It's a dangerous thing for a Dallas Cowboys fan to have hope. After a 40-0 win over the rival Giants followed by a 30-10 win over the Jets in Week 2, however, it's hard not to have hope. Moreover, even after just two weeks and as many wins, the dominance to this point makes it hard not to at least think about a Super Bowl coming back to America's Team.
The postseason woes of Dallas have been widely discussed at this point (in just about every corner of the internet). There have now been 12-straight playoff appearances for the Cowboys where they've failed to even make the NFC Championship Game. So based on history, there's no reason to consider this team a Super Bowl contender.
But streaks only exist until they're broken. What we're seeing from the 2023 Dallas Cowboys is plenty of signs that they could legitimately win the Super Bowl. Let's unpack three things that put them quite obviously in that conversation, but also the one thing that should hold any fan back from going all-in on this team as a contender to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Why Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders: Offense is loaded with weapons
The most publicized move that the Cowboys made on offense in the 2023 offseason was parting ways with longtime running back Ezekiel Elliott. But not only was that move something that fans have been calling for over a lengthy period of time, it also overshadowed the fact that Dallas' offense actually got better in terms of talent.
That starts with the elevation of Tony Pollard into the RB1 role with Zeke's departure. Pollard has been one of the most explosive and efficient backs in football since entering the NFL, so his presence is an upgrade to the backfield, particularly with how inefficient Elliott was last season and of late overall.
Beyond that, though, the Cowboys also added Brandin Cooks to the receiving corps. This passing game clearly lacked last season in that way of complementing CeeDee Lamb as Michael Gallup struggled to be effective returning from injury. Thus, adding a proven veteran who can also take the top off the defense is a massive plus. Throw in the progression of second-year player Jalen Tolbert, and it's even bigger.
Some might talk about losing Dalton Schultz as a negative, but Dallas certainly worked to replace him in recent years and we've already seen that start to take shape with Jake Ferguson. Luke Schoonmaker and Peyton Hendershot also figure into that equation.
This offense, working behind a still-great offensive line when healthy on top of all of this, has leveled up its personnel. And we haven't totally gotten to see it unlocked -- because, you know, it hasn't had to be -- but the potential is there.
Why Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders: Dak Prescott is playing smarter
With what the defense and special teams did to the Giants in Week 1, Dak Prescott wasn't asked to do all that much. He only threw 24 passes, but was criticized somewhat for only completing 13 of those attempts for 143 yards with no touchdowns.
He was asked to do a bit more in the Week 2 win over the Jets, to be sure. Prescott threw 38 times, completing 31 of those passes for 255 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. A good game, without question. But he's still through two weeks with only 62 total passing attempts and fewer than 400 passing yards.
What stands out with Dak to this point, however, is the clear comfort in this new offense under Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer. As a result, the quarterback looks to be playing much smarter. Part of that is definitely in comparison to last season when Prescott was heavily criticized for turnovers, but it also shows up on the film.
Prescott isn't forcing throws right now. He's targeting quality matchups with his group of weapons. And he's also taking what the defense gives him, which is more than enough with the playmakers around him.
Say what you will about the Jets in particular, but they still have a good defense -- and Dak picked them apart. He's yet to have a turnover and, while he won't be winning MVP or even be close based on how he's playing to this point, he's playing smart, mistake-free football that can help carry this talent-laden roster to the Promised Land.
Why Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders: Defense is completely dominant
Simply reiterating that the Cowboys have won their first two games by a combined score of 70-10 would probably get the defense's dominance across pretty clearly. They have been perhaps even better than that with the eye test.
You have to start with Micah Parsons when you talk about Dan Quinn's dominant unit. Through just two games, he's already making the case to win Defensive Player of the Year. Against the Giants, he was a force with one sack and two QB hits. He only followed that up with two sacks, three tackles for loss, one pass defense, and four QB hits against the Jets in Week 2.
For as good as Parsons is, though, the defense doesn't end with him. The secondary already featured Trevon Diggs, but now added Stephon Gilmore to the mix via trade this offseason -- he had a pick in Week 1. Then DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis add depth at corner. The safety room goes three deep with above-average players for Quinn's scheme. Demarcus Lawrence remains supremely underrated, as is also the case with Osa Odighizuwa and Johnathan Hankins on the interior.
This is a truly special unit that luckily retained Quinn this offseason. They have every level covered with solid pieces supplemented by a few true superstar talents. Dallas has made life completely miserable for Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson thus far and that will likely be the case for just about any offense you put across the line of scrimmage for the Cowboys.
Why Cowboys are not Super Bowl contenders: Ain't played nobody
The come-back-to-Earth aspect of Dallas' white-hot start to the 2023 season is the simple fact that they haven't exactly played a murderer's row of competition in the first two weeks. Granted, there were high expectations for both New York teams, the Giants and Jets, coming into the season.
But in the case of the Giants, things have gotten off to a rocky start. Not only were the G-Men completely lambasted by the Cowboys in Week 1 to the point that they truly look as if they gave up at a certain point, but they then had to fight tooth-and-nail to come back against the lowly Arizona Cardinals and win in Week 2.
Then there's the Jets. Had the team not lost Aaron Rodgers after only four snaps, you have to imagine that they'd be much more formidable. But with Zach Wilson helming the offense, they are a shell of what they could've been and what people expected them to be this season.
All this is to say, before we start crowning the Cowboys as Super Bowl champions, perhaps we should wait for them to actually play high-caliber teams. That won't happen in Week 3 with a matchup against the aforementioned Cardinals on deck. However, hosting the Patriots before visiting the 49ers and Chargers in the following two weeks will give us a clearer indication of just how good Dallas is in its current iteration.
