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NFL Week 8 Power Rankings: Dallas Cowboys Make Progress, But Long Way To Go

The Dallas Cowboys are making some progress in the latest batch of NFL Power Rankings, but there is still a lot of work to do if the team is going to be taken seriously.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott looks on after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finally, the Dallas Cowboys are back in the win column. After a brutal two-week stretch of embarrassing primetime losses, the Cowboys bounced back on the road with a convincing win over the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Dallas cruised to victory, as they should have, against an Eagles team that was without Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Nolan Smith, and more. If Dallas had fumbled the opportunity to get a win in Week 7, they could have thrown in the towel for the season.

Instead, they now have some momentum as we turn to November and will return home in Week 8 for a Sunday afternoon clash against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. It's another winnable game for Dallas, so we'll have to see if they can come through and string together consecutive wins for the first time this year.

Let's take a look at what the experts from around the league are saying as we prepare for the potential start of a winning streak for the Cowboys in Week 8.

Fox announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman before the game, with the Dallas Cowboys playing against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

This week's ranking: 19
Last week's ranking: 21

The Cowboys rank in the bottom third of the league in a majority of this week's rankings, but that's a slight uptick from a week ago, where everyone was ranking them in the mid-20s. This week, there are some splashes into the teens, so we'll see how long the upward trajectory lasts.

Dallas Cowboys' Jaishawn Barham, Quinnen Williams, Otito Ogbonnia, Kenny Clark, and Rashan Gary against the Baltimore Ravens | REUTERS

This week's ranking: 20
Last week's ranking: 20

"It wasn't supposed to be this way when the Cowboys put together their roster in the offseason. Their biggest free agent signing in a decade, safety Jalen Thompson, has missed the past four games because of a hamstring injury and hasn't made game-changing plays. First-round pick Caleb Downs has been OK at safety. The other first-round pick, edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, moved into the starting lineup in Week 6. Ogbonnia, who signed a modest one-year, $2.75 million deal, has been the Cowboys' best run defender up front over Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark." -- Todd Archer

The defense showed signs of progress in Week 7, and the unit is only getting healthier. That's a positive sign, and with Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence continuing to get experience under their belts, Dallas is trending in the right direction.

The Athletic

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams celebrates with Jake Ferguson after a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This week's ranking: 18
Last week's ranking: 22

"Even with the Giants’ surprising record, the Cowboys, after the way they played in Philadelphia, might be the favorites to win the division. Javonte Williams (155 yards rushing and a touchdown) was incredible, and Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes." - The Athletic

The key to unlocking the Cowboys' offense is getting some consistent production in the ground game, and Javonte Williams proved that on Monday night. Williams joined an elite group as the only Cowboys running backs to rush for more than 150 yards against the Eagles: Emmitt Smith (4x), Ezekiel Elliott, and Tony Dorsett.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott celebrates a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This week's ranking: 21
Last week's ranking: 22

"After struggling for a couple of weeks, the Dallas Cowboys offense showed up for Monday Night Football. Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns, and Javonte Williams ran for 155 yards and a score in a balanced attack. Now that the Cowboys' high-powered offense has found its rhythm again, they should start moving up the rankings, assuming they beat the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 8. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown recorded an interception in his second outing of the season, which is encouraging for Dallas' much-maligned defense." - Maurice Moton

The bottom line coming out of this week is that there is a lot to be excited about for the Cowboys. Yes, they were supposed to win and they were facing a wounded Eagles team, but this is the first time the team actually did what it was supposed to.

Hopefully Dallas can build off that momentum and put together another strong performance in Week 8 to carry a nice winning streak into November.

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