The waning weeks of the 2022-23 regular season weren't kind to the Dallas Cowboys. A blown lead to the Jags, two ugly wins over Houston and Tennessee, and an embarrassing loss to the Sam Howell-led Washington Commanders cast a long shadow of doubt on Dallas' ability to seriously contend in the postseason.

It isn't hard to think of reasons why any team won't win a Super Bowl. It's incredibly hard to win the Lombardi Trophy. If the Cowboys intend to do so, they'll need to overcome their issues with turnovers, stopping the run, and giving up deep balls in the secondary. There's never a shortage of doubters of the Cowboys, both inside the fancies and out. Turn on the television any time between now and Monday evening and you'll probably hear a laundry list of reasons why the Cowboys can't get the job done. Let's think a little more positive than that for a moment.

Here is why the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl.

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Dak Prescott

The number one reason the Cowboys can win the Super Bowl is their starting quarterback. In spite of what you may have heard from LeSean McCoy, Stephen A. Smith, Dan Orlovsky, or anyone else in the national conversation capitalizing on Dak Prescott's recent interception bug, America's Team still has a top signal caller in the league under center. That's a tremendous advantage in the playoffs. The fact that Tom Brady is still calling the shots for Tampa Bay is the only reason the otherwise hapless Buccaneers aren't considered a lost cause. Prescott was flat-out bad in Washington and he's throwing way too many picks. Those are inarguable criticisms of Prescott's game recently, but to focus solely on those negatives and ignore the positives of Prescott's injury-shortened 2022-23 season is short-sighted.

Prescott has been rock solid this season when he's had a clean pocket, completing 72% of his passes for 7.7 yards per attempt with 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Compare those numbers to MVP contender Josh Allen's line with a clean pocket (67.6% completion for 7.3 YPA with 22 touchdowns to 10 interceptions) and it's obvious how good Prescott has been when he has time to throw. The questions about whether or not Prescott will perform in the postseason are actually about whether or not the offensive line will give him a pocket to stand in. Prescott has also been one of the league's best deep ball passers this year. Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, and Tua Tagovailoa are the only quarterbacks in the postseason with a higher completion percentage than Prescott on passes 20 or more yards downfield amongst passers with at least 25 such attempts.

Of any situation Prescott has been in this season, he is never better than he is on third down. The Cowboys' quarterback is currently completing 62.1% of third down passes for 7.4 yards per attempt with 12 touchdowns to two interceptions and a whopping 106.3 passer rating. That means Prescott is as good as anyone in football when the Cowboys need a first down.

Good numbers in a clean pocket, strong downfield passing, and elite numbers in key situations. These are all indications of a quarterback who is playing at a high level. Interceptions aside, Prescott is playing well. Eliminate the interceptions and he's one of the best quarterbacks in football right now. If the postseason ends with the Cowboys hoisting their sixth Lombardi Trophy, Prescott will be the main reason why.

O-Line, D-Line

Prescott can't do it alone, and he won't have to. The cavalry is coming for the Cowboys after the team had to scramble to replace injured players for several of the last few games of the year. Terence Steele is done for the year, but the Cowboys have hopes of getting center Tyler Biadasz back for the first round of the playoffs after he sprained his ankle against the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. That will at least give Dallas some more options on the offensive line. The real boost Dallas is due is on defense. Leighton Vander Esch injured his neck in Green Bay amidst a resurgent year at middle linebacker, but he is expected back for the playoffs. Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was the Cowboys' largest (and only) trade acquisition before the deadline this season. He has missed several games with a pectoral injury but should return against Tampa Bay.

The Cowboys signed former All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes ahead of Week 18 to try and pull out of the tailspin that has ensued at the position ever since Anthony Brown went down. Rhodes was not available against the Commanders, but several reports that he will be ready to go by Monday. Those players might not be superstars, but they all have a significant role to play in the defense. A lot of the defense Dallas put on display in the last few weeks of the year featured players that won't spend much time on the field going forward. The run defense is getting a huge boost with the return of Vander Esch and Hankins. Rhodes is more of a question mark because it has been a while since he has played at a high level, but he's a badly-needed veteran presence in an inexperienced cornerbacks room. The defense is still the strength of this team. Now that they're back to full strength, look for them to take over games as they did earlier in the year and help Dallas succeed in the playoffs.

NFL is Wide Open

Another reason the Cowboys can make the case that they can contend this year is just how wide-open the NFC is. The San Francisco 49ers have been by far the NFC's most impressive team down the stretch and they're leaning on the last pick of last year's draft to navigate the playoffs this year. The Philadelphia Eagles have been just as unimpressive as the Cowboys lately, the Minnesota Vikings seem to fly by the seat of their pants every game, and the rest of the NFC playoff field other than the Cowboys averaged just over eight wins this year collectively. The Cowboys have issues, but so do several teams opposing them this postseason. It's a good year for Dallas to compete, especially if they can make it past Brady for the first time ever in his career. A Dallas win in the first round would clear a path to the Super Bowl that doesn't include Brady or Aaron Rodgers for the first time in a long time in the NFC. The Cowboys could take advantage of that pathway as easily as anyone in the conference.