Silver Linings in Cowboys' Painful Power Rankings

The Dallas Cowboys are now No. 30 on the list and the lowest-ranked NFC East team... OUCH.

FRISCO - If you thought last week's Power Rankings felt like getting Tabasco sauce in your eye à la Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Nolan... This week is going to hurt even worse. However, I will attempt to muster up two points of optimism at the end. 

The Dallas Cowboys' 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles sent the Cowboys tumbling near the bottom of the barrel in Sports Illustrated's latest Power Rankings. After the division defeat, the Cowboys (2-6) are now No. 30 on the list and the lowest ranked NFC East team... OUCH. As the MMQB team writes:

Suddenly starting for the Cowboys was too tall of a task for seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci, and with teams free to key in on the running game, Ezekiel Elliott hasn’t had much room to run. A surprising bright spot for Dallas, though, was the play of its defense.

From bad to worse... 

This week, the Cowboys face the undefeated Pittsburg Steelers (7-0), fresh off a win at Baltimore. They established themselves atop the AFC North and at the top of the SI Power Rankings, with have some incredible momentum coming into Dallas.

And still worse...

The hope that Andy Dalton (concussion protocol) would return this Sunday to stabilize the offense is over. The Cowboys have now placed Dalton on their Reserve/COVID-19 list. To recap, Dallas lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a fractured ankle, backup quarterback Dalton to concussion and now Coronavirus... Meaning seventh-round draft selection Ben DiNucci could again get the start vs. Pittsburgh. Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush are also options. 

[READ: NFL Deadline Tracker - Cowboys Trade Plan: 'Still Fight & Stand Pat'?]

[READ: An Odell Beckham Jr. Trade? His Family Favors Cowboys]

The very thin silver linings...

The Cowboys defense took a step in the right direction, forcing four turnovers on Sunday. While the uptick in production could be because the Eagles rank 31st in the NFL with 17 giveaways this season, the effort was visibly present/better. After the game, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence pointed to a better understanding of the coaches as one reason there was defensive improvement this week.

Last but not least, the Cowboys are currently positioned to have a top-six pick in April's NFL Draft.