DALLAS — The Big Game is in Sin City next season as Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the host site for Super Bowl LVIII at the end of the 2023 season.
The Dallas Cowboys haven't been to the Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX at the conclusion of the 1995 campaign. Returning to the desert to end the franchise's title drought would be poetic considering it all began at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., in the first place.
Given that the Cowboys were virtually a fifth-place finisher with their seven-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the slimmest defeat of divisional weekend when factoring in Dallas actually led at one point in time at Levi's Stadium, one can only wonder how close Jerry Jones' club is to a sixth Super Bowl victory.
According to Bookies.com using odds from BetMGM, the Cowboys have the sixth-best odds to win Super Bowl LVIII at +1400. Only the Kansas City Chiefs (+600), Cincinnati Bengals (+850), Buffalo Bills (+900), Philadelphia Eagles (+900), and 49ers (+900) have better odds than Dallas.
Tipico technically has better odds for the Cowboys at +1300, but the same positioning at sixth. The prevailing sense is that the Cowboys weren't the best team to lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, but rather the Bills were, who took a 27-10 loss at home to the Bengals.
The Cowboys have a number of decisions to make over the offseason, including what to do at running back. Does the club save salary cap space and release running back Ezekiel Elliott and left tackle Tyron Smith? Do they retain running back Tony Pollard, who will be rehabilitating from a broken ankle sustained in the divisional loss at San Francisco? Will the Cowboys provide more receiving complements for quarterback Dak Prescott or work with what is on the roster? How will the new offense look with Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator and coach Mike McCarthy calling the plays?
There are some guarantees with Dan Quinn staying on board as defensive coordinator. Dallas has led the NFL with takeaways the past two seasons. At some point the takeaways — 34 in 2021 and 33 in 2022 — are representative of skill and not just fortune. As long as linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs remain dominant, and Quinn accentuates the strengths of his available talent, the defense should be reliable enough to keep the Cowboys in most ballgames.
Offseason moves from free agency, the draft, and even organized team activities and minicamp will be a better barometer for where the Cowboys are actually at in their pursuit to once again compete for a Super Bowl, but the odds currently give them a better chance than most in the league.
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