Cowboys hope for elusive deep playoff run as questions loom on futures of McCarthy, Prescott

DALLAS COWBOYS (12-6)

EXPECTATIONS: It’s probably a deep playoff run or bust for coach Mike McCarthy, who is in the final year of his contract. The Cowboys haven’t even reached an NFC championship game since winning the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles during the 1995 season. The wild-card loss at home to Green Bay last January was perhaps the most painful for Jerry Jones in his 34 years owning the team. So McCarthy’s three straight 12-5 playoff seasons don’t mean much. Plus, Dallas is the only team without a conference title to show for three consecutive 12-win playoff seasons. If the drought continues, the fate of quarterback Dak Prescott would be a little more complicated, depending on whether the sides agree on a contract extension. If not, Dallas has to decide whether to start over at the most important position. And there’s no guarantee Prescott will re-sign with the Cowboys if he reaches free agency. The Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL last season, but questions will linger in the early weeks because of All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb’s contract holdout. He missed all of training camp before agreeing to a deal 13 days before the opener.

NEW FACES: RB Ezekiel Elliott (sort of, the two-time rushing champ is returning after spending one season in New England); LB Eric Kendricks; defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer; OL Tyler Guyton; DE Marshawn Kneeland; OL Cooper Beebe.

KEY LOSSES: RB Tony Pollard; defensive coordinator Dan Quinn; CB Stephon Gilmore; S Jayron Kearse; DE Dorance Armstrong Jr.; DE Sam Williams (season-ending knee injury).

STRENGTHS: Prescott is coming off a career-best 36 passing touchdowns, which led the NFL. The connection with Lamb was superb, leading to across-the-board career bests for the receiver with 135 catches (NFL high) for 1,749 yards and 14 touchdowns. The threat of Micah Parsons makes Dallas among the most feared defenses in pressuring quarterbacks, and the Cowboys led the NFL in takeaways for the balance of Quinn’s three seasons (93 to 87 for Buffalo). The best illustration of the opportunistic defense last season was CB DaRon Bland setting an NFL record with five interception returns for touchdowns. And now Bland has Trevon Diggs back on the other side after the 2021 All-Pro missed all but two games last season with a torn knee ligament.

WEAKNESSES: The return of Elliott probably isn’t enough of a boost to the running game to give Dallas a complementary threat to its top-notch passing attack. Elliott figures to get plenty of work early as the Cowboys try to figure out how much juice is left in the 29-year-old who is third on the club’s career rushing list from his first seven NFL seasons (8,262 yards). There is promise in an offensive line that got much younger with Tyron Smith’s switch to the New York Jets in free agency. But the blocking has been part of the problem in the run game. Dallas has trouble stopping the run, too. If the disappointing start to the career of second-year pro Mazi Smith continues, so will the difficulty of keeping opponents from controlling the game on the ground.

CAMP DEVELOPMENT: Third-team QB Trey Lance has been the focus of the preseason as the Cowboys try to get the No. 3 overall pick from 2021 enough reps to be in position to make a more informed decision about his future after the season. Lance will be a free agent because the fifth-year option on his rookie contract wasn’t picked up. Lance didn’t show much in the preseason opener but was better a week later. His overall sample size is so small. Including his final season at North Dakota State during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lance has played nine games that counted over the past four seasons. San Francisco traded him to Dallas last year after Lance lost the battle to be Brock Purdy’s backup.

FANTASY PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Brandin Cooks drew strong praise during camp with Lamb out. He scored eight touchdowns as the No. 2 receiver last year, and Prescott might look his way even more after a full year together.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Win Super Bowl: 18-1. Over/under wins: 9 1/2.

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