The Dallas Cowboys have been placed 11th in ESPN's initial 2026 Football Power Index, a ranking that evaluates expected performance for the upcoming season based on betting market win totals, schedule difficulty and other predictive factors.
How the Index Is Calculated
ESPN's FPI blends sportsbook odds with analytical models to estimate each team's win total and overall competitiveness. The formula also accounts for strength of opponents and the difficulty of each team's slate of games.
The Cowboys find themselves behind only the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs among teams that did not qualify for the 2025 playoffs. Both the Lions and Chiefs split their head‑to‑head matchups with Dallas last season, giving them a slight edge in the early projections.
Several other playoff teams from the previous year — including the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers — are slotted below the Cowboys in the ranking, indicating that Dallas is expected to outperform many of its recent postseason peers.
The index also highlights a favorable schedule for the Cowboys, projecting numerous games against teams that rank in the lower half of the FPI. This slate, combined with the organization's offseason moves, underpins the optimistic outlook for a strong 2026 campaign.