Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys look like one of the worst teams in the NFL right now. Three weeks of the NFL season have flown by and much of what we thought has been validated. Of course there are things and realities that we did not anticipate, the NFL is the best reality show on television for a reason. Among the things that have at the very least happened so far has been the Dallas Cowboys falling flat in certain areas. It can be argued that these things were predictable across the offseason and the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost. Where do the Cowboys stack up across the rest of the league after their latest debacle? As always we have put together our power rankings of all 32 NFL teams and curated where outlets across the internet have Dallas ranked. You can view last week’s power rankings right here. 1 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1) It remains their world until it isn’t anymore. 2 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 3) I’m guilty of burying the Bills in the past. But my goodness do they look incredible. 3 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 9) They host Buffalo on Sunday night! What a treat. 4 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 12) Every year there is the weird team that we are surprised to see be dominant. Two years ago it was the Vikings. This year it is the Vikings! 5 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 15) I’ll say now that I anticipate that they will beat Detroit on Monday night. 6 – Houston Texans (LW: 2) There is no need to panic as of yet. But imagine if they lose to the Jaguars (they won’t). 7 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 4) It turns out Christian McCaffrey was kind of important. 8 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 10) It sucks to admit, but wow that was an impressive win last week. 9 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 5) OF COURSE THEY LOST TO THE EAGLES IN DISAPPOINTING FASHION AFTER DESTROYING THE COWBOYS BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID. 10 – Detroit Lions (LW: 7) I’m lower on the Lions than most and already picked the Seahawks to beat them on Monday. Prove me wrong. 11 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 6) Losing so handily to the Broncos was a tough scene. 12 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 19) Some of us have argued in the past that Aaron Rodgers’ greatness disallowed anyone from giving Mike McCarthy any kind of credit in Green Bay. The same is true with Matt LaFleur. What they are doing is so impressive. 13 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 16) It is also worth not burying this team. What a fight last week. 14 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 14) If Justin Herbert is banged up for a while things could get dark. 15 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 11) I’ll take all of the Cardinals stock that anybody is willing to give up. 16 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 13) Undefeated and that is impressive, but does anyone feel intimidated by this team? The defense is clearly outstanding, but that offense is going to limit them. 17 – Washington Commanders (LW: 22) Jayden Daniels is officially a problem. 18 – New York Jets (LW: 24) They appear to be getting it together. 19 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 8) Sigh. 20 – Denver Broncos (LW: 29) That was easily the best win in the Sean Payton era, right? 21 – New York Giants (LW: 31) Malik Nabers has the potential to take over the league. 22 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 26) They are so weirdly interesting. Rooting for Anthony Richardson to get it together overall. 23 – New England Patriots (LW: 17) Yikes. 24 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 18) I want to believe, but if not for one amazing drive this would be a winless team. 25 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 20) The good times are fading fast. 26 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 21) DEFCON 2. 27 – Chicago Bears (LW: 23) The panic over Caleb Williams is obviously way too premature. That being said, it is not great to see it so tough so early on. 28 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 32) Shout out Andy Dalton! 29 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 30) Nothing they do is creative. Arguably the most boring team in the NFL to watch. 30 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 25) It is a tough situation here right now. 31 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 27) The quarterback seems to be holding them back. 32 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 28) Maybe Doug Pederson is way overrated! NFL.com: 17 (LW: 11) Here we go. A disturbing formula has emerged over the past two games where the Cowboys can’t stop the run and can’t generate big plays offensively until they’re down big. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry often had a head of steam before any Cowboys could touch them in Sunday’s defeat, as the Ravens stayed ahead of the sticks most of the afternoon. Baltimore had one third-and-long situation all game prior to the end of the third quarter. When that happens, the Cowboys’ great pass rushers are neutralized. Running the ball on offense also has been a problem for Dallas, as the RB triumvirate hasn’t come close to combining for 100 ground yards in any of the three games so far. Dak Prescott was held down for three quarters before a furious rally that came up just short. Dallas isn’t completely down and out, but it’s feeling mighty shaky all of a sudden. ESPN: 16 (LW: 14) They also added a biggest issue on offense for each. Biggest issue on offense: Running back by committee Coach Mike McCarthy can harp on the lack of rushing attempts — just 49 by running backs in three games — but when Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott or Deuce Vaughn have carried the ball, it has not been good enough. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Cowboys have picked up minus-74 rushing yards

Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images Bill Belichick seems to have thoughts on the Cowboys of the moment. The Dallas Cowboys suffered their second-straight defeat on Sunday, losing 28-25 to the Baltimore Ravens. Don’t let the score fool you however, this game was not close. The game felt very similar to the previous two games played in AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys continued to get dominated on the ground, allowing 274 yards rushing. They allowed 6.1 yards per carry, which is a losing formula in the NFL. Ravens RB Derrick Henry had his best game of the season, rushing for 151 yards on 25 carries. He also scored twice. As a free agent this past offseason, Henry was widely seen as an ideal fit for the Cowboys. Henry even discussed the possibility back in April, saying he felt it was a “perfect situation for him.” Despite this, the Cowboys never even reached out to him. When asked after the game about Henry’s performance, Jerry Jones told the media that the team couldn’t afford him. “We couldn’t afford Derrick Henry. I don’t know. Why can’t you buy a mansion when you live in a different kind of house? We couldn’t afford it. We can’t make that all fit. That’s as simple as that.” Well, one reason the team may have been unable to “afford him” was that the team dragged on a potential contract extension with both WR CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott. Not only did the Dallas defense continue to look weak on Sunday, their run game continued to be inefficient. They ran for just 51 yards on 16 attempts, averaging a mere 3.2 yards per carry. Despite the unimpressive start to the season, six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick believes the team can get it fixed. “This is the same thing they ran into last year. … Look, the draft is over, free agency is over, I wouldn’t expect a lot of big trades here. I think there’s enough talent in Dallas to get things straightened out. But they got to look in the mirror and look each other in the eye and say we’re gonna do it.” It’s interesting that Belichick noted that the Cowboys have the talent to make it work, almost as if the reason they haven’t succeeded is coaching related. Belichick has made it publicly known he would like another chance at coaching. If the Cowboys continue to lose, and Mike McCarthy’s seat continues to get hotter, a Belichick to Dallas push by fans and the media could gain some steam.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images All the latest Dallas Cowboys news. Attitudes, lack of effort likely highlight Cowboys systemic issues that rain from top down – Reid Hanson, The Cowboys Wire The Cowboys leadership is being put to the test early as they look to dig out of a 1-2 hole. Scanning the sideline mid-game, it was impossible not to notice visibly deflated body language and the many forlorn faces amongst the team. The impressions given on the sideline bled into the game with Cowboys players appearing dejected and even exhibiting suspect effort in plays in which they were actively involved. Calling into question someone’s effort is dangerous business in sports. To say someone isn’t trying or has given up is one of the most damning things you can say about a competitor. With that said, it’s hard to argue the issue doesn’t exist in the Dallas these days. The Cowboys had a handful of landslide losses in 2023 where players appeared to be done playing by halftime. The scheme change this offseason didn’t change that nor did the move from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer. The Cowboys even churned the bottom of the roster, rolling out new players and new roles in their defensive front-seven. It offered up the same optics as before with the same poor results as before. To say the issue is systemic is to say the issue is engrained in the culture of the team. Several members of the offense even seemed to fall victim to it this time around. Only after a handful of role players like Brandan Aubrey, Hunter Luepke, KaVonate Turpin and Jalen Tobert stepped up and got the Cowboys back in the game did some of the attitudes and effort appear to return, but even then, effort and attitude looked suspect. Jerry Jones’ instant reaction to Dallas Cowboys’ loss to Ravens is a terrible sign – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports The Cowboys not upgrading the roster in key areas and then making Dak Prescott the highest paid QB in NFL history right before the season is certainly a choice. All of these needs are unlikely to be addressed as the season continues, and that was made even more clear by Jerry Jones’ immediate comments following the game, when he simply claimed he doesn’t believe the Cowboys have a personnel issue, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about upgrading the roster, he said he doesn’t think that’s an issue. “I like our personnel.” Jones when asked specifically about not going after Derrick Henry in the offseason: “We couldn’t afford Derrick Henry.” pic.twitter.com/lkQPFjJX9a — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 22, 2024 Jones’ bold claim doesn’t hold up to stats nor film review. The truth is the Cowboys are dropping to 1-2 ad a consequence for preaching the “do more with less” mindset while other NFL contenders spent top dollar to boost their rosters. That includes squads paying big contracts to their quarterbacks and wide receivers, like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions in the NFC. Although it’s true Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer can do more for the Cowboys as play-callers, the team needs better players at key positions as well. Unless Jones changes his stubborn stance on personnel, it’s tough to envision many of these issues going away. Cowboys’ offense showed up too late to save Dallas – Richard Paolinelli, Inside The Star Are we ever going to see the high-scoring Cowboys offense that lit up scoreboards a year ago in 2024? Dak Prescott finished the game 28-for-51 for 379 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored the first of the three touchdowns on a one-yard plunge. Nearly 200 of those yards came in the final quarter. In the end, the 19-point eruption still came up three points short as the Ravens left with a 28-25 victory. Moments after the game ended, social media was alight with the same general statement that this loss couldn’t be pinned on Prescott. They are half-right. It was the third-straight home game where the Cowboys were run off their own field by halftime and only started putting up points long after the game was in hand. Green Bay and New Orleans kept their foot on the gas and never let Dallas get too close. Baltimore’s offense went to sleep up 28-6 and the Cowboys nearly made them pay for it. 2024 NFL season, Week 3: What We Learned from Sunday’s games – Around The NFL, NFL.com Mike Zimmer’s defense deserves a lot of the blame. Baltimore Ravens 28, Dallas Cowboys 25 Cowboys’ furious comeback bid falls short. Mike McCarthy wanted to get off to a fast start, electing to receive the ball to start the game. A first-drive punt coupled with an inability of his defense to get off the field scuttled those plans, as the Cowboys got down, 14-3, in the opening frame. Mike Zimmer’s defense deserves a lion’s share of the blame for getting gashed on the ground again. However, the offense’s inability to sustain drives and a CeeDee Lamb fumble in scoring range was a major factor in the 28-6 deficit. Credit Dak Prescott for finding playmakers late to make things interesting, but it was too little too late. McCarthy’s club once again hasn’t played consistently for four quarters through three games. Early in the contest, it looked like they’d get boat raced at home for the third consecutive time dating back to the last postseason. Maybe the Cowboys can build upon the end-of-the-game performance, but an L is an L. Next Gen Stats Insight from Ravens-Cowboys (via NFL Pro): Dak Prescott threw into a tight window on 35.3% of pass attempts in Week 3, his highest rate in a game in over six seasons (since Week 4, 2018). Prescott struggled on tight window throws against the Ravens, completing 5 of 18 such pass attempts for 66 yards (-7.0% CPOE). NFL Research: Derrick Henry had his 12th career game with 150-plus rushing yards and two-plus rushing

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Cowboys are watching their season slip away from them. It would be unfair to assume that we have all been in the position that I am about to describe. My freshman year of college I took physics for the first time (it was difficult and I had to re-take it, a point you are about to learn) and I vividly remember how demoralizing the final exam was for my internal confidence. The subject matter was insanely difficult as was, but I can now be honest and note that I did not apply myself enough or do enough studying and prep ahead of time. This left me in a bad spot and I stared at the final exam knowing that I had no idea what to do, how to start and ultimately had to accept that I would soon enough be back taking the class. But the exam still had to be taken and I wasn’t going to just turn it in blank. I can’t exactly recall what I filled out for each question as far as equations and all of that jazz are concerned, but I knew as I walked down the classroom to turn it in that it was a failing grade. It felt like everyone knew. I made the bed and had to lie in it. I thought a lot about that physics exam on Sunday afternoon. The Dallas Cowboys were me. The 2024 season is the exam. The Ravens were my walk down to turn it in. Any and every fear we had about this team as we lamented over the offseason about their inactivity is coming to life in the most monstrous way possible. Here are my Day After Thoughts following Sunday’s latest disaster. This was never preventable, but it did not have to be this way There has been a lot of conversation about Derrick Henry. To be clear, almost no one believes the Cowboys win this game against Baltimore if he had been on the opposite sideline. But this is about a point larger than Henry (although not much is). Foregoing free agency, scoffing at the idea that it could be used to help the team, drafting completely for need, ignoring addressing the running back position in a serious way, delaying superstar and market-setting extensions until the last possible minute – it is not hyperbolic to say that everything we have seen from this team since the playoff loss has been done in about the most toxic way possible. Name the thing they did that efficiently improved their overall operation. Seriously. we’ll take any answer. This was all assembled in such chaotic fashion that seeing it wobble and wiggle before the first month of the season is not surprising in the least bit. Our fears that the run game would not be enough, that there were no viable pass-catching threats outside of CeeDee Lamb, that defensively this team did not have enough beef to stop the run and that relying on rookies in critical spots could prove costly are all manifesting themselves. It did not have to be this way. Jalen Tolbert and Hunter Luepke were lost in the chaos On a positive note, the Cowboys did mount what some people are calling a “comeback”. A big reason for this was the emergence of Jalen Tolbert, Hunter Luepke and KaVontae Turpin. We have long believed in these players as ones who could make a difference if given the proper opportunity. The unfortunate reality right now is that the opportunities that they are being given are too intense due to an absence of other options. Still it was impressive to see Tolbert and Luepke find their respective footing in the offense. If this team is going to survive this season then this is going to need to happen on a much more regular basis. Thursday night feels like a must win in the worst way Obviously every game is a must win in a literal sense, but doesn’t it feel like Thursday night carries just a little bit of drama? When you play on Thursday night you have to wait a long time until you are seen from again. Dallas visits the Pittsburgh Steelers next week on Sunday Night Football so an enormous amount of time will go on between Thursday night and then for people to praise or ridicule them even more. Should the Cowboys lose it would be three losses in a row, the first one to the Giants in some time and Dallas would have to sit on it for double-digit days. Would the Cowboys be so bold as to make a legitimate change in that lull? That feels doubtful. But the heat is on and everything feels like it is coming to a head. A win on Thursday night would hardly calm everything down. But a loss… well. Yikes.

Perry Knotts/Getty Images The Cowboys could still look to add some help to their roster at this point. If we’ve learned anything about the Dallas Cowboys through the first three weeks of the 2024 season it’s that this year’s roster has some glaring holes that will continue to cause them problems until they are addressed. No matter how much posturing Jerry Jones makes about about the current state of the Cowboys roster being just fine, it’s abundantly apparent the opposite is true. Today, we are going to explore three relatively low cost moves the Dallas Cowboys should make after back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. Each proposed roster move has the possibility of addressing some of the Cowboys problem areas and would do so with relatively minimum investment. These are exactly the type of low-risk, high-reward moves Dallas likes to make and should absolutely be considered. Trade for New York Jets RB Israel Abanikanda Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images The Cowboys rushing attack, or lack thereof, so far this season has really made the entire offense one-dimensional. The trio of Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and Deuce Vaughn don’t strike any fear into opposing defenses. Dallas would be wise to try to upgrade this position and trading for Israel Abanikanda would at the very least be a step in the right direction. At 5’10”, 216-pounds with reported sub-4.4 speed, Abanikanda would add a different element to Dallas’ current stock of RBs. And considering he’s currently RB4 with the Jets and hasn’t played a single snap for them this year, he could be acquired relatively cheaply via trade. Sign DT Siaki Ika off Cleveland Browns practice squad Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images The Cowboys defensive front has been absolutely embarrassed in back-to-back weeks by both the Saints and Ravens. The solution to fixing the run defense doesn’t seem to be on the roster right now, and signing or trading for anyone who would would be an immediate upgrade seems highly unlikely. That shouldn’t stop the Cowboys from trying though. At 6’3″, 335-pounds, Siaki Ika is the big bodied type of DT Mike Zimmer likes in his defensive scheme. His size and talent is intriguing enough for the Cowboys to poach him off the Browns practice squad to try to upgrade their DL. Sign free agent WR Chase Claypool Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images Chase Claypool has been labeled as somewhat of a diva wide receiver with questionable effort on a down-to-down basis since entering the league, but could potentially help the Cowboys passing game if signed via free agency. At 6’4″, 238-pounds with legit 4.42 speed, Claypool would give Dak Prescott another big target on the outside in Dallas’ aerial attack. With both Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert struggling to find any kind consistency this year, Claypool would at the very least provide legitimate competition to push the two and quite possibly find a role in the roatition.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys loss was really bad, but particularly so relative to team history. The Dallas Cowboys were all kinds of bad on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Some late heroics made the mess more tolerable from a box score standpoint, but Dallas was down 28-6 when the Ravens decided to take their foot off of the gas. This move almost cost Baltimore, but it didn’t and that’s what ultimately matters. It was a horrendous game for the Cowboys, the latest unfortunate masterpiece they have painted with their questionable brushes. Thanks to our friends at Stathead and Pro Football Reference we are able to contextualize the game in certain respects relative to the longstanding history of the Dallas Cowboys. It was a historically bad day from the run defense In case you were unaware the Cowboys let the Ravens run for 274 yards on them. An opposing team reaching such a high mark is not a common thing in franchise history. It was only the ninth instance in franchise history in which this happened. Coincidentally the most recent occasion was also against the Ravens back on that weird Tuesday night in 2020. Speaking of history, the rushing performance is historically bad You do not need to comb through any sort of history to know that the Cowboys are really bad at running the ball right now. But just how bad are they? Through the first three games of the season the Cowboys have 221 rushing yards. This is the third-fewest rushing yards they have ever had through the first three games of any season. Those were some dark days. It should come as no surprise that the rushing margin was dreadful While the Ravens ran all over the Cowboys, the Cowboys themselves did very little of that. Dallas only produced 51 yards on the ground to Baltimore’s 274. This was the third-worst rushing margin in a single game in franchise history. That this came immediately after Jerry Jones proudly shouted about how great the Cowboys rushing attack was and against Derrick Henry of all people is ultimate theater. Derrick Henry had a career day against the Cowboys Forgive me for the screenshot here being long and thing. The issue is that Derrick Henry did something against the Dallas Cowboys that nobody ever has. Not one. Getting specific here, Henry reached three certain thresholds against the Cowboys. He had over 150 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and over 20 receiving yards. Nobody, you read that right, has ever done that in a game against the Cowboys. Until now.