Week 14 has come and gone and the Dallas Cowboys are tied for the best record in the NFL. What a wonderful time to be amongst friends.
It was a 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that elevated the Cowboys this past week and as a result they have picked up some positive steam across NFL circles from people who are suddenly willing to give them their due.
But where should they rank among all 32 teams as we roll further into December? Where exactly do these other people have them ranked?
It is time for our weekly power rankings as well as our curation of where outlets across the internet have the Cowboys slotted.
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You can see last week’s rankings right here.
1. San Francisco 49ers, 10-3 (LW: 1)
They are without question the best team in the NFL right now. They are terrifying.
2. Dallas Cowboys, 10-3 (LW: 2)
We had them at number two last week and they justified that position.
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3. Baltimore Ravens, 10-3 (LW: 4)
They are not always pretty but even when they are not they count the same. Sunday was an impressive victory that Baltimore was able to hold onto.
4. Philadelphia Eagles, 10-3 (LW: 3)
It appears that the status quo has changed.
5. Buffalo Bills, 7-6 (LW: 10)
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They are desperate and sort of rolling which offers an uneasy feeling heading into their house.
6. Miami Dolphins, 9-4 (LW: 5)
That was a really tough loss. And even before it happened their offense was not showing up in grand fashion.
7. Cleveland Browns, 8-5 (LW: 14)
Good for Joe Flacco. what a fun story.
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8. Jacksonville Jaguars, 8-5 (LW: 8)
Obviously they lost but the way they battled and the way that Trevor Lawrence did specifically was really impressive. They are going to be a hard out in the playoffs.
9. Detroit Lions, 9-4 (LW: 6)
It still feels safe to assume that they will win the NFC North, but they seem to be a cut below the top-tier NFC contenders at the moment.
10. Kansas City Chiefs, 8-5 (LW: 7)
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Imagine getting all kinds of upset about what was objectively a penalty.
11. Los Angeles Rams, 6-7 (LW: 13)
They seem to really be peaking and hitting their stride. The NFL has yet to see a #7 seed win a playoff game since the added it two years ago, I wouldn’t count the Rams out from shocking somebody if they manage to squeak in.
12. Cincinnati Bengals, 7-6 (LW: 17)
Jake Browning is something else and the Bengals really are The Goonies. They never say die.
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13. Houston Texans, 7-6 (LW: 9)
All the best to C.J. Stroud.
14. Denver Broncos, 7-6 (LW: 18)
Sean Payton deserves a lot of credit for making lemonade out of all of this. The Broncos are holding on and finding ways to win.
15. Indianapolis Colts, 7-6 (LW: 12)
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They have felt like they were on borrowed time and it sort of caught up to them, but they are very much still in the mix for a playoff spot.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-7 (LW: 21)
Will they be the team to host the NFC East loser?
17. Green Bay Packers, 6-7 (LW: 11)
They had everything in front of them and lost it at the hands of Tommy DeVito.
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18. Seattle Seahawks, 6-7 (LW: 15)
Please help us out next week. We said please.
19. Atlanta Falcons, 6-7 (LW: 16)
Nobody really wants to win the NFC South it seems.
20. New Orleans Saints, 6-7 (LW: 22)
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Although they are still in the running for it.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-6 (LW: 19)
How do you lose that badly, and at home on top of it all, to the Patriots in 2023?
22. Tennessee Titans, 5-8 (LW: 26)
Like the Bengals they can truly never be counted out. What a rally!
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23. Minnesota Vikings, 7-6 (LW: 20)
Winning a game 3-0 is… something.
24. New York Giants, 5-8 (LW: 27)
Not only is the Tommy DeVito story a ton of fun, but it is happening at no cost to us given how far out of things the Giants are. They are ruining their hope for a top 5 pick and if DeVito can steal even one against the Eagles down the stretch that would be great.
25. Chicago Bears, 5-8 (LW: 29)
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Good for Matt Eberflus!
26. New York Jets, 5-8 (LW: 30)
And seriously good for Zach Wilson. Happy he got his moment.
27. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-8 (LW: 23)
As if watching them were not taxing enough now we have to do it on a Thursday night and in all likelihood without Justin Herbert.
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28. Las Vegas Raiders, 5-8 (LW: 24)
Losing a game 3-0 is… something.
29. Arizona Cardinals, 3-10 (LW: 25)
Another potential ray of hope for the Cowboys what with their pending trip to Philly.
30. New England Patriots, 3-10 (LW: 31)
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Kudos on the win, I guess?
31. Washington Commanders, 4-9 (LW: 28)
At least they did not lose.
32. Carolina Panthers, 1-12 (LW: 32)
They did for the millionth time.
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NFL.com: 3 (LW: 4)
The movement begins.
For a guy who was on the operating table a few days before, Mike McCarthy looked pretty healthy loping over to call timeout prior to the touchdown that gave Dallas a 24-6 halftime lead over rival Philadelphia. McCarthy called all the right shots in that opening half Sunday night, converting on a 60-yard field goal in the first quarter and successfully pulling off the rare TD-notching challenge at the goal line in the second quarter. Things simmered down after that, but in the end, the Cowboys sent a big message that they are indeed serious contenders for both the NFC East crown and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoffs. This was the quality victory Dallas needed, but the next two are at Buffalo and at Miami, so the work isn’t yet done, especially with the Eagles’ remaining schedule a lot more favorable.
ESPN: 2 (LW: 5)
They also added a biggest improvement for every team.
Biggest improvement: Red zone offense
We could say the entire offense, especially the passing game, comparing it to where the Cowboys were after the loss to San Francisco in Week 5, but the red zone improvement has been dramatic. In the first five games, the Cowboys converted touchdowns on 7 of 19 red zone trips (36.8%). Since then, they have scored touchdowns on 25 of 38 opportunities. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s efficiency has matched perfectly with coach Mike McCarthy’s playcalling. This is how you lead the NFL in scoring (32.3 points per game). — Todd Archer
USA Today: 2 (LW: 4)
Deuces wild.
Though they’ll still need some help to win the NFC East, particularly during such a tough stretch of the schedule, no doubt at this point that they’re playing the best football in the division. And speaking of foot and ball, Brandon Aubrey’s remarkable season (perfect on all 30 FG tries) continued in Sunday night’s thrashing of the Eagles when he became the first kicker to connect from 59+ yards twice in the same game. Also, HC Mike McCarthy is undefeated without an appendix.
Yahoo: 2 (LW: 4)
Again.
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The Cowboys are still very likely to finish second in the NFC East and get the No. 5 seed (and that seems like it could cost Dak Prescott an MVP award, based on how voters usually decide the award). But now that Dallas has a quality win, it legitimizes the hot streak they’ve been on. There’s a big gap between Dallas and the No. 1 team, but the Cowboys deserve the second spot.
CBS Sports: 2 (LW: 3)
And again.
They beat up the Eagles on Sunday night, but face another tough test on the road against the Bills this week. Dak Prescott is pushing hard for the MVP.
The Athletic: 2 (LW: 3)
Yet another one.
The Cowboys quarterback strengthened his MVP candidacy Sunday night by leading Dallas to a resounding win over the Eagles. Thus far, this is the third-best fantasy season of Prescott’s career (20.98 points per game). On the field, it may be his best. He is second in the league in EPA per attempt (.29) and passer rating (107.5) and his touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.7) is the best of any quarterback with more than 250 attempts this season.
Sports Illustrated: 4 (LW: 6)
The Eagles are number 3 here, by the way.
The NFL season is a series of runs. There are weeks when players feel great and weeks they don’t. There are weeks they feel motivated to slam their bodies into concrete and weeks they don’t. On Sunday, we saw the Cowboys at a peak. The question is—and always has been—whether we will get this in the playoffs against one of two teams (Philadelphia or San Francisco) with a slightly deeper set of personnel.
“Everyone went crazy in the plane. It was bonkers. Everyone was yelling, and at the end, the pilot made the announcement and everyone started chanting ‘new crew, new crew’,” Ruhlman.
“I have to go to work. I’m obviously not going to be able to work on Monday. I was supposed to arrive in Auckland on Friday morning,” Ruhlman said.
Carina Fischer, of Remuera, described the scene in the terminal as “a nightmare”.
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Fischer said: “Everyone is crying. Kids are screaming.”
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She said a relative had helped her buy a hotel room, but she had been washing her clothes in the sink and drying them with a hairdryer.
She was also worried about her child who has ADHD, saying he was without his medication as well.
She claimed American Airlines was “not helpful, not helpful at all”.
Ruhlman echoed that sentiment: “They literally don’t care that they ruined people’s holidays and so many plans – and sanity.”
She said a group of passengers were planning to write to the airline’s chief executive asking for compensation.
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“I’m so tired and still in my same clothes as Wednesday. It’s Monday …”
American Airlines was approached for comment on Saturday, but had yet to respond by Monday morning.
Another passenger, Sarah Botwright was due to be in New Zealand for a holiday to see her friend, said she had to be home in Ohio and she would likely have to cancel her whole trip to Godzone.
“My luggage will be going to New Zealand regardless of whether I go or not, though,” she said.
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“It’s just insane,” she said of the situation.
Local daily paper the Dallas Morning News reported more than 600 flights to and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field had been cancelled as of 5pm Friday (12pm, Saturday, NZ).
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More than 800 flights were also delayed. American Airlines flights were the most impacted by the delays, the Dallas Morning News said.
The paper said the delays were due to a snowstorm in North Texas on Thursday which left a dumping of snow and icy conditions.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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Dallas Stars (27-13-1, in the Central Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (20-18-3, in the Atlantic Division)
Ottawa, Ontario; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stars -138, Senators +117; over/under is 5.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Ottawa Senators host the Dallas Stars after the Stars defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in a shootout.
Ottawa has a 10-7-1 record in home games and a 20-18-3 record overall. The Senators have gone 11-5-2 in games their opponents commit more penalties.
Dallas has an 11-8-0 record in road games and a 27-13-1 record overall. The Stars have gone 13-6-1 in games their opponents commit more penalties.
The matchup Sunday is the second time these teams square off this season. The Stars won 4-2 in the last matchup. Roope Hintz led the Stars with two goals.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Joshua Norris has scored 14 goals with nine assists for the Senators. Ridly Greig has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
Jason Robertson has 10 goals and 24 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has four goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 4-5-1, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.6 assists, 4.4 penalties and 10.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Stars: 8-1-1, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.4 penalties and 4.8 penalty minutes while giving up two goals per game.
INJURIES: Senators: None listed.
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Stars: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
DALLAS — Volunteers laced up their sneakers and beautified Dallas’ Fair Park neighborhood Saturday morning as part of the MLK Fest Dallas 2025, which aims to reduce blight and promote public art.
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Volunteers started off at the MLK Community Center and were assigned to clean up one of eight zones in South Dallas. People mowed grass, renovated homes, and painted a mural.
“It brings community together. A good friend of mine says community and unity are common unity, so we love all of it. We just want to be able to revitalize this place and give the community a sense of pride or ownership and give that back to all,” said Paul Franklin, community outreach director with the Walls Project.
Hundreds of volunteers braved the cold and came together for the large-scale community cleanup. The event brought together people from non-profits, churches, and businesses. The event aims to clean up blight while honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
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“This is just another part of how our community celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, to exemplify how important that is and how that connects us all to each other,” said Shawna Nesbitt, vice president of UT Southwestern Medical Center.
UT Southwestern Medical Center had about 160 volunteers who signed up. One of their projects included painting a mail room and bike rack at an apartment complex. Volunteers also picked up trash, cleared weeds, and spoke with those experiencing homelessness.
“I’m going to speak to the people that we see that are possibly unsheltered in tents and inform them of the center here at Fair Park that just recently opened the shelter,” said Jeremy Connally, an owner with the Epiphany Foundation.
The day ends with a block party at the MLK Community Center and a gala at the Renaissance Center.