Once the finals seconds tick off the clock of Monday Night Football, it's officially a new NFL week, and all the experts and prognosticators have all the results they need to decide which teams are the top contenders at this exact moment in time. The Cowboys have already played some statement games this season, but is the national media buying them? Every week we'll round up three of the league's most read and respected Power Rankings (ESPN, NFL.com, and CBS Sports) to see where Dallas stands among the rest of the league.
ESPN: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Tennessee Titans 3.) Arizona Cardinals
4.) Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 7)
"Most Important Remaining Game?: Jan. 2 vs. Cardinals. With nearly a four-game lead in the NFC East, it's difficult to say that any of the four remaining division games are the biggest games. Dec. 2 at New Orleans is pretty big for conference purposes, but the biggest is the Cardinals matchup because home field advantage in the NFC could be up for grabs. The Cowboys might feel like they owe Arizona a little too after they were throttled 38-10 at AT&T Stadium a year ago. The Cowboys still have some business they must attend to for that game to be as big as it possibly can be, but if they want to be real contenders, they will be in position to lay claim to the top spot in the conference. -Todd Archer
NFL.com: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Tennessee Titans
3.) Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 5)
"You don't want to play an angry Cowboys team. A week after getting blown out by the Broncos in one of the most surprising outcomes of the season, Dallas returned the favor against a Falcons team that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the 43-3 demolition -- a game in which the Cowboys took a 36-3 lead into halftime -- Jerry Jones said he couldn't remember a more dominant performance in his 30-plus years as owner. The win -- paired with a Cardinals loss to the Panthers -- moves the Cowboys one game out of the top spot in the NFC as they hit a critical juncture in their schedule with matchups against the Chiefs, Raiders, and Saints over a 12-day span. Buckle up. -Dan Hanzus
CBS Sports: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Tennessee Titans 3.) Buffalo Bills 4.) Arizona Cardinals
5.) Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 8)
"The offense got cranked up against Atlanta, which is what we expected to see. They will be tough to beat come playoff time." -Pete Prisco
Next weekend the Cowboys will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs who experts have ranked 10th (CBS Sports), 8th (ESPN), and 7th (NFL.com)
