Can the Dallas Cowboys Still Make the Playoffs Without Dak Prescott?

On Sunday, October 11^th, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had a season ending injury when he suffered a compound fracture of his lower leg.

It was a brutal sight to see as even the commentators had a hard time talking about the actual injury itself. CBS stopped showing replays as well due to the graphicness of the break.

The scene of Prescott being carted off the field was a somber one as Dak was in tears while players from both teams showed him support. Additionally, former Dallas head coach Jason Garrett who is the offensive coordinator for the Giants came onto the field to show support for Dak.

Teammates don’t do this for just anybody. Fans don’t give ovations like that for just anybody. A former (now opposing) coach doesn’t do this for just anybody. It’s infuriating even more so today that anyone would EVER question if Dak Prescott is a leader pic.twitter.com/ctWZ6lOIUL

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 11, 2020

The fans cheered and Dak raised his fist with tears in his eyes. It was an emotional moment for all who attended and watched the game. The outpouring of support for Prescott via social media was great to see as many former and current NFL players sent their prayers and well wishes.

Despite the loss of Dak, the game still went on and the Cowboys ended up kicking a last second field goal to beat the Giants 37 to 34. It was an emotional win for the team.

Following the game, NFL betting sites updated their odds for Dallas’ chances of winning Super Bowl 55 and the NFC East division. Let’s huddle up and examine these odds to see where we should place our money.

Super Bowl 55 Odds

Heading into Week 5, the Cowboys were listed at +3000 betting odds to win Super Bowl 55. Following the loss of Dak Prescott, the team’s SB 55 odds have fallen to +4400.

In my NFC East season preview, I didn’t think that Dallas was a Super Bowl contender. Furthermore, I questioned if they could even win the NFC East division. I had picked the Eagles to win the division this year and as of Week 6, even the 0-5 Giants are still in the running for the divisional crown.

As for the Super Bowl, I’m actually surprised that Dallas’ odds aren’t lower. The offense has been incredible with Dak Prescott at QB. However, the defense has been one of the worst in the league.

Jason Garrett coming out to check on Dak pic.twitter.com/5fmd5IvgWU

— Stu Motown #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) October 11, 2020

Now that Prescott is out and backup QB Andy Dalton will be the quarterback for the foreseeable future, this team is even less of a threat to make the Super Bowl let alone win it.

As of Week 6, I am still picking the Chiefs to win Super Bowl 55 even though they lost to the Raiders in Week 5.

NFC East Betting Odds

Prior to Week 5’s loss of Dak Prescott, Dallas was a -110 betting favorite to win the NFC East. Following the win over the Giants, Dallas is now a -125 favorite to win the division with FanDuel. At BetOnline, Dallas remains a -110 favorite.

Currently, the NFC East division is as follows:

• Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
• Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
• Washington Football Team (1-4)
• New York Giants (0-5)

As you can see, Dallas has a ½ game lead over Philly and a one game lead over Washington. Yet, with the upcoming schedule and injuries with all four of these teams, the division is wide open for the taking.

Dallas Cowboys (-110)

With Andy Dalton at QB, the Cowboys will look to run the ball more, which was their identity over the last few years. The Dallas Cowboys had great success running with Ezekiel Elliott in the past and on Sunday against the Giants.

If Dallas can successfully run the ball each week then they can control the game clock and possibly get a lead instead of playing from behind. Once that happens, the Cowboys can unleash their talented defensive line to get after the opposing QBs.

However, Dallas still has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Cowboys are allowing 404.4 total ypg (27^th) and they give up the most points in the league at 36ppg. That’s not going to change anytime soon. This secondary is atrocious and good teams will torch Dallas’ defense.

Over the next four weeks, Dallas plays Arizona, Washington, Philly and Pittsburgh. That’s a tough schedule as I expect Arizona and Pittsburgh to win. Washington should fare better without Haskins at QB and I believe Philly will edge out Dallas on November 1^st at home.

Philadelphia Eagles (+125)

The Philadelphia Eagles have suffered many injuries on the offensive side of the ball including along the offensive line and to most of their top receivers. Nevertheless, they were very close to beating Pittsburgh in Week 5 before faltering at the end of the game and losing by nine.

With a few minutes left in the game, Philly was only two points down before giving up the late score to Pittsburgh.

Philly plays the Giants twice, Dallas and the Ravens over the next four weeks. I see this team going 3-1 as I believe they will beat the Cowboys and sweep the Giants.

The Eagles will get their players back soon and improve on the field. Their odds of +125 offers value.

Washington Football Team (+1000)

The Washington Football Team benched Dwayne Haskins heading into Week 5 and made Kyle Allen the starter. Allen got hurt against the Rams and Alex Smith had to come in to play.

This was Smith’s first game action since his gruesome leg injury two years ago, which he faced the real possibility of having his leg amputated.

In Week 5, we had a very sad moment with Dak Prescott. Yet, with Smith it was a great moment to see after all he has gone through including 17 surgeries on his leg.

Washington has played better than many critics, including myself, expected heading into the season. If they had better QB play, they could’ve been 2-3 this year instead of 1-4.

Kyle Allen should improve the overall offensive performance each week as he doesn’t make as many colossal mistakes as Haskins does. Furthermore, Washington’s run game is getting better each week.

The big knock with this team, other than Haskins, is the poor offensive line play that gave up four sacks to Aaron Donald in their Week 5 matchup against the Rams.

If Washington can improve the o-line then they could be the darkhorse in this division.

New York Giants (+1600)

The New York Giants also lost their franchise player for the season when RB Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in Week 2 against the Bears. It certainly knocked this offense back a few steps.

The Giants were in a good spot to win against Dallas in Week 5, but the Cowboys rode the wave of emotional momentum and won the game for Dak.

New York needs better play from their offensive line, more contributions from the wide receivers other than Slayton, and an improved defensive rush. The secondary has held up, but the front seven has been inconsistent throughout the season.

The Giants play Washington, Philly, the Buccaneers and Washington over the next four weeks. Two wins over that stretch would put them right into the running for the division. More than likely they will go 1-3 unless they can sweep Washington.

Who Will Win the NFC East?

As of now, I am sticking with Philly to win the NFC East. Once they get healthy, they will be a better overall team than Dallas. Although Dallas has more playmakers on offense, their defense is not as good as Philly’s.

Furthermore, I believe Carson Wentz will play better and the offense will open up more when they get wide receivers Jackson, Jeffrey, and Reagor back. That’s their top three wideouts all on the injured list.

I like the Eagles to win the division at +125 odds. I think there’s value with Philly despite their odds having come down from +150 before the season started.

If Dallas can come out in Week 5 and beat the Arizona Cardinals by playing improved defense and running the ball at-will, then I would suggest to those of you that want to wager on Dallas to do so. But, wait until after Week 6’s MNF matchup as the Cowboys could end up getting blown out as well.