:25 p.m.

The Cowboys seem to have righted the ship with back-to-back wins and will welcome Murray to Arlington for the first time. The bigger question might be who is playing quarterback for the Eagles. Will Sam Bradford be healthy? Dare we wonder about Tim Tebow? Cowboys 38, Eagles 27. Record: 5-3

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.

Will the Cowboys get to see Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota? Probably Winston. They will get to see ex-teammates Bruce Carter, Henry Melton and Sterling Moore, who signed with the Bucs as free agents. Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 20. Record: 6-3

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22 at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.

The last time the Cowboys saw Ndamukong Suh was in the wild-card round in January against the Detroit Lions. He cashed in as a free agent with the Dolphins and will make that defense a lot tougher. So much so that Ryan Tannehill won’t have to carry the show: Dolphins 24, Cowboys 22. Record: 6-4

Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 26 vs. Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m.

Greg Hardy gets to go against his former team in front of a national audience. Do you think he will be fired up for this one? The Cowboys will need him to be at his best to pressure Cam Newton, who can beat a team with his legs and arm. Cowboys 30, Panthers 20. Record: 7-4

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 7 at Washington Redskins, 8:30 p.m.

No matter the record, this one will be difficult. They always are with the Redskins. But the Cowboys enter this game feeling pretty good and know they need a win with what awaits them next week. Dan Bailey wins it at the gun. Cowboys 24, Redskins 23. Record: 8-4

Week 14: Dec. 13 at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m.

It would be sweet justice if the Cowboys win this game on a late-touchdown catch on a fourth-down play to Dez Bryant considering what happened at Lambeau Field in the divisional round of the playoffs. Of course, Aaron Rodgers figures to be healthy, too. Packers 33, Cowboys 24. Record: 8-5

Week 15: Dec. 19 vs. New York Jets, 8:25 p.m.

Todd Bowles had the Cowboys guessing wrong last year when he was Arizona’s defensive coordinator, but that was with Brandon Weeden as the Cowboys’ starter. The Darrelle Revis-Dez Bryant matchup will be a thing of beauty. Cowboys 23, Jets 16. Record: 9-5

Week 16: Dec. 27 at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.

How much snow will be on the ground? It won’t matter. The Cowboys are built to win on the ground and will be able to control the game. Tony Romo had five picks in his last trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium, but they still won. Cowboys 31, Bills 17. Record: 10-5

Week 17: Jan. 3 vs. Washington Redskins, 1 p.m.

After a 2-3 start, the Cowboys have gone 7-2 and are in position to earn a first-round bye with a win against the Redskins. Who knows if Robert Griffin III will still be the Washington quarterback. Regardless, the Cowboys wrap up a playoff spot. Cowboys 27, Redskins 16. Record: 11-5

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Yesterday, I would have said 11-5. But now with no pass rush for more than half the year, 8-8 at best.

That's going to hold up when appealed?

Clay_Allison said:

That's going to hold up when appealed?

Click to expand...

My guess is that it will be reduced, but not significantly.

I think the best we can hope for us 6 games, but it's likely to be an 8 game suspension.

Clay_Allison said:

That's going to hold up when appealed?

Click to expand...

Not likely. It will at least get reduced, I think.

For some perspective

- we had no pass rush last year, unless somehow we're counting Melton's five sacks.

- we had no cornerbacks last year, unless Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, and Sterling Moore are secretly studs and I missed it.

- we had the league's most average safeties.

- we had decent linebacking play for the first half of the year before the wheels finally fell off by seasons end.

We still went 12-4, won a playoff game, and had the best team in the league on the ropes on the road in the playoffs.

This team is about running the ball and making plays on offense.

Add a real pass rush and/or some run-stuffers and we're talking hands down best team in the league.

Hardy is a ridiculously huge upgrade. Hell, healthy Sean Lee and Demarcus Lawrence are upgrades.

They had NOTHING last year but Orlando Scandrick and Tyrone Crawford (who are both still on the team).

Nothing I've heard says they aren't free to go BPA defense/RB.

ravidubey said:

For some perspective

- we had no pass rush last year, unless somehow we're counting Melton's five sacks.

- we had no cornerbacks last year, unless Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, and Sterling Moore are secretly studs and I missed it.

- we had the league's most average safeties.

- we had decent linebacking play for the first half of the year before the wheels finally fell off by seasons end.

We still went 12-4, won a playoff game, and had the best team in the league on the ropes on the road in the playoffs.

This team is about running the ball and making plays on offense.

Click to expand...

And that is the key part.

We have to get the RB thing right.

No, a "committee" of shithead Randle, Williams and Dunbar ain't gonna get it done.

Then you couple the fact that neither Gurley or Gordon will make it to 27, it clouds things.

Sorry, not confident a back outside of those two is going to take Murray's place. I like Ajayi, but if the knee thing is legit, that is a concern. Coleman, Yeldon etc. just not certain about.

We had to get really damn lucky to go 12-4. I'm not saying it can't happen again, but I wouldn't count on it either. We were a few key plays away from 9-7. Not to mention, a 3 out of 4 losses were decisive losses. 12-4 was an almost ideal outcome.
I think we win that match up against the Dolphins. Suh's poised to Albert Haynesworth his way out of the league, now that he got his big ass paycheck, I wouldn't be shocked to see him mail in the rest of his career.
I don't think we sweep the Giants again. They played us hella tough last year.

townsend said:

We had to get really damn lucky to go 12-4. I'm not saying it can't happen again, but I wouldn't count on it either. We were a few key plays away from 9-7. Not to mention, a 3 out of 4 losses were decisive losses. 12-4 was an almost ideal outcome.
I think we win that match up against the Dolphins. Suh's poised to Albert Haynesworth his way out of the league, now that he got his big ass paycheck, I wouldn't be shocked to see him mail in the rest of his career.
I don't think we sweep the Giants again. They played us hella tough last year.

Click to expand...

You could also argue that if Romo was healthy we would have won more games. No question in my mind we beat the Cardinals with Romo out there. We probably pull the Redskins game out too.

Of course Romo is bound to get hurt again this year. Just his style.

boozeman said:

And that is the key part.

We have to get the RB thing right.

No, a "committee" of shithead Randle, Williams and Dunbar ain't gonna get it done.

Then you couple the fact that neither Gurley or Gordon will make it to 27, it clouds things.

Sorry, not confident a back outside of those two is going to take Murray's place. I like Ajayi, but if the knee thing is legit, that is a concern. Coleman, Yeldon etc. just not certain about.

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Yep. I contend that letting Murray go was a mistake that could bite them in the butt for the upcoming season. The only remaining mitigation move is to get the defense fixed with the draft. There may be a RB that can be a difference maker but i am not convincmed a rookie RB can take up thr slack.

L.T. Fan said:

Yep. I contend that letting Murray go was a mistake that could bite them in the butt for the upcoming season. The only remaining mitigation move is to get the defense fixed with the draft. There may be a RB that can be a difference maker but i am not convincmed a rookie RB can take up thr slack.

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Getting a fix for this defense in one draft, when you are picking where we are is hard.


If Murray had returned, I would get that idea. Draft all defenders.

But since that is not the case, they better draft the runner, get that right and then hope they nail a couple of the defensive picks.

townsend said:

We had to get really damn lucky to go 12-4. I'm not saying it can't happen again, but I wouldn't count on it either. We were a few key plays away from 9-7. Not to mention, a 3 out of 4 losses were decisive losses. 12-4 was an almost ideal outcome.
I think we win that match up against the Dolphins. Suh's poised to Albert Haynesworth his way out of the league, now that he got his big ass paycheck, I wouldn't be shocked to see him mail in the rest of his career.
I don't think we sweep the Giants again. They played us hella tough last year.

Click to expand...

There was nothing Lucky about that run we went on after the Philly loss, we were a few key plays from being 14-2 as well.

I am not saying we go 12-4 but 11-5 is a realistic goal remember this line has only been together 1 year and the same can be said of the offensive and defensive coordinatoors. there is still room for growth.

The only thing lucky about our record last year was that we remained relatively healthy, and even then we had Lee out for the year before training camp and Free missed a significant portion of the season as well.

Our only losses came when Romo was either injured or not 100%. The 49ers game was the first of the year, he clearly wasn't himself yet, he hurt his back in the Skins game, missed the Cardinals game and obviously wasn't himself in the loss against the Eagles after only 3 days in between the Sunday night game in NY and the Thanksgiving game in Dallas.

I can't really think of any wins that revolved around luck, we straight up dominated the Titans, Jaguars, Colts, Bears, Saints, Redskins X 1, Eagles X 1 and Seahawks, had close games against the Texans and Giants (we led for the vast majority of each game), and then had two comebacks against the Giants and Rams, although I wouldn't say either was lucky by any means.

I honestly think it was our best team since 1995, better than the 2007 team that got homefield advantage. If we stay relatively healthy again and stay committed to the running game I expect us to go no worse than 10-6.