It's not a nice picture for the NFC East this week. Just about the only people who'll get some enjoyment out of this weeks summary of power rankings are Giants fans. The injury-ravaged Giants not only find themselves atop the NFC East with a 3-1 record, but are also within striking distance of a top 10 spot in the power rankings summary.
Cowboys fans will not be surprised to see their team rank a decidedly average 16th, which is perfectly suited to the Cowboys' 2-2 record and 99-101 points scored/allowed. The Redskins can't get any respect, with three of the surveyed rankings placing them third or fourth in the division this week, and the Eagles are working hard to get out of the top 20 entirely. I wish them much success in their righteous endeavor.
The summary of this week's power rankings after the break.
1. Major Media Networks & Affiliates
CBSSports.com: 12th (-3). "The Tony Romo implosion is going to be tough to bounce back from for this team. They have two weeks to stew about it with their bye coming up."
Pro Football Weekly: 16th (-4). "Cowboys dominated every stat vs. Lions, except turnovers and points."
Fox Sports: 17th (-5). Brian Billick offers this assessment: "It is time to face the facts. The Cowboys are an average team with average talent. The play calling is worth questioning just as much as Tony Romo’s performance, particularly given the 24-point second-half lead. Over the next three weeks, they travel to New England and Philly, with St. Louis sandwiched between. Going 2-1 will be a success."
ESPN: 17th (-6). "Another historic collapse leaves the Cowboys at .500 heading into a bye week that will be dominated by more questions about Tony Romo. (Fox)"
Sporting News: 19th (-3). "Passing offense rank: No. 4. Ranking that high doesn't matter one bit when your two quarterbacks have combined to throw a league-high seven interceptions—or what's kept them from being 4-0."
NFL.com's Brain Trust of Experts: 19th (-6). Three writers on the nine-man panel have the Cowboys ranked 16th, three have them ranked 20th, three are somewhere in between.
2. Blogs & Other Media
SB Nation: 16th (-7). "Oy. Another fourth quarter loss. The talent is there but they can't string together multiple wins. This might be the most frustrating team in the NFL."
Walter Football: 16th (-2). No comments this week, as the site only provides comments for the top ten and bottom ten teams. But they do find it hard to let go of the stories of yesteryear, ranking the Eagles (15th) ahead of the Cowboys (16th), and the Redskins (20th) below both.
WEEI.com: 18th (-1). "All five of Tony Romo’s interceptions this season have come in the second half. The Cowboys starting quarterback continues to make the same type of mistakes that have prevented him and the team from being successful. Until Romo learns how to protect the football and make smart plays on the field, the Cowboys will continue to be a mediocre team."
ProFootballTalk.com: 19th (-6). "Blowing a 24-point lead to Detroit may have been even worse than losing 44-0 to the Bears in 1985."
3. Statistics, Computer & Vegas rankings
Jeff Sagarin's NFL rankings: 11th (-5). These are rankings based on W/L record, points differential and schedule strength.
Drafttek.com: 15th (-3). The Draft Gurus don't provide any comments and drop the Cowboys three spots.
WhatIFsports: 16th (+1). These guys simulate every possible match-up in the NFL 100 times, and use the winning percentages from those nearly 50,000 games to evaluate every team, with updated rosters and depth charts.
Covers.com: 16th (-1). "Week 4 confirmed what we already knew: Tony Romo is consistently inconsistent. A great first half followed by a disastrous second."
Below is how the NFC East fared in this week's power rankings so far:
|
|
|
|
|||||
Week 5 | Week 4 |
Week 5 |
Week 4 | Week 5 |
Week 4 | Week 5 |
Week 4 | |
Sagarin Ratings |
11 | 7 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 15 |
CBS Sports | 12 | 9 | 20 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 13 |
Drafttek | 15 | 12 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 16 |
Covers.com | 16 | 15 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 17 |
SBNation | 16 | 9 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 13 |
ProFootballWeekly |
16 | 12 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 13 |
Whatifsports.com | 16 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 23 |
Walter Football | 16 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 18 |
ESPN | 17 | 11 | 20 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
Foxsports | 17 | 12 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 13 |
WEEI.com |
18 | 17 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 19 |
PFT |
19 | 13 | 22 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 18 |
NFL.com | 19 | 13 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 15 |
Sporting News |
19 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 17 | 17 |
Average | 16.2 |
12.6 |
19.5 |
15.2 | 10.5 |
13.3 | 13.4 |
16.1 |