Cowboys Surging Up Power Rankings, Toward Super Bowl?

The Cowboys’ defense could be what carries the team through a playoff run.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys put an offensive exclamation mark on their regular season with a 51-26 win at Philadelphia vs. the Eagles. The NFC East Division champions Cowboys pulled off a rare sweep of the division that featured a new franchise record for quarterback Dak Prescott, who threw five touchdown passes to break Tony Romo’s 2007 single-season record for the most in franchise history.

Now, it's lose and you are out.

Dallas faces a tough challenge in the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild-Card round this Sunday. The Niners didn’t lock up their playoff spot until the final day of the season with an impressive comeback win over the Rams.

Around the NFL, the final week in the regular season proved to be another exciting dose of football with two fortunate teams - the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers - earning a first-round bye by virtue of finishing as No. 1 in their respective conferences.

According to Prescott, "The real s--- starts!" now, so where do the Cowboys stack up in Sports Illustrated's Postseason Power Rankings? After Sunday's win, Dallas lands at No. 6, behind NFC co-contenders Green Bay (No. 1), Tampa Bay (3) and the Rams (5).

Remember the days when Dak Prescott had to carry around a leaky defense? Now the Cowboys’ D could be what carries the team through a playoff run.

The Dallas defense has a date with 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the multi-faceted receiver who leads the team with 77 catches on 121 targets for 1,405 yards, ranking him fifth in the league in his third season.

“I’m damn fired up,'' said defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. "You kidding me? I’m ready to go.”

It'll be the first time the 49ers and Cowboys have met in the playoffs since the NFC Championship Game in 1995. For context, Ezekiel Elliott wasn't born yet.

Dallas has the talent to make it to the Super Bowl. After their strong 12-5 campaign, will the Cowboys opportunistic defense and balanced offense come together for a postseason push?

Las Vegas hasn't given up on the Cowboys (or perhaps, their bettors). Dallas has +1200 odds on FanDuel to win the Super Bowl, seventh-best odds among all teams. First stop on the way to Super Bowl glory, the Cowboys must face a consistent and hot 49ers team this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Jerry World will be rocking.