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On Monday, USA Today released their yearly NFL record projections piece. Nate Davis, the author of the article, took a stab at projecting the regular-season record for all 32 teams.
Overall, the projections are fairly consistent. Two shockers include the Browns being the number one overall seed in the AFC, and the Chargers winning 11 games and making the postseason.
Here’s who Davis had making the playoffs in both conferences. (Teams are listed in terms of projected playoff seed)
AFC: Browns, Titans, Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, Dolphins, Chargers
NFC: Buccaneers, Packers, 49ers, Cowboys, Rams, Vikings, Seahawks
Davis has the Cowboys finishing with a 10-7 record, two games ahead of the second-place Washington Football Team, and taking home the NFC East crown for the first time since 2018. Here’s what he had to say about the Cowboys.
QB Dak Prescott’s anticipated recovery from a compound leg fracture and dislocation of his ankle will command most of the headlines and those “Hard Knocks” cameras. But if RB Ezekiel Elliott, a battered offensive line and defense that was mauled in 2020 simply revert to recent norms, it’s hard not to envision the Cowboys as clear-cut favorites to win this division – especially since they face eight consecutive teams that missed the playoffs in 2020 following their opening night game in Tampa.
Since the conclusion of last season, it's been pretty clear that with a healthy Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are the prohibitive favorite to win the division. In fact, since betting odds to win the division opened on February 10th, 2021 Dallas has not moved from the top spot. Currently, the Cowboys are +135 to win the NFC East, via DraftKings.
After a disastrous 2020, 10 wins and a division title would be a pretty successful season for the Cowboys. Granted, they likely would need to win at least one playoff game to consider it a true success, but having home field in round one would likely have them as favorites in the first playoff game.
How would you feel if the Cowboys had a 10-7 season? Do you think they will do better or worse than 10 wins? Let us know in the comments section below.