Thursday, October 14, 2021

Dallas Cowboys Week 6 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Dallas Cowboys rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 5.4 (5th)
  • Best ranking: 4th (Multiple)
  • Worst ranking: 7th (CBS Sports)

Below you will find a Week 6 roundup for the Cowboys in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 6

Most improved player: CB Trevon Diggs

How they've improved: How can it not be Diggs? The Cowboys have some other candidates, like young tackle Terence Steele, but Diggs has put himself in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year just five games in with six interceptions. In his last 10 games, dating back to his rookie season, he has nine interceptions. He is lining up against the opponents' top receivers each week, and because of that, offenses will not have the chance to shy away from him. The question isn't how much Diggs has improved. It's how much more can he improve? -- Todd Archer

NFL.com -- Rank: 4

The Cowboys swept their three-game homestand against the Eagles, Panthers and Giants by a combined score of 121-69 -- a stretch of dominance that cements America's Team as a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. On Sunday, the Cowboys rolled up 515 yards of total offense on a bruised-and-battered Giants team that -- like the Eagles and Washington -- knows the best-case scenario is scrambling for a wild-card spot come December. If Dallas keeps its health, the NFC East race is already over. The next question: How good can the Cowboys be? As we approach mid-October, they cut the profile of a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 7

The improvement on the defensive side of the ball has this team as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Trevon Diggs has been outstanding at corner.

USA Today -- Rank: 4

Dallas has lost six in a row to teams coached by Bill Belichick, including an 0-5 record against his Patriots. In fact, the Cowboys haven't beaten New England since 1996, when Bill Parcells was roaming the sideline at old Foxboro Stadium. Dak Prescott and Co. can put a lot of that negative history to bed Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium by improving to 5-1 for the first time since 2016, Prescott's rookie year.

The Athletic -- Rank: 6

Breakout player: It says a lot about the state of the Cowboys that we had so many options here, from tight end Dalton Schultz (three touchdowns) to rookie defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa (two sacks and eight quarterback hits) and rookie linebacker Micah Parsons (2 1/2 sacks and three tackles for a loss), but the only right answer is "Hard Knocks" star Trevon Diggs. The second-year cornerback leads the NFL in interceptions with six in five games (doubling his pick total from his rookie year), including one he returned for a touchdown. Diggs is the type of playmaking cornerback Dallas has been missing for years.

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