December football is upon us and it is rather glorious. Getting to enjoy the first taste of it with a Dallas Cowboys win already in the bank was the most incredible feeling over Thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully the rest of the month will provide similar levels of joy and happiness.
They certainly are for some fanbases across the NFL and definitely are not for others. Part of this time of year is that if you aren’t charging into the playoffs you are likely ready to fly through it all and start counting down the days until the NFL Draft. The circle of life.
There is still plenty of time to go before we get there though and until then we have to do our best to figure out the lay of the land at present time. It is a weekly challenge that we undertake by way of power rankings and this one is no different. If you are unaware, we also curate where outlets across the internet have the Cowboys ranked to see how they view America’s Team.
You can view last week’s rankings right here.
1 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 2)
As the cold approaches no team appears more prepared for it, literally and figuratively speaking, than Buffalo. All signs seem to be pointing in their direction right now and I think that I believe it is finally their time.
2 - Detroit Lions (LW: 1)
Injuries are mounting and operating as the hunted for an entire season looks like it is taking a bit of a toll on them. I’m clearly not going to count them out or anything, but Buffalo just seems a hair ahead right now.
3 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 3)
Saquon Barkley is such a difference-maker for them. It is a huge bummer.
Annoying. Blah.
4 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 7)
It doesn’t feel like they are in the same exact tier as the 3 teams in front of them.
But maybe that is just what Mike Tomlin wants everyone to think.
5 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 4)
Sunday was a small step back, but this is still a very good if not elite football team.
We do not need to massively overreact to a single loss from anyone.
6 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 5)
It feels strange to drop them and not at all like an overreaction. Their track record speaks for itself and their record is pristine. But in terms of how exactly they are playing football right now... there is a lot to be desired.
Again, they have the benefit of the doubt beyond anyone in recent history. But right now it’s pretty eh.
7 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 6)
Thursday night against the Lions is going to be amazing and a real test to where this team is.
8 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 8)
They will likely be watching and ready to pounce however and whenever they can.
9 - Washington Commanders (LW: 10)
I’d offer that seeing how great Washington looked, albeit against the Titans, is a reminder of how impressive the Cowboys’ win there was.
They appear to have calmed down their situation for a moment.
10 - Denver Broncos (LW: 12)
Sean Payton appears to have properly turned them around.
11 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 13)
Are they going to win the NFC West?!
12 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 15)
It is strange how boring they are with such a personality at head coach and a vibrant player at the game’s most important position.
But boring counts just as much as anything else. This is a good team.
13 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 9)
They are contenders for yet another division title and also almost threw that chance away on Sunday before pulling off a miracle. Football is amazing.
14 - Houston Texans (LW: 11)
If there is a flawed team who will host a playoff game... it might be this one.
15 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 17)
Isn’t it interesting how their average seasons are not picked apart by anybody?
There is never a sense of “the Rams and/or Sean McVay are underperforming.” Obviously they have won a Super Bowl and deserve credit for that, but this team should be better. They won last week which is notable, but it was gross.
16 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 19)
Anthony Richardson is one of the most fun players in the NFL to watch.
17 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 14)
My Cardinals couldn’t get it done and more importantly failed to be properly aggressive down the stretch. It, obviously, wound up costing them.
Sigh.
18 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 21)
They are so good to be so bad.
Hopefully that is not the case (in terms of them being good) on Monday night!
19 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 16)
This season has been such a chore for them. Losing Christian McCaffrey just about ends it all.
Weirdly, they are not too far back in the NFC West race.
20 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 24)
Could they really continue to make lemonade? We will see if the mini bye helped.
21 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 18)
I’d challenge you to find a more forgettable team than the current Titans.
They simply exist.
22 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 20)
I’ve defended Kirk Cousins a lot in the past, but wow Sunday was horrific.
The pressure is mounting to say the least.
23 - Chicago Bears (LW: 28)
It is a bummer that it did not work out for our friend Matt Eberflus.
I do wonder if we will see the bump from teams who recently fired head coaches here. Their next game is against San Francisco so that will be challenging.
24 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 22)
Bryce Young may be starting to figure it out. Good for him!
25 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 23)
It is very difficult to wonder what their season would have looked like if they had changed quarterbacks earlier.
26 - New England Patriots (LW: 26)
It will never not be weird to see this franchise so average.
27 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 25)
Once again, Mike McDaniel’s team looked soft and unprepared and outright bad.
Did they get one single national headline about it on Monday? Nope.
28 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 27)
Round and round we go.
29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 29)
They are just biding time.
30 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 31)
They will become interesting with Shedeur Sanders.
31 - New York Jets (LW: 30)
Aaron Rodgers made them worse. It really is amazing to think about.
32 - New York Giants (LW: 32)
Enjoy the cellar.
NFL.com: 21 (LW: 25)
The climb begins.
A few of us have been yelling at the Cowboys to just make Rico Dowdle the lead back, but that just seemed too easy, I suppose. They’d been sort of on-ramping toward Thursday’s breakout performance, but it was strange the Cowboys didn’t just lean on Dowdle after his big game in Pittsburgh — even with an illness that knocked him out Week 8. Anyway, it was nice to see him flourish a bit, even if this season is sort of spoken for. Dowdle is still a player with a lot to play for going forward. The Cowboys defense has also shown some signs of life, led by impressive second-year “rookie” DeMarvion Overshown, who has really blossomed after missing all of last season. He’s good for a missed tackle or two per game, but Overshown is making game-changing plays on a near-weekly basis, including his Thanksgiving pick-six.
ESPN: 23 (LW: 24)
They also included a nominee for a first-time Pro Bowl selection and the choice is obvious.
First-time Pro Bowl nominee: Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown
With the Cowboys’ record and the defense’s slow start, Overshown might only make the Pro Bowl as an alternate. But he has shown he can be a playmaker after missing his rookie year with a torn left ACL. He can rush the passer. He can cover. He is a good tackler. Once he sees the play, he has the speed to go. And if he guesses incorrectly, he has the speed to make up for the error. The more experience he gains, the better he should become. — Todd Archer
USA Today: 26 (LW: 27)
Not exactly an outlet who was impressed.
That’s two Ws in a row with the next three games against teams that are no better than .500. Is Mike McCarthy really about to coach himself into an extension?
Yahoo: 23 (LW: 24)
Another slight bump.
The Cowboys were smart to hand over full-time tailback duties to Rico Dowdle. He had 22 carries to just one for Ezekiel Elliott in Week 13, and he had 112 yards and a touchdown. Maybe Dallas should have made that move sooner.
CBS Sports: 23 (LW: 24)
Ditto.
They are still alive after beating the Giants on Thanksgiving. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
The Athletic: 21 (LW: 23)
They included a “worst-case scenario” for each team and had an interesting perspective for Dallas.
Worst-case scenario: Lying to themselves
Micah Parsons said on FOX after Thursday’s win: “I believe we’re going to turn it around and make a run.” Dallas has a less than 1 percent chance to make the postseason, according to The Athletic’s playoff projections. The Cowboys’ overconfidence in their contender status is the chief reason this team has one playoff win since 2018.
Sports Illustrated: 22 (LW: 23)
A teeny bit of optimism.
Another nice game plan from Mike McCarthy that showcased playmakers in space. Two of KaVontae Turpin’s best games in terms of total yardage amassed have been in the last three weeks, even though his target share has remained relatively consistent. Against an unwilling Giants defense, he was a speedy weapon that posed a lot of issues. If Dallas can beat the Bengals in prime time this week, I will officially allow myself to believe that the Cowboys are not yet dead.
Dallas Cowboys Movement Week To Week
Every week (per suggestions from you wonderful BTBers) we will update this graph to note how the Cowboys moved in power rankings according to each of the outlets that we curate.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25771413/After_Week_13.png "2024 NFL Week 14 Power Rankings: Recent winning streak has Cowboys moving up (1)")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25771414/Power_Rankings.png "2024 NFL Week 14 Power Rankings: Recent winning streak has Cowboys moving up (2)")
