Power rankings after the Super Bowl have the Cowboys at 19th

On Sunday night Tom Brady did his GOAT thing again. He took a Tampa Bay Buccaneers club to a Super Bowl victory to close out the 2020 season. In truth, Brady needs to share that MVP trophy with a wicked defense (shoutout to Todd Bowles) that befuddled Patrick Mahomes and his high-flying Chiefs offense. All teams are looking at the offseason now that the Super Bowl is done.

With that in mind, ESPN did a power ranking after the Super Bowl completed. Last year the Cowboys were pretty consistently ranked near or in the Top 10 of offseason power rankings. This year, not so much. They come in at 19th.

19. Dallas Cowboys

2020 record: 6-10

Offseason in three or fewer words: All about Dak

It’s been this way since the 2018 season ended. Twice Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ front office have had negotiations on long-term deals and were unable to get a contract done. Now, they face a third set of talks, with the hopes of getting it worked out or facing the possibility of finding another quarterback, either for this upcoming season or 2022. If the Cowboys tag Prescott for a second season, it would cost them $37.7 million and chew up a significant part of their salary cap. A long-term deal would do the same, but they would have their quarterback for at least the next four years. — Todd Archer

As usual, the outlook for the Cowboys offseason and prospects for the 2021 season rest on the decision around Dak Prescott. That’s the top priority for the Cowboys. Next up, pretty quickly after that, would be too improve a failing defense.

A ranking of 19th isn’t exactly a surprise given how the team played last year. All the injuries weren’t enough to sway voters into thinking that the Cowboys 2020 season was a blip, a glitch, a one-off event. There isn't a lot of belief in the roster as presently constructed.

But, they are the highest ranked team in the NFC East. The Washington Football Team comes in 21st, the New York Giants are 25th and the Philadelphia Eagles are 26th.

Is 19th a fair ranking for the Cowboys? And should they be ranked ahead of the NFC East champs, the Football Team?