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The Dallas Cowboys are back in the playoffs. This is nothing new for the team as this is the third straight year they have been to the postseason. However, they only have one postseason win in the past two years. The Super Bowl drought is hanging over this team and they are eager to show the league they can win in the biggest moments. Here is the Dallas Cowboys playoff preview.
Dallas Cowboys Playoff Preview
The Cowboys shocked many by winning the NFC East and grabbing the second overall seed in the conference. It helped that the Philadelphia Eagles imploded in the last six games of the season but Dallas also won some key matchups. This matters a lot for the Cowboys. They are undefeated at home this season and are guaranteed two home playoff games. If something happens in the divisional round to the 49ers, the road to the Super Bowl would go through Dallas.
Dallas Cowboys Playoff Preview: Why They Will Win
Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level. CeeDee Lamb is having a phenomenal second half of the season. The defense is led by Micah Parsons who knows how to come up with big plays. If the Cowboys continue their dominance at home, they will find themselves in the NFC Championship Game. From there, even if they have to go on the road to San Francisco, they have a couple of factors in their favor. They will be out for revenge from the beatdown earlier in the season and the belief they can get to a Super Bowl will set in. There is a lot of talent in Dallas and Mike McCarthy has won a Super Bowl before.
Dallas Cowboys Playoff Preview: Why They Won’t Win
New year, same problems in the playoffs for the Cowboys. Look at the two previous years and it isn’t hard to see how the Cowboys get bounced early. Prescott has a dud performance in a big game. The defense can struggle to stop certain types of offenses and gets gashed for a huge game. Tony Pollard and the running game have not been up to snuff and in January that can be a problem. The Cowboys simply have a bad game against a good team. In a one-game playoff format, there can be no bad games.
Mike McCarthy is also a reason that this team could lose. He often will make questionable decisions at the end of games like he did against Detroit. The game was in hand and he decided to call a pass rather than a run that would have wasted another 40 seconds. In the playoffs, a decision like that can swing a game. We’ve seen it before with many other coaches and McCarthy might doom himself.
Playoff X-Factor
Dallas Cowboys playoff preview X-factor: Tony Pollard
I mentioned him above as a potential issue. However, Pollard is a good running back who just hasn’t looked comfortable this year. If he can finally find his groove in the playoffs, this could be a different team. One thing that would help Dallas put teams away is a strong running game. This would take pressure off Prescott and the defense. We’ve seen running backs go on three-game tears in the playoffs. If Pollard can do that, it drastically increases the chances of a Super Bowl berth.
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The Dallas Cowboys playoff preview looks a lot different now that they have locked up the NFC East. Getting two home games is huge for this team and it could finally lead them back to the Super Bowl.
