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The month have September has just about come and gone so it is time to wake up Green Day. Unfortunately the Dallas Cowboys will not emerge from the first month of the season with a winning record and are actually on the opposite side of that spectrum. Dallas sits at 1-2 through three games which has a lot of people questioning their legitimacy as contenders on the year.
Where do the Cowboys rank in the eyes of evaluators all over the internet? We’re glad you asked. Welcome to BTB’s official power rankings for Week 4.
You can see our Week 3 power rankings right here.
1 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 2)
You can count me among those that thought they showed signs of weakness during their overtime win against the Chargers. That was short-lived.
2 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 1)
Lamar Jackson had a bad game on Monday night, but this team isn’t going anywhere.
3 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 3)
Russell Wilson is cooking. The meals are delicious. Although the most recent one did not taste great.
4 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 4)
It takes a lot of resolve to not crumble after you have surrendered a 28-3 lead. Kudos to the Bills for digging in and getting it done. They are a lot of fun.
5 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 5)
Aaron Rodgers is good. It hurts so much.
6 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 7)
This feels like the most likely to fall over the coming weeks, but they are undefeated and finding ways to grind out wins. Those will matter in December.
7 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 8)
Big Ben is back and so are the Steelers. They will be a tall order for the Cowboys down the road.
8 - Chicago Bears (LW: 13)
It is not often that an undefeated team makes a switch at quarterback, but props to Matt Nagy for realizing that Mitchell Trubisky wasn’t enough. It seems doubtful that Nick Foles is the answer, but he is hardly the person to doubt.
9 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 6)
I’m honestly more impressed with how they looked in this game than in either of their wins. They are all the way back.
10 - New England Patriots (LW: 12)
They are 2-1 and it feels like nobody has really talked about this. Maybe it’s just me.
11 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 16)
Are they the best team in the NFC South? It sort of feels that way.
12 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 9)
Losses like the one they had to the Detroit Lions are going to happen while they are still finding their way, but the Cardinals look like a whole lot of fun over the future.
13 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 10)
Losing on the road to the Patriots is hardly anything to be embarrassed about. The Raiders will be fine moving forward.
14 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 15)
They completely destroyed the New York Giants with a group of backups. It was actually pretty amazing to watch.
15 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 11)
Sean Payton got a little too cute with Taysom Hill.
16 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 17)
This week’s opponent is over .500 for the first time since 2014.
17 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 23)
If there is truly a team that nobody is talking about it is the Colts. There isn’t a lot of reason to talk about them of course, but they are certainly contenders in their division.
18 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 14)
Blah. Pain. Blah.
19 - Detroit Lions (LW: 26)
So many people thought they would contend in the NFC North. That might not be the case, but they are winners this week.
20 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 18)
There was legitimate reason to believe in Minnesota entering the season. They have not justified any of it.
21 - Houston Texans (LW: 19)
Starting the season against Kansas City, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh was hardly an easy task. I’m still not ready to bury them, but I’m finding less reasons to not do so.
22 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 20)
At least their uniforms looked incredible.
23 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 27)
The Ryan Fitzpatrick renaissance of the early part of the season is a lot of fun. If history is any indicator, the next few games will be different.
24 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 21)
What else is there really left to say? They are an extremely talented team, but they just always find a way to blow it.
25 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 32)
The first win in the Matt Rhule era has officially been obtained.
26 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 25)
Thanks for the help? Sort of?
27 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 22)
Trevor Lawrence will make someone better in 2021. Will it be Jacksonville?
28 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 24)
Carson Wentz appears to be a shell of the version of himself that we saw three years ago.
29 - Washington Football Team (LW: 28)
It won’t get any easier this week against Baltimore.
30 - Denver Broncos (LW: 29)
At least they will be on Thursday Night Football this week?
31 - New York Giants (LW: 30)
They are hurting, but so is everyone else. What a disaster.
32 - New York Jets (LW: 31)
Honestly putting them at number 32 feels kind.
NFL.com: 17 (LW: 11)
The backslide has begun.
Give them credit for the fight. The Cowboys could have packed it in when they went down two scores in the second half to the Seahawks, but Dak Prescott and Cedrick Wilson — yes, really — kept Dallas in the game and even put them ahead ... before Russell Wilson went and ruined it all with his unimpeachable 2020 greatness. Prescott’s final throw (a forced pass into coverage for a game-deciding interception) was regrettable, but he was otherwise stellar again in another 400-yard passing day. The defense continues to be a major concern, however. Wilson lit up the secondary for five TDs, and it would have been six if not for a boneheaded play for the ages by DK Metcalf. Mike McCarthy’s defense just needs to be respectable for Dallas to be successful. It hasn’t been so far.
ESPN: 17 (LW: 14)
No love for the defense here.
The defense is a mess. The Cowboys aren’t the only team that has a new defense without the benefit of an offseason program, full training camp and preseason. That said, the Cowboys have allowed 97 points in three games, the most to open a season in franchise history. They have allowed 77 points the past two games. There have been injuries (Gerald McCoy, Leighton Vander Esch, Chidobe Awuzie, Sean Lee, Anthony Brown) but they are allowing far too many big plays. They have faced good (Jared Goff) to very good (Matt Ryan) to excellent (Russell Wilson) quarterbacks in the first three weeks. But it just can’t be this bad. — Todd Archer
USA Today: 16 (LW: 16)
A particular comment here about a not-so-great moment from Trysten Hill.
You’d be wise to consider yourself a marked man, Trysten Hill. Pathetic behavior in a game that’s inherently dangerous enough.
Sporting News: 18 (LW: 13)
Among the second half of the group.
The Cowboys couldn’t quite complete their comeback mode against the Falcons, despite Dak Prescott dealing all the way through the final interception. They have totally abandoned their conservative, running ball-control ways, but might need to go back to it more with Prescott throwing too much, Elliott rushing too little and the defense needing the help of staying off the field.
Yahoo: 18 (LW: 17)
Here again.
Dak Prescott is on pace for 6,336 passing yards. And all the Cowboys have to show for it is one lucky win and two losses. The defense has not been good enough, and that’s an understatement. And yet, because the NFC East is so bad, Dallas is still a prohibitive favorite to win a division title.
CBS Sports: 17 (LW: 14)
There is reason to be somewhat optimistic, but all of this is fair.
They are 1-2 and could easily be 0-3. The offense is fun to watch, but that defense is woeful.
Sports Illustrated: 15 (LW: 16)
The highest ranking for the Cowboys of the group.
One of the arguments for the Cowboys’ predicted resurgence this year was the fact that they were 1-6 in one-score games last season. Surely that luck would have to turn, right? Well, the Cowboys have already lost two one-score games this year and were a Falcons’ on-side kick recovery away from losing a third.