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The Dallas Cowboys suffered another tough loss in primetime, falling 27-17 to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. The defeat dropped the team to 3-5-1 and reignited questions about consistency on both sides of the ball. But in classic Jerry Jones fashion, the front office wasted no time making headlines. Just hours after the loss, Dallas pulled off one of the biggest trades of the year, acquiring star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. The blockbuster deal — which sent former first-round pick Mazi Smith to New York — came only hours after trading for linebacker Logan Wilson. The timing couldn’t be better, as the Cowboys enter their Week 10 bye desperate for a reset. Cowboys Power Rankings Slip After Loss to Cardinals Dallas’ latest loss sent them sliding down the NFL power rankings, with analysts across major outlets losing faith in the team’s playoff chances. Sports Illustrated (No. 22, last week No. 22) Conor Orr didn’t mince words: “I think there are a lot of examples societally where I wonder why people are giving a certain person so much oxygen… Then I realized that taking Jerry Jones seriously when he says something like he did Monday — that he had completed a trade but just won’t announce it yet — was part of the problem. Wake me up when this man takes actual steps toward bettering this franchise.” Ironically, Jones did exactly that, finalizing two major trades the next morning. ESPN (No. 21, down from No. 18) Todd Archer wrote, “The Cowboys can’t begin to think about the playoffs until they win consecutive games. The best way to make the postseason would likely be winning the NFC East — and that would require help.” He added that Dallas will be in “must-win territory” when it faces the Raiders on November 17 after the bye. CBS Sports (No. 25, down from No. 21) CBS offered a blunt take: “The defense is so bad that it’s starting to impact the offense. There is no need to make any blockbuster trades to try and fix that defense. It’s beyond repair.” Cowboys Trades Could Shift Power Rankings Next Week Even amid the criticism, analysts agreed that Dallas’ roster moves could spark a turnaround. Adding Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson gives the Cowboys an immediate upgrade to a defense that ranks 31st in the league in EPA per play allowed. Yahoo Sports (No. 23, down from No. 17) Frank Schwab was skeptical about Dallas’ direction before the trades: “The Cowboys can’t be buyers at the trade deadline, right? It would be tough in an ideal situation to get back in the NFC playoff race, and the defense probably isn’t good enough to lead a long winning streak.” Fox Sports (No. 22, down from No. 19) “We knew their defense was terrible,” wrote Fox Sports. “But if their offense is going to play like they did Monday night, they’ve got deeper problems than anyone realized.” Pro Football Focus (No. 23, down one spot) PFF gave the Cowboys a 5% chance to make the playoffs and less than a 1% chance to win the Super Bowl. “The Cowboys’ offense, which has been so good over the course of the season, was squashed on Monday Night Football by a Cardinals defense that’s lost some shine,” the outlet wrote. “The Cowboys have been active in the trade market… with hopes both [additions] can help revitalize a defense that ranks 31st in EPA per play allowed.”
