ESPN Power Rankings (Cowboys #4)

ajk23az

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking


2007 Power Rankings: Week 7
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Patriots 6-0-0 The Patriots have played 360 minutes of football this season -- and have trailed for just 18 of those minutes. New England gets the first of its three bye weeks this season when it plays at Miami on Sunday.

2 (2) Colts 5-0-0 The last time the Colts faced the Jags, Indy gave up 375 rushing yards in a 44-17 loss last December. The Colts are allowing 105.4 yards rushing this season, a figure they'll need to get close to in order to maintain their spotless record.

3 (4) Steelers 4-1-0 Willie Parker is one of just four running backs in the league to average more than 100 yards per game this season. Parker's 101.4 trails the Vikes' Adrian Peterson (121.4), the Eagles' Brian Westbrook (102.8) and the Colts' Joseph Addai (101.8).

4 (3) Cowboys 5-1-0 Don't expect the Cowboys to suffer a crisis of confidence in losing to the Patriots. In fact, if Wade Phillips plays his cards right, the reality check might be the best thing to happen to his team.

5 (6) Jaguars 4-1-0 The Jags gave up 282 rushing yards in losing their opener -- and have given up a combined total of 200 rushing yards in their next four games, all wins. But the big test comes at home Monday night against the Colts.

6 (5) Packers 5-1-0 Some offenses are explosive. The Packers were definitely not against the Commanders. Green Bay had just one play of more than 18 yards. Yet, the Pack still found a way to win, which has become this team's theme.

7 (9) Ravens 4-2-0 The Ravens offense reached the end zone for the first time in 19 drives and the defense has allowed just 10 points in the last two games. The Nov. 5 Monday nighter at Pittsburgh should give us an accurate read on this team.

8 (11) Buccaneers 4-2-0 Dating back to his days in Philadelphia last year, QB Jeff Garcia has now thrown 164 consecutive regular-season passes without an interception. It's the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest of his career.

9 (14) Giants 4-2-0 Just like last season, the Giants are riding a hot streak in the first half of the season, having won four straight following their win in Atlanta. But will they avoid the kind of collapse that suffered in the second half last year?

10 (13) Chargers 3-3-0 LaDainian Tomlinson continues to make the Raiders his own personal punching bag. LT's 4-TD, 198-yard day on Sunday now gives him 1,653 yards and 18 touchdowns in 13 games against the Raiders.

11 (8) Commanders 3-2-0 The Commanders are having trouble putting teams away. Sunday's loss at Green Bay was the sixth time in the last year they've lost a game after leading at the half. 'I guess we ain't learning our lesson,' Clinton Portis told the Washington Post.

12 (7) Titans 3-2-0 Even if Vince Young misses time with a right leg injury, the Titans might be able to survive. Backup Kerry Collins directed a nice 86-yard drive to tie the score, only to see the Bucs win on a late field goal.

13 (17) Panthers 4-2-0 So, when will we see The Vinny Testaverde Story on the Hallmark channel? Almost 44 years old, Testaverde showed he can still win a game in the NFL. If he keeps putting the ball in Steve Smith's hands, he can win several more.

14 (10) Seahawks 3-3-0 In his last two games, Shaun Alexander has rushed for 60 yards on 25 carries, his worst two-game stretch in five years. Even Alexander couldn't find fault in Seahawks fans booing him during the loss to the Saints.

15 (18) Lions 3-2-0 Jeff Garcia, as noted above, hasn't thrown an interception all season, but perhaps his former team (from 2005) will know how to force him into a miscue Sunday. Only the Cowboys have intercepted more passes this season than the Lions' nine.

16 (25) Chiefs 3-3-0 Good news for Larry Johnson: He rushed for 119 yards and his first TD of the season in the win over Cincinnati. The bad news: He fumbled for the first time in 470 touches going back to more than a year ago.

17 (22) Eagles 2-3-0 It was a nice bend-but-don't-break effort for the banged-up Eagles defense in the win against the Jets. On four of their 10 drives, NY drove inside the 13-yard line but failed to reach the end zone.

18 (13) Cardinals 3-3-0 Depending on the severity of Kurt Warner's injured left elbow, the Cardinals may threaten to make a playoff push or will quickly fall off the pace. Tim Rattay is not the answer at QB.

19 (24) Browns 3-3-0 In the five games with Derek Anderson as the starting QB, the Browns have averaged 32 points. The last time the Browns have averaged that many points in a five-game stretch? That would be the 1968 season.

20 (16) Texans 3-3-0 Let's see, there are problems with the red-zone offense. Problems with the running game. Dumb penalties. Missed blocks. That shine on the Texans' season is starting to fade.

21 (19) Broncos 2-3-0 It's not inconceivable to think the Broncos, who've lost three straight, might not win again until December. They come off the bye week with home games against Pittsburgh and Green Bay, then play three of four November games on the road.

22 (27) Vikings 2-3-0 Adrian Peterson's 224 rushing yards on Sunday is the best single-game performance in Vikings' history. Even more impressive? It's the most allowed by the Bears in the 88 years of that franchise.

23 (15) Bears 2-4-0 Funny how a team with an offense that's brutal to watch might have the league's most exciting player. Hopefully, the Bears coaches will have the good sense to put the ball in Devin Hester's hands as much as possible.

24 (21) 49ers 2-3-0 If Alex Smith returns from injury, expect the 49ers to use more shotgun formations on offense in order to combat the Giants' pass rush. Only two teams have allowed more than the 18 sacks given up by the 49ers.

25 (20) Raiders 2-3-0 Daunte Culpepper threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked six times in the Raiders' eighth consecutive loss to San Diego. Are we getting closer to the JaMarcus Russell era?

26 (30) Saints 1-4-0 This is what a desperate team does: Goes for it on a fourth-and-one from its own 29. This is what a skilled team does; Converts it. Saints finally showed signs of life in winning at Seattle.

27 (23) Bengals 1-4-0 The Bengals have lost four straight for the first time in the 69 games with Marvin Lewis as the head coach. It might help if they could convert a third down -- they're just 1 for the last 18 attempts.

28 (26) Bills 1-4-0 QB J.P. Losman may be healthy enough to play, but there's no guarantees that he'll regain his starting spot. Head coach Dick Jauron says he won't announce his starter (either Losman or Trent Edwards) until Wednesday.

29 (29) Falcons 1-5-0 The Falcons have appeared on 'Monday Night Football' six times since Michael Vick was drafted in 2001. Considering the plight of the Falcons without Vick, it may be awhile before they see another Monday night.

30 (28) Jets 1-5-0 It'll be the battle of underachievers when the Jets travel to Cincinnati on Sunday. Oh, and speaking of underachievers -- is there anybody in the tri-state area who still thinks Chad Pennington should start at QB?

31 (31) Rams 0-6-0 Relief is on the way. Injured quarterback Marc Bulger says he will be back in the lineup Sunday against Seattle. WR Isaac Bruce is also expected to return, and RB Steven Jackson has an outside shot of playing.

32 (32) Dolphins 0-6-0 The Dolphins will extend their franchise-record losing streak to 10 games when they host the Patriots on Sunday. The point spread favors the Pats by 17. Doesn't that seem a tad low?
 

03EBZ06

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I don't care where we are ranked but I strongly believe we are better than the Steelers.
 

SultanOfSix

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LOL. So we lost to the best team in football and fell one spot, while the Steelers rose one even though we have a better record.

I really don't care for ESPN's rankings, but they are just so silly with their obvious bias.
 

superpunk

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03EBZ06;1713968 said:
I don't care where we are ranked but I strongly believe we are better than the Steelers.

Apparently noone remembers that their loss came to the Cardinals, while ours came at the hands of what has been dubbed the greatest team in recent memory.
 

ajk23az

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03EBZ06;1713968 said:
I don't care where we are ranked but I strongly believe we are better than the Steelers.

Don't shoot the messenger :p:
 

theogt

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DiS iS WHY We NEEDZ Da PLAyOFF SYTEMS!!1!

Oh wait, we already have one. Whew.
 

Skin

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air0208;1713961 said:
4 (3) Cowboys 5-1-0 Don't expect the Cowboys to suffer a crisis of confidence in losing to the Patriots. In fact, if Wade Phillips plays his cards right, the reality check might be the best thing to happen to his team.

No, this can't be right. Wade has lost the team. The defense is terrible. T-New can't cover anyone. We have to draft a new CB and a speed WR. Blah, blah, blah!

Spiro Agnew would be proud of all the nattering nabobs of negativism on this board. Everyone take a deep breath. If you told me before the season we'd be 5-1 and in first place in the NFC East, I'd have been thrilled.

Just chill.
 

YosemiteSam

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03EBZ06;1713968 said:
I don't care where we are ranked but I strongly believe we are better than the Steelers.

Yeah, Pit hasn't beat anyone above .500 yet. The team with the best record they beat was the Seahawks who just got embarrassed by 0-4 New Orleans. :rolleyes:

Stop Pit from running the ball, and Pit falls flat on their face. Ben Crapfilledburger is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. It's been proved time and time again.
 

CATCH17

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theogt;1713978 said:
DiS iS WHY We NEEDZ Da PLAyOFF SYTEMS!!1!

Oh wait, we already have one. Whew.

Yeah I cant imagine a Mythical Super Bowl.

A MSB would suck much like the MNC.
 

03EBZ06

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superpunk;1713972 said:
Apparently noone remembers that their loss came to the Cardinals, while ours came at the hands of what has been dubbed the greatest team in recent memory.
Yup, We lose to a team which we were suppose to lose and Steelers, then an unbeaten team lose to Cardinals, then 1-2 team, a team they were suppose to easily beat but they are still considered as better than the Cowboys? Right.

AFC bias is so transparent but they obviously can't see with AFC nutsack hanging over their eyes.

air0208;1713973 said:
Don't shoot the messenger :p:
Nah, I'm just mumbling to myself. :D
 

LowTech

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'I guess we ain't learning our lesson,' Clinton Portis told the Washington Post.




yeah..........you ain't
 

big dog cowboy

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You just gotta love that "they will be better because they lost" mentality.
 

Fletch

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Okay, I could care less about Power Rankings, but the Steelers in 3rd over the Cowboys is laughable. Pittsburgh was on a bye week and came out on top? Funny stuff there.
 

Fletch

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nyc;1713994 said:
Yeah, Pit hasn't beat anyone above .500 yet. The team with the best record they beat was the Seahawks who just got embarrassed by 0-4 New Orleans. :rolleyes:

Stop Pit from running the ball, and Pit falls flat on their face. Ben Crapfilledburger is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. It's been proved time and time again.

I'm beginning to like you more and more. Love the whole Ben Crapfilledburger. :D

You are correct in your assessment of Pittsburgh. Stop their running game and Ben will eventually implode. Smoke and mirrors. ...love that one too!
 

canters

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Pete Prisco has us 5th behind only the Packers in the NFC. Very questionalbe that they are better than Dallas, IMO>

I think I could do as well as most of these guys.
 

sago1

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Do you all remember how proud the Texans were when they beat us in the so called Texas Bowl. Their owner was going to put it somewhere so his fans could come by and touch it.

Well, there are now 3-3 which actually is decent but according to tidibit with the ranking....... has problems with the red-zone offense, problems with the running game, dumb penalties & missed blocks. That shine on the Texans' season is starting to fade.

Oh well, they still have their Texas trophy or whatever it is called.
 

aikemirv

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I really think the Giants are a better team than Pittsburgh. I really don't understand the love there.
 

lspain1

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I played with a spreadsheet to get a feel for the weakest vs toughest divison and conference based upon "average" power ranking. The results are both interesting and amusing.

Here are the "Average" Power Rankings for each division. Since the "power" ranking is based upon the lower number team being the best, a lower score is better.
Division ...............Divsion "Power" Average
AFC East ............................22.75​
AFC North ............................14
AFC South ..........................9.75
AFC West ............................18
NFC East ...........................10.25
NFC North ..........................16.5
NFC South ..........................19
NFC West ..........................21.75


The amusing part of these rankings is that the New England Patriots are actually in the weakest division in the NFL based upon power ranking due to the fact that the other three teams in the AFC East are ranked 28, 30 ,and 32 respectively. If you believe these numbers, the Patriots are going to win their division in a cakewalk and will have home field advantage through the playoffs. I think this result is likely.

The Indianapolis Colts are in the toughest divsion in the NFL with their AFC South opponents being ranked 5, 12, and 20. What are the odds of the Colts having a better division/conference record than the Patriots even with the similar undefeated records today?

The second toughest division in the NFL (according to these numbers) is the NFC East with Dallas at #4 and our foes ranked 9, 11, and 17.

The NFC West is the weak sister of the NFC with the teams ranked 14, 18, 24 and 31. However, the NFC West is still better than the AFC East overall.

According to these rankings, the Green Bay Packers will have much easier road than the Cowboys based upon the strength of their NFC North opponents. The Packers have improved their chances by playing well against NFC East opponents so far. The Cowboys can not afford to let up, unless they want to risk a vist to the "Frozen Tundra" in January. We all know how that worked out in the past. :mad:
 

Bob Sacamano

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120 rushing yards a game

that's just sick

8 teams probably feel really stupid right now, so do I, since I let Hos pick him in a couple of our fantasy drafts :(

I echo Skin here, if someone were to tell me that we would start off 5-1, and the only loss coming to a top 2 NFL team, probably THE best NFL team, before the season, I would be thrilled
 
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