Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys: Game-by-game season prediction mid-OTAs

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:32 p.m. ET

Fansided, Randy Gurzi/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

After going 13-3 last season, we try and see if the Dallas Cowboys will finish the 2017 season with a similar record in this game-by-game breakdown

The 2016 season was nearly a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys. They almost made a few blunders — like when they reportedly tried to trade up for Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook. Another bullet dodged was when they lost quarterback Tony Romo to a back injury and were unable to get a deal done with the Cleveland Browns for Josh McCown as the replacement quarterback.

In both instances they had to go with plan B — Dak Prescott (actually he may have been plan C in the draft as they tried to get Paxton Lynch in the first round as well).

Prescott not only played well enough to keep Dallas competitive, but he became the new face of the franchise. Romo is now retired and Dak is ready to build upon his resume which included winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award after leading his club to a 13-3 record.

Their downfall ended up being their defense yet again. After struggling to stop the Green Bay Packers in their playoff loss, Dallas has revamped that unit. They selected defensive end Taco Charlton in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and followed that up with cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the next two rounds.

Will those additions help the team take the next step? Can Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott continue to be one of the better offenses in the game? Those questions and more are answered in this game-by-game season preview for the Dallas Cowboys.

Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) fumbles as he is hit by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Benson Mayowa (93) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 10 vs. New York Giants — Sunday Night Football

Shocker. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will open the season playing each other yet again. It's understandable that they want marquee matchups, but the schedule makers could stand to switch this up just a little.

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In 2016 the Cowboys lost a heartbreaker to the Giants to open the season, then went on a tear for 11-straight games before losing to the Giants again. This season Prescott and Elliot are ready to prove they can handle the Giants. Dallas' defense will struggle with the G-Men receivers, but fortunately for them, Eli Manning is still the quarterback and he will make several dumb mistakes. It's what he does.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 24, Giants 21Cowboys Record: 1-0

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 at Denver Broncos

This one is a toss up. The Denver Broncos are a fantastic defense, but with Trevor Siemian at quarterback their offense has the tendency to be lousy. As seems to be the case when they play average talent, Siemian will have one of his better games against the Dallas D.

It won't be enough for them to win though as Elliott grinds out a tough game and the defense comes up with a key stop late in the game to get to 2-0.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 27, Broncos 20Cowboys Record: 2-0

Next: Week 3-4

Nov 2, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) is hit as he throws by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford (98) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Week 3: Monday, Sept. 25 at Arizona Cardinals — Monday Night Football

The Arizona Cardinals had a rough season in 2016, but don't mistake that for meaning they're a bad team. Head coach Bruce Arians will right the ship, and their defense will stay dominate.

Dallas will have their hands full against them. The Boys have the edge at quarterback as Prescott is a better player than the veteran Carson Palmer, but Arizona is one of the few teams that has a better running back than Dallas in David Johnson. He will hurt the Cowboys defense, but look for Dak and Zeke to do just enough to squeak out another road win early on in the year.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 20, Cardinals 16Cowboys Record: 3-0

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams were a mess in 2016. Firing their perpetual losing coach Jeff Fisher was a wise move, but happened several years too late. They now will have a lot of rebuilding to do. There's also nothing about 2016 first overall pick quarterback Jared Goff's rookie season that makes teams scared of him. Dallas should roll here at home against the lackluster Rams.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 38, Rams 10Cowboys Record: 4-0

Next: Week 5-7

Jan 15, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws in the pocket against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional playoff game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 vs. Green Bay Packers

Revenge game right? Most fans would like to this so, and surely some of the players in a moment of honesty would admit they want to stick it to the Green Bay Packers after losing to them in the post season. The standard line, of course, would be that this is just another game, which really it is.

The Packers will be much better this season with the addition of tight end Martellus Bennett — they just roll when quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a capable guy at that spot. The Dallas defense is going to be better by seasons end, but they aren't there yet and Rodgers leads the Pack to a win here.

Game Prediction: Packers 31, Cowboys 23Cowboys Record: 4-1

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 at San Francisco 49ers

After playing the Packers, the Cowboys get a week off to reflect on their first loss of the season. Then they face a team that's in full-fledged rebuild mode. The San Francisco 49ers did good with their hire of Kyle Shanahan as head coach and John Lynch looks to be a smart general manager in his first season.

They just won't be very good yet. The 49ers will be able to hang for about three quarters, but then the Cowboys will pull away late.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 34, 49ers 17Cowboys Record: 5-1

Next: Week 8-9

Nov 24, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) in action during the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys defeat the Redskins 31-26. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29 at Washington Redskins

The first matchup of the season between the Cowboys and Washington Redskins happens right at midseason. It's just the second divisional game for the Boys with four of them coming in the second half of 2017.

For the Redskins, this year doesn't look to be great. They lost receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in free agency. They did get wide out Terrelle Pryor, but he doesn't scare teams the same way someone like Jackson did.

There's also some off-field turmoil as owner Dan Snyder started sticking his nose too far into the football side of things. Whenever he does this, Washington starts to fall apart. Dallas takes advantage of that.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 26, Redskins 14Cowboys Record: 6-1

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5 vs Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were really good in 2016 and won 12 games. Their issue was at quarterback though as Alex Smith just never blew people away with his ultra-safe approach to the game. That's why they traded up to the 10th overall pick to get Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech.

Mahomes will most likely still be grooming to start, meaning Dallas will face Smith. He's the kind of quarterback they like to make look spectacular though, which means this will be a hard-fought game. Dallas pulls it out on a late Dan Bailey field goal though.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 27, Chiefs 24Cowboys Record: 7-1

Next: Week 10-11

Sep 27, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws in the pocket against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 at Atlanta Falcons

After reeling off three in a row, the Dallas Cowboys have to face the NFC champs in Week 10. The Atlanta Falcons will host the Boys in their beautiful new Mercedes-Benz Stadium which opens this season. Don't expect Dallas to be in awe of that as their AT&T Stadium is still one of the most impressive in the game — although this one in Atlanta may give it a run for its money.

The Falcons often get teased for how bad they played in the second half of their Super Bowl loss — which was an epic choke job. That doesn't mean their a bad team. Quarterback Matt Ryan was the MVP last year and Julio Jones is arguably the best wide out in the game.

Defensively, they've improved as linebacker Vic Beasley led the league in sacks and they added the rookie Takkarist McKinely to be their starting defensive end. The Cowboys may be outmatched here.

Game Prediction: Falcons 34, Cowboys 24Cowboys Record: 7-2

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 vs. Philadelphia Eagles — Sunday Night Football

At this point they're 2-0 in the NFC East, and they host the Philadelphia Eagles who they split their series with last season. The Eagles have made some good moves like signing receiver Alshon Jeffery and running back LeGarrette Blount. The most important thing for them will still be the development of quarterback Carson Wentz.

He won't be the deciding factor, but he also won't cause them to lose. Dallas drops a second in a row as the Eagles upset them on a last second victory.

Game Prediction: Eagles 27, Cowboys 26Cowboys Record: 7-3

Next: Week 12-13

Aug 13, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys lineman La'el Collins (71) defends against San Diego Chargers defensive end Ricardo Matthews (90) in a preseason NFL football game at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23 vs. Los Angeles Chargers — Thanksgiving Day

This year on Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas Cowboys will host the Los Angeles Chargers. There was a time when quarterback Philip Rivers and his team would really scare the Cowboys, but now isn't that time.

While they improved with the drafting of Clemson wide out Mike Williams in 2017 and defensive end Joey Bosa in 2016, their offense is too hit or miss. Rivers can be on fire one day, then ice cold the next. He threw 21 picks a season ago and traveling on a short week isn't the best way for a guy who will be about to turn 36 years old to be efficient.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 38, Chargers 22Cowboys Record: 8-3

Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 30 vs. Washington Redskins — Thursday Night Football

This could be one of the rare good Thursday Night Football games as both teams will get a full week off after playing Thanksgiving Day. Usually there's a battle between two teams that are nowhere near ready to play, but this won't be the case as the hated rivals square off in primetime.

After sweeping the Redskins last season, look for Dallas to do that once again. The team won't commit to quarterback Kirk Cousins, and as they begin to lose, look for the finger to start being pointed to him as he struggles to beat good teams again.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 26, Redskins 17Cowboys Record: 9-3

Next: Week 14-15

Sep 8, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) makes a third quarter touchdown catch against New York Giants safety Ryan Mundy (21) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at New York Giants

The Cowboys get a mini-bye before this one after playing on Thursday Night Football the week before. They may need it as the Cowboys will be traveling to New Jersey to play a tenacious defense in cold weather. These are the kinds of games Dallas struggles with, and they will have a hard time moving the ball.

The Giants defense rises to the occasion and allows just one touchdown for the Cowboys as they split the series with them. Dallas is now 3-2 in their division with just their final game against the Eagles to go.

Game Prediction: Giants 19, Cowboys 13Cowboys Record: 9-4

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17 at Oakland Raiders — Sunday Night Football

This looks to be a fantastic matchup. If 2016 is any indication neither defense will be able to stop the pass which means this could be a shootout. There's nothing that would make the league happier than to see that during a late-season Sunday Night Football contest.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and Prescott are two of the best young quarterbacks in the game and their skill will be on full display. The Cowboys are able to sneak in a late score or two for the win — much like their 2016 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 38, Raiders 28Cowboys Record: 10-4

Next: Week 16-17

Aug 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks to pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Dallas, 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 vs. Seattle Seahawks

These two teams have become pretty similar. Both have talented young quarterbacks, but want to win with the running game. The Seahawks, of course, have a much better defense than the Cowboys, but the team makes no apologies that they are trying to replicate the model Seattle has on that side.

While the defense of the Cowboys should be getting better as the season wears on, the Seahawks is already one of the best in the league. Prescott will struggle some against the Legion of Boom, which will probably lead to people freaking out as they do after every Cowboys loss.

Game Prediction: Seahawks 23, Cowboys 17Cowboys Record: 10-5

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 at Philadelphia Eagles

Just like starting the season against the New York Giants, ending it against the Eagles feels like the schedule makers just keep rinsing and repeating here. The Cowboys enter this game needing a win to go 4-2 in the NFC East and have a shot at winning their division. These two teams are both improving because of their young stars, but at this point Dallas' are better which means the bigger game at the end they can handle — especially when they're trying to avenge an earlier loss in the year.

Look for Dallas to make a statement on the road as Zeke runs for over 150 and the defense starts to click for Dallas with a few sacks on quarterback Carson Wentz.

Game Prediction: Cowboys 27, Eagles 13Cowboys Record: 11-5

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