Heading into Week 9, the Dallas Cowboys and the rest of the NFL have officially crossed over the halfway point of the 2020 season. The first half of the season hasn't been kind to the Cowboys as their 2-6 record reflects. But, maybe they will have a little more luck in the second half.
I don't think anyone would've predicted the Dallas Cowboys would be one of the worst teams in the league prior to the start of the 2020 season. Sadly though that's where they find themselves at the halfway point and it's hard to imagine them being any better in the final league games.
With that in mind, I decided take a look at the teams remaining on the Dallas Cowboys schedule to try to predict their win/loss record for the 2020 season. I'm not going to sugarcoat things it doesn't look very good. I hope I'm wrong, but I have them finishing with a 3-13 losing record.
Below are my game by game predictions for the Dallas Cowboys…
Week 9: Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The best of the best against the worst of the worst is what this Week 9 matchup should be billed as between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh remains the only undefeated team in the NFL whereas the Cowboys are lucky to be at 2-6 right now. Andy Dalton's return should help the offense and hopefully the Cowboys defense will pick up where they left off last week, but regardless I think this will end up being a cakewalk for the Steelers.
Score Prediction: 34-10, Steelers
Week 10: Bye Week
It's very likely the Dallas Cowboys are 2-7 entering their bye week, which means they have a lot to work on in a short amount of time. This is the perfect opportunity to evaluate what worked and what didn't in the first nine games of the season and hopefully make adjustments accordingly. They may not have much to play for the remainder of the season, but that doesn't mean they still don't have work to do. After all, it's never too early to start preparing for the future.
Week 11: Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings
The Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings have both have similar 2020 seasons. Both were expected to be playoff contenders this year, but sadly have failed miserably to live up to those expectations. This is definitely a winnable game for the Cowboys, especially considering they have extra time to prepare coming off their bye week. I think that extra time to prepare could be exactly the edge the Cowboys need, despite Minnesota having home-field advantage
Score Prediction: 23-17, Cowboys
Week 12: Cowboys vs. Washington Football Team
The Dallas Cowboys were completely embarrassed in the 25-3 loss to Washington in Week 7. Week 12 will hopefully be different though. The Cowboys have home-field advantage and Andy Dalton should be more acclimated to the offense. Having said that though, this game will likely come down to Washington's defensive front against the Cowboys' offensive line. If that is indeed the case, I'd have to give the edge to Washington.
Score Prediction: 17-13, Washington
Week 13: Cowboys @ Baltimore Ravens
If things have gone as I have predicted the Dallas Cowboys team psyche is probably shot. That doesn't bode well for them in Week 13 against the Lamar Jackson led Baltimore Ravens. This would've been a tough matchup for them even if their entire roster was 100% healthy. Because of that I'm not giving them much of a chance. This should be as close to a give me win for the Ravens as they've had all season.
Score Prediction: 30-9, Ravens
Week 14: Cowboys @ Cincinnati Bengals
The worst of the worst will square off in Week 14 when the Dallas Cowboys hit the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals. What seems like a meaningless game could exactly be the opposite for the Cowboys. This game will not only have an impact on where these two teams are slotted in the 2021 NFL Draft, but also give Dallas a firsthand look at what a highly drafted QB can do as a rookie. Seeing Joe Burrow play in person could have an impact Dak Prescott's future in Dallas.
Score Prediction: 20-17, Bengals
Week 15: Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
This Week 15 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys will be the second week in a row the San Francisco 49ers face-off against an NFC East opponent. The 49ers heavy run oriented offense is something that could give the Cowboys defense more problems than they can handle. Dallas' defense hasn't fared well against the run this season and it's hard to imagine it's any better with very little to play for this late in the year.
Score Prediction: 24-10, 49ers
Week 16: Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz or Jalen Hurts? Who will be the Philadelphia Eagles QB in Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys? Wentz didn't play very well in Week 8 against the Cowboys and isn't exactly known for being healthy this late in the year. Could it be Jalen Hurts? I don't know if it really matters who the Eagles QB is though. Although the NFC East division may still be wide-open, Dallas could be better off losing rather than winning.
Score Prediction: 17-13, Eagles
Week 17: Cowboys @ New York Giants
The worst of the worst of the NFC East division square off against one another to close out the 2020 season. The Dallas Cowboys narrowly escaped New York Giants in Week 5 thanks to in large part a couple of fantastic Michael Gallup catches that set up a game-winning last-second FG. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw another close game between these two teams. Playing in New York, in December, probably gives the Giants the slight advantage though.
Score Prediction: 24-21, Giants
