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We are now two weeks into the 2022 NFL season which means we can start to draw some legitimate conclusions about each and every one of these teams.
It is obviously still very early, but the sample size is growing. Some teams are living up to their highly-touted status where others are folding despite high expectations. Others are coming out of nowhere to shock and surprise us, the NFL is the gift that truly keeps on giving.
As we do every week we have assembled our power rankings of how the league looks at present time. We have also gathered where top outlets across the internet have the Dallas Cowboys.
You can visit last week’s rankings right here. Let’s begin.
1 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 1)
They look like the best team in the NFL. Period.
2 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 2)
Last week gave us our first opportunity to see the Chiefs take on the new-look Chargers.
Nothing has changed. The AFC West still belongs to Kansas City.
3 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 7)
It is difficult not to fight against the claim that they look like the best overall team in the NFC at the moment. It sucks.
4 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 6)
Things are very weird with the Bucs right now and they will be even more difficult without Mike Evans against the Packers this week. Their defense is clearly impressive, but Tom Brady does not look like his usual GOAT self.
5 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 11)
The most impressive win from last week may have belonged to Miami. Tua looked phenomenal with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That offense is so much fun to watch and can make up ground and points in a hurry.
6 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 10)
They had their way with a lower-quality opponent, but they look like they are turning the corner.
7 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 8)
They almost blew a 28-3 lead to the Atlanta Falcons. A win is a win, believe us we know, but they still feel somewhat eh overall.
8 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 4)
Unfortunately somebody had to lose the game to the Miami Dolphins and this week it was the Ravens. One thing remains certain and it is that Lamar Jackson is going to get paid in the offseason. He looks incredible.
9 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 5)
It feels like forever ago that they lost to the Chiefs. Last Thursday was just one game, but the Chargers are clearly not totally ready yet. They can be in due time.
10 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 20)
They woke up and stole a game. That is something that elite teams do.
Now can they be that team all of the time?
11 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 3)
This is tough for me. I am a big believer in the Vikings and they were thrashed by they who must not be named. They will be back, but Monday night was rough.
12 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 13)
The Trey Lance injury is awful. We know that Jimmy Garoppolo can win games, again believe us we know, but overall this is a weird time for the 49ers.
13 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 12)
It felt like the Saints got by just a bit in Week 1 and things ultimately did catch up to them on Sunday. They are going to hang around in a lot of games, but they have a clear ceiling.
14 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 14)
They definitely have to turn to Kenny Pickett, right? Sunday wasn’t great, but Mike Tomlin always finds a way.
15 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 15)
Personally I thought they would at least cover last week given the fact that they traditionally own the 49ers. Obviously the game went sideways after the Trey Lance injury but beyond that the Seahawks just aren’t very good.
16 - New York Giants (LW: 21)
They are here because they are 2-0 and respect to them for being so.
But their wins have felt like things that barely happened. Time to see what they’ve got for real.
17 - Washington Commanders (LW: 17)
We can make all of the jokes that we want to, but this offense is very good. Carson Wentz did a lot of damage in garbage time but this will in no way be an easy game next Sunday.
18 - Denver Broncos (LW: 18)
They barely have one win and have faced off against two not exactly great opponents.
What’s more is that Nathaniel Hackett so far looks like one of the least-prepared coaches in the NFL. But it has to work out eventually, right?
19 - Detroit Lions (LW: 27)
Sunday was a huge day for the Lions as they finally showed up in a big way and may be turning a corner as far as the Dan Campbell era is concerned.
Time to build on it, though.
20 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 32)
On paper Sunday was an impressive win. They beat the reigning AFC Champions and did it with Cooper Rush!
Clearly though the Bengals are not the great team many thought them to be. And for what it’s worth the Cowboys flirted with blowing the game.
All told Dallas steadied the ship and that is very notable given the chaos that swallowed them last week. It is time to take more than one step forward at a time. Up next, the Giants.
21 - New England Patriots (LW: 29)
Sunday looked like a classic Patriots game where they just outlasted their opponent. The ceiling still feels low for them overall, but a win is a win.
22 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 30)
Doug Pederson put an end to all of the “was Frank Reich really the mastermind” conversations, didn’t he?
23 - New York Jets (LW: 31)
Robert Saleh wrote a check and cashed it. Good for him.
24 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 16)
Sunday’s loss is going to sting the Raiders for a while given that they seemingly had things wrapped up. There are some things to like about their team, but it seems like it might take time to come together.
25 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 9)
It is very clear that the Bengals are no longer the AFC Champions. They dedicated their entire offseason to fixing their offensive line and while they had to face off against TJ Watt and Micah Parsons to start the season they arguably look worse.
Starting off 0-2 is typically a bad sign for NFL teams. Joe Burrow is great, but are the Bengals already in too big of a hole?
26 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 19)
Shout out to the Jets. Oh, Amari Cooper caught a touchdown.
27 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 25)
It is not going well in Tennessee.
28 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 26)
They are hanging in their games, but there is no real prize for that.
29 - Chicago Bears (LW: 22)
The Bears that we thought we would see this season showed up on Sunday night.
They are... not good.
30 - Houston Texans (LW: 23)
Same goes for the Texans.
31 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 24)
They might be the worst team in the NFL.
32 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 28)
If not for this one.
NFL.com: 21 (LW: 27)
On the way up!
The Cowboys were left for dead by many (who, me?) after a grim Week 1 that included a non-competitive loss to the Bucs and Dak Prescott’s thumb injury. But America’s Team showed fight on Sunday. They jumped out to an early lead against the defending AFC champion Bengals, held off a Joe Burrow-led comeback, then got a 50-yard field goalfrom Brett Maher at the gun to secure a 20-17 victory at Jerrah World. Cooper Rush made several big-time throws in his first start in place of Prescott, the biggest a 10-yard connection to CeeDee Lamb that put Dallas in field-goal position in the final minute. Lamb also received some much-needed help from fellow wideout Noah Brown, who had receptions on all five of his targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. If the Rush-led offense can stay this competent, a strong Dallas defense will keep this team afloat.
ESPN: 21 (LW: 26)
Alrighty.
Biggest early adjustment: Make Micah Parsons a full-time pass-rusher
He can be an All-Pro off-the-ball linebacker, too, but pass-rushers change the game more than those guys. Against Cincinnati, Parsons almost exclusively lined up at pass-rusher and had two sacks and was credited with 10 pressures. He has four sacks in two games. He can win with speed and power. The Cowboys want to be able to line Parsons up all over the field to create mismatches, which is smart, but he is often a mismatch when he lines up solely at defensive end, too. If they do that, he might make a run at the single-season sack record. He might just do it anyway. — Todd Archer
USA Today: 16 (LW: 28)
This is quite generous.
Cooper Rush is the first Dallas quarterback to win his first two starts since ... Jason Garrett (1993-94). The Cowboys will likely be grateful if Rush doesn’t approach Garrett’s nine career starts with the team.
Yahoo: 20 (LW: 23)
This was quite critical of the Bengals who they have at 15.
Micah Parsons is even better than last season. If he stays healthy, he looks primed to win NFL defensive player of the year. If Cooper Rush plays like he did in the win over the Bengals on Sunday, the defense will keep Dallas in games. Maybe they’ll be OK by the time Dak Prescott comes back.
CBS Sports: 19 (LW: 24)
Inside the top 20!
Cooper Rush played a solid game against the Bengals, but it was a game won by the defense. Now let’s see what Rush does on the road against the Giants.
The Athletic: 25 (LW: 32)
They are lowest on the Cowboys of the group.
This is a Micah Parsons appreciation capsule.
Parsons having the most sacks of any player through his first 18 games is insane when you remember pass rushing is not his only job. Since entering the league, Parsons has sacked or hit the quarterback on 10.1 percent of his 345 pass-rush snaps, per TruMedia. The rest of the top five since last season among players with at least 300 pass-rush snaps include T.J. Watt (8.9 percent), Nick Bosa (7.4 percent), Randy Gregory (6.8 percent) and Matt Judon (6.5 percent).
Big picture, getting even one win with Rush at the helm is probably enough to keep the Cowboys in the NFC East mix until Dak Prescott returns — whenever that is.
Sports Illustrated: 21 (LW: 24)
That’s that.
Kudos to Mike McCarthy, who let Cooper Rush rip on Sunday (relatively speaking) and stunned a reeling Bengals team. Micah Parsons should be dominating the defensive player of the year discussion.
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