SI Power Rankings: Eagles 10 Spots Ahead of Cowboys?!

Hope remains for the Dallas Cowboys to make the NFL playoffs - though that hope isn't exactly reflected in the Week 6 Sports Illustrated Power Rankings

FRISCO - Hope remains for the Dallas Cowboys to make the NFL playoffs. 

There are 11 remaining games in the season ... Plenty of time for the Cowboys to turn it around. The NFC East's atrocious combined record of 4-15-1 means that Dallas still has a solid chance at taking the division crown with a shot at a postseason run. Seven wins might be enough to win the division.

THE BAD NEWS: The Cowboys continue to plummet from No. 19 to No. 25 in this week's Sports Illustrated's latest power rankings. As The MMQB gang writes:

"Andy Dalton has always struggled in muddy pockets, and losing both starting tackles means he’ll be playing from a lot of muddy pockets (the Giants, mind you, might have the meekest edge rushers in football). They’re in the right division, and once Leighton Vander Esch returns perhaps the defense goes from bottom-five all-time to regular ol’ bottom-five this season. Either way, it’s difficult to project the Andy Dalton Cowboys as anything other than a bottom-third-of-the-league team."

WAIT A MINUTE: Did I read that correctly? The power rankings have the Philadelphia Eagles 10 spots ahead of the Cowboys at No. 15?! After a 38-29 loss at Pittsburgh?! The Eagles (1-3-1) are a half-game behind the Cowboys but 10 spots in the power rankings seems a bit excessive, even if they are on the "verge of clicking."

SI's reasoning:

"Whatever was wrong with Carson Wentz the first three games of the season, it’s not wrong anymore. He was fantastic in a losing effort in Pittsburgh—of his two interceptions one was a Hail Mary and the other was due to a blatant defensive penalty, he made a number of mind-blowing throws and worked magic to buy time late in the down, and he was within inches of completing two of the season’s best throws.''

Veteran Andy Dalton, who turned out to be a great investment, takes over at quarterback this week. With offensive weapons Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup rolling... will the Cowboys offense be enough to overcome its defense? 

Next up, Monday Night Football! The Cowboys host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday at 7:15 p.m. CT. ... with the hopes of climbing in the rankings, and more importantly, the standings.