2022 NFL Week 11 Power Rankings: The sky is hardly falling for the Dallas Cowboys

We have reached Week 11 and at long last every single team in the NFL has officially lost a game. Parity is alive and well, and this season has taught us that just about anything that can happen, and most certainly will.

Things are a bit tough for the Cowboys coming off of a loss to the Green Bay Packers, but Monday night’s result helped us get over that a bit quicker. Everything that Dallas wants to accomplish is not totally out of reach and that includes repeating as NFC East winners.

There are so few things that we can trust across the entire league right now which means we are likely in store for a hectic ride throughout the holiday season. As we do every week we have put together our power rankings of how things stand in this current moment and collected here outlets across the internet have the Cowboys in theirs.

You can visit last week’s rankings right here. Let’s begin.

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1 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1)

They look like the most dominant offense in the NFL right now and a big part of that is because they have the best quarterback in the league right now. It is their time.

2 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 5)

Last week we noted that they were not getting a ton of respect and they went out and beat the Bills in Buffalo as a result. Sunday will be a tall task for the Cowboys.

3 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 2)

An understandable drop after losing at home to the Washington Commanders.

4 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 8)

We are not talking enough about how they could legitimately win the AFC East and leave Buffalo in a haze of confusion.

5 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 3)

Speaking of, Josh Allen threw a costly fourth quarter interception with his team up by 10. He then had the fumbled snap near the goal line. After that he threw the game-losing interception in overtime.

He is wonderful, but the national media sure does avoid holding him accountable the way that they do others.

6 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 4)

Sunday was tough, there is no other way to put it.

Next up though are big games against the Vikings and Giants. Time so strap in.

7 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 6)

They were on their bye but remain a team not getting enough credit.

8 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 11)

The way they operate is so admirable. They get it done however they need to.

9 - New York Giants (LW: 12)

Before they visit the Cowboys on Thanksgiving they will host the Detroit Lions.

It is very possible that Dallas is hosting an 8-2 team on Turkey Day.

10 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 7)

You can’t win every game and they ran into a Buccaneers team that is starting to get it together a bit.

11 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 9)

Back from the bye, time to show us something.

12 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 10)

Similar to San Francisco, they find a way to get it done even if it isn’t pretty. They struggled against the Broncos but they have six wins to their name and a likely division title to give them a home playoff game.

13 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 16)

Sunday felt like they turned a bit of a corner. The NFC South is very winnable and they look like a team capable of taking advantage of that.

14 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 19)

It is hard to believe last week’s game between them and the Rams even happened. It was that boring.

15 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 13)

When are we going to stop pretending like the Chargers are an elite team? They are not very good and now we have to watch them in primetime again.

16 - New York Jets (LW: 14)

Welcome back from the bye, too. Get back to work.

17 - New England Patriots (LW: 15)

Same here.

18 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 25)

WHY. JUST WHY.

19 - Washington Commanders (LW: 24)

What a huge win.

20 - Chicago Bears (LW: 20)

Justin Fields is arguably the most exciting player in the NFL right now. This season is what it is, but the future is very fun and interesting for the Bears.

21 - Detroit Lions (LW: 23)

Obviously the Lions beat them but they have their own problems... like who their franchise quarterback is going to be. They are supposed to be turning the corner on their rebuild and we haven’t seen any real signs of that.

22 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 22)

Blah.

23 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 30)

Mike Tomlin is keeping hope alive that they can finish above .500!

24 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 18)

They are the peak of boring. And operating without Cooper Kupp for a while isn’t going to make things better.

25 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 21)

Although this team comes close.

26 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 26)

Sure they looked a little fun against Kansas City, but the bar cannot always be that low.

We need to see legitimate progress. It is more of the same sort of flashes.

27 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 28)

A win is a win. But it seems like Baker Mayfield is back.

28 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 17)

They made it competitive late last week on Thursday night, but ultimately this is a pretty limited team.

29 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 32)

Their win really says more about their opponent than them, don’t you think?

30 - Denver Broncos (LW: 29)

It is amazing how truly awful this team is.

31 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 27)

But they are definitely worse.

32 - Houston Texans (LW: 31)

The ultimate bad football team.

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NFL.com: 8 (LW: 4)

So it begins.

The Cowboys had a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and the opportunity to step on the throat of the Packers in their own building. Instead, the Dallas offense went cold, the defense couldn’t get the big stop, and Green Bay walked off the visitors in a 31-28 overtime stunner. After the game, Mike McCarthy — his Lambeau homecoming effectively ruined — stood by his decision to bypass a long field-goal attempt and go for it on fourth-and-3 in overtime. With a defender wrapped around his legs on the play, Dak Prescott couldn’t hit his target, leading McCarthy to chuck his headset into the turf — a fitting display of frustration in this missed opportunity for Big D. “I mean, I think it’s disgusting,” linebacker Micah Parsons said of the loss. “It’s something that just can’t happen. Like, it’s bad. We’ve got to be able to finish games in this league, especially when it’s guys like (Aaron) Rodgers.”

ESPN: 9 (LW: 5)

A bit lower

Who was on the hot seat in preseason: Coach Mike McCarthy

Temperature of seat right now: Lukewarm

No matter what the Cowboys did in the regular season, McCarthy’s success was always going to be determined by the playoffs. There are issues that need to be fixed, especially the run defense. But McCarthy deserves a ton of credit for keeping the Cowboys afloat during Dak Prescott’s five-game absence. Yet he was brought to Dallas to do what Jason Garrett couldn’t do — get past the divisional round. Once the playoffs roll around, the clocks reset for McCarthy and Prescott. — Todd Archer

USA Today: 6 (LW: 4)

Not as big of an overreaction here.

A defense that’s supposedly elite was dismembered by a Green Bay offense that hadn’t done much this year – before handing Dallas its first-ever loss (in 196 games) after leading by 14+ points entering the fourth quarter. Next up, a trip to Minnesota, where the Vikes average nearly 30 points and 400 yards.

Yahoo: 7 (LW: 4)

This is a popular area for the Cowboys this week.

I don’t have any issue with Mike McCarthy going for it on fourth-and-3. Those ripping him like criticizing McCarthy and also judge decisions after they see the results. Dallas losing after leading by 14 in the fourth quarter — Dallas was 195-0, counting playoffs, when it led by 14 points through three quarters before Sunday — is certainly disappointing. But an overtime loss at a desperate Green Bay team isn’t the end of the world. The Cowboys are still very good.

CBS Sports: 8 (LW: 5)

Still inside of the top 10.

Losing on the road to the Packers is a bad loss. Dak Prescott has to be better than he played for stretches in that game and the defense let them down by blowing a 14-point lead.

The Athletic: 8 (LW: 4)

Same spot here.

Dallas blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in its loss at Lambeau Field, thanks in part to a defensive game plan that honestly made a lot of sense. Against the Packers’ previously stagnant passing offense, the Cowboys played man-to-man on 77.3 percent of Green Bay’s passing plays, per TruMedia. That’s the highest rate of man coverage in a game this season.

Mike McCarthy’s headset spike following the overtime turnover on downs will be the lasting image of the game. I’m still fascinated by this detail in Matt Schneidman’s interview with Aaron Rodgers about his relationship with McCarthy: “(After McCarthy was fired), I did get a chance to drop off something that I made for him that was really meaningful to me for Christmas that year, and that’s kind of how we ended off in 2018.”

Would it have been too much to ask for McCarthy to patrol the sideline Sunday wearing the macaroni necklace?

Sports Illustrated: 8 (LW: 4)

And again.

Dallas can look so good and so vulnerable in the same game. We saw as much in Green Bay. With the Giants and Vikings coming up, we’ll see them veer onto the road of legitimate Super Bowl contention or one of early-round losses and disappointment.