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Week 7 NFL Power Rankings: Dallas Cowboys Hold Steady After Disappointing Loss

The Cowboys have shown they can hang with the NFL's elite; now it's a matter of turning close games into victories.

By Jonathan Tjarks
FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 16: Tony Romo #9 of the Dallas Cowboys is sacked in the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 20-16. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 16: Tony Romo #9 of the Dallas Cowboys is sacked in the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 16, 2011 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 20-16. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Getty Images

After yet another heart-breaking last-second loss against an elite team, the Dallas Cowboys have remained in the middle of the pack in SBNation's latest NFL Power Rankings:

19. Dallas Cowboys (2-3, LW: 18): Their three losses have come by a combined 11 points. Two of their next three games are against the Rams and Seahawks so those should be "get well" games.

The Cowboys have played one of the toughest schedules in the NFL so far, as three (Detroit, New England and San Francisco) of their five opponents are among the league's top six teams this week.

Optimists can take solace in the fact that Dallas was the superior team through significant portions of all three games. Pessimists, meanwhile, can point to the old Bill Parcells saying about an NFL team's record: "you are what you are". And right now, the Cowboys are a 2-3 team sitting in 3rd place in the NFC East.

However, as SBNation editor Joel Thorman points out, Dallas' schedule gets significantly easier going forward. And with no NFC East team in the top 10, there's still more than enough time for the Cowboys to turn around their season.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.