5 Dark horse NFL teams to challenge Buccaneers for 2022 Super Bowl
Super Bowl 2022 dark-horse NFL contender No. 4: Dallas Cowboys
There was a ton of excitement about the Dallas Cowboys coming into this past season as their offense was supposed to be one of the best units in the league. Of course, the Dak Prescott injury in the first half of the season brought those hopes and optimism to a screeching halt.
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It is, of course, worth noting that the Cowboys hadn’t looked like world-beaters prior to their star quarterback going out for the season. They were consistently one of the worst defenses in the league and seemingly needed to score a minimum of 40 points just to win games. Even with Dak at the helm, that’s a tough ask for any team if they’re going to make a run at a Super Bowl.
However, with Prescott almost surely coming back — despite the constant chatter that the franchise could let him go — the offense remains in good hands, especially if they use a top-10 draft pick to fortify an offensive line that was also ravaged by injuries. Moreover, the defense should see an uptick with investments in the draft and a change to Dan Quinn at defensive coordinator.
Cowboys fans notoriously have high expectations for this team but, in truth, they should. This team is laden with talent on both sides of the ball and, with the right mix of coaching and health, they could reach their ceiling. It may be a setup for disappointment again but expect Dallas to make a big jump from a wildly disappointing 2020 season.