NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Cowboys Rolling, Patriots Tumble

No. 5 Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys took control of the NFC East in one of the most impressive ways possible. In previous years, the Cowboys would have slipped in a moment like this. Entering Week 14 they sat at 7-5 and welcomed the rival Philadelphia Eagles, who sat at 6-6 and were looking to take the NFC East throne.

Dallas wasn't having it, as they consistently fought off the Eagles in a 29-23 overtime win which featured a dominant performance from midseason acquisition Amari Cooper. The 24-year-old wideout racked up 10 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns. The most impressive aspect of all was the fact that two of his scores came after Philly had tied the score in the fourth quarter, with the third being a game-winner.

Dak Prescott also had an eye-opening day from an efficiency standpoint, as he completed 77.8 percent of his passes while connecting on 42-of-54 pass attempts for 455 yards. The attempts, completions and yardage all rank as career-bests for the 25-year-old signal caller, and couldn't have come at a better time.

There's an argument to be made that the Cowboys could be a bit lower, or even a bit higher than this, depending on how you view them. But regardless of how you look at it, they've now won five-straight games, hold a two-game lead in the NFC East and boast a defense that looks exceptional.

Behind the improved defense, emergence of their newest weapon in Cooper and a well-rounded offense, Dallas has to be a team to watch in postseason play.

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No. 6 New England Patriots

The whole 'Miami Miracle' thing was a fun topic for Dolphins fans and everyone around the NFL. Everyone except the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick's group was, of course, the team on the wrong side of that, as we all witnessed Rob Gronkowski attempt to dive at Kenyan Drake as he finished off the play.

It was a tough loss for the Patriots, and a drop down to No. 6 is somewhat tough. Realistically, I think there's an argument to be made they could be No. 5. The reasoning behind placing the Cowboys ahead of the Patriots is that I believe Dallas wins a game between these two if they were to meet next week.

The Patriots are still an exceptionally talented team, and when thinking about facing this offense and their plethora of weapons in the playoffs, it's fairly daunting. Considering the fact that Josh Gordon continues to improve and show flashes of major upside, and there's still plenty for New England to be excited about.

It is worth noting that the Patriots have lost two of their last four, both against teams who may very well be on the outside looking in come playoff time. As for the two wins, one came against the New York Jets and the other was at home against the hit-or-miss Minnesota Vikings.

Tom Brady and company will get a big test in Week 15 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have work to do in a push to potentially catch the Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but also have to fend off the Houston Texans, who also hold a 9-4 record.

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