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 (Bleacher Report, NFL.com, and CBS Sports) to see where Dallas stands among the rest of the league.
Bleacher Report: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Kansas City Chiefs 3.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4.) Los Angeles Rams 5.) Buffalo Bills
6.) Dallas Cowboys
"The Cowboys may be smack dab in the middle of these rankings, but they're arguably the most complete squad among those remaining. They have an elite quarterback, excellent running back table, top-notch line, multiple weapons in the passing game and an aggressive defense that flies to the ball and creates turnovers. They probably aren't getting enough credit after a strong 12-5 campaign." -Brent Sibleski
NFL.com: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3.) Kansas City Chiefs 4.) Tennessee Titans 5.) Buffalo Bills 6.) Cincinnati Bengals 7.) San Francisco 49ers 8.) Los Angeles Rams
9.) Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 10)
"For the second time in three weeks, the Cowboys flexed their muscles in an intimidating fashion. The victim this time was a shorthanded Eagles defense, which had no answers against the NFC East champs. Dak Prescott led the way in the Cowboys' 51-26 win, throwing five touchdown passes to give him 35 for the season and bump Tony Romo from atop the franchise record books. Mike McCarthy's team had no problem beating up on a pair of compromised division foes down the stretch, but the big question remains in Big D: Can the Cowboys play like bullies against superior competition?" -Dan Hanzus
CBS Sports: 1.) Green Bay Packers 2.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3.) Tennessee Titans 4.) Buffalo Bills 5.) Kansas City Chiefs 6.) Cincinnati Bengals 7.) New England Patriots 8.) Los Angeles Rams 9.) Arizona Cardinals
10.) Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 10)
"They head to the playoffs off an impressive offensive showing against the Eagles, but that was an Eagles team without a lot of players. They face a tough challenge in the 49ers this week." -Pete Prisco
This Sunday, in the Wild Card round, the Cowboys will host the San Francisco 49ers, who experts have ranked 10th (CBS Sports), 10th (Bleacher Report), and 7th (NFL.com)
