The second week of the season is in the books for the NFL and the feeling of newness has officially worn off. We are knee deep in the season and it is amazing.
While we have legitimate sample sizes to work with, they are obviously still too small to draw serious conclusions from. But this doesn’t change the fact that each team has played over 100 minutes of competitive football and that we can definitely discern some things as a result.
As always, we have done just that by way of our weekly power rankings. Below you will find our listing of all 32 teams following Week 2’s action and then a collection of how various outlets across the internet have the Cowboys ranked.
Here we go.
1 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 2)
They really feel indestructible. The first week was amazing, but the second was sound.
2 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 1)
It feels unfair to drop them after they won again, especially in a volatile environment like Arrowhead. But they appear vulnerable. Their passing game is non-existent.
3 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 3)
We might be looking at the NFC Champions here. The season is long and no one remembers mid-September in January, but right now it is Green Bay’s world.
4 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 9)
I feel very confident that Baltimore is going to be one of the last teams standing. Lamar Jackson is so, so good.
5 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 5)
The Chargers have burned football fans in the past and I get it. I have a hard time trust them myself. Right now though, they appear well-put together.
6 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 7)
I don’t think we give enough credit to Baker Mayfield in general for his time in Tampa Bay. He has them looking quite solid through two weeks.
7 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 8)
The Rams are hard to trust as well, but there is zero reason to really doubt them.
8 – Detroit Lions (LW: 22)
It was clearly emotional for them to beat Ben Johnson. I am anxious to see how they fare against Baltimore.
9 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 12)
I cannot believe that they are this high. Time will tell how real it is.
10 – Washington Commanders (LW: 4)
It doesn’t feel like the clock struck midnight necessarily, but it does seem like Washington has finally begun to regress a little. Fighting that off without Jayden Daniels for at least a week will be hard.
11 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 14)
No Brock Purdy. No George Kittle. No problem. Obviously it was the Saints, but the whole world left the 49ers for dead and they are back.
12 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 17)
If the offense can win the moments that matter the most then they can be in every game. Plus, the defense can’t be that bad every week, right? Right?
13 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 18)
This is definitely a team to watch as well. They could very easily be 2-0 if not for a tough end to Week 1.
14 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 6)
It is going to be interesting to see how they look with Carson Wentz under center for a bit.
15 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 21)
I picked the Cardinals to win the NFC West and feel okay about that with them at 2-0. It has been a bit shaky, but I have had the hardest time letting go of any belief in Kyler Murray from long ago. We will see.
16 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 23)
They are another team that we don’t give enough due. They always just find a way.
17 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 10)
Seattle’s latest victim. I do trust that they will be fine across the regular season. No one has any concerns for them this time of year.
18 – Denver Broncos (LW: 20)
Sean Payton remains pretty immune to criticism. Think about how little you have seen people talking about his team having a poor mental moment that cost them the game.
19 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 11)
I think we are all starting to believe that the shields are down here. Imagine if they lose this week to the Giants. It sounds impossible, but imagine!
20 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 13)
It is such a bummer that Joe Burrow is going to miss so much time. Absolutely brutal.
21 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 15)
We are still learning who this team really is. There is a lot of unknown.
22 – New England Patriots (LW: 27)
Good for them in surviving that fun game in Miami. Drake Maye is exciting to watch.
23 – New York Giants (LW: 31)
This is a massive rise after a loss, but the rest of the teams are really that bad.
24 – New York Jets (LW: 16)
To be fair here, Justin Fields was hurt.
25 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 28)
Cam Ward looks like the guy at least.
26 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 30)
We should credit Kellen Moore’s squad for showing some fight.
27 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 19)
Geno Smith… yikes.
28 – Chicago Bears (LW: 24)
See you on Sunday!
29 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 25)
Will it ever be not horrible?
30 Houston Texans (LW: 26)
The conversations are starting to turn interesting as they relate to C.J. Stroud.
31 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 32)
Yikes.
32 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 29)
When was the last time you felt like this was a functional franchise?
ESPN: 19 (LW: 19)
No change here.
Biggest QB takeaway: Dak Prescott can still move around
Prescott doesn’t run the way he did his first few years or certainly before he suffered a dislocated and fractured ankle in 2020, but he has shown he can move around this season. He might not look to run when escaping harm, but he does enough to get the ball to his playmakers. Prescott did not do much of that last season, and when he tried to do more, he suffered a season-ending hamstring avulsion. “Last year, not running took a toll and honestly why I got hurt,” he said. “From this whole offseason recovery process, it was about getting back to who I am, my game, and understanding how much my legs are a part of my game.” — Todd Archer
Another copy and paste in terms of position. Interestingly the Bears, this week’s opponent, are number 22.
The Cowboys outlasted the Giants in one of the more entertaining games you’ll see, even if it started routinely enough. It was 17-16 entering the fourth quarter, then all hell broke loose. The two teams rolled to nearly a thousand yards, with a stunning 361 of them — plus 41 points — coming in the fourth quarter. Brandon Aubrey saved the Cowboys’ bacon with an insane 64-yarder to tie it in regulation and a 46-yarder to win it in overtime. Dallas’ defense had an impressive second half in Philadelphia, but it kept allowing the Giants, who scored six points in Week 1, big play after big play. Dak Prescott wasn’t at his crispest on the day, but he did what he wasn’t able to at Philly: deliver the big drive late. He did it at the end of regulation and, eventually, in OT. This was a big win for Dallas, even if it required serious effort to bring home.
USA Today: 21 (LW: 23)
A slight bump up.
How about RB Javonte Williams’ resurgence in Big D? Tied for the league lead with three rushing TDs, he’ll match his career high with the next one.
Yahoo: 23 (LW: 24)
This whole ranking felt a bit… off. Consider that the Texans are at 17 as an example.
Imagine the reaction if the Cowboys lost Sunday. It’s muted a bit because Dallas won, bailed out by a 64-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey at the end of regulation to tie it, but its defense looked horrible. And yes, there’s a Micah Parsons factor involved with that.
CBS Sports: 20 (LW: 16)
This feels pretty harsh to drop them four spots. The defense was poor, but they won! And partly because of impressive offense!
They fought off an 0-2 start to beat the Giants in overtime, but there are a lot of problems. The secondary is a mess.
The Athletic: 21 (LW: 22)
They also included an “overreaction” for each team.
Overreaction: Punters will soon be obsolete
Between the new touchback rules, more aggressive fourth-down decisions around the league and the astounding range of kickers these days, we’re seeing fewer punts. Brandon Aubrey hit a 64-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, where he then hit a 46-yard game-winner. Aubrey has hit three 60-plus yarders since the start of 2024. In that same period, he’s 17-for-20 from between 50 and 59 yards.
Sports Illustrated: 19 (LW: 24)
This is well said.
This Cowboys team has been incredibly gritty through two weeks and kept on swinging against the division-rival Giants on Sunday. Despite nearly 500 yards of offense from just Russell Wilson. I couldn’t help but watch Brian Schottenheimer conduct his post-game festivities and see a team that has a lot more affinity for him as a coach than the lot of us. That feeling—and wins like these—can be powerful.
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