Two weeks ago, there were many out there ready to bury the Dallas Cowboys and fire coach Jason Garrett.

After two impressive road victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons, they head home for a Thanksgiving Day game on a roll and with the look of the team to beat in the NFC East.

At 5-5, the Cowboys are still a game behind the Washington Redskins, who they play Thursday (4:30 p.m. ET, Fox, stream on fuboTV, try for free), but the Redskins lost quarterback Alex Smith for the season with a broken leg.

The defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles are also reeling and the New York Giants aren't very good.

So Dallas is the class of the NFC East right now. 

Who saw that two weeks ago?

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The Cowboys are up to 12th in my Power Rankings this week, but I think they will be higher in the coming weeks. The defense is getting better by the week, the offensive line and running game with Ezekiel Elliott have come alive and Dak Prescott is making enough plays now.

Garrett was blistered for the first few months, with owner Jerry Jones constantly being asked about his future. Now the Cowboys look poised to make a real push to win the division. 

After the Redskins, they play a tough game at home against the 9-1 Saints, but the rest of the schedule isn't daunting. 

So this week's game is enormous. I can hardly wait to see the cameras on Jones and his family all during the game on Thanksgiving.

The emotions on their face each and every week – win or lose – are priceless, but lately they've been doing a lot of smiling – and with good reason.

Biggest Movers
8 Seahawks
6 Bengals
Rk
Teams
 
Chg
Rcrd
1 Saints They just keep on rolling and look to be getting better by the week. The defense is improving. -- 9-8-0
2 Rams They can score on anybody. But that defense has issues. They have to fix it. -- 10-7-0
3 Chiefs They were dynamic again on offense this week against the Rams, but they also have defensive issues. That has to change. -- 11-6-0
4 Patriots They come off their bye with four games in the final six against AFC East teams. That makes life easy down the stretch to get ready for the playoffs. 1 4-13-0
5 Steelers It wasn't pretty at Jacksonville, but they found a way late. That's what good teams do. 1 10-7-0
6 Bears They impressed in beating up on the Vikings Sunday night. They are one of the major surprises this season. 2 7-10-0
7 Chargers That was a bad home loss to the Broncos. That's not the look of a Super Bowl contender. 3 5-12-0
8 Texans This hardly looks like a team that lost its first three games. Credit Bill O'Brien for the turnaround. 1 10-7-0
9 Panthers They have lost two straight games and need to get it turned around starting this week against the Seahawks. Why did they go for two against the Lions? 1 2-15-0
10 Colts Andrew Luck is playing unreal right now and the defense is getting better. Watch out for this team. 5 9-8-0
11 Vikings They have a big game this week with the Packers. They better hope the offense plays a lot better than it did against the Bears. 4 7-10-0
12 Cowboys Two consecutive victories has the Cowboys surging. The defense is going to be tough to beat. 4 12-5-0
13 Seahawks They can run it and the defense is getting better. Can that get them into the playoffs? 8 9-8-0
14 Commanders With the injury to Alex Smith, their playoff chances suddenly look a lot bleaker - even as they lead the division. Colt McCoy is the man for now. 3 4-13-0
15 Ravens Lamar Jackson brought life to this team. Now he gets to face an Oakland defense that isn't very good. 5 13-4-0
16 Titans Marcus Mariota's injury is a major concern. Their season turned in a bad way with the loss to the Colts. 4 6-11-0
17 Packers This team needs to win in the worst way this week against the Vikings. If not, could Mike McCarthy be in trouble? 4 9-8-0
18 Eagles The Super Bowl hangover is real. They are still alive, but that was an awful showing in New Orleans. 1 11-6-0
19 Dolphins They come off the bye tied for the final playoff spot and with a soft schedule down the stretch. Can this team actually make it? -- 11-6-0
20 Bengals They are 1-4 in their last five games to fall to .500. The season is going bad in a hurry. 6 9-8-0
21 Falcons Two straight losses has this team reeling as they head to New Orleans to play the Saints Thursday night. 3 7-10-0
22 Broncos They won a game on the road against the Chargers, which keeps their playoff hopes alive. But here come the Steelers. -- 8-9-0
23 Lions They won a game when the Panthers went for two, but now have a short turnaround to play the Bears at home. They need that one to have any playoff shot. 4 12-5-0
24 Browns They come off their bye building for the future. Who will be the coach for that future? 1 11-6-0
25 Giants They've won two straight to give themselves a chance to win the division. They have to beat the Eagles this week, or it's over. 3 6-11-0
26 Jaguars It's shocking to see them down this low. This season has been a disaster. -- 9-8-0
27 Bills They come off their bye likely with Josh Allen back under center. That's a good thing for the future. 3 11-6-0
28 Buccaneers Six more games and there will be big changes. Jameis Winston has to play the rest of the way - no matter what. 3 9-8-0
29 Raiders At least they are still competing, which showed up in their victory over the Cardinals. That shocked me. 3 8-9-0
30 Cardinals Josh Rosen makes some big-time plays, but also some big mistakes. It's all about 2019 now. 1 4-13-0
31 49ers After a bye, they get back to work with Nick Mullens now the starting quarterback. He's earned that right. 1 12-5-0
32 Jets They come off their bye with one big question: Is Todd Bowles really going to make it through the season? 1 7-10-0