The Dallas Cowboys lost a must-win game and as a result the NFL world has just about moved on. There are three weeks left in the regular season, but the Cowboys could theoretically be fully eliminated from playoff contention the next time they step on a field for one (if the Eagles win on Saturday). It stinks.
It isn’t just that the Cowboys lost last week that is deflating, it is the way that they did so. They were uninspired in a moment that required their absolute best. That is never what you want to see in a moment of that variety.
You will not be surprised to see that we and the rest of the NFL world have dropped the Cowboys in terms of perception of the league as a whole. Below are our power rankings for the week and a collection of how outlets across the internet view the Cowboys. Sigh.
1 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 3)
We might be looking at the future Super Bowl winners here.
2 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 2)
They are going to try to disprove that on Thursday night, though.
3 – Denver Broncos (LW: 4)
Perhaps the AFC really will run through Denver. They looked great last week.
4 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 5)
This has to be their year, right? It is setting up so well for them.
5 – New England Patriots (LW: 1)
This team might win their division, though.
6 – Chicago Bears (LW: 8)
We know they are going to the playoffs. What they do there is going to be fascinating.
7 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 7)
Are we sleeping on this team too much?
8 – Houston Texans (LW: 11)
Welcome back to extreme relevancy.
9 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 10)
Who would have thought the AFC South would have been a massive showdown?!
10 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 12)
They have a chance to fully and totally end the Cowboys season this week.
11 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 6)
All the best to Micah Parsons. His loss is going to be difficult for them to overcome.
12 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 14)
Are they good? Do we really know?
13 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 16)
You could ask the same question here, to be honest.
14 – Detroit Lions (LW: 9)
They appear to be on the outside looking in.
15 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 13)
It is unreal that they lost to the Saints.
16 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 23)
Hopefully they enjoyed the week.
17 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 15)
Blah. The blah-est of blahs.
18 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 17)
They are also very blah.
19 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 20)
Good for them. They earned the right to mock.
20 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 18)
No dynasty lives forever. They should be very proud and grateful. Hopefully they don’t have to endure 30 years for another taste.
21 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 19)
What is going on here? How is it this dysfunctional?
22 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 21)
The Philip Rivers stuff was fun, but this team is taking on serious water.
23 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 29)
Thursday night had to feel good.
24 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 25)
The offseason chatter around Kellen Moore’s squad will be interesting.
25 – Washington Commanders (LW: 27)
Jayden Daniels is officially done for the season as noted. They have shut him down.
26 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 22)
Who will be their head coach in 2026?
27 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 24)
Sheduer Sanders is going to be their Week 1 starter next season, right?
28 – New York Jets (LW: 26)
How is it ALWAYS this bad?
29 – New York Giants (LW: 28)
The Big Apple doesn’t exactly have football to be proud of in terms of its titular teams.
30 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 30)
Super gross.
31 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 31)
They have lost 11 of their last 12. You know the one.
32 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 32)
It is so unbelievably yet totally believably bad.
ESPN: 17 (LW: 15)
They also had an extension candidate for each player. The Cowboys’ choice is obvious.
Extension candidate: Running back Javonte Williams
We’ve talked about wide receiver George Pickens’ future ad nauseam. Let’s look at Williams instead. He has career highs in carries, rushing yards and touchdowns (10) this season. He tore his ACL in 2022 but has been healthy since. He turns 26 in April. But in the past two years, the Cowboys have found 1,000-yard rushers with an undrafted free agent (Rico Dowdle) and a low-cost free agent (Williams). Do they think it’s worth keeping Williams? They will likely set a price and not exceed their budget. And the franchise tag would not be an option because that seems destined for Pickens. — Todd Archer
No movement.
The Cowboys haven’t officially been eliminated from postseason play, but practically speaking, Sunday night’s home loss to Minnesota essentially marked the end of all realistic hope. The ‘Boys almost certainly needed to pull an inside straight over their final four games, but it was disappointing to see the defense suffer through another long game and the offense come up short in key situations against the Vikings. Can’t really blame this one on Dak Prescott, as the pressure was immense, and George Pickens was held in check once more. Prescott has been very good for most of this season, and he was fine on Sunday, but he wasn’t good enough to overcome Dallas’ collective issues elsewhere. Brian Schottenheimer’s first season brought some fight after the bye, but the Cowboys now find themselves in a real battle just to finish .500 or better.
USA Today: 20 (LW: 15)
Down a few spots.
They’re 4-1-1 when WR George Pickens has at least 80 receiving yards and 2-6 when he doesn’t. That franchise tag is coming, buddy.
Yahoo: 17 (LW: 14)
Same story.
Jerry Jones said after the Cowboys fell under .500 with a home loss to the Vikings: “We certainly didn’t think we’d be here in this kind of shape with three games to go and be behind the eight ball the way we are.” The troubling part is that he didn’t see it coming. The Cowboys are a mediocre team. That hasn’t changed all season. You can’t properly build a roster if you don’t have self-awareness to know where you stand. Jones is the last to know his team isn’t very good.
CBS Sports: 20 (LW: 18)
Again.
So much for the idea they would push for a playoff spot. The last two weeks have taught us they have a long way to go.
The Athletic: 20 (LW: 18)
They also had a team MVP for each squad.
MVP: Dak Prescott
Prescott would be in the actual MVP conversation if Dallas’ defense wasn’t so bad. He leads the league in passing yards (3,931) and is tied for the lowest off-target rate among regular starters (8.2 percent). The Cowboys are fourth in the league in scoring (29.1 ppg) but are essentially out of the playoff race because they’re 31st in scoring defense (30 ppg allowed). Dallas has only won once this year when scoring fewer than 30 points.
Sports Illustrated: 20 (LW: 15)
And that’s that.
Did we all enjoy those horrific two weeks when we thought Jerry Jones had outfoxed the NFL with a troika of Brian Schottenheimer, George Pickens and Kenny Clark? Ah, sweet normalcy setting back in.
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