3 players that must step up for the Cowboys to make a deep playoff run

The Dallas Cowboys will be playing on Wild Card Weekend for the second straight season and second under coach Mike McCarthy.

Last season, the Cowboys lost a heartbreaker to the 49ers at home 23-17 in the first round. A slight favorite heading into the game, Dallas failed to execute their game plan and come out on top.

Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard only had a combined 16 carries for 45 yards in the game and CeeDee Lamb caught just one ball for 21 yards. Dak Prescott also threw for just 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

But what Prescott and the team will most remember in that matchup was how they lost. With Dallas failing to spike the ball on a quarterback draw as the clock expired, the Cowboys were sent home without a chance to try and win the game.

This year, the Cowboys are hoping for a different result and they’ll have their hands full against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on the road. Tampa Bay has surely gotten the better of the Cowboys over the past two seasons, losing their most recent meetings in Week 1 in 2021 & 2022.

However, America’s Team comes into this meeting as the better all-around team.

In Week 1, Dallas did not look like a playoff team after scoring just three points. But since Prescott’s return from injury, the Cowboys’ offense has been lethal. They rank second in points per game (28.8) and the team has scored 40-plus points in five of their last nine games.

The matchup against Brady is one the Cowboys probably wanted to avoid in the first round. He is 7-0 in his career against Dallas.

But, the Cowboys have what it takes to send the Bucs home. Their offense has been red-hot and their defense has been one of the best this season. Both those sides of the ball have the potential to carry the team deep into the playoffs.

Dallas has shown glimpses of that in the regular season this year. They’ve beaten playoff teams like the Eagles, Vikings, Giants, and Bengals en route to a 13-win season. But the Cowboys will need certain players to step up big-time and help the team make a deep playoff run.

Here are three players that need to play their best in the playoffs.

These Cowboys will be vital to a potential deep playoff run

3. Micah Parsons

There’s no doubt that Parsons is an elite defender and one of the best pass rushers in the game. His presence on the football field is literally unmatched.

Remember late in the Jacksonville game, the Jaguars left tackle got flagged twice for a false start on back-to-back plays with Parsons lined up on his side. His ability to impact games whenever on the field makes him a superstar in the league.

But in the postseason, Parsons has to step up on a whole new level for the defense. Recently, the second-year edge rusher has been quiet in terms of his production on the field as he deals with injuries.

Parsons has just one sack, one tackle for loss, 13 tackles, and five quarterback hits over his last five games. In the five games before that from Week 7 to Week 12, he had six sacks, five tackles for loss, 24 tackles, two forced fumbles, and nine quarterbacks hits.

At 245 pounds, Parsons is extremely undersized on the edge and talked about that in a podcast episode with Von Miller last month. Despite his size though, his athleticism makes him almost unguardable at the line.

The former Penn State star ranks top five in sacks (13), pressures (40) and QB hurries (13). But the Cowboys are going to need Parsons to be a star in the playoffs, especially to help a Dallas defense that has just three sacks over its last five contests before the Washington game.

If Parsons can come out and have a two or three-sack game against the Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round, that is going to be big for the Cowboys.

2. Nahshon Wright

It looks like the Cowboys have their cornerback room set after Kelvin Joseph was benched a couple of weeks ago. Trevon Diggs and Wright will handle the outside duties while DaRon Bland will stay in the slot.

That means Diggs and Wright will mainly be responsible for Mike Evans and Julio Jones, and Bland will try to lockdown Chris Godwin.

Diggs has been Diggs this season and made his second straight Pro Bowl, and while Bland is still a rookie, he has made an immediate impact on the team with his five interceptions. He’s been a solid replacement after Jourdan Lewis went down with an injury.

But, the second outside cornerback position has been hard for the Cowboys to find after Anthony Brown’s season-ending injury. With Joseph out of the picture, Wright has to step up. He played a season-high 47 snaps in the win against the Titans in Week 17.

The second-year corner has to use his size and physicality to make plays on the outside. Wright did secure his first interception of the season in Tennessee, but also allowed 105 yards on seven catches in that same contest.

The Cowboys can’t afford to have the second cornerback spot become a liability in the secondary. If that’s the case, Dallas could be in trouble and sent home early.

But, if Wright can come into his own and keep trending up for the Cowboys, that would be huge for the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.

1. Dak Prescott

At this point, everyone knows that the quarterback position is the most important in football. Almost all the time, your quarterback will carry you through the playoffs and to the Super Bowl.

In recent years, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady have all had big postseasons to carry their teams to the Super Bowl. And if the Cowboys want any shot at a ring this season, Prescott is going to have to take over.

Prescott has struggled with turnovers this season, 14 interceptions on the year and two-plus picks in five games. It’s a part of his game that the seventh-year quarterback has to clean up in the playoffs.

Of course, there have been instances where some of his interceptions were not his fault. In Week 10 against the Packers Lamb and Dalton Schultz ran the wrong routes, and in Week 17 the ball hit off Peyton Hendershot’s hands for a Titans’ INT. Hendershot literally bobbled the pass into the arms of Kevin Byard.

Prescott surely has the skill and weapons around him to help Dallas make a deep playoff run this season. He has done a fantastic job of coming back from injury and leading one of the best offenses in the National Football League.

Yes, the interceptions are frustrating at times, but he’s still getting it done for the Cowboys and helping them win games.

Prescott only has won one postseason game in his career so far and if the Cowboys want to make a deep run in the playoffs, he has to be at the top of his game. Cooper Rush did help the team win games earlier this season but no player is more important to the team than their franchise quarterback.

NFL trying to screw Cowboys with rumored time slot for Wild Card Weekend

The Cowboys' first-round playoff matchup against the Buccaneers is rumored to get the Monday night slot. Here's why that would screw Dallas.