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Now that we’ve officially tucked the 2017 NFL season into bed, let’s take stock of what some of the sports media world is thinking about the Cowboys. We’re so close to the team, following their every move, maybe sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Or some mumbo-jumbo like that. Really, it’s jut an excuse to check out a couple of Power Rankings; those beauty contests that mean nothing, but are still fun to argue about.
ESPN has their post-Super Bowl rankings up, and the Cowboys come in 13th.
13. Dallas Cowboys
2017 record: 9-7
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will each be entering their third season, and the only free agents on the offensive line are at left guard. So the offense should be ready to go in 2018. The defense, however, could see some changes as the top two pass-rushers -- DeMarcus Lawrence (unrestricted) and David Irving(restricted) -- will both be free agents.
Before jumping into the rankings, people should just forget the idea of DeMarcus Lawrence going anywhere. And if the Cowboys want David Irving, they can have him.
Moving on...
Ranked 13th is not bad, considering how badly we all felt when the 9-7, no-playoff 2017 season was over. It felt like everything had gone wrong, but ESPN sees us as we really are, a team just outside of the playoffs, but with potential.
Still, among the NFC, all six playoff teams are ranked ahead of us as well as two non-playoff teams from 2017 - the Packers (8th) and the Seahawks (11th). So out of the 16 NFC teams, they see us as very middle-of-the-pack.
The Eagles come in ranked second, just behind the Pats. I can’t imagine Philly fans would be too happy with that, but they can console themselves with a Lombardi Trophy. As for the rest of the NFC East, it will be a long climb, but that’s exactly what Philly pulled off this past season. Washington is ranked 22nd the Giants are 30th.
Just for kicks, let’s do a quick check on the Sporting News rankings. What do ya know, the Cowboys are 13th in that one, too.
13. Dallas Cowboys
Having a full season of Ezekiel Elliott will help Dak Prescott — and the defense — immensely as they try to bounce back and catch the Eagles.
Also, just like in the previous one, we rank ninth in the conference behind all six playoff teams and the Packers and Seahawks. The Eagles are third, the Giants are 25th and Washington is 27th.