Dallas Cowboys Included in Stunning Super Bowl Prediction Against Unlikely Opponent

It's that time of the year again where the hype surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is hitting a fever pitch.

The mounting hype for the Cowboys before the start of the 2026 season is nothing new, of course, but things do feel a bit different this year because of the offseason the Cowboys have had.

Dallas rebuilding its defense in the span of one offseason brings hope that the Cowboys can turn the tide and at least get back to the postseason if there is improvement on that side of the ball coupled with another elite showing from the offense.

Count CBS Sports' Pete Prisco among those who think Dallas will be better in 2026. In fact, Prisco goes even further than that.

Cowboys included in Super Bowl prediction

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. — Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prisco was tasked with making a prediction for Super Bowl LXI in February and picked the Cowboys as one of the teams to get there.

"I think this offense is going to be so good, I think Dak Prescott is finally going to get the flowers he deserves and I think he's going to put up big numbers and might even be in the MVP conversation," Prisco said.

What makes his prediction even bolder is Prisco is picking the Jacksonville Jaguars to get to the Big Game and beat Dallas.

"And again, two really good offensive teams that are going to score a lot of points," he added. "It's going to be a fun Super Bowl, but in the end I think Trevor Lawrence will make the play late to win it. Jacksonville wins its first-ever Super Bowl and, in fact, the first one they ever get to."

Jacksonville has a chance to be a really good team in 2026 after going 13-4 and winning the AFC South in 2025 before losing to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.

But, even knowing that, and even with it being a realistic possibility that the Cowboys are much improved this coming season, I'm not sure many people have one of these teams, let alone both of them, making it to the Super Bowl this coming season.

After all, Jacksonville has never even been to the Super Bowl and it has been three decades since the Cowboys got there.

That said, it's not unusual for a team to unexpectedly make it to the Super Bowl after not being an offseason favorite. In fact, last year's Super Bowl participants, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, are two teams that fit that bill.

How the Cowboys can get to the Super Bowl

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First and foremost, the offense has to continue playing at a high level like it has throughout Dak Prescott's career when he has been healthy.

The next part of the equation is a significant improvement from the defense, which was the league's worst last season.

An average showing should be good enough to get Dallas to the playoffs, assuming the offense holds up its end of the bargain, but defensive coordinator Christian Parker's unit can increase its Super Bowl chances by being a top-10 group.

Since 2013, all but two Super Bowl winners have had a top-10 defense, with the exceptions being the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2021 Los Angeles Rams.

Both of those teams sported elite offenses to get them over the hump, and the Rams ranked 15th in points allowed during the regular season while the Chiefs ranked 16th.

So, there is an avenue for the Cowboys to just be average on defense and still win the Big Game.

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