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.) Arizona Cardinals 3.) Los Angeles Rams 4.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5.) Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 6)
"To a degree this feels like nitpicking because the Cowboys' defense has outperformed expectations so far entering the season. But when they play better quarterbacks down the stretch---and potentially in the playoffs-- they can't have these types of lapses. They have allowed 31 plays of at least 20 yards in the first seven games. They allowed the same amount through the first seven games a season ago. The difference is this season they are getting takeaways and coming up with stops. This was a focus of the coaches during the bye week, but the Cowboys allowed four more big plays against the Vikings. It has not hurt them yet, but it could later. -Todd Archer
NFL.com: 1.) Green Bay Packers
2.) Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 4)
"No matter what happens from this point forward, Cooper Rush will always have Sunday night. The backup QB stepped in for Dak Prescott and made a series of big throws in a 20-16 win over the Vikings in Minneapolis. Dallas' sixth consecutive victory showed how the Cowboys can survive -- in the short term, anyway -- without their star quarterback, while providing a showcase for just how much their defense has improved in Dan Quinn's first year at the controls. Dallas made Kirk Cousins miserable all night and all but removed Justin Jefferson from the field. The Cowboys used to be a top-heavy operation comprised of stars and scrubs. Not anymore." -Dan Hanzus
CBS Sports: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Los Angeles Rams 3.) Buffalo Bills 4.) Arizona Cardinals 5.) Tennessee Titans 6.) New Orleans Saints 7.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8.) Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 5)
"Winning on the road with a backup quarterback against a good team is why they are a real Super Bowl threat. The defense is getting better by the week." -Pete Prisco
Next weekend the Cowboys will play the Denver Broncos who experts have ranked 22nd (CBS Sports), 18th (ESPN), and 23rd (NFL.com)
