For 27 years, the Dallas Cowboys have been stuck in a cycle of pre-season hype, only to be let down at crunch time. Is the end of the Super Bowl drought in sight for America’s Team?

For the second year running, the San Francisco 49ers put an end to the Cowboys' season. The manner of the 19-12 Divisional Round defeat left Dallas fans with a myriad of questions about the future. 

Many of those questions surround head coach Mike McCarthy and starting QB Dak Prescott, of course. 

But with arguably the best defense in the league and an offense that ranked fourth in points per game, the pieces are there for Dallas. 

The question now is can McCarthy fit them all together?

Click here to read all NFL Season Outlooks for the 2023/24 season.

What	2023/24 NFL Season
When	September 8th, 2023 - February 11th, 2024
How to watch	ESPN, FOX, NBC, CBS and on-demand with NFL Game Pass
Cowboys Odds	To win Super Bowl LVIII +1400, to win the NFC +600, to win the NFC East +180

Where did the Dallas Cowboys finish last season?

2nd NFC East (12-5). Lost in the Divisional Round.

What are the Dallas Cowboys' hopes for the season?

To get beyond the Divisional Round for the first time since they last won a Super Bowl in 1995 has to be the aim for a team this talented in a conference so top heavy. 

The defense lead the league in turnovers (33), ranked fourth in points per game allowed (21.0) and they only seemed to get better come playoff team, conceding 33 points across two games. 

With top-level talent Micah Parsons closer to the line of scrimmage, Dallas posted the fourth-highest sack total (54) in the league. 

They’ve retained the majority of their defensive starters and plugged a couple of gaps, most notably at cornerback where they added Stephon Gilmore. Defenses don’t always maintain the high standards set in previous seasons but Dallas have done it back-to-back years and still have room to grow.

The defense is unquestionably the strength of the team with the offense having work to do. Head coach McCarthy will call the plays this year after offensive coordinator Kellen Moore left and that’s a head coaching move that has a habit of backfiring. 

Quarterback Dak Prescott’s injury history is another concern, as was his tendency to throw an interception in 2022, while the protection in front of him wasn’t great last season. 

They’ve lost a few players on offense too, yet what’s left may be enough for Dallas to be a top-10 offense. It’s easy to get sucked into overhyping Dallas, as previous seasons have proven. 

Yet, it's tough to not be excited about the roster with the Cowboys -140 to post another double-digit win season by going over their win total of 9.5.

Who are the Dallas Cowboys' opening opponents?

For the seventh time in the last 12 years, Dallas open up against the New York Giants in Week One in prime time. 

The Cowboys have won 10 straight against their NFC East rivals when Dak Prescott has been at quarterback and they are -155 to come out on top at the Meadowlands.

The Giants, who made the play-offs last year with a 9-7-1 record, are 17-15 at home all-time in Week One and are +135 on the moneyline to come out on top.

When are the Dallas Cowboys' key matchups?

The Cowboys have been handed the joint-fourth hardest set of fixtures, based on strength of schedule, with the finish looking particularly treacherous. 

Playing four of their first six games on the road isn’t helpful either and features a play-off rematch from last season in Week Five against the San Francisco 49ers. 

After an early bye in Week Seven, Dallas take on the Rams before their first meeting of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 5th. 

From Week 12, things get tricky, starting with back-to-back Thursday games against Seattle and then Washington on Thanksgiving. 

The Eagles then visit the Lone Star State in Week 14 before trips to Buffalo and Miami, finishing up at home to Detroit and on the road at Washington.

Who is the Dallas Cowboys head coach?

Mike McCarthy faced calls to go after a second consecutive season finished with a disappointing play-off exit, but team owner Jerry Jones has shown faith in him. 

McCarthy won the power struggle between himself and former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who was supposedly being groomed to succeed him eventually, but now has no more excuses for another early playoff exit. 

Dallas have improved under McCarthy, going from 6-10 in his first season in charge to two double-digit win campaigns. 

But the Cowboys expect more. 

He did deliver one Super Bowl during his 12 years as Green Bay Packers coach, but that’s seen as a poor return given he had the best years of Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field.

Which players have the Dallas Cowboys signed?

WR Brandin Cooks (Houston Texans) 
CB Stephon Gilmore (Indianapolis Colts) 
RB Ronald Jones (Kansas City Chiefs) 
LS Trent Sieg (Las Vegas Raiders) 
RT Chuma Edoga (Atlanta Falcons)

Which players have left the Dallas Cowboys?

TE Dalton Schultz (Houston Texans) 
CB Anthony Brown 
WR T.Y. Hilton 
LB Anthony Barr 
LT Jason Peters 
WR Noah Brown (Houston Texans) 
K Brett Maher 
LB Devante Bond 
RG Connor McGovern (Buffalo Bills)

Who are the Dallas Cowboys' key players?

Offensive MVP	CeeDee Lamb
Defensive MVP	Micah Parsons
Top rookie	Luke Schoonmaker (2nd round)
Breakout star	Tony Pollard

CeeDee Lamb stepped up for the Cowboys last year to take the mantle as the top wide reciver in Dallas, posting his best numbers as he had 107 catches for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Expect him to beat those numbers this year if Prescott stays on the field. Micah Parsons was trending towards being the Defensive Player of the Year last season, only for multiple niggling injuries to slow him down in the back end of the campaign. 

Still, it was another brilliant year from Parsons, who is now a full-time edge rusher. He plans to add muscle to his natural speed and agility traits this year, a scary thought for opposing quarterbacks. 

Dalton Schultz’s exit leaves the starting tight-end spot up for grabs with second round pick Luke Schoonmaker having the potential to steal snaps from Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot early on. 

The Wolverine has all the traits to be a top tight end, possessing impressive speed and agility for a man of 6ft 6in and is one to watch. 

Tony Pollard has already had four years playing in the NFL and last year posted a career-best 1,007 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. 

However, that came in a timeshare with Ezekiel Elliott and the Pro Bowler could be poised to put up some big numbers now he’s the lead back. 

A broken leg at the end of last season means he could start the year slowly but expect him to still be amongst the league’s top running backs.