2023 NFL Week 9 Power Rankings: The Dallas Cowboys continue to climb

We are flirting with the halfway point of the 2023 NFL season. How did it get here so fast?

Only one week remains until we reach double digits so it would be great if things could slow down just a bit. With over two months worth of data to sit on, we have knowledge of who teams are across the entire league and obviously feel like we understand who the 2023 Dallas Cowboys are as well.

But the NFL is a week to week league and things to tend to change every cycle. Week 8 is now officially in the books and we have thoughts on the state of each and every team.

Here are our latest power rankings as well as where other outlets across the internet have the Cowboys in theirs.

You can see last week’s rankings right here.

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1. Philadelphia Eagles, 7-1 (LW: 2)

It felt like they were going to lose and they wound up dropping over 30 points as they improved to 7-1. We may not like them, but that is highly impressive. This is a big week.

2. Baltimore Ravens, 6-2 (LW: 3)

Ugly wins count. Getting them in Arizona would be a nice thing to do, wouldn’t it?

3. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-2 (LW: 1)

This isn’t just about the Chiefs losing. They have looked a tad off (in terms of our expectations for them) for a little bit. Time to right the ship in Germany against Miami.

4. Dallas Cowboys, 5-2 (LW: 5)

Sunday was impressive, but fair or not the world will hold their judgment until after the Eagles game.

5. Miami Dolphins, 6-2 (LW: 6)

The train keeps on rolling right along.

6. Detroit Lions, 6-2 (LW: 7)

Monday night was a bit touch and go, but they found a way the way that good teams tend to do so.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars, 6-2 (LW: 8)

What a great way to reach the bye week for the Jags. Plus, next up they have a reeling 49ers team and a chance to really send a message to the league.

8. Cincinnati Bengals, 4-3 (LW: 9)

Don’t look now, but they are at the very least well on their way back.

9. San Francisco 49ers, 5-3 (LW: 4)

It feels dangerous to have them this low, but they have lost three games in a row at this point. I am very certain their stay down here will not be long.

10. Buffalo Bills, 5-3 (LW: 10)

As noted above wins are wins and I do not mean to discredit, but Thursday night was not exactly supremely inspiring. I’m still a little out on Buffalo. They also have quite the tall order in store for them this week.

11. Seattle Seahawks, 5-2 (LW: 12)

What an impressive outing against that Browns defense.

12. Cleveland Browns, 4-3 (LW: 11)

Nobody knows what to think of their offense, but whatever it is it will likely be a part of a playoff team.

13. Los Angeles Chargers, 3-4 (LW: 22)

It feels like this is the drop-off point for contenders as we see them at the moment. The Chargers can kind of sneak into that conversation I suppose, but they have a lot of work to do. Kudos for taking care of an inferior opponent. Next up is the Jets in primetime.

14. Minnesota Vikings, 4-4 (LW: 13)

I’ve always felt like people were way too harsh on Kirk Cousins. We know what it’s like for a franchise quarterback to not get the respect that they have earned and he falls into that category. Terrible news about his injury.

What happens to Cousins in the offseason will be fascinating, but for now, where do the Vikings go next? It is hard to know.

15. New Orleans Saints, 4-4 (LW: 18)

Back to .500 and well in contention for the super mighty NFC South.

16. Tennessee Titans, 3-4 (LW: 20)

Those uniforms looked incredible.

17. Indianapolis Colts, 3-5 (LW: 19)

It appears rather evident that Shane Steichen is a great coach.

18. New York Jets, 4-3 (LW: 23)

They won the ugliest game of all time but are above .500 since they walked into AT&T Stadium many weeks ago.

19. Los Angeles Rams, 3-5 (LW: 14)

All the best to Matthew Stafford.

20. Houston Texans, 3-4 (LW: 15)

We are still early in this new era, but Sunday was a bit disappointing.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers, 4-3 (LW: 17)

It feels illogical that they are 4-3. We’ll see them on Thursday night.

22. Washington Commanders, 3-5 (LW: 26)

I’ll give them a bit of credit for making things close with Philly, but that is really all they are. They can be kind of interesting before they ultimately are not.

23. Denver Broncos, 3-5 (LW: 28)

They beat the Chiefs! Finally!

24. Atlanta Falcons, 4-4 (LW: 16)

Does anybody enjoy watching this team?

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-4 (LW: 21)

Obviously they are nowhere near out of the running in the division, but it feels like we have seen their ceiling.

26. New England Patriots, 2-6 (LW: 24)

Same sort of story here, except they are definitely not in the running for their division.

27. Green Bay Packers, 2-5 (LW: 25)

It sure is difficult when you do not have a HOF quarterback to constantly bail you out, huh?

28. Las Vegas Raiders, 3-4 (LW: 31)

They have to be sellers at the deadline, right? Right?

29. Carolina Panthers, 1-6 (LW: 32)

They are on the board in the Bryce Young regime.

30. New York Giants, 2-6 (LW: 27)

Just when you think it can’t get any worse, the New York Giants happen.

31. Arizona Cardinals, 1-7 (LW: 30)

Perhaps they are not going to be a fun team that started a run with the Cowboys after all, ha.

32. Chicago Bears, 2-6 (LW: 29)

Sigh.

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NFL.com: 6 (LW: 8)

The rise has begun.

The Cowboys have picked themselves off the mat since the 49ers debacle in Week 5. A gut-check road win in Week 6, the Week 7 bye and the three-phase destruction of the Rams — a get-right game if ever there was one for the offense — have been cleansing. On Sunday, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb were as locked in as they’ve ever been. The early pass protection was frightening, and Tyron Smith returning would be huge, although that unit settled in eventually. Since losing to San Francisco, the Cowboys have answered several questions. But more loom in Week 9, which will feature the biggest game for the Cowboys in forever, a trip to Philly that rates five out of five stars on the Madden-Summerall 4:25 ET scale.

ESPN: 5 (LW: 7)

Each write-up included an assessment on the quarterback play from the team by way of the worldwide leader’s reporter who covers that team.

Team QBR: 65.0 (8th)

Dak Prescott has stepped up his play the past two games, and he has done more with his legs, not just with his running but buying time outside the pocket to make off-script plays. As he has gotten more comfortable with Mike McCarthy as the playcaller, he has been able to find his way in certain situations. Prescott has three games this year in which he has completed at least 80% of his passes, but some of that was due to quick, shorter throws. Against the Rams on Sunday, he was 7-of-9 for 133 yards and three touchdowns on passes of 10 or more air yards in the first half. When Prescott completes more than half of his throws of 10 yards or more, the Cowboys are 4-0 this year, per ESPN Stats & Information. — Todd Archer

USA Today: 6 (LW: 7)

Up one spot.

One weapon we might not talk about enough? K Brandon Aubrey, formerly a professional soccer player who was drafted by the MLS’ Toronto FC. Now a 28-year-old NFL rookie, if Aubrey hits his next field goal, he’ll set an NFL record for most consecutive makes (19) to start a career.

Yahoo: 6 (LW: 7)

Another moderate rise.

The Cowboys’ offense hasn’t always been effective this season, but it was good on Sunday against the Rams. If the Cowboys can keep that momentum going into this weekend’s game against the Eagles, they have a shot to get a win that would change the entire NFC East race.

CBS Sports: 4 (LW: 6)

Moving on up.

They’ve won two straight as they head to Philadelphia for a big game with the Eagles. Dak Prescott was really good against the Rams, which has to carry over this week if the Cowboys are to beat the Eagles.

The Athletic: 9 (LW: 9)

No movement here. They also leaned into the Halloween theme.

Something scary (for others): This version of Dallas

The Cowboys led Sunday’s game 33-3 late in the second quarter. We’ve seen them do this to teams. Their first three wins were by a combined 108-13, but this was the best team the Cowboys have done this to. Cornerback Daron Bland returned his third interception for a touchdown this season, joining Derrick Brooks and Darren Sharper as the only players to do that in a single season in NFL history.

Sports Illustrated: 6 (LW: 5)

Dallas dropped here. The Bengals, sixth last week, were the team who jumped them.

It’s hard not to appreciate Dallas’s killer instinct. A pick-six, a back-breaking sack, a blocked punt and quick-strike touchdown in succession put the opposing team not only at an immense point deficit but also an emotional deficit. The Cowboys can be overwhelming in all three phases when they’re clicking, and Sunday was one of those afternoons. Dak Prescott outplayed just about every NFL quarterback this weekend, save for Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow.