It's no secret that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the most polarizing franchises in all of sports. You either love them or you hate them, and there's nothing in between. There are plenty of NFL clubs who get some indifference but America's Team just isn't one of them.
Now, though, even the most die-hard Cowboys fans find themselves fighting with one another on how this 2024 team should have approached its Week 15 matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
On the one hand, as Dallas was still technically in the playoff hunt, you've got some who are thrilled that Mike McCarthy & Co. put forth a full effort and kept themselves alive for at least another week with a dominant 30-14 victory.
On the other hand, of course, there are those who feel the Cowboys should just accept the fate that they're not going to make the postseason for a fourth consecutive year and simply embrace the tank to set themselves up to get the best pick possible in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But that's just par for the course for the Cowboys, as they're just never going to please everybody.
Naturally, with the win over the Panthers, Dallas dropped in the draft order and is now barely in the top half of the first round heading into the home stretch.
Updated 2025 NFL Draft order heading into Week 16
A week ago at this time, the Cowboys held the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Now, following their 16-point win over Carolina, they sit in the No. 14 position, one spot below the Cincinnati Bengals and one spot ahead of the rival San Francisco 49ers.
Heading into the final three weeks of the regular season, the No. 1 overall selection belongs to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, who head into Week 16 at 2-12. Rounding out the top five at this time are the New York Giants, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Panthers, who dropped to 3-11 with the loss to Dallas.
PICK | TEAM | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
1 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-12 |
2 | New York Giants | 2-12 |
3 | New England Patriots | 3-11 |
4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-11 |
5 | Carolina Panthers | 3-11 |
6 | Tennessee Titans | 3-11 |
7 | Cleveland Browns | 3-11 |
8 | New York Jets | 4-10 |
9 | Chicago Bears | 4-10 |
10 | New Orleans Saints | 5-9 |
11 | Miami Dolphins | 6-8 |
12 | Indianapolis Colts | 6-8 |
13 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-8 |
14 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-8 |
15 | San Francisco 49ers | 6-8 |
16 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-7 |
17 | Arizona Cardinals | 7-7 |
18 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-6 |
19 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8-6 |
20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-6 |
21 | Los Angeles Rams | 8-6 |
22 | Washington Commanders | 9-5 |
23 | Denver Broncos | 9-5 |
24 | Baltimore Ravens | 9-5 |
25 | Houston Texans | 9-5 |
26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-4 |
27 | Green Bay Packers | 10-4 |
28 | Minnesota Vikings | 12-2 |
29 | Buffalo Bills | 11-3 |
30 | Philadelphia Eagles | 12-2 |
31 | Detroit Lions | 12-2 |
32 | Kansas City Chiefs | 13-1 |