Cowboys 2020 Predictions: How Many Wins Will Dallas Have? Are They Super Bowl Contenders?

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 2019 campaign. The team missed the playoffs, finishing 8-8 for a second-place finish in the NFC East.

Few teams had bigger decisions to make than Dallas in the offseason. Jason Garrett’s decade-long tenure as the Cowboys head coach came to an end when he was replaced by Mike McCarthy. Cornerback Byron Jones and defensive end Robert Quinn left in free agency, signing the largest contracts of any players that changed uniforms.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper was a free agent briefly before re-signing with Dallas for $100 million over five years. The Cowboys used the franchise tag to keep quarterback Dak Prescott in Dallas for another year. The two sides have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement.

Defensive tackles Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy signed with the Cowboys in free agency. Dallas selected wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, regarded by some as the best player at his position, in the first round of the draft.

What does all this mean for the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL season? Dallas has to be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Ever since Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott joined the Cowboys in 2016, they’ve been among the most consistent teams in the NFC. Prescott is 40-24 as Dallas’ starting quarterback. The Cowboys haven’t posted a losing record during the last four seasons.

Dallas has won two NFC East titles since 2016. The Cowboys reached the divisional playoffs in both postseason appearances.

Garrett couldn’t get Dallas over the hump with a trip to the NFC Championship Game. McCarthy won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and made three additional conference title game appearances. He’s an upgrade over the Cowboys’ former head coach.

McCarthy will take over the NFL’s No.1 ranked offense. The Cowboys led the league with 431.5 yards per game last season. Dallas was sixth with 27.1 points per game.

Defense was the Cowboys’ weakness, but Dallas actually boasted a top-10 unit. The defense could take a step back in 2020 after a few key departures.

The biggest reason for the Cowboys’ failures in 2019 was an inability to come up big against their toughest opponents. Dallas had a 1-6 record against teams that made the playoffs. Prescott especially struggled in those contests.

That problem could solve itself, based on the Cowboys’ strength of schedule. Only the Baltimore Ravens will face opponents that had a worse combined winning percentage than Dallas.

The Cowboys are in for plenty of tough games. Visiting Baltimore and Seattle could be a problem. Road matchups with the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings might prove to be tough. Dallas will host the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

A look at the division creates optimism regarding Dallas’ chances to compete for a first-round bye. The Cowboys will play four games against Washington Redskins and New York Giants, who combined to win seven games a season ago and could be in for difficult 2020 campaigns with second-year starting quarterbacks.

Philadelphia essentially put the NFC East title away last season by defeating Dallas in Week 16. When Carson Wentz is healthy, he’s among the best quarterbacks in football. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Wentz has suffered a season-ending injury in three straight seasons.

That’s why the Cowboys are odds-on favorites to win the division.

San Francisco and New Orleans are still the class of the NFC. Russell Wilson gives Seattle the conference’s best quarterback. Maybe Tom Brady will turn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into contenders.

The Cowboys aren’t far behind any of those teams. They should get back to recording double-digit wins, putting the team in a position to make a deep playoff run.

Cowboys Prediction: 10-6 Record