Cowboys Power Rankings: Dallas makes moves ahead of Week 16
Heading into Week 16, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting pretty at No. 2 in the NFC playoff standings. Although the Cowboys have won three games on the road, a big part of this shift is thanks to losses by other NFC teams.
In two shocking Week 15 losses, the Detroit Lions defeated the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the New Orleans Saints. Even though Dallas has the same record as the Cards and Bucs (10-4), Dallas currently has the better in-conference record of 8-1.
Sure, this may be partially due to the fact that the NFC East consists of some pretty lousy teams. But wins are wins and America’s Team is happy to be moving on up. The Cowboys have another chance to secure an NFC East victory this Sunday as they take on the Washington Football Team at home in the Lone Star State.
Until then, let’s take a look at where Dallas sits in the Week 16 power rankings and check on their updated Super Bowl odds.
As of today (w/ 4 games left for Week 15), here are the NFC standings:
— Amie Just (@Amie_Just) December 20, 2021
1. Packers, 11-3
2. Cowboys, 10-4
3. Buccaneers, 10-4
4. Cardinals, 10-4
5. Rams, 9-4*
6. 49ers, 8-6
7. Saints, 7-7
--
8. WFT, 6-7*
9. Vikings, 6-7*
10. Eagles, 6-7*
*Still has yet to play Monday or Tuesday.
Where do the Dallas Cowboys stand in the Week 16 power rankings?
Thanks to their win against the Giants and some pretty embarrassing losses by other NFC teams, the Cowboys have jumped up a few spots in almost all of the power rankings. Most media outlets have America’s Team around the No. 4 spot, which is not too shabby. The offense continues to struggle in games, but the defense is making headlines and allowing this team to be at the top of the playoff conversation.
The ESPN power rankings have Dallas at No. 4, moving up two spots from No. 6 last week. ESPN’s Todd Archer also said that head coach Mike McCarthy’s “seat” is cold (rather than hot) thanks to a likely NFC East sweep and managing to get wins despite injuries and COVID concerns.
NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk has Dallas also at No. 4. Interestingly, the teams above them in this list are the Packers, Chiefs, and Rams. Not sure the Rams deserve to be the No. 3 team in the entire league, but that’s just one site’s opinion. The rankings previously had the Cowboys at No. 7 but said their three-spot rise is because even ugly wins are wins.
FanSided has Dallas ranked the highest this week at No. 3 behind the Packers and Chiefs. That’s a three-spot jump for the ‘Boys. The site recognizes that Prescott isn’t at his best, but says a turnover-hungry defense is worthy of a top-three spot on its own.
Apparently, the official NFL site is feeling Grinch-y during Christmas week. They are one of the only power rankings that have the Cowboys below a No. 4 spot and moving down from their position in the previous week. NFL.com has the Cowboys at No. 8 moving down a spot from No. 7. Unsurprisingly, the site blamed the offense, saying the ‘Boys have no chance if Prescott and his men don’t get it together.
The Packers and Chiefs have taken over the top spots in our latest Power Rankings 🍿
— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2021
Full 1-32: https://t.co/pvPc1LdCqn pic.twitter.com/zXYr2DKY9S
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl odds heading into Week 16
Yes. We know. “One game at a time.” But, let’s take a peek at the Cowboys’ chances to win the Super Bowl just for fun. According to WynnBet, Dallas currently has +1200 odds to win the Super Bowl at the time of writing. They sit behind (in descending order) the Chiefs, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams, Patriots, and Bills. The Chiefs have +450 odds as of Thursday morning.
That means you could bet $100 today for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl, and if they do, you’ll collect $1,200 in profit.
A win against a COVID-riddled Washington Football Team could mean even better chances for the Cowboys to get there. For now, the goal is to continue to sweep the NFC East for the first time since 1998.
