Six reasons the Dallas Cowboys are going to nosedive in 2017

6. Targets on their back

Last season at this time, no one was really expecting the Cowboys to be even a playoff team. Especially after the injury suffered by Tony Romo, the expectations for the Cowboys were just to see what happens with Dak Prescott at the helm, and whatever happens, happens.

This season, both Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are coming off of MVP caliber performances. No matter the amount of roster turnover, the expectations for those two guys are incredibly high.

Can — or will — they meet them?

That’s the big question right now. If these young Cowboys don’t meet or exceed expectations, the narrative will drag on throughout the season.

Was year one a fluke?

Is Ezekiel Elliott too much of a distraction off the field?

Will the Dallas defense put it together?

Next: The Cowboys' top 2018 free agent priority

I don’t know that the Cowboys can overcome all of these different factors facing them in 2017. The roster is just simply not as good this year as it was last year, and unless Prescott and Elliott play at the same or even a higher level than they did a season ago, this group as a whole could be in for a major nosedive.