The Dallas Cowboys suffered a disheartening loss this weekend to the Denver Broncos, which put a halt to the brief excitement felt after their Week 7 win.
Dallas struggled on offense and defense, with Denver bullying them at the line of scrimmage. The end result was a 44-24 victory, which felt much worse than the score indicates.
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Now heading into Week 9, the Cowboys find themselves falling in NFL power rankings, just one week after making a steady climb. Here’s a look at some of the major outlets, which shows Dallas trending in the wrong direction.
Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton tackles Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
This week’s ranking: 21
Last week’s ranking: 20
Bleacher Report seemed especially bothered by the performance of the offense, with Dak Prescott throwing two interceptions while facing constant pressure.
”Prescott threw two poor interceptions when facing the elite defense. The second was particularly devastating since it occurred in the red zone. Denver did a job on the Cowboys offense, and Prescott looked out of sorts. The run game never got going. The offensive line surrendered a combined 10 sacks/quarterback hits.” – Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad tackles Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
This week’s ranking: 18
Last week’s ranking: 16
Dallas was flirting with playoff contention in ESPN’s Week 8 power rankings, but they dropped two spots after this disaster. Still, they focused on the team’s best offseason addition this week, which has been Javonte Williams, according to Todd Archer.
“Nobody could have predicted Williams would be on pace for a 1,345-yard, 17-touchdown season when the Cowboys signed him to a one-year deal. Yet, here he is.” – Archer, ESPN
The Dallas Cowboys bench in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
This week’s ranking: 21
Last week’s ranking: 18
Pete Prisco had a big drop for the Cowboys, sending them from 18th down to 21st. This has them on the cusp of top-10 draft status, a far cry from where they expected to be when the season began.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus on the sideline during the game against the Giants. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
This week’s ranking: 22 Last week’s ranking: 16
The biggest drop for the Cowboys is on SI, where Connor Orr has them going from 16th to 22nd. Orr had little to say about the team, other than to point out that their defense needs to be fixed.
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