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By Jon Machota
5h ago
Last November, I made 15 predictions for the rest of the Cowboys season. At the time, Dallas was 6-1, fresh off defeating the Minnesota Vikings with Cooper Rush at quarterback.
I predicted that Micah Parsons would win Defensive Rookie of the Year, Trevon Diggs would finish with 11 interceptions and the defense would record 34 takeaways. All of those things happened.
Unfortunately, I had Randy Gregory finishing with 15 sacks. He totaled six. I predicted that Dak Prescott would finish fourth in MVP voting. He did not receive a vote. And I had Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 1,300 yards. He ended up with 1,002.
This time around is going to be much more accurate. Well, I hope. Instead of 15, I’ve trimmed it to 10. So as the Cowboys sit at 6-2, here’s how I think the rest of the season is going to play out.
1. Parsons will win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. This isn’t a very bold prediction. According to BetMGM, Parsons is the odds on favorite at -250. The next-best odds belong to 49ers DE Nick Bosa at +900, Browns DE Myles Garrett and Patriots LB Matthew Judon each at +1,200. The only thing that could derail Parsons is injury. As long as he stays relatively healthy, he’s likely getting the hardware.
“(Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn) does a great job using him,” Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said of Parsons on Wednesday. “He’s got a lot of things you just can’t coach. The effort he plays with is incredible. … He’s definitely a one of one in this league. I don’t know if there’s anybody doing as many things as they’re asking him to do.”
2. The defense will finish with 28 takeaways. It’s down six from a year ago, but still very impressive considering how difficult it is to be among the league leaders in consecutive seasons. The Cowboys currently have 13, which is tied for eighth-most in the NFL. I think Dallas will get 15 in its final nine games. A total of 28 would’ve placed the Cowboys seventh last season. Diggs has three interceptions. I’ll say he finishes the season with six.
“You have to remember, Trevon is still a young player,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “He has done some great, great things. I think he is clearly having his best year in all areas.”
3. Odell Beckham Jr. will sign with the Cowboys. I’m not sure exactly when it will be, but sometime in the next few weeks, he will pick Dallas. From the front office to the coaching staff to the players, it seems pretty clear that the Cowboys are interested in his services. The receiving corps needs the boost and he seems interested in the possibility of continuing his career in Texas. This is the type of addition that could be the difference between an early playoff exit or a deep playoff run.
“Sh–, we could use him,” Parsons said Wednesday. “I think he’s a great player. He’s a guy you want on your team. I think he’s a great dude. I think he could add good value to the team and help us do what we want to do.
“I don’t feel obligated to (recruit him), but if the guy is on the market, and he’s talking about he wants to play and he wants to win games, sh–, me too. Come on. Come win games over here and help us get to that Bowl that you want. I want it.”
4. They will have five Pro Bowlers. Parsons, Diggs, RG Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence and KR/PR KaVontae Turpin. Other possibilities would be Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse. Five just seems like a safe bet. Parsons, Diggs and Martin are all a lock.
5. Lamb will finish with 1,250 receiving yards. He’s averaging 70 yards per game this season. Bump that average up a little for the final nine games and Lamb will finish with a new career-high. I’ll project his touchdown total at seven, which would also be a career-high.
6. Prescott will not miss another game this season. Injuries have been an issue over the last three years, from ankle to throwing shoulder to calf to thumb. But the Cowboys QB will find a way to stay healthy enough to play the rest of the way. He’s had some bad luck in this department. Some good fortune will finally come his way.
7. Tony Pollard will lead the Cowboys in rushing. Elliott has been Dallas’ leading rusher for each of the last six seasons, but he’s dealing with another knee issue that will likely lead to the Cowboys being cautious with him when possible. Pollard is healthy and coming off the best game of his career. Through eight games, he has 506 rushing yards. Elliott has 443. They will continue to share the load, but when the regular season ends, Pollard will have more yards.
Tony Pollard has 506 rushing yards this season. (Tim Heitman / USA Today)
8. The offense will average 26 points per game the rest of the way. The Cowboys have averaged 23 points per game this season, 14th in the NFL. Twenty-six per game would be among the top six. The longer the offense plays with Prescott — and with a projected addition of Beckham — three more points per game should be achievable. Couple that with arguably the league’s best defense and there shouldn’t be many losses left on the schedule.
9. The defense will allow 120 rushing yards per game the rest of the season. That group is currently allowing 135 rushing yards per game. Only eight teams are worse. Opponents are clearly trying to run the ball to prevent Dallas’ talented pass rush from pinning their ears back. McCarthy has said several times that he would do the exact same thing if he was coaching against Dallas’ defense. The addition of DT Johnathan Hankins should help the team improve the longer they play together. Putting more emphasis on it during the week should also lead to better results. It’s not going to all of a sudden be one of the best run-stopping defenses in the league, but it should get closer to the 113 per game average they allowed last season.
“It’s something that we’ve got to clean up and got to be prepared for,” Parsons said. “We’ve got to understand that teams don’t want (to see the) pass rush as much against us, so we’ve got to prepare for anything: teams running on fourth down, third-and-long. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”
10. They will finish the regular season 13-4. It won’t be enough to catch the Eagles for the NFC East crown. Philadelphia will finish 15-2. But the Cowboys will earn one more win than last season and make the playoffs as the fifth seed. Their two losses left on the schedule: at Minnesota in Week 11 and at Tennessee in Week 17.
