Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys staked a legitimate claim to being the best team in the NFC last year, winning 13 regular-season games to earn home-field advantage going into the playoffs. But their season ended in frustrating fashion, losing to the eventual champion New York Giants in Irving in the divisional round, despite outgaining the G-Men by over 100 yards and holding a 13-minute time-of-possession advantage.

Dallas was basically able to simply outgun most of its opponents last year but they stumbled down the stretch, losing three of their last four games. And while they scored the second-most points in the league, they averaged just 12 PPG during those last four games.

This season the Cowboys are the favorites to win the NFC, with 20 starters back from a team that ranked 3^rd in the league in total offense last season, 9^th in total defense, and 4^th in total yardage at +58 per game. Tony Romo threw for over 4,200 yards and 36 TDs last year, and is now 19-7 as an NFL starter. But he also showed some of his weakness by throwing 19 INTs, and he still hasn't piloted Dallas to a playoff victory.

RB Marion Barber is now the main ground gainer, after the Cowboys let Julius Jones migrate to the Seattle Seahawks, and they added RB Felix Jones with one of their two first-round draft picks. WR Terrell Owens and TE Jason Witten both racked up over 1,000 receiving yards last year, but the Dallas passing game could use a third option.

The Big D defense ranked 6^th against the run last year, 6^th in interceptions and 3^rd in sacks, and over the offseason added LB Zach Thomas, CB Adam Jones and, with their other first-round pick, CB Mike Jenkins.

The Cowboys were a great moneymaker for most of last season, covering the spread in nine of their first 12 games. But they coughed up the cash vs. the NFL betting lines in each of their last five games, and ended up going 2-5 ATS as double-digit favorites. And while the totals went 10-6 in Dallas games last year, their last three games played under the totals, as did their 21-17 playoff defeat. And the running game struggled at times last year, ranking only 17^th at 109 YPG.

Dallas has not won a playoff game in 12 years, and coach Wade Phillips is now 0-4 as a postseason head coach. That kind of thing can start to work on your head. Nonetheless, Dallas is probably the class of this conference and always a popular choice for the football betting public.