2010 NFC Wild Card Winners

Dallas Cowboys, 10-6
Do not count the Dallas Cowboys out of the NFC East division race. I truly believe Dallas has a legitimate chance of winning the division. However, if the team does not win the division, they will win a wild card spot for sure. This year's team is too good to miss the playoffs. Plus, the Cowboys have extra incentive to make a deep playoff run this year because the location of the Super Bowl is in the Cowboys' brand new stadium. The Cowboys have a lot of wide receiver talent like rookie Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Patrick Crayton. The team also has a pretty well-established running game with Marion Barber handling red zone carries, fast and furious Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Tony Romo's favorite target on the team is Jason Witten, but Witten does not score many touchdowns. He is mainly used for blocking purposes. Dallas also has a solid defense. The Cowboys are going to have their share of success this season, but they are also going to struggle. Dallas' success literally lies in the hands of Tony Romo. He is prone to fumbling the ball and throwing interceptions. Romo is a good quarterback, but he is not a great one (not yet anyways). I think most of the Cowboys' struggles will be within the division, and that is going to hurt them the most.

Minnesota Vikings, 10-6
If Brett Favre was not coming back, I would have predicted that Minnesota was going to miss the postseason. I really like the way Tarvaris Jackson plays behind center, but he is not quite ready to lead a team. Maybe, he needs one more year behind Favre to really develop his leadership skills. With Favre at the quarterback position, the Vikings are going to have lots of ups and downs this season like in years past. Brett will probably not reproduce the numbers he had last year. He is bound to throw more interceptions, and remember, he is still nursing an injured ankle. I do not think the Vikings can catch the dynamic Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history, but he is turning 41 years old this season. Just like the Saints pounded him in the NFC title game, other teams this year are going to attack him early and often. Plus, Favre and Brad Childress still are not getting along. The defense is good, but overall, the team is in question. If the Minnesota Vikings struggle early in the season, then the second half will not be pretty, and I would expect the Atlanta Falcons to take the final playoff spot. I predict Atlanta to also have a 10-6 record. I expect the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and the Seattle Seahawks to all be fighting for a wild card spot at season's end.