Dallas Cowboys Star Ratings: Ranking the Cowboys games Weeks 1-6

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of their bye week having a record of 5-1. Each game has been exciting to watch in its own way. From the walk-off victory in New England to the beatdowns given to division rivals, the 2021 season for the Cowboys has been nothing but fireworks. The main storylines of the year so far include quarterback Dak Prescott’s dominance, the defense looking respectable again, and the emergence of cornerback Travon Diggs.

Here are the Dallas Cowboys games ranked from least to most exciting so far this season.

#6: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 3)

In most years, this game would be towards the top. Division games, especially against the Philadelphia Eagles, tend to be more back and forth. However, in the previous two meetings against the Eagles, it has been a lop-sided victory in Dallas’s favor.

In Week 16 of 2020, the Cowboys beat the Eagles 37-17. In Week 3 of this season, the Cowboys handled business, ending in a 41-21 smackdown.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns while Dak Prescott threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns. This game was also where Trevon Diggs had his first pick-six, and the defense was flying all over the field.

When the Cowboys beat up on the Eagles, it is fun to watch as a fan, but the game seemed to be over before halftime when Dallas was up 20-7. I could not find myself at the edge of my seat the whole game like some other games.

It was still fun to watch, but unfortunately, one of these six games has to be at the bottom of the list, and it was Week 3 against the Eagles.

#5: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants (Week 5)

There were many headlines to focus on before the game. None were more significant than Prescott returning to the same game, time, and field where he suffered his season-ending ankle injury in 2020.

In Week 5 of 2020, safety Logan Ryan awkwardly tackled Prescott, and he suffered a compound fracture in his right ankle. All offseason, the spotlight was on the right ankle to see how it would hold up.

Prescott was already the talk of the MVP conversation for the previous four weeks, but it seemed like he had one final test to pass. He did so with flying colors. Prescott finished the game with 302 yards passing and three touchdowns.

It was not pretty to start, but Dallas overcame their mental mistakes to dominate the Giants, winning 44-20. If not for all of the injuries happening to New York, this game could have been more competitive. Week 5 allowed Prescott to exercise his demons of 2020 and show the league he is one of the top playmakers of 2021.

#4: Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Week 2)

The “wizards” who make the NFL schedule each season gave the Cowboys no favors by starting their season on the road. Not only were Week’s 1 and 2 back-to-back road games, but Dallas had to go coast to coast.

After losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the season, the Cowboys went home to Dallas and flew out to Los Angeles. The team was trying to avoid the season killing 0-2 start after being beaten by quarterback Tom Brady.

Boy, did they avoid 0-2 in a dramatic fashion. Dallas had no business to win this game after the defense started to give up chunk play after chunk play. They were lucky enough to have two penalties take away 14 points from the Chargers.

Prescott did not play great, so the Cowboys had to rely on their running backs, Elliott and Tony Pollard. Both backs carried the team on their shoulders, combining for 180 rushing yards. Week 2 was Pollard’s break-out game rushing for 109 of the total yards, averaging just over eight yards a carry.

Thanks to a 56 yard, game-winning field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein, Dallas pulled off a much-needed victory against an excellent Chargers team led by quarterback Justin Herbert.

#3: Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers (Week 4)

This game was one of the headliners of the week. Were the Carolina Panthers for real with a record of 3-0? Could they stop the Dallas Cowboys, who were on a roll offensively, winning their previous two games? The answer was no.

What made this game so much fun was how back and forth it was going into halftime. Quarterback Sam Darnold showed flashes of Cam Newton rushing for two touchdowns while the Dallas offense was dicing apart the No.1 ranked defense through the air and on the ground.

When kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a field goal to start the third quarter, that is when the script was flipped in the Cowboy’s favor. After some hard runs by Elliott, Prescott found wide receiver Amari Cooper down the sideline for a beautiful touchdown pass.

From there, Dallas racked up another 13 points after two Trevon Diggs interceptions, and the game seemed to be over. The Panthers made it interesting with a late offensive surge, but it was a little too late.

Now with a 3-1 record, the buzz was starting around the Cowboys being a legit playoff contender and possibly Super Bowl-bound thanks to their defensive player of the year candidate in Diggs.

#2: Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 1)

Now some critics might ask, “why is their only loss of the season ranked second?” That is because it marked the arrival of a resilient offense and defense for Dallas.

Not only did the Cowboys have to take on the defending Super Bowl champions at home, but they did it to kick off the 2021 season. This matchup brought in 24.8 million viewers, so all eyes were watching to see if Dallas would improve from their miserable 2020 season.

Dak Prescott went toe to toe with arguably the greatest quarterback ever in Tom Brady. After Prescott injured his throwing shoulder in training camp, he casually completed 42 of 58 passes for 403 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. The questions about his health were put to bed.

The Bucs are a difficult team to face, and if not for a couple of missed field goals by Greg Zuerlein, Dallas could easily be 5-0 right now. Moral victories do not show up on the win-loss column at the end of a season, but this game shaped the mentality for Dallas going forward.

If they were to take on Tampa Bay right now, I would put my money on Dallas because they are a much-improved team since their loss in Week 1.

#1: Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots (Week 6)

What. A. Game.

In my opinion, there can be no other game this season ranked higher than the Week 6 matchup with the New England Patriots. Dallas had the opportunity to take a commanding three-game division lead over their rivals and beat Head Coach Bill Belichek on his own turf. Bring it on.

Just like against the Giants in Week 5, this game did not start well for Dallas. Dak Prescott threw an interception and fumbled the ball on 4th and goal. They could have easily been up 21-10 going into halftime if not for their red zone miscues. Those mistakes have to be cleaned up.

Luckily, something got them fired up for the third quarter, and Dallas took the lead 17-14 after a touchdown pass to receiver CeeDee Lamb. However, penalties continued to plague their production. Then came the crazy 4th quarter.

The Patriots took the lead 21-20, and Dallas missed a field goal with 2:36 left to play in the game. It seemed like it was game over. Then the savior that Trevon Diggs is comes up with a clutch pick-six, and the Cowboys retake the lead 26-21 after missing a two-point conversion.

Then the floor breaks loose again when quarterback Mac Jones throws a 75-yard bomb on the very next play. The heads of Cowboys fans dropped in defeat, but with Prescott at quarterback, anything is possible.

Prescott went on to make multiple clutch throws which led to the game-tying field goal for overtime. From there, he put the game in his hands after the defense made a critical stop, and it was over. He threw a jump pass to Lamb for the game-winning score.

Dallas went into the bye week with a 5-1 record and talks of being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They currently rank No. 6 in our current power rankings. After their gutsy, hard-fought win against the Patriots, there is no reason to think this season cannot end in a Lombardi Trophy run.