People bash on Pro Football Focus a lot. The controversial football site has earned a notorious reputation for their player grades over the years, and as a result, frequently spark fan fury across the NFL. Cowboys fans in particular are critical of the site, holding onto the moment they inexplicably ranked Trevon Diggs 80th out of 116 cornerbacks amidst his record breaking 11-interception All-Pro season.
What people often forget is deep within the PFF brand sits their stellar analytics department and top-heavy scouting and film team. While they’ve purged their roster in recent months, renowned film guru Trevor Sikkema still sits at the top of the PFF knowledge pyramid. In recent quarterback rankings Sikkema rated the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott as the top passer in the NFC. He understands and respects Dallas and isn’t afraid to put his neck on the line if he believes in the cause.
Sikkema has once against trudged into controversial waters with his 2024 season predictions. With one prediction to each of the 32 teams, things got bold and a little crazy quite quickly.
In the NFC East he predicted Saquan Barkley to win the NFL rushing title and lead the Eagles to a first-place finish in the division. In addition, he picked the Giants receiver Malik Nabers to break Odell Beckham’s rookie record in receiving yards (1,300). Those are bold but not completely unreasonable predictions to make. Where things get crazy is where he figures the Commanders to finish and the Cowboys to fall.
Seems to be a significant disconnect between local and national media regarding the Dan Quinn-Mike Zimmer DC change in Dallas. Locally, Quinn wore out his welcome & Zim is seen as an upgrade. Nationally, the swap is seen as a downgrade for the Cowboys. Quick poll-Who's your pick?
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) September 2, 2024
Crediting Dan Quinn and his highly active offseason, Sikkema predicts the Commanders will finish second in the NFC East with Dallas then inevitably falling to No. 3. This despite the fact he predicts Micah Parsons to collect 20-sacks, but still somehow not winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. This also despite fielding, by his own rankings, the best QB in the entire conference.
There’s also recent history to contend with since the Cowboys are coming off their third consecutive 12-win season, they are the second winningest team in the league over the last three seasons and they have never finished outside the top two in the NFC East with Prescott at the helm. That’s a lot to contend with for a first-year defensive minded Commanders coach with a rookie QB under center.
A Dak Prescott-led Cowboys squad has never finished outside the top 2 in the division. Prescott is 32-8 in the NFC East with four division crowns. Yet some are inexplicably predicting the Cowboys to drop to third in the NFCE. Barring an injury to 4, that would be shocking
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) September 2, 2024
Barring a major injury to Prescott, it’s tough to see the Cowboys falling below second place in the NFC East. Even with the Commanders new player-friendly coaching staff in place and roster upgrades across the board, Washington is a 4-13 club who haven’t posted a winning season in eight years. That’s a lot of lousy to overcome in one offseason.
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