Congratulations on making it to another NFL season. We really did it.

There are other sports to pass the time, but nothing compares to football, and nothing compares to the National Football League. Thursday marks the start of the 105th season in the league’s history, which is pretty crazy considering the Dallas Cowboys were fortunate to have only missed the last third of this season’s Super Bowl appearance.

While the season is sure to be epic, we don’t know what it will bring at the moment. Each week will give us a new data set to work with, but we need to lay out the state of things as we see it before we get there.

Every week here at BTB you will find our Power Rankings, where we compile our current rankings of every team in the league, as well as a collection of opinions on the Dallas Cowboys from media outlets across the internet.

Happy football season. Let’s get started.

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1 – Kansas City Chiefs

They are the undisputed kings until proven otherwise.

2 – San Francisco 49ers

If there was an absolute all-time favorite, it would probably be the 49ers in recent years. So many elite teams performing at the highest level and with no trophies to show for it.

3 – Baltimore Ravens

They boast the reigning MVP and should not be underestimated.

4 – Detroit Lions

I’m certainly a believer. But the number of people who overlook the fact that they blew a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship game is truly remarkable.

5 – Houston Texans

There is a lot of hype. We’ll see if they live up to it.

6 – Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow is back. That’s a problem for everyone else.

7 – Dallas Cowboys

It’s crazy that on paper, all factors considered, this is still one of the best teams in the NFL.

8 – Buffalo Bills

They had a very similar offseason to Dallas in that they didn’t do much. Josh Allen time.

9 – Green Bay Packers

It’s a whole different thing when you don’t surprise teams. But I wouldn’t bet against Jordan Love.

10 – Philadelphia Eagles

Do I wish the Cowboys were as aggressive as they are from a management perspective? Yes.

Are there a huge number of people who forget their historic collapse in the second half of last season? Also, yes.

11 – Los Angeles Lakers

Is this Matthew Stafford’s last season in LA?

12 – Miami Dolphins

When they’re at their best, no one can match them, but we’ve never seen that over an entire season and into the playoffs.

Mike McDaniel took them to the dance every year for his first two years, never won a game, and yet he got a contract extension this summer. Imagine that!

13 – New York Jets

Get ready for this team to get on your nerves again.

14 – Jacksonville Jaguars

Apparently, their collapse in the second half of last year was something else entirely.

Is the pressure somehow on Doug Pederson?

15 – Cleveland Browns

So much depends on whether Deshaun Watson can be a real NFL quarterback.

16 – Atlanta Falcons

I’ve always believed in Kirk Cousins. I expect them to win the division, as do many others.

17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is this the year they return to the team we somehow think about every now and then?

18 – Los Angeles Chargers

Time for Jim Harbaugh, baby.

19 – Seattle Seahawks

They have so many receivers, but trusting everything to Geno Smith remains an interesting decision.

20 – New Orleans Saints

If there is a truly mediocre team, it is the Saints.

21 – Indianapolis Colts

I’d like to see Anthony Richardson pay off. We’ll see.

22 – Chicago Bears

There is no doubt that the excitement is huge. Now we need to see it implemented.

23 – Washington Commanders

They are low to begin with, but I wouldn’t be surprised if everything works out. Time will tell.

24 – Denver Broncos

Bo Nix may not be bad, but the fact that absolutely no one is calling for Sean Payton in any way is still unbelievable.

25 – Tennessee Titans

Along with New Orleans, they are the top contenders for the title of Blah.

26 – Arizona Cardinals

I expect them to be better. Kyler Murray is going to win a lot of people’s fantasy football leagues.

27 – Minnesota Vikings

It sucks that we have to see them without JJ McCarthy this year.

28 – Las Vegas Raiders

Not entirely boring, but only because of its historical value.

29 – Pittsburgh Steelers

Should we suddenly get in?

30 – New York Giants

Nobody is nervous about this team. Nobody.

31 – New England Patriots

Bring in Drake Maye and we can talk.

32 – Carolina Panthers

You have to prove everything.

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NFL.com: 10 (LW: n/a)

Top 10!

With the CeeDee Lamb deal, they averted the crisis and found a way to delay other problems, like the contract situation with Dak Prescott, for a little while longer. And when you’re as talented as Dallas is and most of the players are ready, you’re supposed to win. But with Prescott and Mike McCarthy having such high-pressure seasons ahead of them and the Cowboys facing a much tougher schedule than they did a year ago, it seems difficult to reach the 12-win mark that Dallas has reached in each of the last three seasons. That’s a challenge even for Dallas. more Focus on playoff performance, where the ‘Boys have really struggled the last couple of seasons. That’s why I put them 10th and no higher.

ESPN: 6 (LW: n/a)

This is admittedly a time when not everyone has traditional power rankings (which begin next week after the first round of games), but in this case, ESPN compiled its rankings based on its Football Power Index assessment and then added context from its staff.

FPI overall ranking: No. 6

Chances of winning in the division: 45.5%

Chances of reaching the playoffs: 77.8%

Expected wins: 10.3

Strength of the schedule: 16. hardest

Greatest strength: The connection between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches and set a team record with 1,747 yards to go along with 12 pass receiving touchdowns last season. Prescott led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and finished second in MVP voting. Lamb’s absence from training camp wasn’t exactly the best for their connection, but they spent a lot of time together in the offseason to keep it going. Both believe they will have enough time to get in shape for the regular season, which will be a must if the Cowboys want to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. — Todd Archer

Biggest concern: The Cowboys need a fast start to the season, and five of their first seven games are against 2023 playoff teams. Without a fast start, stress levels are rising for Mike McCarthy and the rest of his coaching staff, all of whom are on one-year contracts. Jerry Jones has made one midseason coaching change in his time as owner and GM. In 2010, he replaced Wade Phillips at halftime and named Jason Garrett as interim coach. — Archer

USA Today: 18 (LW: not applicable)

Outside the upper half.

With the successful contract extension with WR CeeDee Lamb, the 2023 NFC East champions have accomplished an important goal, even if they are likely on their way to being just a worse version of last year’s team.

Yahoo: 5 (LW: not applicable)

Number five.

CeeDee Lamb has been given his contract and has plenty of time to get back to his normal workload before the season begins. However, the “normal workload” may change.

“He’s going to touch the ball a lot,” Stephen Jones told Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “When you pay receivers that much money, they’re allowed to catch the ball 8-12 times a game, 15 times, occasionally 15 times.”

In other words, the Cowboys pay $34 million a year and get something in return.

CBS Sports: 10 (LW: n/a)

We’re jumping around a bit here.

This looks to be a season where Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott will have to prove themselves, as McCarthy is in the final year of his contract and Prescott did not get a long-term deal. Signing CeeDee Lamb to get him back on the field was smart.

The Athletic: 7 (LW: n/a)

Monica Geller would agree.

Preseason mood: One third fixed

Despite owner/general manager/team spokesman Jerry Jones’s statement that the Cowboys are “all in,” Dallas ranks 28th in the NFL in cash spending, according to Over the Cap, even after CeeDee Lamb signed the second-largest wide receiver deal in history last week (four years, $100 million guaranteed). The Eagles, their division rivals, still spend $100 million more than Dallas. But who knows? If Jones pays quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons, maybe they’ll catch up eventually. Maybe they’ll even win a playoff game at some point.

Sports Illustrated: 11 (LW: nz)

And there you have it.

Dalvin Cook! All right! Nothing to see here, right guys?! Jerry Jones’ misguided belief that contractual pressure creates greatness comes straight from a ridiculous Animal Farm Fantasy. For some people that may be true, but for a lot of people looking to provide for their families, it’s a useless and insulting ploy to mask larger problems. It’s frustrating because Dallas has stumbled upon a handful of players who will make this team better than it should be. Jones wanted Connor Cook. The Broncos and Raiders drafted the wrong receivers in 2020 ahead of CeeDee Lamb. And the Giants have a phobia of drafting linebackers in the first round, so they traded back with the Bears and left Micah Parsons on the board. That raft will still float thanks to those coincidences.