Not playing football this week was enough to stop the Cowboys from plummeting in this week's power rankings. Two of the three power rankings surveyed have the Cowboys actually rising and the other has them stable. Let's take a look…
NFL.com has the Cowboys rising one spot from 22 to 21 and had this to say about the team changing QBs at the appropriate time:
This was the appropriate time to make the change from Brandon Weeden to Matt Cassel, with Dallas off last week. Another benefit of the bye: The Cowboys didn't have to play another game without Dez Bryant, who could be close to returning -- possibly even for Sunday's game against the Giants. Same with Randy Gregory, who could be back in action for the first time since Week 1, when he injured his ankle. (That pass rush will look pretty good with Gregory back in the fold.) Tony Romo, on the other hand, is several weeks away from suiting up. Cassel should provide the Cowboys a better shot at winning this Sunday. His career TD-to-INT ratio (96:70) is much better than Weeden's (28:30), and unlike the latter, Cassel has experienced success in the NFL before. Granted, it came in 2010, but work with me here.
ESPN.com also touched on the QB switch but didn't elaborate quite as much. They have the Cowboys rising one spot to No. 21, having this to say:
Will Matt Cassel make a difference? He's 9-17 as a starter with a 38.2 Total QBR since the start of the 2011 season.
Finally, FOX Sports has the Cowboys staying idle during its BYE week at No. 16. They had this to say:
Matt Cassel is an excellent play-action passer, but his play relies on the strength of the running game. We could get our first glimpse at Christine Michael as the featured back in Week 7. With Randy Gregory on the way back from injury, the Cowboys could emerge as one of the NFL's elite pass-rushing units.
Will the change to Matt Cassel help the 'Boys climb the power rankings next week and right the ship until Tony Romo returns. We'll all be watching Sunday to find out.
