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The Dallas Cowboys were off last week, but the rest of their division rivals all played and, because it is 2020, they are still squarely in the mix for the NFC East title.
How do things look across the rest of the league, though? We are into double-digit weeks and there is still an undefeated team. Where does everyone stack up, the Cowboys included?
Welcome to our Week 11 power rankings. You can view last week’s right here.
1 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1)
Kings stay kings.
2 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 2)
It looks like they bounced back from their nap at AT&T Stadium.
3 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 3)
An almost loss, but great teams find ways to win those.
4 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 12)
NFC West favorites?
5 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 4)
Operating without Drew Brees is going to be tough, but if anybody can do it, it’s Sean Payton.
6 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 5)
Tough loss to take, but this is a good team.
7 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 6)
It is appropriate that Thanksgiving is next week as Russell Wilson needs to get back to cooking stat.
8 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 11)
Clearly the NFC South favorites.
9 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 13)
Mandatory shout out to Matt Eberflus.
10 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 14)
They are so weirdly good.
11 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 10)
Tua hasn’t been asked to do much, but my oh my, that secondary is something.
12 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 9)
They just keep piling together weird wins.
13 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 8)
A tough loss on Thursday night. They might have peaked too early.
14 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 7)
Where is all of the offense?
15 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 15)
A very WIN-dy day. I’ll see myself out.
16 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 17)
See you on Sunday.
17 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 16)
Matt Rhule is doing a far more impressive job than their record shows.
18 - New England Patriots (LW: 27)
Are they... back?!
19 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 18)
Same ol’, same ol’.
20 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 19)
Who is going to be this team’s head coach in 2021?
21 - Detroit Lions (LW: 26)
Congratulations for not losing.
22 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 20)
These are all valuable lessons for young Joe Burrow.
23 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 21)
Kyle Shanahan is so good, but he’s missing so much.
24 - New York Giants (LW: 29)
Movin’ on up.
25 - Denver Broncos (LW: 22)
Yikes.
26 - Chicago Bears (LW: 23)
They were always paper tigers.
27 - Houston Texans (LW: 24)
There is a lot wrong there.
28 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 25)
It is starting to feel like a certain rookie quarterback might actually see the field.
29 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 28)
SUPER BOWL HERE WE COME.
30 - Washington Football Team (LW: 30)
Kudos to Alex Smith for almost pulling it off.
31 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 31)
Close, but no cigar.
32 - New York Jets (LW: 32)
Some things never change.
NFL.com: 30 (LW: 30)
Sometimes things stay the same.
Here’s the path back to respectability for the Cowboys: Keep Andy Dalton upright and get him comfortable in this offense. Dalton struggled mightily in his initial starts following the shocking Dak Prescott injury, then disappeared down a grim concussion and COVID-19 wormhole. When he returns to the field, he’ll be the quarterback of an offense that includes Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. You’d think Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore have been in dialogue with Dalton about plays and concepts that were successful for him during his Bengals salad days. Given the firepower of this offense, Dalton should be able to lead this team to competence on offense, at the very least. If he can’t, that’s on the coaching staff as much as the quarterback.
ESPN: 30 (LW: 30)
No movement from the worldwide leader.
What would they take back: Not re-signing Byron Jones
Just one? So many to pick from and some might trace back to not signing Dak Prescott long term, which helped lead to the big deal Jaylon Smith signed that ultimately cost them Jones. Yes, you want cornerbacks to take the ball away more than Jones, but what about the full body of work? Add this to the list: If the Cowboys knew they could get CeeDee Lamb in the first round, would they still have signed Amari Cooper to a long-term deal? Not at $20 million a year, which could have left room for Jones too. 2020 has been a huge mess, but the Cowboys should have made a bigger pitch to keep Jones. — Todd Archer
USA Today: 31 (LW: 30)
A backwards bump.
After coping with a concussion and COVID-19 isolation, QB Andy Dalton is back for a team that could use good news as it prepares to play its next three games in 12 days.
Sporting News: 30 (LW: 29)
Same here.
The Cowboys had a bye and made up ground on both the Eagles and Washington while losing a little on the Giants, whom they already beat. Who knows, maybe some rest and extra film work will help Andy Dalton lead the offense better and the defense can build on that Steelers game to save some face in the second half.
Yahoo: 31 (LW: 31)
At least they didn’t fall here, too?
Andy Dalton was back at practice on Monday and will presumably return from a concussion. Make all the knee-jerk reactions you want, but Dalton still gives the Cowboys the best chance to win. And, crazy enough, they have just one fewer win than the top two teams in the division.
CBS Sports: 29 (LW: 28)
And we’re back to falling.
They come off the bye still in the division race. But can they get it going? They play a tough road game against a resurgent Vikings team this week.
Sports Illustrated: 27 (LW: T-29)
The closest to number one!
The Cowboys likely get Andy Dalton back this week. I’m not sure it’ll matter much, and that’s less about Dalton than it is about a patched together o-line.