Everyone loves rankings, even if they don't always matter to the grand scheme of the NFL, which uses a formulated playoff system for the postseason.
Still, it's always fun to see how the teams stack up. Each week, we'll scan a variety of Power Rankings from some of the biggest media outlets to see how the Cowboys stack up against the rest of the league.
Let's find out where the rankings have the Cowboys after suffering their first loss last week.
ESPN: 1.) San Francisco 2.) Miami 3.) Philadelphia 4.) Kansas City 5.) Buffalo 6.) Dallas Cowboys –"The Cowboys converted on 3 of 4 chances inside the New York Giants' 20 in the opener but have scored a touchdown on 3 of 11 red zone drives in the past two games. Last season, they did not score a touchdown on just 16 of 56 red zone trips. They are already halfway to last year's total misses in just three games. The best red zone teams run the ball into the end zone but against the Cardinals, the Cowboys were without three starting offensive linemen. They need their receivers to win on their routes more. They need Dak Prescott to be more accurate in tight quarters. And Mike McCarthy needs to scheme it better when that close. – Todd Archer
NFL.com: ESPN: 1.) Miami 2.) San Francisco 3.) Kansas City 4.) Philadelphia 5.) Buffalo 6.) Dallas – Well, now we know what it looks like when Dallas has a bad day on both sides of the ball. Even with Trevon Diggslost for the year, the Cowboys should not be having games like this going forward. It's easier to excuse the offensive issues, given the absence of three starting linemen. The defensive breakdowns in the first half were proof that a quality, creative offense can put this team in some uncomfortable spots, especially without Diggs on the field. The secondary, save for maybe Stephon Gilmore, had a tough game. There's no question this loss to Arizona dramatically changes my view of this team. Eventual Super Bowl winners have been known to put up a regular-season dud along the way, although seldom more than one." – Eric Edholm
CBS Sports: 1.) San Francisco 2.) Philadelphia 3.) Kansas City 4.) Miami 5.) Buffalo 6.) Dallas – "Let's give them a mulligan for that loss to the Cardinals, but it needs to be a wake-up call. Maybe they were reading how great the defense was heading into that game, but it wasn't that day." – Pete Prisco
USAToday: 1.) San Francisco 2.) Philadelphia 3.) Miami 4.) Kansas City 5.) Buffalo 6.) Detroit 7.) Pittsburgh 8.) Cleveland 9.) Dallas Cowboys – "Right or wrong, HC Mike McCarthy is adhering to his desire "to run the damn ball," RB Tony Pollard with a league-high 62 carries – a per-game pace more than double his career average. If only those touches could fix Dallas' woeful (40%) red-zone percentage. – Nate Davis
