2020 NFL Power Rankings, Week 10: Bucs crash and burn, Bills turn heads

There was a lot to be happy about on Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys. For the second week in a row, their defense showed signs of being somewhat competent. After forcing four turnovers and keeping them in the game against the Eagles in Week 8, they held the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers to 24 points, which gave them a real shot at a game they had no business contending in.

With Andy Dalton still out due to being on the COVID-19 reserve list, the Cowboys turned to Garrett Gilbert who was making his first career start. Gilbert was a major upgrade over Ben DiNucci, who started the prior week against Philadelphia. The former Texas and SMU star was able to throw for 243 yards and had a touchdown, but also had a costly interception late in the game.

That pick hurt them but Gilbert still was better than expected in his debut. The major issue he had was an inability to finish drives as they had to settle for four field goals. Even with that being the case, Dallas had a shot to seal the win but Jaylon Smith was hit with two costly penalties late and Leighton Vander Esch had one as well.

Now, Dallas finds themselves sitting at 2-7 with no chance of salvaging this season. In the long run, that could be for the best as they will end up with a better draft pick this way, and looking at that roster (especially on defense) they need to get some premium talent in Big D.