Cowboys Power Rankings: stock plummets after disastrous Week 1
Ahead of Week 1, there were a lot of question marks about this Dallas Cowboys team. How would the offense fair without key wide receivers? Could the offensive line hold strong with so many inexperienced players? Would Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott have come back years? No matter what the questions were, people generally had faith in Dallas. The team averaged out somewhere between No. 12 and No. 16 in preseason power rankings.
After the disaster that occurred on Sunday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the outlook is much different. The offense could not make anything happen in the run or passing game. Multiple players were lost to serious injuries. The game plan lacked creativity and excitement. Not much went right.
With Cooper Rush now at the helm, a beat-up offensive line, and a defense that is getting tired of three-and-outs, things are looking bleak for the Cowboys, and NFL experts took notice. In all of the major power rankings after Week 1, Dallas dropped a significant amount, landing among the bottom teams in the league. Let’s take a look at the damage.
Who took the top spot in the post-week 1 power rankings? @Energizer | @DanHanzus pic.twitter.com/tDKBcXDbBM
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2022
Dallas Cowboys stock drops significantly in the latest major NFL power rankings
From the hope that this team would repeat as NFC East champions to being the only team in the division to lose in Week 1, things are looking too hot for Dallas. Here’s how they landed in this week’s power rankings.
Per the league’s official website, the Cowboys dropped 15 spots from 12 to 27 after Week 1. Writer Dan Hanzus blamed this mostly on the offense, of course. He said that with Rush leading the charge, rather than going out and getting a veteran QB, Dallas arguably has one of the worst defenses in football now. Sigh.
The ‘Boys dropped even further by the Worldwide Leader in Sports’ standards, going from 10 to 26. This version puts the Cowboys with (from 27-32) the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets. That is what you call not-great company.
Good news? Dallas only dropped nine spots in this ranking, but that also means CBS doubted them in the first place by starting them at No. 15. The brutal blow from CBS is that all three NFC East teams are higher with the Giants at No. 23, Commanders at No. 17 (wow), and Eagles cracking the top five at No. 4. Seeing Philly in the top five truly stings.
Bleacher Report Rankings: No. 24
Dallas fell 13 spots in, per Bleacher Report. Here’s what BR’s NFL Analyst Brent Sobleski had to say:
"“The Cowboys are in a downward spiral deserving of a low ranking. Prescott’s injury wasn’t their only issue during Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers. Their offense lacks explosiveness to create plays down the field. The offensive line is in flux. And the defensive interior is soft. The reigning NFC East champion looks to have a long season in front of it.”"
At least they aren’t in the bottom three? Is that something to celebrate? The future is looking grim, for now. Let’s hope this team can majorly switch things up and get some much-needed wins before Prescott returns.
