DALLAS — Super Bowl weekend is upon us and the Dallas Cowboys will be watching from home for a 26th consecutive year. There is hope to be found via this weekend’s participants, however. Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams can offer the Cowboys a roadmap to the goal that Jerry Jones has been working towards.
While they weren't able to reach the big game after faltering in the playoffs once again, the approximation between the Cowboys and the conference champions playing in Super Bowl LVI show that Dallas isn’t as far away from getting back to the top of the mountain as it would seem.
The teams playing in the Super Bowl have top-tier quarterback play, as do the Cowboys. Bengals QB Joe Burrow was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, just as Matthew Stafford was in 2009 for the Detroit Lions. Dak Prescott was a fourth-round selection, but he has played up to the level of a draft-topping quarterback.
All three QBs were inside the top six in touchdown passes, top six in quarterback rating, top seven in yards, and top 10 in completion percentage. Burrow and Stafford are big reasons for why their teams were successful this season and Prescott is always a key figure in wins for Dallas. When you have a good quarterback, you have a chance.
Prescott is a reason to put faith in the Cowboys moving forward.
The Bengals and Rams also have defensive standouts that are among the best at their positions. Cincinnati – who usually doesn’t spend big money in free agency – added defensive end Trey Hendrickson last offseason and he panned out. Hendrickson led the Bengals with 14 sacks and is one of the league’s unsung defenders. In addition, Jessie Bates is an All-Pro safety who is among the top players at the position.
The Rams, meanwhile, have perhaps the best defender in the game in defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The standout has been the Defensive Player of the Year three times and has been an All-Pro for seven straight seasons. There aren’t many defensive players who are game wreckers like Donald.
There also aren’t many cornerbacks in the game better than Jalen Ramsey. A three-time All-Pro, including the last two years, Ramsey has been an invaluable addition to Los Angeles since being acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars midseason in 2019.
The Cowboys also have top notch defenders in linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs. Both Parsons and Diggs were first-team All-Pros this season and both are in their first two years in the league.
Parsons led the team with 13 sacks and had 20 tackles for a loss, which was second in the NFL. The first-rounder helped turn the Dallas defense around as he took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Second-year CB Diggs topped the league with 11 interceptions as he helped the Cowboys lead the NFL in the category with 26 picks.
The Cowboys also employ a healthy group of weapons on offense, much like the Rams and Bengals. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp led all receivers in every major category this season, coming away with the receiving triple crown. Kupp was tops in receptions (145), yards (1,947), and touchdowns (16) during an incredible campaign where he took home Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Kupp dominated, but the Rams also have Odell Beckham Jr. and Van Jefferson at wide receiver, a strong stable of runners led by second-year RB Cam Akers, and a solid tight end in Tyler Higbee.
The Bengals have a bevy of exciting playmakers, as well. Ja’Marr Chase had one of the best debut seasons ever by a wide receiver, which landed him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but the Cincy offense also boasts Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, both of whom have 1,000-yard years under their belt.
Cincinnati’s offense also features one of the league’s better running backs in Joe Mixon. Mixon, a Pro Bowler, was third in the league in rushing and had 16 scores in his best season with the Bengals.
Like both teams in the Super Bowl, the Cowboys have a plethora of options to beat a defense. Few teams can match Dallas’ trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup (or Cedrick Wilson as a fourth option) at wideout. Cooper has five 1,000-yard campaigns, while Gallup has one and Lamb enjoyed his first of many – in all likelihood - in his second season.
The Cowboys also have one of the best backfields in the business with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. There is no shortage of weapons for the Cowboys on offense. In an age where offensive prowess is playing a bigger role in winning games, Dallas' top ranked offense can play at the same level of the Bengals and Rams.
The next crack at the Super Bowl for Dallas may feel like a million days away, but there’s no reason that the Cowboys can’t be playing in the biggest game of the year next February. The elements to contend are there and the Bengals and Rams proved that anything can happen.
Do you think the Cowboys can follow the lead of Cincinnati and Los Angeles in 2022? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
