Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images As of this moment, Mike McCarthy is still gainfully employed as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. That said, the odds are rapidly increasing that the coach’s contract will be allowed to expire at the conclusion of the season, as the Cowboys are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and facing the reality that Dak Prescott will miss the rest of the year. This begs the question of who might replace McCarthy when, not if, the job becomes available. Looking around the league, there are quite a few hot names in the coaching world that could be contenders in Dallas. While there will surely be some interest among fans in plucking a coach from the college ranks (Deion Sanders, anyone?), Jerry Jones has been pretty adamant that such a move can’t work in the modern NFL. Without further ado, and as the regular season keeps on rolling, here are 10 names to watch as potential candidates for the top job with America’s Team. Ben Johnson Current role: Lions offensive coordinator The skinny: Ben Johnson has been the hottest head coaching candidate for a while now. He’s built one of the most explosive offenses in the league over the last three years, turned Jared Goff’s career around, and frequently makes opposing defenses’ heads spin with his game plans. Why it’ll happen: Johnson’s name will be at the top of every hiring team’s list. Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys deserve the very best – it’s why he swooped Mike McCarthy out from the Panthers last time around – and he may throw everything he has at landing the biggest name Why it won’t: Johnson has been picky in previous hiring cycles. He was reportedly the frontrunner for the Commanders job last year, but took himself out of consideration over concerns with the new ownership group not being committed enough to football. The Cowboys’ own fans don’t believe Jerry Jones is committed enough; will Johnson? Bill Belichick Current role: TV analyst The skinny: Everyone knows who Bill Belichick is. Arguably the greatest head coach of all time and winner of six Super Bowls, Belichick parted ways with the Patriots after going 29-38 following Tom Brady’s departure. He’s done several football media gigs this past year, reminding everyone of his incredibly deep knowledge of the game. Why it’ll happen: This seems like a no-brainer for Jerry Jones. Both he and Belichick have talked in the past about nearly working together at various points, and Belichick reportedly has built a good relationship with Stephen Jones from their time together on the NFL Competition Committee. Why it won’t: For starters, he’ll be 73 years old when the new season kicks off. How much longevity does Belichick have? Also, Belichick had total control of the roster in New England, and he wouldn’t have that in Dallas no matter what promises Jones makes to him. Bobby Slowik Current role: Texans offensive coordinator The skinny: The son of longtime NFL defensive coach Bob Slowik, Bobby Slowik started out as a defensive assistant in Washington on a staff that included Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Mike McDaniel. Later, Slowik joined Shanahan’s 49ers on defense before switching over to offense. After rising through the ranks, he followed DeMeco Ryans to Houston last year to run the offense and immediately saw success with rookie C.J. Stroud. Why it’ll happen: The Shanahan coaching tree is hot right now, and Slowik hails from it. His quick success with the Texans has made him a hot commodity, and his football bloodline helps. Plus, he could modernize the Cowboys offense, something it seriously needs right now. Why it won’t: Slowik is just 37 years old and his second season running the offense hasn’t been as great as last year. There’s a feeling that Slowik still needs to marinate as a coordinator before making the jump. And the Cowboys are not a team that can wait for a head coach to learn on the job. Aaron Glenn Current role: Lions defensive coordinator The skinny: A former star defensive back, Aaron Glenn has enjoyed similar success as a coach. He oversaw the development of several star defensive backs in New Orleans before becoming a key figure in the Lions rebuild under Dan Campbell. He’s had multiple head coaching interviews in the last two cycles and it seems to be a question of when, not if. Why it’ll happen: Glenn is a Texas native that played for the Aggies. He also played for the Cowboys in the Parcells era. He even has front office experience, having been the GM of a startup league team based in Houston before two years as a scout for the Jets. Why it won’t: Glenn hasn’t been as picky as his fellow coordinator, Ben Johnson, but he also isn’t in a rush to leave Detroit. He’s also very close with Parcells, as is Dan Campbell, and that could color his perception of what it’s like to be Jerry Jones’ head coach. Brian Flores Current role: Vikings defensive coordinator The skinny: Brian Flores grew into a coaching star under Belichick, holding a variety of front office and coaching positions with the Patriots. He turned it into the Dolphins head coaching gig, where he became the first coach in nearly two decades to post consecutive winning seasons for the Dolphins. Despite that, Miami fired him, and the reasons why are a point of contention. Since then, Flores had a one-year stint with the Steelers before going to Minnesota, where he’s turned the Vikings from one of the league’s worst defenses to one of the very best. Why it’ll happen: Flores offers much of the same appeal of Belichick – grit, accountability, experience – but at nearly half his age. His Dolphins tenure will prompt plenty of questions, mostly around the offense, but Flores’ last two years working under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has granted him access to the Shanahan/McVay directory of offensive coordinator candidates.

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images The latest news around the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys sign Will Grier to the practice squad – Tommy Yarish, DallasCowboys.com The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season is all about bringing the band back together. It’s a homecoming for Grier, who departed the Cowboys under emotional circumstances in 2023 after the team traded for Trey Lance, which put the writing on the wall. Grier won Dallas their final preseason game against the Raiders knowing that he wouldn’t be part of the organization going forward, throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 31-16 victory. “It’s been tough, but I’ve been through tougher stuff, I got a lot of respect for this organization and the Jones family, I understand that it’s a business at the end of the day…” Grier said following the win over the Raiders in 2023. “The hardest part on me is just leaving this place to be honest, I got really close with the team, that stuff’s part about what we do.” And now, Grier is back in the building with the Cowboys after bouncing around the league in stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently the Philadelphia Eagles. The corresponding move to add Grier to the practice squad was releasing undrafted rookie defensive back Emani Johnson. An important note regarding Grier’s addition is that since he was added to Dallas’ practice squad, he can’t be the emergency quarterback. Grier can still be elevated to the gameday roster and be the backup or third quarterback option, but for the “emergency” designation to be applicable he has to be on the active roster. The Cowboys would have to make a spot on the active roster in order to get Grier the emergency designation. Jake Ferguson: Dallas Cowboys have to take things one step at a time right now – RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys Our very own RJ Ochoa sat down with the Cowboys star tight end to talk all things Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are in the middle of a tough season. With a 3-6 record they have their work cut out for them if they want to be playing beyond the regular season, also an obvious statement. We may feel certain ways about the potential or future outlook of this current group, but it is difficult to ever expect the players within the locker room to back down from a challenge in general. Such was clearly the case when I spoke to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson on Tuesday. It was my first time speaking with Jake and may I say he is as cool and interesting as they come. We discussed a variety of topics which obviously included this season, the infamous sun and Ferguson’s love of football in general. You can watch our interview below: One of the things we spoke about with Jake was his recent partnership with USAA. Ferguson worked with USAA on Tuesday on a controlled fire of a turkey fryer to spread awareness and educate the public on how to stay safe and avoid home fires ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in USAA’s Huddle Up for Home Fire Prevention & Safety campaign. You can learn more about the initiative right here. Something I shared with Jake was that no Cowboys tight end has ever scored a touchdown against the Houston Texans. Obviously we are not talking about 100 years of history here, but that is a bit of a fun fact. Aaron Rodgers Sticks Up for Mike McCarthy After Cowboys’ Fourth Straight Loss – Ryan Phillips, Sports Illustrated Current New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers had nice things to say about his former head coach, Mike McCarthy. Aaron Rodgers is sticking up for his old head coach. During his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers praised embattled Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was Rodgers’s coach with the Green Bay Packers for 13 seasons, and the duo guided the franchise to a win in Super Bowl XLV. When asked about the drama between Micah Parsons and McCarthy in Dallas, Rodgers said, “I love Mike, I love Mike. Mike’s Pittsburgh tough through and through, man. Love Mike, 13 incredible years together, so.” He continued, “I ain’t got much to say besides that, man. Mike’s my boy. I love Mike and you know sometimes some people say things, s— I’ve said a lot of things I want to say back, I’d like to have said back … What I know about Mike is, if anybody can handle that, down there, it’s big Mike. Big Mike is built for, he’s built for adversity.” “I love Mike McCarthy and we had thirteen incredible years together.. He’s my boy and he’s built for adversity”@AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4Gi63oMuMf — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 12, 2024 With Cowboys season unraveling, what is the message inside The Star? – Jon Machota, The Athletic After four consecutive losses, the Cowboys Star doesn’t shine too bright these days. “I enjoy the arena of conflict and being in these types of situations,” McCarthy said Monday, “because these are the years you remember. But it’s time to get it turned. We’ve been in this mode a couple of weeks too long here. But this is a great opportunity for us. No one believes that we can do it, which I think that makes it sweeter. But we need to win a game.” McCarthy had more than the poor performance on the field to address Monday. He met with Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons about comments he made after Sunday’s game. Parsons offered a headline-grabbing response in the postgame locker room when asked about McCarthy being in the final year of his contract. “That’s above my pay grade about if Mike is coaching again next year,” Parsons said. “All coaching aside, Mike can leave and go wherever he wants, but guys I kind of feel bad for (are) guys like Zack Martin and guys who might be on

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Houston is headed to AT&T Stadium in a very weird spot of their own. 16 key notes from Texans vs. Lions | Harris Hits – John Harris, HoustonTexans.com The Texans’ squandered a 16 point lead in the loss against Detroit. There are losses…and then there are LOSSES. Sunday night’s loss to one of the best teams in the league falls in the latter category for sure. These Harris Hits might be more therapeutic than anything else, so let’s dive into one of the more memorable nights I can remember at NRG Stadium. Keep in mind, memorable doesn’t always have to be a win and in this case, it was not as the 8-1 Detroit Lions roared back from down 23-7 to win the game on a last-second Jake Bates’ kick, 26-23. The atmosphere was unbelievable in the Stadium and I’ll never forget hearing and seeing the Lions and their fans celebrate this win. All night, and into early Monday morning as I write, I read something that resembled “that win can define a season.” Well, a loss can do it too. The Texans have to let this loss fuel a bounce back over the next three weeks before the much-needed bye in week 14. The second half offensive struggles are equal parts mystifying and frustrating and Sunday night was probably the most of either adjective. Two interceptions, a missed field goal and four punts – no points, ten days after kicking just two field goals against the New York Jets. The Texans haven’t scored a 2nd half touchdown since their trip to New England. Alright, it’s tough to keep writing about this game because it was one play here, one play there that could’ve been the difference. Shoot, Jake Bates’ tying AND game winning field goals scraped each of the damn uprights. Two inches either way on either kick? Who knows what we’re talking about in the aftermath of this one? Didn’t happen on this night, though, so time to pick ourselves up and get ready for that team up north. Time to rock and get right again! Texans find themselves on the wrong side history in Week 10 loss vs. Lions – Cole Thompson, USA Today Sunday night was one for the record books in Houston. How bad was the Houston Texans’ blown 26-23 loss against the Detroit Lions on ‘Sunday Night Football’ in front of the hometown crowd? When you dive deeper, it gets worse. The Texans forced five interceptions on Lions quarterback Jared Goff, including three in the first half. They led by 16 at halftime thanks to an 8-yard touchdown run from Pro Bowler Joe Mixon and a 15-yard touchdown catch from John Metchie III. According to Elias Sports Bureau, teams were 373-1-1 when leading by at least 15 and snagging five interceptions since 1933. Then came the second-half implosion and a rewrite in the record books. The Lions became the first team since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 to beat the odds, joining a Johnny Unitus Baltimore Colts-lead team that secured a 21-20 win over the Chicago Bears on a five-turnover afternoon. “Definitely should have won this game,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “My job is to lead the offense to score points, and I didn’t do that today. … We really should have put them away after the first half. It’s really on the offense.” Houston’s also been outscored 141-82 in the second half of games through 10 contests. “It’s not good enough. Turning the football over there, especially in the red zone, or coming out,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We talked about getting started in the second half, and we talked about being better in the second half. But to come out and turn the ball over on the first play of the second half and to get in the red zone where we have points and to turn the ball over, that’s not winning football.” Joe Mixon wants more aggressive Texans offense after SNF collapse – Michael Shapiro, Chron.com Houston’s RB1 wants to keep the pedal to the metal next time they build a lead. Joe Mixon is perhaps the most vocal player in the Houston Texans locker room, pairing his impressive on-field production with plenty of bombast in front of microphones. Mixon played the role of team counselor in his meeting with the media Sunday night. Houston’s running back offered words of encouragement to both his teammates and Texans fans after Sunday’s 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. The prime-time defeat was the worst of Houston’s season to date, featuring a blown 16-point lead and zero points in the second half. Many are sounding the alarm after a third loss in the last four weeks, signaling the Texans aren’t legitimate Super Bowl contenders as many previously assumed. Mixon fought back against such an assessment Sunday night. “We’re not going nowhere. When it comes down to it, we know what team that we are. We know what we capable of,” Mixon said inside the home locker room at NRG Stadium. “[I’ve been] in a special locker room [with the Cincinnati Bengals]. We got it here. Trust me, we got it here. … I got the utmost confidence in our guys that we’re going to bounce back.” “That’s a game we should have had, we did have. Obviously, it slipped,” Mixon said. “We [need to] finish these games. We gotta stop playing to not lose and go play to win.”

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Jake Ferguson spoke to us about the current state of the Cowboys and how they need to take things one step at a time right now. The Dallas Cowboys are in the middle of a tough season. With a 3-6 record they have their work cut out for them if they want to be playing beyond the regular season, also an obvious statement. We may feel certain ways about the potential or future outlook of this current group, but it is difficult to ever expect the players within the locker room to back down from a challenge in general. Such was clearly the case when I spoke to Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson on Tuesday. It was my first time speaking with Jake and may I say he is as cool and interesting as they come. We discussed a variety of topics which obviously included this season, the infamous sun and Ferguson’s love of football in general. You can watch our interview below: One of the things we spoke about with Jake was his recent partnership with USAA. Ferguson worked with USAA on Tuesday on a controlled fire of a turkey fryer to spread awareness and educate the public on how to stay safe and avoid home fires ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in USAA’s Huddle Up for Home Fire Prevention & Safety campaign. You can learn more about the initiative right here. Something I shared with Jake was that no Cowboys tight end has ever scored a touchdown against the Houston Texans. Obviously we are not talking about 100 years of history here, but that is a bit of a fun fact. He (jokingly, to be clear, although with serious intent clearly) vowed to break the seal next Monday night. Our thanks to Jake Ferguson and to USAA for the time!

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys are making weekly history in the worst kind of way this season. The Dallas Cowboys made history on Sunday in the worst kind of way. In case you missed it, they became the first team in NFL history to trail by 20 points or more in five consecutive games at home. Hang the banner! Maybe even hang it in a place that it covers the sun. Something we have been doing every week this season here is chronicling history made by the team, although unfortunately it has mostly been of the bad sort of variety. The Cowboys are a bad football team making sure that they are remembered for that in ways that no other teams generally are. Every week we comb through the state of the team following their most recent game and assess it against both franchise and NFL history at large to see what we can learn. The phenomenal tools at Stathead and Pro Football Reference help make this possible, so you can blame them if any of the following things make you sad. Let’s begin! Amazingly, we have seen this game before sort of Cooper Rush started at and played quarterback for the Cowboys on Sunday. That is about the best possible way that what happened can be framed. It was a rough outing for Rush to say the least, but something specific about it will blow your mind. You see, Rush attempted 23 passes and threw for only 45 yards. That sounded impossible. It turns out that a quarterback has only thrown for 45 yards (or fewer) on at least 23 pass attempts nine times before Rush did across NFL history. What is particularly amazing though is that Cooper was not even the first Cowboys quarterback to do it! The most recent instance of this “phenomenon” was when Anthony Wright did it with a star on his helmet against the same opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles way back in the early days of 2001. That’s where we are, people. Ezekiel Elliott is among the most inefficient runners in some time Jerry Jones said on Tuesday during his appearance on 105.3 The Fan that the Cowboys are not living in the past with Ezekiel Elliott. Wherever they are indeed living, it is a tough time. To date Elliott has played in eight games for the Cowboys this season (remember his disciplinary violation happened so he missed the Atlanta game) and has 54 carries for 171 yards in them. What you are looking at above is the last 10 running backs to have at least 54 carries for no more than 171 yards in the first eight games of a season played. As you can see the list is uninspiring. Something particularly devastating about this list is the last person to “accomplish” this before Zeke was someone who fans want to see used instead of him in Dalvin Cook. You really cannot write this kind of stuff. While Cook did not “accomplish” this under Mike McCarthy’s supervision, it should be noted that James Starks did with the Green Bay Packers in 2016 so he has now overseen such an instance twice in his career. Ezekiel Elliott’s poor start is a rare thing in franchise history Focusing on Dallas Cowboys history just a bit, you are now looking at running backs who have, in their first eight games of a Cowboys season, had at least 50 carries for no more than 171 yards. The list is not a long one. Saying these things is only done so because they are factual and not from a place of malice, but Ezekiel Elliott is quite literally one of the most ineffective and inefficient runners (as far as who he is in this current moment) that the team has ever seen. Giving him any number of carries over literally anybody else is suspect right now. Not scoring a touchdown after the recovered fumble was almost impossible to do You will recall that Elliott fumbled in the redzone on Sunday and that shortly after the Cowboys, miraculously, caused a fumble of their own to basically undo it. Consider that they lost the ball on the Philadelphia six-yard line and recovered their fumble there as well. The above list is one of all NFL drives since 2001 that began off of a turnover that wound up scoring (so no fumbles, interceptions or turnovers on downs) that began inside of the opponent’s six-yard line. If that sounds confusing just think of it as exactly the circumstances that the Cowboys were in at that moment. 84.7% (call it 85% if you want to round up) scored in touchdowns. That isn’t quite 99% or anything, but consider that from the moment that Dallas took over at that moment in time that almost a quarter century’s worth of history gave them an 85% chance of scoring a touchdown. Dallas ran the ball to Zeke (shocker), saw CeeDee Lamb lose the ball in the sun (also a shocker) and then Rico Dowdle got stuffed before Brandon Aubrey did his thing. It is extraordinarily difficult to not walk away with a touchdown there and yet the Cowboys made sure that they didn’t. Home blowouts of this variety are not common for anyone except the Cowboys The Cowboys have lost every game that they have played at home so far this season. There have been four in total, but they have only lost three of them by 25 more points. At least it isn’t all four! Since 2021 there have now only been three instances of a team losing at least three games at home by 25+. The Atlanta Falcons did it twice in 2021 and the Washington Commanders had it happen to them three times last season. The Dallas Cowboys have done it three times already and still have five home games remaining. No Dallas Cowboys team with three wins through the first nine has made the playoffs The point in bringing

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Last week was gross. The Dallas Cowboys have now lost their fourth straight game, and their first without Dak Prescott. Despite falling to the Eagles 34-6, things were close in the first half before unraveling in the second half. So let’s get some grades after this one. Quarterbacks This was a glimpse into the very sad reality of what this team looks like without Dak Prescott. Prescott certainly hasn’t been good this year, but his worst games have been better than this. Cooper Rush turned it over twice, including one where he just forgot to catch the snap, and he went 0/6 on passes that traveled more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Trey Lance wasn’t much better, throwing an interception on his lone pass 10+ yards downfield. Together, the two quarterbacks averaged 2.3 yards per attempt. Yikes. Grade: F Running backs Rico Dowdle is a legitimately good running back. Let me say it again: Rico Dowdle is a legitimately good running back. Following this game, Dowdle is behind only Bijan Robinson in rush success rate among running backs. Despite that, he’s 33rd in rushing attempts, ranked right behind Robinson’s backup, Tyler Allgeier. Some of that is because the Cowboys throw the ball so much, but it’s also because they keep giving the ball to Ezekiel Elliott. Case in point: Elliott got a red zone carry on first and goal and coughed it up. On the Cowboys’ very next offensive play, they gave it right back to him. Outside of his turnover, Elliott wasn’t terrible, but it’s painfully obvious that this run game would be so much better if Dowdle handled the vast majority of carries. Grade: B+ Pass catchers You know what? I’m not going to give a grade to this unit. How can I? After watching the level of quarterback play in this game, it would be disingenuous to hold them to any sort of normal standard. When Jake Ferguson leads your team in receiving with 24 yards, it’s hard to judge these pass catchers. Oh, and that’s without even talking about CeeDee Lamb missing an easy touchdown catch because he was blinded by the sun that his own boss refuses to cover up with curtains. There were so many things working against this group in this game that handing out a grade for it just feels wrong. Grade: Incomplete Offensive line The Cowboys surprised us all with news that Tyler Guyton, who had been dealing with a neck stinger throughout the week, would be inactive. In his place, Asim Richards started at left tackle. And, honestly, the results were solid. Richards gave up four pressures and a sack but had plenty of solid, encouraging reps. The bigger issue was what it has been for most of the year here: Terence Steele. The right tackle is a turnstile in pass protection, and he gave up four pressures. He also allowed a strip sack and then foolishly tried to pick the ball up and run with it, which led to him giving the ball right to the Eagles. Steele also struggled once again in run blocking, supposedly his forte. It’s not a good sign that Steele has consistently been the weakest link on an offensive line that’s starting two rookies. Grade: C+ Run defense All things considered, the Cowboys held up well against the run. Philadelphia finished with 187 rushing yards, but 105 of those came in the second half after the game was out of reach. In the first half, Dallas allowed just 82 rushing yards, with 49 of those coming by way of Jalen Hurts scramble plays. Saquon Barkley, who’s been on a tear all year, put up just 23 rushing yards in the first half and three of his eight carries were stopped for a gain of one yard or less. Things broke wide open in the second half, but this defense showed up to play. They just needed some help from their offense. Grade: B Pass rush Jalen Hurts is not the easiest quarterback to bring down, and the Cowboys figured that out in this game. On one of the Eagles’ touchdown drives, Hurts evaded a near sack from DeMarvion Overshown to hammer home that point. That said, the pass rush was alive in this game, thanks partly to the return of Micah Parsons. Their 24 pressures was the most they’ve had since Week 1, and four players recorded at least four pressures. Parsons had two sacks, as did Overshown, and Hurts was taken down a total of five times. Grade: B+ Coverage Statistically speaking, this was a bad game for the Cowboys secondary. But a closer look reveals why: rookie Caelen Carson was picked on all game. Carson was targeted seven times, which is more than Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, and Israel Mukuamu (who replaced Carson in the second half) combined. In total, Carson gave up 108 of the Eagles’ 207 passing yards in this game. Outside of Carson, the secondary held up well for the most part. Diggs’ interception was a welcome sight, and the coverage unit largely limited yards after the catch, an area they’ve struggled in all year. Grade: B- Special teams Brandon Aubrey is still Brandon Aubrey, drilling both field goals and once again being the only Cowboys player to score any points. KaVontae Turpin had a pair of good kick returns as well. And Bryan Anger is still going strong, though he got far too much work in this one. The grade drops considerably, though, because of the huge punt return Dallas gave up to Cooper DeJean early in the third quarter. It set up a short field and an easy touchdown for the Eagles, who had largely struggled to move the ball against this defense. From that point on, it was all downhill. Special teams mistakes can break a team’s back, and that’s what happened in this game. Grade: B Coaching It’s hard to be too harsh on this staff

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images This week’s power rankings were predictably unkind to the Dallas Cowboys. There is always further to fall than you think. History has taught us this painful lesson many times, unfortunately. Just when we think that there is no way that the Dallas Cowboys could outdo themselves in the embarrassment department, America’s Team shows up true to form. This week the Cowboys are coming off of a 34-6 drubbing in their home building against the hated Philadelphia Eagles. Under normal circumstances this would upset many of us, but everything around has been so on fire that we have grown used to the new status quo temperature and are no longer phased when it feels a little warm. It will not shock you to learn that the rest of the NFL finds the Cowboys to be quite bad, but just how bad do people think they are? The time has come for our latest power rankings and gathering of where outlets across the internet have the Cowboys. You can view last week’s rankings right here. 1 – Detroit Lions (LW: 1) You have to find ways to steal a game or two if you are going to lift the Lombardi at the very end of the season. Detroit did that on Sunday night by winning a game that they were supposed to lose. They are such an impressive team to watch. 2 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 2) Talk about stealing games… my goodness. This is the weakest Chiefs team we have seen (from an organization that has won three Super Bowls since 2019!) and they are undefeated through their first nine games. It must be so nice. 3 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 3) They seem to be floating among the contending teams in the NFL at large. Up next for them is a chance to give Kansas City their first loss, although the Bills have made way too big of a deal of regular season games against the Chiefs before. Hopefully Buffalo recognizes this is the battle and not the war and even then not the most important battle (relatively speaking). 4 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 4) Another team who stole one! Although I don’t know that Baltimore stole their win as much as they just fought a little bit harder. They remain an elite team that is so fun to watch as well. 5 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 7) It wasn’t even annoying that they beat the Cowboys by a score of 34-6 at AT&T Stadium. That is where we are at. 6 – Washington Commanders (LW: 5) Sunday was a tough loss, but this is clearly a very good team that is going to be playing in the middle of January. Their game against Philly on Thursday night will be highly entertaining. 7 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 6) It never feels right to drop a team after they win, but Minnesota barely held on against a struggling Jaguars team. Kevin O’Connell is so impressive, but it feels fair to say that the Vikings are losing some steam a bit. 8 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 8) Do you mean to tell me that they did not look like juggernauts in the first game that they played after they played the Cowboys? Shocked! I am shocked! 9 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 9) Welcome back from the bye. 10 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 11) I’ve been absorbing Cardinals stock for weeks now and am very happy about it. Could they seriously win the NFC West?! These are my Cardinals and I am proud of them! 11 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 12) This whole thing still feels a little like the clock will hit midnight and it will fall apart. But for now Mike Tomlin, Russell Wilson, Mike Williams and everyone else are having the time of their lives. 12 – Houston Texans (LW: 10) It feels fair to say they are on a serious fraud watch, but given that they play the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium next Monday night that will stabilize soon enough. 13 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 16) It would be good for the NFL at large if this team made its way into the playoffs. They are tough and Baker Mayfield specifically is a huge reason for that. 14 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 13) You cannot lose to the New Orleans Saints. The drop should be more, but I digress. 15 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 17) Kudos on the win. But my goodness they are so irrelevant in the bigger picture. Maybe playing on Sunday night this week will help with that. 16 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 18) Sometimes a season has a very good team who just caught some poor breaks at the most inopportune times and it all snowballs against them. It feels safe to say that this is the Bengals this year. 17 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 14) They are so up and down these days. 18 – Denver Broncos (LW: 20) Are we not talking about Bo Nix enough? I know they lost, but wow what an outing at Arrowhead. I’m not ready to crown Sean Payton’s era in Denver as a success but there is no question that this was a step forward, even if they did lose. 19 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 15) Another team back from their bye week. 20 – New England Patriots (LW: 24) They had nine sacks against the Bears. What. How. 21 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 29) You can’t help but feel happy for Bryce Young what with everything he has been through. They are going to really enjoy that bye week. 22 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 22) Another team who is simply existing right now. 23 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 23) Their season feels lost in a different way than Dallas’. Either way, they are not very good at all. 24 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 31) They finally got their first win since blowing the doors off