Why the Dallas Cowboys will still be successful without Micah Parsons

It was still a very stupid decision, let's get that out of the way.

Trading Micah Parsons made no sense for the Dallas Cowboys, who have put themselves in position to make deep playoff runs for the foreseeable future.

Dallas locked down both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to long-term deals in 2024.

And while giving Parsons a market-value deal would have tied up a large percentage of their cap to just three players, having a top 10 quarterback, top five receiver, and top five edge rusher is something the entire NFL would kill for.

So how can it work? Well, frankly speaking, the fate of this season will fall on the shoulders of Dak Prescott and the offense, but that's not a horrible place to be in.

Leaning on the offense When Dak Prescott has finished a regular season, the Cowboys have never won fewer than eight games.

From 2021-23, Dallas went 12-5 in all three seasons.

In that span, the Cowboys ranked fourth in EPA per play and scored the most points of any team in the NFL in that span - and that was without George Pickens, who is easily the best No.

2 receiver Dak has ever had, and should make a tremendous tandem with Lamb.

The worst campaign they've had with a full season of Dak was in 2019, and their defense ranked 23rd in success rate.

Yet, their offense was third in EPA per play.

That season was an oddity for Dallas, and the NFL in general when it comes to how the Cowboys performed.

The Cowboys were 1-5 in one-score games that season.

Of their eight wins, the closest was a 35-27 win over the Detroit Lions.

In the other seven wins, Dallas won all seven by at least 10 points.

Had the results of one-score games reverted to the mean, Dallas all but certainly makes the playoffs despite a defense that was near the bottom of the league in success rate and lacked a star pass rusher.

If it looks anything like 2019, the offense will put on a show while the defense ends up being what costs them some games.

In layman's terms, this could look very Bengals-y.

But even so, that feels like the worse case scenario.

The Cowboys have a better and deeper defense than the Bengals, and play in a conference that doesn't feature nearly as many high-end elite quarterbacks as the AFC.

Dak Prescott's NFC East Success Many will point to the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders as the ultimate sign of defeat for Dallas, but Dak Prescott is a combined 20-6 in his career against both teams and has never been swept by either team in a season.

At worst, Dallas will go 2-2 in those four games and will likely beat the Giants twice.

Even if a split comes from that series, as well, they win three games within the division.

When you have a top 10 quarterback, you're going to be competitive far more often than not.

And despite the organizational malpractice and ignorance put on display by Jerry Jones, Dallas won't be an easy out as long as Dak, Lamb, and Pickens put the level of play on display we've grown used to seeing out of them.

When all is said and done, as long as Dak stays healthy, the Cowboys will find themselves in the postseason.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Be sure to bookmark NFL on The Sporting News for all the latest news, interviews, breakdowns, and more! Cowboys legend bashes Jerry Jones decision to trade Micah Parsons Vikings acquire Adam Thielen in trade with Carolina Panthers Vikings make another trade, send veteran quarterback to Eagles Bills fan-favorite wide receiver says he's done enough to make 53-man roster Ravens are perfect team to trade for former first-round quarterback.

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