NFL Power Rankings: Where Will Experts Rank the Dallas Cowboys?

Well, Tony Romo's good graces had a two-week shelf life.

Things were looking really good in Dallas in Week 4. The Cowboys were up 27-3 over the undefeated Lions. We were only three weeks removed from Dallas' opening-week loss to the Jets, but it seemed like three years ago.

Then, Romo threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for scores. Calvin Johnson showed Rob Ryan and anyone watching that he is indeed better than Dez Bryant and Miles Austin (who are both great).

A 27-3 lead early in the third quarter turned into a disastrous 34-30 loss. 

Now, at 2-2, Dallas is actually right where they should be. Without trying too hard, you can easily say that the Cowboys should be 4-0, 0-4 or anywhere in between.

But with a bye week coming up, Cowboys fans everywhere will have to live with this for two weeks. But we know that people in Dallas are going to react quickly. Everything about the Cowboys draws a lot of emotion.

But how are the people that are supposed to be more objective react?

ESPN ranks the Cowboys at No. 17 in their Week 5 rankings. As far as 2-2 teams go, only the Steelers, Jets and Raiders are ahead of them.

CBS Sports was apparently focused more on the first part of Sunday's game, as they still have Dallas ranked at No. 12. The Buccaneers, Titans and 49ers all sit at 3-1 but are behind the Cowboys.

Lastly, Brian Billick of Fox Sports puts the Cowboys at No. 17, ahead of the 49ers.

I am a 49ers fan, but it doesn't really bother me that the Cowboys are ahead of them. After all, Dallas did come back from 10 down to beat the 49ers in San Francisco.

You can look at my rankings below. With a few exceptions, I pretty much go with record at this point. That will change as the year progresses.

But again, Dallas is a 2-2 team. They deserve to be at 2-2. Their two wins were both comeback wins, their two defeats were both comeback wins for their opponents.

Where they rank with the other 2-2 teams can be debated, but they are a middle-of-the-road team. They may not be there at the end of the year, but right now, they should be ranked in the middle of the pack.

Michael Dixon's Week 5 NFL Power Rankings

Team	Record
1. Green Bay Packers	4-0
2. Detroit Lions	4-0
3. New Orleans Saints	3-1
4. Baltimore Ravens	3-1
5. Houston Texans	3-1
6. Buffalo Bills	3-1
7. New England Patriots	3-1
8. San Diego Chargers	3-1
9. Washington Redskins	3-1
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3-1
11. New York Giants	3-1
12. San Francisco 49ers	3-1
13. Tennessee Titans	3-1
14. Pittsburgh Steelers	2-2
15. Oakland Raiders	2-2
16. New York Jets	2-2
17. Chicago Bears	2-2
18. Atlanta Falcons	2-2
19. Dallas Cowboys	2-2
20. Philadelphia Eagles	1-3
21. Cincinnati Bengals	2-2
22. Carolina Panthers	1-3
23. Cleveland Browns	2-2
24. Arizona Cardinals	1-3
25. Seattle Seahawks	1-3
26. Jacksonville Jaguars	1-3
27. Denver Broncos	1-3
28. Kansas City Chiefs	1-3
29. Indianapolis Colts	0-4
30. St. Louis Rams	0-4
31. Minnesota Vikings	0-4
32. Miami Dolphins	0-4