Chris Boline
With the NFL postseason almost here, Dallas Cowboys fans don’t have to worry about whether or not Dak Prescott and Co. will be suiting up or not. That’s because the Cowboys were able to clinch a playoff berth on Thursday night after the San Francisco 49ers dropped the ball and took a defeat going up vs. the Tennessee Titans. With that result, the Cowboys Super Bowl odds are climbing for Texas fans to bet on.
As of this writing, the confidence is high for the Cowboys, as they’re looking like a serious threat to grab a high seed in the NFC. This has Texas sports betting folks going nuts. Matter of fact, the Cowboys still have the potential to grab the No. 1 seed in the conference. Things are going to come down to how things play out with the Packers, Buccaneers and a few others. With that, though, people are betting big on Dallas.
It’s hard to argue with this, as the defense has been nothing short of sensational this year. The major bright side has been the play of linebacker Micah Parsons. Despite being a rookie, Parsons is in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He’s been wonderful in putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which head coach Mike McCarthy of course loves seeing.
As things stand, Dallas currently holds +1200 odds. Entering the season, not many people gave them a chance, but the NFL Super Bowl odds really tell you that this team has what it takes to make some noise. It’ll come down to how Dak Prescott and the rest of the offense can perform. If Prescott gets back on track with the O, people will race to the NFL betting sites to check odds and bet on Dallas.
The Cowboys with Dak Prescott against the NFC East:
vs. Giants: 9-2
vs. Washington: 8-1
vs. Eagles: 6-3
vs. NFC East: 23-6That's domination
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) December 19, 2021
Dallas needs some help down the stretch for the No. 1 seed
Entering the final set of contests, Dallas needs some help down the stretch for the No. 1 seed. It goes without saying, but the No. 1 seed could prove to be gold for so many squads out there, as not only do you get a first-round bye, but you also have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Imagine making it to the NFC Championship Game, and then playing in front of your fans. That’s massive.
For the Cowboys, and others, it looks like their main competition for that No. 1 seed is going to be the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is looking like an MVP once again this season, as he’s got the Packers playing at an unreal level. For Green Bay too, they take on the Vikings at home in Week 17, before closing the season against the Lions on the road in Week 18.
From this chair, it’d be a major shock if Green Bay were to lose either contest. The Vikings would pose the biggest problem, but with things being all set to go down at Lambeau Field, it really will be difficult for Kirk Cousins and Co. to try and record an upset here. Rodgers always plays well against Minnesota too, which is only going to make life more tough for the Vikings defense. The Lions suck too.
Having said that, you never know what might happen at the end of the season. For the Cowboys, they’ll need to take care of business as well. In Week 17, the Cowboys will be taking on the Cardinals and then they’ll end the season with a bang in facing the Eagles. Dallas will need to win both games to keep their No. 1 seed dreams alive. If they do so, they’ll also need help from Minnesota or Detroit too.
The #DallasCowboys have officially clinched a playoff spot following the Titans win over the 49ers. #NFL pic.twitter.com/N9nc20vUin
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 24, 2021
The pressure is on Dak Prescott to deliver
It goes without saying, but the pressure is on Dak Prescott to deliver for this team the rest of the way. Last offseason, Prescott signed a monster four-year extension with Dallas, making him one of the highest-paid players in the game. Unfortunately for Dallas, Prescott has been a bit up and down this season, which has been tough to see. He needs to step his game up for Dallas to have a shot in the playoffs.
“I don’t want to say (it’s a) slump, but that’s probably fair,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a recent interview talking about the play of Prescott and the offense. “It’s such a multifaceted evaluation. I would say that our offense is definitely away from where we were 5-6 weeks ago. Yes, he is (healthy). He’ll figure it out.”
From that quote, you can see that Jones is clearly a little concerned about how Prescott has been playing. At the same time, Jones knows how good Prescott is and that he should be able to turn things around. The Cowboys NFL playoff odds really rely on his right arm. The Cowboys defense could play lights out and stop opposing teams, but if Prescott isn’t moving the ball for the offense, that’s a huge issue.
Only time will tell if Prescott will be able to live up to his massive contract. Dallas fans are depending on him to power this team. Guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb will be ready to make plays too, but Prescott needs to ball out more than anyone.
