Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark reacts on the bench in the second half against the Denver Broncos. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Cowboys' NFL power rankings roundup highlights team's quick downfall

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 8:41 AM ET

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.

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.

Bleacher Report

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

ESPN

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

CBS Sports

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.

Sports Illustrated

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.