Thus week’s power rankings are in
It seems inconceivable that the 2023 NFL season is halfway over.
We can begin to see a possible playoff picture at this time because we have a firm grasp on which teams are good and which have underperformed. Everything about this is typical for November.
There are a lot of things that can and will change with half of the season left, but how is the league now doing? As usual, we’ve compiled our power rankings after the most recent round of play and aggregated the Dallas Cowboys’ rankings from various online publications.
1. 8-1 (LW: 1) Philadelphia Eagles
They are experts at seizing the most pivotal opportunities. It really annoys me. Ahh.
2. Ravens of Baltimore, 7-2 (LW: 2)
It seems like no one will ever give them credit where credit is due. They appear to be invincible.
3. Chiefs of Kansas City, 7-2 (LW: 3)
They are 7-2 and still working out their attack. Must be pleasant.
4. Lions of Detroit, 6-2 (LW: 6)
Have you ever had such excitement anticipating the Thanksgiving Day game ahead of us?
5. Jaguars of Jacksonville, 6-2 (LW: 7)
This week they host the 49ers, and it should be epic.
6. Bengals of Cincinnati, 5-3 (LW: 8)
The Bengals are the team I fear the most out of all of them. They never truly disappear. It really is amazing.
7. Cowboys of Dallas, 5-3 (LW: 4)
Sunday’s loss hurt, but it also held out hope for many significant things. Although they now have a lot of work ahead of them and little margin for mistake, the Cowboys are still a very good team.
8. Dolphins of Miami, 6-3 (LW: 5)
The Dolphins, like Dallas, had an opportunity to alter the story but chose not to.
9. 49ers of San Francisco, 5-3 (LW: 9)
They can’t possibly lose four straight, can they?
10. Browns of Cleveland, 5-3 (LW: 12)
In general, Sunday’s game could have been their most comprehensive. It never hurts to watch Amari Cooper work hard for them.
11. Redskins, 5-4 (LW: 10)
Not to put too much emphasis on it, but I have been observing since the offseason how the Bills did very little to bolster a group that was obviously insufficient the previous season. They are also failing in the same areas—injuries don’t help. For now, they are peering in from the outside.
12. Seahawks of Seattle, 5-3 (LW: 11)
They had just as much of an opportunity to win, but it doesn’t seem like they are receiving the same criticism as the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Bills for dropping their measuring stick games.
13. LA Chargers, 4–4 (LW: 13)
Although they have triumphed in their easier games, they face a formidable test at home against Detroit on Sunday. Although it doesn’t seem like people are starting to believe in them again, they are unquestionably discussed in relation to the playoffs.
14. Minnesota Vikings, 5-4 (League: 14).
The story of Joshua Dobbs is incredible.
15. Texans of Houston, 4–4 (LW: 20)
To C.J. Stroud, polite people. They will be a squad that makes the playoffs. Put it in the book.
16. Saints of New Orleans, 5-4 (LW: 15)
Well above.500, but is anyone considering them a decent team?
17. Colts, Indianapolis, 4-5 (LW: 17)
Here, Shane Steichen is performing incredibly well. We are not ready to bury them.
18. 5-3 (LW: 21) Pittsburgh Steelers
They do, of course, have a five-win record, but it feels so erratic and unsustainable. We’ll observe.
19. 4-4 (LW: 18) New York Jets
It is quite unfortunate to see such a superb defense receive zero assistance from the opposition. Almost all parties concur that the Jets coaching staff and front office harmed the team as a whole by failing to acquire a different quarterback option prior to the trade deadline.
20. Commanders of Washington, 4-5 (LW: 22)
Even though the Patriots are, to put it mildly, down, Sunday was very spectacular.
We’re all good with Washington winning games and eliminating themselves from the running for a premier quarterback.
21. Raiders of Las Vegas, 4–4 (LW: 28)
How awful was Josh McDaniels, really?
22. The Buccaneers of Tampa Bay, 3-5 (LW: 25)
Though they were defeated, the offensive had real vitality. But in the end, this team is eh.
23. Packers, Green Bay, 3-5 (LW: 27)
The home fans was thrilled with a victory at Lambeau Field, but this club appears to be in serious trouble. It will be intriguing to observe their offseason strategy regarding the quarterback position.
24. Tennessee Titans: 3-5; length of play: 16
Right now, no one enjoys watching their games.
Los Angeles Rams, 25 (LW: 19), 3-6
No, Matthew Stafford made matters more challenging.
Colorado Broncos, 26. 3-5 (LW: 23)
Say they defeat the Bills on Monday night of the following week.
27. Atlanta Falcons, 4-5; length of play: 24
Given the circumstances, losing to Joshua Dobbs (no offense intended) is an extremely poor impression. The Falcons add so much unnecessary complexity to everything.
28. Patriots of New England, 2-7 (LW: 26)
Observing them perform so poorly on a regular basis is really odd.
29. Bears of Chicago, 2-7 (LW: 32)
In a way, the Tyson Bagent situation is entertaining. You will have to watch them because they are playing on Thursday night, so I hope you feel the same way.
30. Panthers of Carolina, 1-7 (LW: 29)
The fact that the team traded up for a quarterback who isn’t the best in the 2023 class must worry fans a great deal.
31. 1-8 Arizona Cardinals (LW: 31)
It’s true that I’m excited to see Kyler Murray again. However, this team has been eliminated.
32. New York Giants, 2–7; length of play: 30
Best wishes for Daniel Jones’s recuperation after an ACL tear. For the Giants this season, everything has gone wrong. All of it.
NFL.com: 8; Length: 6.
Down a tiny bit.
I just couldn’t kill the Cowboys for brutally losing a game they certainly could have and probably should have won in Philadelphia because of a few inches here, a foot out of bounds there, and a turnover that got an unfortunate bounce. But ought I to? The question is whether or not you believe that falling short on occasion in some of these important plays is a recurring problem. Yes, given all the red-zone mishaps, the Week 3 loss to Arizona is glaringly obvious. Sunday is another proof that something is wrong. Nevertheless, they’ve proven they can outperform the Chargers in crucial situations and smash mediocre teams. It’s ambiguous. Despite the defense’s strong late-game performance and several huge plays from Dak Prescott, I’m not giving up on Dallas just yet. But over time, I’m concerned.
9 on ESPN (LW: 5)
A little more of a decline. Each team’s MVP who isn’t a quarterback was also mentioned.
MVP off the QB: WR CeeDee Lamb
Lamb is on track to eclipse Hall of Famer Michael Irvin in the number of catches (121) and yards (1,751) he logs in a single season for the Cowboys. He is the first Dallas receiver to have two straight games with 150 receiving yards since Miles Austin in 2009. Only Hall of Famer Bob Hayes (15) has had more 100-yard receiving performances in his career than he has. Either playing up outside or in the slot, Lamb is still producing a ton of plays in spite of the increased attention from opponents.With Todd Archer.
USA Today: 8; Letter W: 6.
This week, Dallas is a popular place to visit.
Their next three games overall are against teams who are a combined 12 games below.500, and four of their next five games are at AT&T Stadium. A great chance to gain ground in the NFC East before the rematch with Philadelphia in Week 14—especially if wide receiver CeeDee Lamb continues to be productive, having racked up 30 receptions for 466 yards in the last three games.
Yahoo: 9; Length: 6
Several harsher remarks regarding the Cowboys.
Micah Parsons is free to declare that everything will be alright the next time, but he essentially said the same thing following the 49ers’ lopsided victory. Against the Eagles, the Cowboys managed to waste a winnable game by making a mistake each time a winning chance came along. The issue is that the Cowboys experience this much too frequently during important games. Rather than being a result of misfortune, it appears that this is ingrained in their DNA.
7 for CBS Sports (LW: 4)
The majority of people concur that last week’s performance offers some foundation for improvement.
Though they were defeated by the Eagles, they should be pleased with their performance. In a crucial game, Dak Prescott made a big play that will be crucial in the future.
The Sportsman: 12 (LW: 9)
They distributed report cards as well. Overall, this seems a little depressing.
Card of report: C-plus
Because of their position in the league’s history and owner Jerry Jones’ tendency to paint his team in a negative light, the Cowboys are usually given a bad score. The fact that Mike McCarthy fired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and declared himself the leader of the Dallas offense makes this year’s attention much more intense. Instead, the Cowboys are presently 0-2 in two matchup games (with Philadelphia and San Francisco) and rank in the middle of the pack offensively (5.3 yards per play, 14th overall).
Illustrated Sports: 9 (LW: 6)
And that’s it.
I had assumed that this would be the game where Dallas would finally give up its tremendous indecision over whether to be the bully of bad teams in difficult circumstances or the victim of bullying against excellent teams. And up to the very end of the game, it was mostly the case. Although it’s unfair to categorize teams into stories, it seems like Dallas usually experiences something similar, or at the very least, that we tend to identify with the Cowboys, when they have an opportunity to score against the Eagles and then blow it. They will regret dropping this one, any way.