The NFL is a week-to-week league, and in our current one the sun is shining a bit brighter on the Dallas Cowboys. Thankfully there is no AT&T Stadium glare to make it impossible to see, though.
Things appear to be looking up for the Cowboys, but they can just as quickly turn as we know full well. We are almost halfway through the NFL season at large and teams all over the league are juggling that same mental battle of figuring out who they are going to be as the cooler temperatures arrive.
Who are the Cowboys at this moment? How do people view them? Heck, how should we view them?
Below you will find our power rankings with Week 7 officially behind us and a collection of how outlets across the internet have the Cowboys ranked.
1 – Detroit Lions (LW: 2)
We have a new top team.
2 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 3)
Hopefully the week off helped them out. They looked awkward last we saw them.
3 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 8)
They look ferocious right now.
4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 1)
Monday night was rough, but they will stabilize. You don’t have to face the Lions every week.
5 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 5)
No doubt about this one. Sunday was impressive.
6 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 6)
We are at a point where it must be acknowledged how very much for real they are.
7 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 7)
It feels like there are no truly great teams so far this season. The Rams are making a case to be one, though.
8 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 10)
We also have to reconcile with the fact that they are back. Like… all the way back.
9 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 4)
They dropped, but this is a matter of everyone else in front of htem looking really good while they struggled with a lowly Cardinals team. They are clearly very good and a win is a win.
10 – New England Patriots (LW: 11)
The AFC East is going to be fascinating this year because of how into things the Patriots are. Their schedule across the rest of the season is very friendly. Perhaps they can really do this.
11 – Chicago Bears (LW: 12)
It was a little bit of a struggle early on, but they are stacking wins. Maybe that loss won’t be as frustrating to us when we look back in December.
12 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 14)
Kyle Shanahan is back to finding a way, whatever it atkes. Good for them. It is weird how they feel so eh at the moment, but that we know they are going to get significantly better as things go along.
13 – Denver Broncos (LW: 18)
That was as insane of an ending as we are ever going to see in an NFL game. Hopefully the Broncos used up all they have available to themselves before next week.
14 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 9)
Sunday night was frustrating. The Falcons continue to be hit or miss.
15 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 20)
We know better than to fully trust them. Sunday was promising. Let’s see some more.
16 – Washington Commanders (LW: 13)
So much centers around the health of Jayden Daniels. We will see what they look like soon enough.
17 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 15)
The wheels feel like they are falling off a bit here, no?
18 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 16)
Last Thursday night was the toughest of tough scenes. They are still very good, though.
19 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 19)
It was frustrating to see their offense come back down to earth once the opponents changed, and Bryce Young’s absence will be a factor this week for them.
20 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 17)
The London games themselves are pretty dull. But the dull games were made even more dreadful by how the Jaguars played there last week. Goodness it was gross.
21 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 21)
We are officially in a weird place with the J.J. McCarthy story and past the point of Minnesota deserving any kind of benefit of the doubt. It is time for them to provide some answers and to start playing well in general.
22 – New York Giants (LW: 23)
You just hate to see a division rival absolutely blow a game like that!
23 – Houston Texans (LW: 22)
The offense is so unbelievably bad. Conversations around C.J. Stroud are going to be awkward in the offseason when he is eligible for a contract extension.
24 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 29)
While it was “only the Dolphins” they absolutely put on a show last week. Good for them!
25 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 31)
Maybe Joe Flacco will really help things stabilize. That would be fun.
26 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 27)
There is no question that they are a bad football team, but to their credit they are trying like crazy in each and every single contest. Shout out to Kellen Moore.
27 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 24)
This is the exact opposite. The Raiders stink AND it seems like they have quit.
28 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 25)
Welcome back from the bye, but it is time to get things together.
29 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 26)
It is pretty tough to watch the Cardinals in late-game situations right now. They just keep finding ways to be on the wrong side of them.
30 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 28)
Gross.
31 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 30)
Not the Jets so not last.
32 – New York Jets (LW: 32)
The Jets.
ESPN: 16 (LW: 22)
The rise has begun.
Unsung nonstarter/role player: C Brock Hoffman
After starting center Cooper Beebe went down because of a broken bone in his foot in Week 2, Hoffman entered the lineup and the offense did not miss a step. The Cowboys have put up at least 396 yards in four of his five starts, and they scored 37 or more points in three of the past four games. He plays to the edge physically, but he has done a good job setting the fronts for a line that has the league’s second-leading rusher (Javonte Williams) and an MVP contender at quarterback (Dak Prescott). Beebe is close to returning, but Hoffman has earned praise for his work. — Todd Archer
Not as much here.
Brian Schottenheimer’s offense has been rolling lately, and it received a boost with the return of CeeDee Lamb. It might be time to ask whether this unit is good enough to actually drag the Cowboys into the playoffs, with the defense still remaining a question, even after turning in a far better effort in Sunday’s beatdown of the Commanders. Dak Prescott is playing lights out, and he has his full complement of weapons at his disposal again. Dallas faces the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions in Weeks 12-14, but the ‘Boys will have chances to rack up some wins prior to that. Stay with these guys for a bit; it just might pay off.
USA Today: 17 (LW: 22)
Upward!
They rank first in total offense and last in total defense. They’ve scored the third-most points per game and surrendered the third-most points per game. They made a great trade for WR George Pickens and made a terrible trade of DE Micah Parsons. Remarkable balance in Big D.
Yahoo: 15 (LW: 23)
Even more again.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ passing game gets all the attention, but the Cowboys hit big on a bargain signing of running back Javonte Williams. He had 116 more yards Sunday. He’s on pace for 1,438 yards this season. Nobody saw that coming.
CBS Sports: 18 (LW: 22)
This is a popular range.
The offense is explosive and will be fun to watch all season. If the defense gets better, watch out for this group as a potential playoff team.
The Athletic: 18 (LW: 23)
See?
For all the skepticism that came with Brian Schottenheimer’s hire, he has the Dallas offense playing like one of the best in the league. Now, the defense on the other hand? Not great. They might have the biggest discrepancy in the NFL between offense and defense.
Sports Illustrated: 16 (LW: 24)
There you have it.
The more incredible Dak Prescott’s season becomes, the more curious the involvement of Dallas ownership will be. This defense needs help in myriad ways. There are countless replacement options out there. There are trade deadline options out there. Jerry Jones said the Parsons trade was made with the purpose of capturing a sustainably winning team in Prescott’s prime. What if that time is actually right now?