Super Bowl Next! How Confident Are Cowboys Fans in New Season?

The Athletic released the results of its Dallas Cowboys fan survey, revealing how fans feel about their chances this season

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the largest fanbases in the NFL. After all, they earned their nickname of "America's Team" for a reason.

That fanbase is also, rather infamously, very vocal about the Cowboys themselves. So when The Athletic ran its fourth annual Cowboys fan survey, it's no surprise that over 1,000 fans answered the call. Now that the results have been released, it's possible to get a sense for how Cowboys fans are feeling heading into the new season.

A persistent, but not surprising theme throughout the results is that fans have plenty of confidence in the Cowboys. Maybe not for the division, as 48.2 percent of voters believe the Cowboys will win the NFC East, while 50.5 percent picked the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas fans seem more confident about the postseason, though, with 53.3 percent of voters picking the Cowboys to at least make the NFC Championship Game and 11.7 percent predicting a Super Bowl win.

"Expectations are higher this season as over 50 percent of voters believe the Cowboys will at least reach the NFC Championship Game, something the franchise hasn’t done since the 1995 season," The Athletic writes. "In last year’s survey, less than 20 percent had Dallas at least reaching the conference title game."

Additionally, 68.9 percent of voters believe the franchise is heading in the right direction, with 56.1 percent predicting a Super Bowl appearance within the next five years. The Cowboys were also picked as the Dallas-area team closest to a championship, receiving 45.2 percent of the vote compared to the Dallas Stars' 29 percent, the Texas Rangers' 23.1 percent and the Dallas Mavericks' 2.7 percent.

The Cowboys have made some big moves this offseason, and fans largely approve. Over 87 percent of voters graded Dallas' offseason at a 'B' or higher, with 22.7 percent giving it an 'A.'

That said, it's not all sunshine and rainbows in Big D. Fans have worries about some key positions, with offensive line and kicker combining for 70.5 percent of the vote for the question "Which position concerns you most?" Additionally, 43.5 percent of voters believe that tight end Dalton Schultz will be the hardest player to replace, while 31.9 percent picked offensive lineman Connor McGovern.

Overall, though, Dallas fans have strong faith in their team going into the new year. The Cowboys will look to prove that faith right as they try to finally get over the postseason hump.

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You can find Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News

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