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A quick review of the latest power rankings, where they rank the Cowboys, and where they rank the rest of the NFC East.
3,538 posts over the last five and a half years, and never once did I get to write a headline like the one above.
I'm enjoying the heck out of this season, I hope you are too.
Eight of the ten power rankings we surveyed today have the Cowboys ranked as the No. 1 team in the NFL. You can read what each of the power rankings has to say about the Cowboys below, and a little farther down you'll see where they rank the other NFC East teams.
Power Rankings
Week 11 Rankings (previous rankings in parenthesis)
FOX Sports - No. 1 (2)
There’s nothing left to be said other than the Cowboys are the best team in the league right now. They’ve won eight straight and beaten teams like the Packers, Eagles and Steelers in recent weeks. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are playing like MVP candidates, and the offensive line isn’t letting any defender get near them. Sunday’s game showed that the loss of Barry Church and Morris Claiborne hurts, but Dallas has the depth to overcome those injuries.
CBSSports.com - No. 1 (2)
They will keep Dak Prescott in as the starter, which is the right thing to do. They are rolling.
NFL.com: No. 1 (2)
So I guess that question has been answered. Sunday's game at Heinz was similar to Dallas' win in Seattle in 2014, with fans across the country realizing the Cowboys are indeed for real. Dallas followed the blueprint we've come to expect this season: run Ezekiel Elliott between the tackles, try to get Dez Bryant involved, spell Zeke with Alfred Morris for a couple of series, play bend-but-don't-break defense and win in the kicking game. It was all there in an instant classic. Two X-factors that helped the 'Boys come out on top: the shining light that is Scott Linehan's play calling and the recent resurgence of Jason Witten in the clutch. Dak Prescott has learned where his bread is buttered when he needs 8 yards.
Shutdown Corner - No. 1 (2)
The only time the Cowboys will be underdogs in their next six games might be at Minnesota on Dec. 1. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re favored by then. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they end up favored at Philadelphia in the season finale, if they haven’t clinched their seed by then. It’s not entirely crazy to think this team could win 14 or 15 games.
USA Today - No. 1 (2)
If any doubt remained, Sunday stamped them as a team to be reckoned with. It may have also vaulted Ezekiel Elliott to front of MVP race.
Washington Post - No. 1 (2)
The Cowboys’ win Sunday in Pittsburgh was the NFL’s game of the year so far. It solidified that RB Ezekiel Elliott is an MVP candidate and that the team belongs to rookie QB Dak Prescott. But does the dynamic change a bit with Tony Romo healthy enough to be a viable alternative as a backup? Will questions about Romo start getting asked after one bad game by Prescott? What would owner Jerry Jones and Coach Jason Garrett do after two poor performances? Things will remain mighty interesting.
ESPN - No. 1 (2)
For the first time since Week 4 of the 2008 season, the Cowboys have ascended to No. 1 in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings. ESPN's power panel (a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities) moved Dallas up this week from No. 2 after the team won its eighth straight game.
The Cowboys have won eight straight in a single season for the first time since 1977. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Ezekiel Elliott has the third-most rushing yards through a player's first nine games with 1,005. And QB Dak Prescott is second in the league this season in Total QBR (82.5). Up next: the Ravens.
SB Nation - No. 1 (2)
The Pittsburgh Steelers outgained the Dallas Cowboys, forced a turnover, and avoided turning the ball over themselves. But the pair of Dallas rookies taking the NFL by storm — Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott — led the Cowboys down the field on a touchdown drive that only took seconds to recapture the lead with just nine seconds left in the game.
It wasn’t the 35-10 demolition job of Week 9, but the Cowboys just keep winning, and that’s something the New England Patriots couldn’t quite pull off against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
Bleacher Report - No. 2 (2)
Eight wins have flown by as fast as Elliott flew by the Steelers. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry against a run defense captained by star linebacker Ryan Shazier. He cut through it like it was last week's opponent back in Cleveland.
Did Dak Prescott have the best day? No. Once again, he made the late throws he needed to complement Zeke's output. Once again, the Cowboys emerged victorious. I'm more and more impressed each week.
Looking forward: On paper, the Ravens' run defense poses a major threat to Dallas' odds. On the field, the Cowboys have rolled all the top run defenses.
New York Daily News - No. 2 (2)
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott keep getting bouquets tossed at them, but the real MVP of this white-hot team is the offensive line. Did Elliott ever get touched during that thriller in Pittsburgh? The man was virtually spotless. Dallas' ball-control style will win many games this season for Jerrah's team.
The table below summarizes the power rankings for the four NFC East teams and for the Cowboys' next opponent, the Ravens.
Wk11
Wk11
Wk11
Wk11
Wk11
FoxSports 1
12
8
11
17
CBS 1
14
7
11
12
NFL.com 1
10
7
9
15
Shutdown Corner 1
10
11
8
20
USA Today 1
12
9
10
14
ESPN 1
8
16
11
13
Washington Post 1
12
8
11
14
SB Nation 1
10
6
9
12
B/R 2
10
7
9
11
NY Daily News 2
13
7
11
14
Average 1.2
11.1
8.6
10.0
14.2
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