Prediction: Cowboys will lose opener, but still win 12 games

The Cowboys had a rocky offseason, but Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr predicts they are going to be just fine. He expects Dallas to win 12 games, make the playoffs and earn the NFC’s No. 3 seed.   In an article predicting all 272 games, Orr wrote, “The Cowboys take the division because they have the best quarterback in the NFC East, and one of the two best quarterbacks in the NFL at extending difficult plays.”
"After losing the season opener to the Buccaneers (I picked the games before Tom Brady absconded to dress up for The Masked Singer), I have Dallas behaving like a big brother should, with the exception of a very on-brand random loss to the Giants," Orr added. "My hope is that [Giants coach] Brian Daboll will make this more of a rivalry again, and I expect he will." In the offseason, the Cowboys traded wide receiver Amari Cooper, one of Prescott's favorite targets. In the preseason, left tackle Tyron Smith, a mainstay on the line, suffered a left hamstring injury and may not be back until December.  Prescott, who threw for a team-record 37 touchdown last season, apparently uses those who doubt the team as fuel. On Thursday, he told USA Today’s Jori Epstein: “Keep writing, keep talking." In three of their first five games, Dallas faces powerhouses in the Buccaneers, Bengals and Rams.