NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Cowboys Move Up After Blowout Win

The editors at SBNation released their power rankings for Week 8 of the NFL season, and one of the big movers were the Dallas Cowboys, who jumped up three spots on the strength of their 34-7 victory over the win-less St. Louis Rams:

16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3, LW: 19): They had their first "get well" game against the Rams. The Seahawks can be the same in a couple weeks. The NFC East is still wide open.

While it doesn't erase close losses to two top 10 teams -- the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions -- it does set the Cowboys up for a playoff run in the surprisingly mediocre NFC East, where only the New York Giants are ranked ahead of Dallas.

The emergence of DeMarco Murray gives Dallas a power running game it didn't have earlier in this season, where an inability to convert red zone trips into touchdowns cost the Cowboys dearly.

Now, headed into a crucial Sunday night showdown at Philadelphia on Sunday, they seem as confident and as healthy as they've been all season.

For more coverage of America's Team, check out our Cowboys blog Bloggin The Boys.