Dallas Cowboys: 5 Things We Know
By Reid Hanson

Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo(9) is injured after a sack by the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter of a NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Things we know about the Dallas Cowboys #5 The Cowboys are not contenders.
As sad as it is to say, the Dallas Cowboys are really not contenders. Sure they have a chance at winning the division and making the playoffs, but it’s a very slim chance (under 10% by most estimates). Even if the Cowboys can make the playoffs, what then?
Sure, Tony Romo could be back but he’s going to be extremely rusty while everyone opposing him will be at peak performance. How much damage could Romo really do with this underachieving bunch if he’s not even up to form?
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The Dallas Cowboys defense is good – until they’re not. Game after game they collapse at the end. Sometimes it’s blown assignments, sometimes it’s poor coaching, and sometimes it’s everything. Why again did the Cowboys single cover DeSean Jackson with no safety help when everyone knew he was going to get the ball?
So go the Cowboys
The offensive line is strong but they aren’t dominant this year. They need Romo back in order to succeed.
The RB corps is below-average at best. They can hit a hole, catch a pass, and protect the passer but they can’t be expected to create on their own.
All across the NFL contenders and pretenders are starting to separate from each other. As strange as it seems, the victory in Washington on Monday did more to prove the Cowboys were pretenders than contenders. It was ugly in so many ways it’s hard to believe this is the same team from last season.
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The Dallas Cowboys have a chance at the playoffs but they are not contenders by any reasonable standard. This Sunday’s game in Green Bay will either make that all the more apparent, or it will happily prove me wrong, but nothing seen thus far provides evidence for the latter.