Coming off of their sixth straight victory and sitting comfortably atop the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys are riding high.
Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is the NFL’s leading rusher, rookie quarterback Dak Prescott is leaps and bounds ahead of where we thought he’d be, Dez Bryant is back and healthy, and this highly criticized defense is playing way above their heads.
Now, 8 weeks into what looks like a super season, the Cowboys are the clear favorites to win the NFC and get to that Super Bowl.
According to The Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, the Cowboys are 3/1 favorites to win their conference, just ahead of the Minnesota Vikings (7/2) and the Seattle Seahawks (7/2).
In terms of winning the whole thing, the Cowboys are second (7/1) to only the New England Patriots, who are listed 8/5 to win yet another Super Bowl.
As great as the Cowboys have looked, it has been the downfall of the former NFC-powerhouses which have skyrocketed the Cowboys odds even higher.
The Green Bay Packers, led by former Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, are no where near as complete of a team that we had expected them to be. The Seattle Seahawks look downright dreadful on offense, with Russell Wilson hobbled with an ankle injury. The two participants in last year’s NFC title game, the Panthers and Cardinals, are both having bad seasons so far. And the once 5-0 Minnesota Vikings have dropped two straight, including an awful loss in Chicago Monday night.
The crash-and-burn of last year’s NFC playoff teams has made the Cowboys rise to the top even more meaningful, regardless of how early in the season it is. At 6-1, they are a full two games ahead of the 2nd place team in the conference, and seem set to run away with this thing.
I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself when it comes to projecting games, but with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and a Trent Williams-less Washington Redskins team coming up on the schedule, 9-2 or 10-1 isn’t out of the question for the Cowboys.
Regardless of how these next few weeks go, it is pretty stunning that a Dallas Cowboys team without Tony Romo are the favorites to win the NFC. Welcome to the future, Cowboys Nation, it looks really great around here.
Kevin: before booking your ticket to Houston, it’s worth remembering a few things:
1. The Cowboys are 6-1, its true, but we aren’t yet halfway into our season. How about we win a few more games before talking Super Bowl?
2. In 1967, the Baltimore Colts entered the final week of the season undefeated, yet missed the playoffs. Google it if you don’t believe me.
3. In 2007, the Cowboys were 13-3 and held home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs — we all know how that turned out.
Bottom line: we’ve won six games, nothing more. Cool your jets, buddy.
After the Steelers game I will start to get excited . If we win . Till then let’s just enjoy this ride .