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The Dallas Cowboys may have been off in Week 8, but most of the NFL was not. There was a lot more action to digest and as a result a lot more movement in power rankings.
We’re just about halfway through the season and almost every team has played eight games (the Cowboys have not though). We now have very good ideas on who these teams are and can start to draw legitimate conclusions on their futures as well.
Here are our power rankings plus a collection of others from around the internet as things stand entering Week 9.
You can re-visit Week 8’s edition of our power rankings right here.
1 - New England Patriots (LW: 1)
The undisputed best team in the world.
2 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 2)
A 50-burger. They are very much for real.
3 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 3)
Drew Brees is back and they’re still very good.
4 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 5)
Aaron Rodgers is unreal.
5 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 4)
They played well without Pat Mahomes, but sometimes Green Bay is just too much. We know that well, unfortunately.
6 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 6)
Who else can’t wait to watch them take on New England?
7 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 7)
Russell Wilson has a very strong case for MVP.
8 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 8)
Winning on Thursday Night Football can be difficult. Minnesota got it done.
9 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 9)
No game, still a top 10 team.
10 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 10)
They’re back on track.
11 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 11)
It took a lot for them to beat the Denver Broncos. While that’s worrisome, it feels fair to trust Frank Reich.
12 - Houston Texans (LW: 13)
Deshaun Watson threw the game-winning touchdown with one eye.
13 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 16)
They were never going to lose to Buffalo.
14 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 12)
Thanks for nothing.
15 - Detroit Lions (LW: 14)
Their early season success feels like so long ago.
16 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 15)
There’s no shame in losing to San Francisco.
17 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 20)
Gardner Minshew is keeping them relevant.
18 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 17)
They beat a bad Miami team.
19- Tennessee Titans (LW: 21)
Ryan Tannehill’s Titans aren’t the worst team ever.
20 - Oakland Raiders (LW: 23)
Surprisingly interesting.
21 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 22)
Barely beating the Bears is eh.
22 - Chicago Bears (LW: 18)
Disaster. Matt Nagy seems to have no confidence in Mitchell Trubisky.
23 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 19)
Biggest letdown of 2019. By far.
24 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 24)
Maybe Kenyan Drake will help.
25 - New York Giants (LW: 25)
Hopefully they lose next week, too.
26 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 26)
I was told Bruce Arians would fix everything.
27 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 27)
Still winless. Yikes.
28 - Denver Broncos (LW: 28)
Now Joe Flacco is calling them out. That’ll end well!
29 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 29)
Sometimes it’s just a lost year.
30 - New York Jets (LW: 30)
Or a lost century.
31 - Washington Redskins (LW: 31)
More disaster.
32 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 32)
Tank, tank, tank.
NFL.com: 7th (LW: 7th)
No change.
The Cowboys hit their Week 8 bye with a win and the warm feeling that Ezekiel Elliott is playing like Ezekiel Elliott again. The star running back, who looked a step or two slow in the weeks after he ended his contract holdout, now has more than 140 scrimmage yards in consecutive games. Dak Prescott showed earlier this season that he is capable of carrying the Dallas offense when he’s hot, but having Elliott at the center of the universe is the best and most stable version of this attack. In other ‘Boys news, last week’s trade for defensive lineman Michael Bennett could be great for Robert Quinn and DeMarcus Lawrence, who have been the focus of constant double-teams. Bennett has a habit of wearing out his welcome (he’s on his fifth team in 11 seasons), but he’s been an impact producer everywhere he’s gone. He should make the Cowboys better.
ESPN: 12th (LW: 12th)
No change from the worldwide leader either.
Smith leads the Cowboys in tackles, has two sacks, two tackles for loss, two pass deflections and two quarterback hurries, but he has not played as well as he played last season, which is why the coaches moved to a rotation of sorts between Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, Sean Lee and Joe Thomas. Smith had his best game of the season against Philadelphia in Week 7. He was active, forced a fumble and was involved in sideline-to-sideline plays. Considering the strength of schedule and some of the offenses remaining, Smith has to be at his best if the defense is going to be feared. -- Todd Archer
Bleacher Report: 14th (LW: 14th)
No change here either.
The off week came at a good time for the Cowboys, who have prominent players banged up all over the place, whether it’s along the offensive front, the defensive line or at linebacker.
But for Dallas to be taken seriously as a contender in the NFC, the team is going to have play more consistently over the second half of the season.
Sports Illustrated: 10th (LW: 10th)
Another no change.
The Eagles beat the Bills and have a winnable game this weekend against the Bears, so Dak, Jason and the ‘Boys need to be sharp Monday night against the Giants if they want to stay atop the division.
CBS Sports: 9th (LW: 11th)
Improvement!
They come off the bye with a division Monday night road game against the Giants. The last time they went to that stadium they lost to the Jets, so be careful.