Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL power rankings: Final post-Super Bowl LII standings around the league

By Peter Panacy

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: The Philadelphia Eagles celebrated defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: The Philadelphia Eagles celebrated defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 24: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes the handoff from Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of a football game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 24: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes the handoff from Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of a football game against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

13. team. 123. . . Previous: . Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys fans may be asking, “what if running back Ezekiel Elliott had been available all season?”.

Well, he wasn’t and the Cowboys failed to match up well with a number of playoff teams down the stretch. One could say quarterback Dak Prescott regressed, and wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten may be entering the end of their time in Dallas.

Bryant, especially.

The Cowboys have just over $18 million in cap space, which is going to make things a bit difficult to re-sign prolific EDGE Demarcus Lawrence. He won’t come cheap after recording 14.5 sacks in 2017. A franchise tag is a likely option if no deal is worked out.

Despite some cap issues, the Cowboys still have good enough offensive weapons and one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. Pair that with a young core on defense, and there are plenty of reasons to assume Dallas bounces back nicely enough in 2018.