Power rankings roundup: Where do Dallas Cowboys place after week 12 of the NFL season?
The Dallas Cowboys snapped their five-game losing streak with a 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders in week 12 of the NFL season.
The win was the Cowboys’ first on the road since their fourth-quarter comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5.
Where do the Cowboys place on national power rankings following Sunday’s win?
Todd Archer, ESPN
For as much as the defense has been a liability this season, ESPN’s FPI has the Cowboys worse on offense. Even before quarterback Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury, the offense struggled in most areas, including in the red zone (31st) and on third down (25th).
Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Give Cooper Rush some credit. Not many expected the Cowboys to pull off this shocker, and Rush was a big part of it. His teammates didn’t help much early, with two missed field-goal tries and a fumble on their first three possessions, but Rush was steady, leading key scoring drives on both sides of halftime to take the lead for the first time. The final product was a hot mess, with both teams making some wild mistakes, but the Cowboys were the more buttoned-up group late.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Give them credit for showing up and winning at Washington when things looked bleak. If they beat the Giants this week, they are 5-7. Wow.
Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
Good for Mike McCarthy, who got some love from Troy Aikman as I was writing this during the Monday Night Football telecast. He is a good football coach. He was absolutely hung out to dry by ownership this year and, if we take a generous view of it all, was a bad Cooper Rush fumble from being in last week’s game against Houston as well. Dallas isn’t going to turn the season around at this point, but I wouldn’t count McCarthy out as a third-time head coach, as crazy as that sounds right now.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
They still have a long way to go to contend.
Staff, Bleacher Report
The Cowboys snapped a five-game losing streak, but they almost blew a late fourth-quarter lead last week. Commanders kicker Austin Seibert’s missed extra-point attempt may have saved Dallas from a mindboggling loss. The Cowboys should celebrate last week’s win, but this club still has much to correct going into its Thanksgiving game with the Giants.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY
Before you avert your eyes, at least note that over the past two games, QB2 Cooper Rush’s numbers are actually better than starter Dak Prescott’s this season. Just sayin’.
Staff,The Score
CeeDee Lamb. Even with inconsistent quarterback play, Lamb has produced solid numbers. The 25-year-old is under contract long-term and will be the focal point of Dallas’ offense for years to come.
Marcus Mosher, The 33rd Team
After a five-game losing streak, the Dallas Cowboys finally got a win, and it came in a wild way. They returned two kicks for a touchdown to beat the Commanders in Washington in Week 12.
The defense was fantastic in the first three quarters, allowing just nine points and forcing three turnovers. Dallas is out of the playoff picture in the NFC, but it was nice to see Mike McCarthy’s team fight and battle in a big rivalry game.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports
Micah Parsons had two sacks, two more tackles for loss and was the best player on the field in the Cowboys’ surprising win. There will be talk of trading Parsons, considering the salary cap ramifications of extending him, but games like that will make it difficult to entertain that thought.
