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NFL Predictions 2018: Who will finish in the basement, NFC Edition

By Mark Morales-Smith

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes a knee before playing against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 31: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes a knee before playing against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 31: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 31: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field on December 31, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

NFC East

Basement Dwellers: Dallas Cowboys

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Giants last season and their is no reason to expect the Eagles will fall off a cliff. Because of this, the Redskins and Cowboys will fight to stay out of the basement. I don’t think either team will be terrible, but the division is tough and the Cowboys have the most glaring holes.

There isn’t a whole lot of talent in Dallas outside of the offensive line. As much as Cowboys fans love Ezekiel Elliott, they made a massive mistake not selecting Jalen Ramsey when they had the shot in the NFL Draft. If you are building a fantasy team, this was a tremendous choice, but not in real life. You can plug in backs behind elite lines and have great success. And as the Cowboys clearly know, elite corners are much harder to come by.

This, of course, brings me to my next point. This defense stinks. Fans want to talk about how much better it is this season, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The front seven has some pieces, but there are still concerns there. They have some talent on the line, however, that talent needs to show their motivated and staying out of trouble. Sean Lee is a very good linebacker, but oft-injured and the secondary is no good.

This offense will go as far as the line can drag them. Dak Prescott isn’t bad. Nevertheless, he’s a game-manager, not a stud, and his weapons are nothing to write home about. Zeke should put up massive numbers, but he can only do so much. When these team falls behind in games, they are not built to come back and will struggle to keep up with the opposing offenses that will be torching their defense all season.

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