ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 11: LeGarrette Blount #29 of the New England Patriots runs between Morris Claiborne #24 of the Dallas Cowboys and Sean Lee #50 of the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of the NFL game at AT&T Stadium on October 11, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Mike Stone/Getty Images)

NFL Hall of Famer sees only 'pain and misery' for one supposed Super Bowl contender

"The smoke and the haze is starting to clear. I see ... "

The Dallas Cowboys finished 13-3 in 2016, and they were the top team in the NFC entering the playoffs. However, Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe thinks the Cowboys have a sharp decline in 2017.

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Sharpe predicted the Cowboys will finish 9-7 in 2017, which falls in line with what oddsmakers in Las Vegas think about the team. One Vegas sportsbook has the Cowboys over/under for wins set at 9.5 for next season.

"I'm looking into the future," Sharpe said. "The smoke and the haze is starting to clear. I see pain and misery. I see nine wins. I believe they'll be 9-7."

Sharpe said the Cowboys fortunate to have so much success from rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott a season ago, and they will have to be better in 2017 since the Cowboys lost so many players on defense.

Oddsmakers still think the Cowboys will win the NFC East, but they have the New York Giants right behind them at nine wins.

It will be difficult for the Cowboys to duplicate last year's 13 wins, but predicting 9-7 is pretty bold considering they still have their core nucleus returning.

(h/t 247Sports)