November 6, 2024 • 24 mins
It's a tough time of year in the NFL, as coaching changes and quarterback issues are bubbling up all over the league. But it's also a feel-good time for some, if you look around. Times may be tough in places such as Dallas, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New Orleans and, suddenly, Chicago. But the intrigue level remains high in a season that has taken some interesting twists and turns. There wasn't a ton of shakeup to the rankings this week, but there was notable movement in the NFC North and NFC West, perhaps two of the more fascinating divisions going right now.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Reinforcements are on the way. Welcome to NFL Power Rankings.
And yes, the trade deadline has officially coming gone, and
we got deals across the board. We will dissect all
of them. But as we do every single week, we
rank all of the teams and you can head to
NFL dot com for analysis on each and every one
of them. Mike him and Eric at home with you
all right, Eric, at the end of the day, not
(00:26):
a huge change from last week's rankings across the board.
I got to imagine, with the deals that we saw
on Tuesday, we're going to see some movement for some
of these teams and an upward trajectory for the buyers.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, we'll see if there are any kind of franchise
altering trades that were made Tuesday. Certain with some players
moving that I think can help their new clubs, and
down the road we'll see what helps the teams that
traded those players away. But yeah, as we kind of
get to the home stretch of the season a little bit,
you know, we'll find out what these acquisitions can do
and how quickly they'll assimilate to their new teams.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Eric, Well, let's jump into the rankings.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Some of those top teams and really no change at
the top for you. The Detroit Lions just continue to
win seven to one, their best starts since nineteen fifty six.
At number two the Chiefs another win for them, the
league's only unbeaten team. The third ranked team, the Bills,
a sixty one yard field goal from Tyler Bass for
the divisional win the Ravens. They'd be tienvered by thirty one.
(01:22):
At five, it's the Commander's still leading the NFC East.
The Vikings get back in the win column. They're ranked
six at seven saquon the backwards hurdle. That's all you
need to know, and that's all I continue to watch
on social media. At number eight, it is the Green
Bay Packers, but it is time for the team of
the week, the Lions. Scanning Zadarius Smith, I think that's
(01:43):
the best place to start because we had some questions
maybe about Aiden Hutchinson getting pressure on the quarterback hasn't
really been affected since he's been down, but you get
one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and
Eric I got to imagine the Lions might be able
to hold on to that number one spot for a
long time.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Absolutely. I mean, part of the reason why I love
the Lions this year is that they've sort of faced
all takers. They've taken on all competition, no matter where
the game is Sunday, obviously in the rain, in the Lambeau,
They've dealt with Theden Hutchins injury, They've dealt with the
Jamison Williams suspension, all these things thrown at them. No problem.
They just go out and win. They can win games
in totally different ways. But you bring in kind of
(02:21):
a higher gun pass rusher like Zadarius Smith. Fourth team
and I think four seasons now, I want to say,
you know, he's done some work for these different systems
in these different clubs and just adding one more pass
rush source I think is a fantastic move, a great idea.
He's sort of viewed as a pros progue guy who
I think, who can jump right into the Lions. I mean,
(02:42):
so much of their success is based on culture. He's
been on some winning teams like the Browns last year
to the Packers before that. Love the move, love the addition,
and love where this team is headed.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, and a big test for the Lions and once
again on their schedule feels like there's a whole lot
of them. But they'll hit the road against the Houston Texans,
who will talk about in just a bit. And number
two it's the Kansas City Chiefs. They score a win
on Monday Night football. It needed overtime to get it done.
I think the entirely, well really Kansas City fans just
to sigh relief when Patrick Mahomes goes down, need some
(03:13):
help going across the sideline.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
He's AOK.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
But what do we make of what we're seeing from
Kansas City once again gets tested. I give Baker Mayfield
and this Bucks team a lot of credit, but it's
not like they're blowing teams out.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean the close game
theme has worked for them to this point as to
make you a little nervous watching him at times, of course,
but when you have Patrick Mahomes and a guy who
could come back, I mean, hecky played a whole season
with a turf toe injury, so I think on some
level all of us expected himself to him to peel
himself out there, get out there, play and win the game.
And of course that's what he did, had to fight
(03:47):
off a valiant effort like you said from Baker, and
the Bucks thought they were really great, especially on that
last drive. But you know you've got Mahomes and the
Chiefs defense needed help, right. I mean that last drive,
I think they looked a little gassed out there in
the bad weather, and Mahomes and the Chiefs drive down
the field scored the touchdown win in overtime for them.
I mean, they were like the early voters, right, they
(04:07):
got there. DeAndre Hopkins trade done early. They got josh
Hugh Chase, so their moves are already kind of in
the tank a little bit. And Hopkins was a big
addition last night. Two touchdowns of several clutch catches. Still
working that chemistry out a little bit. They weren't always
on the same page, but boy, by the end of
the season, that move could really end up paying off
in a big way.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Huge fourteen receptions for Travis Kelcey.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
That was a career high for him, season highs across
the board for d hop especially with those two touchdowns.
I gotta be honest with you, I think Commanders fans
are probably over me just saying, oh, you know, on
top of the NFC, e's a little bit of surprise
here this last time.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I'm going to say this.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
If you would have told me at this point of
the season, before the trade deadline they would be buyers,
I would be like, no, not, probably not going to happen.
But they are, and for good reason. Marshall Lttimore gets
inserted into this lineup. What's the overall effect that you
think he can have for the Commanders.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I'm with you. I would have projected if they
were going to be buyers, it was going to be
something like what the Chicago Bears did when they got
Montes sweat Oka, thinking ahead of free agency, trying to
get someone on an expiring deal, hopefully re signing them.
But no, they went out and got Marshaun Lattimore, who's,
you know, towards the end of his career, closer to
the end than the beginning, certainly, but an established, feisty,
(05:18):
hard nose corner and I think Dan Quinn obviously knows
what he's getting here, and in terms of their biggest
positional need probably and maybe one of the best players
of that at that position that was actually available. So
they did give up a premium three draft picks. One.
Coming back to the Commanders, you know, we know how
well they did in the draft last year, but I
think this says, look, we see an opportunity here not
(05:40):
only to win the division, but perhaps make some noise
in the playoffs. We've got this precocious rookie quarterback who
can deliver hail Mary's and beat teams consistently and luster
them with his legs and his throwing ability. So they're
going for it. And I think Commanders fans, after all
they've been through and now this new regime, this new
ownership change, this new head coach, new quarterback, knew everything.
(06:02):
They have to be over the moon and how this
season has gone, and have to love Adam Peters aggressiveness
and getting a cover guy that can really help that secondary.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Eric.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We're a long ways away from talking about the NFL draft,
but this is the exact reason why everyone clamors over quarterbacks,
because one player on the field potentially changes the entire
trajectory of your franchise, and Jamie Daniels has been able
to do that. The other thing I'll throw out there
another tough test for the squad matching up against the
Steelers team, who we will discuss. They were also buyers
(06:31):
before the trade deadline. But I want to focus our
attention on the Minnesota Vikings, who sit sixth in your rankings.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I think there's a big relief here.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Two consecutive losses now officially in the rearview mirror, and
they get it done against the Cults. How big of
a relief should this be from Minnesota?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah? I think a pretty big one, right. I mean, obviously,
you give up a defensive touchdown that maybe some people
felt like they shouldn't have the Colts shouldn't have gotten,
and you know, really had to fight through it. Sam
Darnold had a good second half after some shaky moments.
There wasn't perfect, but I think the biggest development was
seeing that defense dominate again. That was something that I
think they had to have as part of their winning equation.
(07:09):
You know, we'd seen Brian Flores as unit be a
really good group all season long up until the last
couple of games, and I felt like they had a
real bounce back effort in that game against Indy. And
you know in the run game is going to be
there to a certain degree. Donald's going to have his moments.
We know the receivers can shine. They've gotten Hockinson back so,
you know, even with Darris Alt, I'm not as worried
(07:30):
about the offense, and Donald is a wild card, sure,
but I felt like that defense had to get back
to that top five, top ten type of unit that
they'd established themselves as being the first part of the season.
I think they did that Sunday. We'll see if it
keeps going though.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, we'll see the Vikings on the road against the
Jacksonville Jaguars that just figure out ways to rack up losses.
Time for future champions. I know we just touched on
the Washington Commanders winning that division, but they're not the favorite.
According to Fandel, No, it's the Philadelphia Eagles. Sakwon Barkley
gave us one of the best wow moments that we
have seen. Dallas Cowbo will be the Eagles next opponent.
(08:06):
They sit in that third position. And then it's the
New York Giants, who also can't seem to get out
of their own way. But let's focus on the seventh
ranked team in those Eagles look dominant at times in
this game.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Second half daylea Jacksonville make a run here.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
What do you make of the type of season that
the Eagles are having, because quite Honestly, this roster is good,
and I think most.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Of us would have felt like they were the favorite
to win this division.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. I think going into the season, Philly Dallas had
established themselves as the most consistent contenders. Now maybe the Commanders,
you know, had this thing going that the Eagles and
other teams should have seen coming. But you know, they've
worked through some inconsistencies. Bad defense one week, good the next.
I thought Sunday was pretty good, even though geez, they
did give up a you know, make it a twenty
two point game and then a twenty two point lead
(08:54):
and then almost blow it. Got to work on those
two point conversions, boys. But I'll tell you what, Jalen Hurts,
Saquon Barkley, they have really been special. I think the
last four games, no interceptions for Hurts over that period.
Twelve total touchdowns, six of them running, six of them
passing that great catch by Devonte Smith. He's been so steady,
you know, even when aj Brown was out. So really
(09:16):
like the direction the offense has taken. And you know,
I don't know how much you could put on the
defense for making it a close game. Obviously there was
a defensive score that helped get the Jaguars back in
it a little bit. So if Barkley can keep making
the impact he did, it'll continue justifying. Yes, this was
a great signing at the time, despite the thirteen plus
million dollar tag, and I think that could help them
(09:37):
really push the Commanders for that division title.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, slim reaper in Smith, you made reference to it.
Had it not been for the Garrett Wilson touchdown on TNF,
I think Smith would have had the best touchdown in
the entire week.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Certainly fantastic. By the way.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
The Eagles just a fifthteam in NFL history to fail
three two point conversions and win.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
They got to figure that aspect out.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Meanwhile, they'll match up against the Dallas Cowboys and their
season looking not too We'll touch on them a little
bit later here on power rankings at number eight, it's
the Green Bay Packers. They drop a couple spots here.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I don't know. I'm not overly concerned about that.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
What does raise some attention for me is Jordan Love
and some of the turnovers here. We talk about him
as an elite quarterback, and yet it seems like every
single week there's another interception.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, obviously the injury kind of changed his season a
little bit, but there are some parallels to last year
his first real time as a starting quarterback. Had ten
interceptions the first half of the season, one in the
second half prior to the playoffs, So we have seen
this pattern before. The question is are we going to
get better ball security from Love? And that pick six
was a gutter right before the half. I mean, that
(10:46):
was a tough one. Obviously, the conditions were bad. Should
never make this throw in the first place. He knows that,
you know, Lafleur knows that everybody else does too. There
are some mistakes you got to live with with this guy,
but he's a special playmaker. I think he's starting to
get healthy again. And you're right. I mean, they played
the best team in football, one that is shown it
can play in a lot of different conditions if they
(11:07):
can get that sort of ball security, ball handling, the
snaps and all that figure those things out. The Packers
are a good team. They just had a bad Sunday and.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
That happens, and you can't have another bad Sunday in
the division on the road against the Chicago Bears this
coming week. Meanwhile, we got the Pittsburgh Steelers buyers at
the trade deadline will hit on them. Don't look now,
but the Cardinals are flying high and Eric there is
one team we don't talk nearly enough about that continues
to win.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
That changes.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Coming up next on NFL Power Rankings. Back here on
power rankings, teams ranked nine through sixteen.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
The Steelers, they're buyers. We will get to them in
just a moment. Here at number ten, the Texans little
bit of a drop two spot. CJ.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Stroudsacked eight times on TNF Falcons, winners of five of
the last six. The Chargers at number twelve, they've won
three out of four niners on a buy their thirteenth
the fourteenth ranked team is also the first place team
in the NFC WES. That's the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos
they got throttled by Baltimore. They dropped four spots to fifteenth,
and Tampa Bay still hanging tough here. I know they
(12:14):
lost on Monday night, but they are the sixteenth ranked squad.
Mike Williams and then on the defensive side, Preston Smith
now Pittsburgh bound. How dangerous does the Steelers now become
the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah, just another deep threat for Russell Wilson. I think
had Justin Fields continue to be the quarterback. I don't
know that they make a move like this, and maybe
they do. It's not that Williams can't do other things,
but he's a go up and get it kind of receiver,
I think. And it wasn't quite working with the Jets. Obviously.
They had hoped he would be a big target for
Aaron Rodgers. Those two couldn't quite get on the same page.
(12:47):
A few moments here and there. Adds to a Steelers
receiver room that I think everybody pictured. They would do
something at the deadline and then Preston Smith on defense,
just another veteran edge guy to help kind of spell
Watt and high Smith and those guys. He can play
off the ball, too, so you know, how he fits
in will be interesting to see. With Russ there, I
think Williams can kind of unlock his town a little
(13:08):
bit more.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, Eric, I'm actually in love with where you
have the Texans. I think they're the one of the
premier teams in the NFL. Tenth feels right to me
based off of what we saw against the Jets on
Thursday Night Football I'm actually cautiously worried about this team,
considering all the pressure that CJ was under.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Absolutely, I mean even before the season, I thought, are
they quite ready for primetime? That was the big debate
I had with myself. But now that we've seen the
pass protection break down completely, and this was in the
first game it happened, but Thursday night against the Jets
should have been pretty eye opening, and I hope they've
spent the last several days trying to figure out ways
to improve the protection. What can they do schematically? Are
(13:46):
there any personnel changes we can make? There are not
a lot of in house candidates who are obvious. How
do you get the ball out of CJ's hand a
little quicker? And oh, by the way, Stefan Diggs great
underneath receiver guy, can catch short passes, take them a
long way. He's out for the year, so they might
get Nico Collins back. How much more can they can
keep asking Joe Mixon to kind of be the you know,
(14:07):
the load bearer for this offense? I guess, And that's
I guess comes down a little bit of an offensive
identity question when you have these pass production breakdowns.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yeah, and look, I know I mentioned this earlier when
we discussed the lines. That's the matchup between these two
teams this upcoming week, So certainly a lot on the
line for both of these squads. This is not breaking news,
and I don't feel like I'm going out on a limb.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
The Falcons are going to win the division.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
They've got the two matchups already in the bag with
Tampa Bay after beating that squad twice. The league continues
to balloon here and Kirk Cousins continues.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
The ball absolutely. I mean, look, Cousins has been a
big part of what they've done, and you know, continuing
to kind of put their foot down against Dallas. Maybe
let up a little bit late, but I thought looked
pretty impressive overall. Bejon Robinson is really kind of settled
in as the guy in the run game. You know,
they can have a game where one of those receivers
doesn't have a big outing. Now we'll see what Drake Lennon.
(15:00):
Is he banged up, Is he gonna miss some time?
I'm not sure about that yet, but this is sort
of steadily making progress throughout the season. I think, like
you said, there's open road in front of them to
win this NFC South Division that has really become kind
of a two horse race, and that's giving the Bucks
a lot of credit too because of the sweep and
also their loss and Monday night putting in below five hundred,
(15:22):
So you're right, Can they avoid blowing it? Can they
just win games consistently down the stretch and get ready
for the playoffs. That's the big question for this Atlanta group.
Find a pass rush, get more consistent on defense as well. Eric.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
The team that I teased before the break that we
don't talk enough about and continues to win is the Chargers,
and they sit twelfth in your rankings. They move up
three spots here justin Herbert hasn't thrown an interception in
his last six starts. They had six sacks and three
picks against Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
This is the way, candidly I.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thought that we're gonna win some football games. Don't turn
the ball over. Defense has taken a step up, and
they're running effectively.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Amen. I mean, they haven't allowed twenty points all year.
It's kind of wild, even with a little bit of
a soft schedule. I mean, look, it includes the Chiefs,
it includes the Steelers. They faced some other good teams too,
So it's not like they're facing nobody's and Sunday was
just a dismantling of a team that looked really good
the week prior against the Ravens. And you're right defensively,
(16:20):
just the improvements they've made from one year to the next.
Jesse min Or Jim Harbaugh done an excellent job on
that side of the ball and on the other side,
figuring out that balance, that fine line between having Justin
Herbert throw, making sure they have this franchise quarterback get
his looks, his touches, and also be that run dominant
team they are. They've kind of settled in nicely here.
(16:41):
They're winning games in a very predictable but very tough
to stop fashion if you don't have the right personnel.
So yeah, they're gonna be a handful to deal with it.
If they have to go on the road in the playoffs.
I think they would embrace that challenge. They've got nothing
to lose at this point, and I love the direction
of this team and what they've been able to do
so far.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, they get the Titans next time out, so I
got to imagine probably get another victory here.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Tennessee hasn't been necessarily a juggernaut this year. Time for
power moves. Eric. The team that is leading the NFC West, the.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Arizona Cardinals, they just they're figuring this thing out here.
They're the fourteenth ranked team for you defense season high
six sacks for them. James, speaking of formulas to win,
I mean, Connor's been an absolute monster here. I don't
know if it's going to end up where they're going
to win this division, but my lord had tip to
Arizona absolutely.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I mean Jonathan Gannon, I'll be honest. At the time
of his hiring, I had my questions. But even last year,
even in a you know, a four win season, you
could see the progress. You could see the aggressiveness on offense,
you could see the direction they were heading. And Sunday
it all kind of came to a head. I thought
it was one of their best games we've seen from
them all season. Had a couple bad, tough losses earlier
in the year, but made life really tough on Caleb Williams.
(17:51):
You know, you lose Dennis Gardak and pass rush. The
way they did I thought was very, very impressive, even
against the Bears team that's had their share of issues
there love the Backs. You know, they're getting their playmakers
the ball defensively, they're making strides and they're having fun
out there too.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Yeah, it feels that way.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And to be fair, I don't even think we've seen
Kyler Murray at the peak of his powers just yet
so far this season.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
So there's actually another gear here.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I just look at the Niners and that roster Christian
McCaffrey on the men's and the Rams are also a
team that would scare me. By the way, speaking of
the Rams, another trade to get to involving LA and Baltimore. Meanwhile,
the Saints they lost to Carolina, they got a new coach.
What Eric makes of what's happening in New Orleans that's
still become on power rankings. Back here on power rankings,
(18:45):
the squad drank seventeen through twenty four. The Bears scored
a season hoh nine points. That's not good the Rams,
by the way, at eighteen, they're training two time Pro
bowler Jadarius White to the Ravens, so the corner gonna
help bolster a Baltimore defense that's had some issues this season.
At nineteen, it's the Seahawks, twentieth, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
At twenty one.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
We saw the Colts lose another game with Joe Flacco,
this time as their starter. They're the twenty first ranked team,
the Jets, they snapped a five game slide. Sit at
twenty two.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
No Dak for a while.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
You got the Cowboys at twenty three, the Dolphins losing
a nail bier against Buffalo, the twenty fourth ranked team.
Let's get to this Rams squad here needed overtime, get
a win here. I still look at this team. Eric
is one of the more dangerous ones, and I wouldn't
be surprised if they win the division by season zen
as this team continues to get healthy. Although getting rid
of White is a little bit of a head scratcher
(19:35):
right now.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah, it seems like he kind of fallen out of
the rotation. Some of the young guys like Cameron Kinchin
steps up obviously. The two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
You know it's funny too. We talk about the Lions
being able to win in a lot of different ways.
The Rams have due in different passions. You lose Pukinakua,
he gets kicked out of the game throwing a punch,
and they still win without him. Credit to Matthew Stafford
(19:56):
those other receivers. I thought Cup had a big game.
You know, they did what they had to do to
fight back in this one and get the overtime three
riller against the division rival when you know they could
have lost this game very, very easily. So a lot
of praise for Sean McVay and what he's done there
and he's how he's gotten his team back from the
bad start.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Yeah, Jets get a victory on Thursday Night football. Aaron
Rodgers season high three touchdowns for him and the defense
had eight sacks. That's the formula that I would have
thought equaled wins throughout the course of the entire season.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Are things heading in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
We'll see, right the first half did go so well, Right,
so there's still this kind of jeckal and the high
nature to the Jets. And until we see it, you know,
in kind of a regular Sunday situation, you know, Texans
come in in a short week on the road. Maybe
that hurt them a little bit. I'm gonna be a
little bit hesitant on the Jets, but it starts with
the defense, Mike. They have to be more consistent on
(20:52):
that side of the ball as well as Rogers in
the passing game. Humming.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, look, they're on the road against Arizona next time out.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
At twenty three, it was, yeah, it's going to be
a tough game the Dallas Cowboys. They dropped two spots
in your rankings. No Dak Prescott hamstring injury now for
the foreseeable future. Is this the last time I bring
up the Cowboys on the show.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It could be we'll see. I mean, unless they just
lose a colossal fashion, But they're in a real tough
spot three and five. Like you said, no, Dak could
be on the ir soon. Am I gonna have to
turn it over to Cooper Rush? Yeah? He won four
games for him a couple of years ago, but probably
not the same situation. I know they traded for Jonathan Mingo.
Felt like a bit of a strange move. Maybe has
more of an effect next year, But yeah, this is
(21:33):
gonna be really tricky for them to kind of pull
out of this tailspin and remain a contending club. With
Washington Philly ahead of them in the division standings, Giants
are playing some competitive football too, so yeah, swimming upstream
is the way I would describe it.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Look I don't want to be that dude. If you know,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
But there's been that little video gif on social media
regarding Dak Prescott when he was on the sideline mouthing
something admitting that the team wasn't good. That's probably the
most politically correct way I can describe. I'm not necessarily
the lip reader, but it was pretty obvious he was.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Going with it. Teams ranked twenty five through thirty two.
Oh boy. At number twenty five, it's the Giants. I
say this every single week.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yes, I'm a Giants fan, and this is probably the
only time I'm going to say this.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
It's not Daniel Jones's fault.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Just saying at twenty six a coaching change will get
to in just a moment. Twenty seven it's the Browns
at twenty eight, another loss for the Jags. The Titans
get a win against the Patriots. They're twenty ninth at
Patriots squad by the way, all the way at number
thirty two. I'm going out of order here, but the
Panthers give.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Them their flowers. They gotta win. Okay, here we go.
They're at thirty. At thirty one, it's the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
A lot of changes Lukeetzie, their offensive coordinator out in
the r Turner is now in. So let's focus in
on the Saints. It's a lot of losses that continue.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
To pile up here.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
What do we make of the squad who earlier this
season we thought was one of the best in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yeah, two and oho start. Ninety one points scored in
those first two huge win at Dallas, you just thought, Wow, okay,
here we go, right, this is going to be the
new fangled Saints. And after a slew of closed losses,
the blowouts started happening, the injuries piled up. You had
questions swirling around Dennis Allen now Dennis Rizzy taking over
a really, really tough situation. I think who dat Nation's
(23:12):
kind of checked out a little bit. They've got to
find solutions in all three phases. Carr coming back Sunday
didn't really help them against the Panthers. Good luck, sir.
There's a lot going on there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You lose to Carolina, my lord, though, like Spencer Rattler
was their quarterback for a little bit. Here, you throw
a rookie out into the mix here. You don't have
Derek Carr out for a good stretch of the season.
Once again a little bit of a surprise because they
were a team up to your point that was just
looking like an absolute juggernaut as we started off this
NFL season.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Hopefully they can fix it. Dude, you're the best man.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
I know.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
This is always a tough little slending here to rank
these teams, but appreciate everyone watching
Reinforcements are on the way. Welcome to NFL Power Rankings.
And yes, the trade deadline has officially coming gone, and
we got deals across the board. We will dissect all
of them. But as we do every single week, we
rank all of the teams and you can head to
NFL dot com for analysis on each and every one
of them. Mike him and Eric at home with you
all right, Eric, at the end of the day, not
(00:26):
a huge change from last week's rankings across the board.
I got to imagine, with the deals that we saw
on Tuesday, we're going to see some movement for some
of these teams and an upward trajectory for the buyers.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, we'll see if there are any kind of franchise
altering trades that were made Tuesday. Certain with some players
moving that I think can help their new clubs, and
down the road we'll see what helps the teams that
traded those players away. But yeah, as we kind of
get to the home stretch of the season a little bit,
you know, we'll find out what these acquisitions can do
and how quickly they'll assimilate to their new teams.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Eric, Well, let's jump into the rankings.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Some of those top teams and really no change at
the top for you. The Detroit Lions just continue to
win seven to one, their best starts since nineteen fifty six.
At number two the Chiefs another win for them, the
league's only unbeaten team. The third ranked team, the Bills,
a sixty one yard field goal from Tyler Bass for
the divisional win the Ravens. They'd be tienvered by thirty one.
(01:22):
At five, it's the Commander's still leading the NFC East.
The Vikings get back in the win column. They're ranked
six at seven saquon the backwards hurdle. That's all you
need to know, and that's all I continue to watch
on social media. At number eight, it is the Green
Bay Packers, but it is time for the team of
the week, the Lions. Scanning Zadarius Smith, I think that's
(01:43):
the best place to start because we had some questions
maybe about Aiden Hutchinson getting pressure on the quarterback hasn't
really been affected since he's been down, but you get
one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and
Eric I got to imagine the Lions might be able
to hold on to that number one spot for a
long time.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Absolutely. I mean, part of the reason why I love
the Lions this year is that they've sort of faced
all takers. They've taken on all competition, no matter where
the game is Sunday, obviously in the rain, in the Lambeau,
They've dealt with Theden Hutchins injury, They've dealt with the
Jamison Williams suspension, all these things thrown at them. No problem.
They just go out and win. They can win games
in totally different ways. But you bring in kind of
(02:21):
a higher gun pass rusher like Zadarius Smith. Fourth team
and I think four seasons now, I want to say,
you know, he's done some work for these different systems
in these different clubs and just adding one more pass
rush source I think is a fantastic move, a great idea.
He's sort of viewed as a pros progue guy who
I think, who can jump right into the Lions. I mean,
(02:42):
so much of their success is based on culture. He's
been on some winning teams like the Browns last year
to the Packers before that. Love the move, love the addition,
and love where this team is headed.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, and a big test for the Lions and once
again on their schedule feels like there's a whole lot
of them. But they'll hit the road against the Houston Texans,
who will talk about in just a bit. And number
two it's the Kansas City Chiefs. They score a win
on Monday Night football. It needed overtime to get it done.
I think the entirely, well really Kansas City fans just
to sigh relief when Patrick Mahomes goes down, need some
(03:13):
help going across the sideline.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
He's AOK.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
But what do we make of what we're seeing from
Kansas City once again gets tested. I give Baker Mayfield
and this Bucks team a lot of credit, but it's
not like they're blowing teams out.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean the close game
theme has worked for them to this point as to
make you a little nervous watching him at times, of course,
but when you have Patrick Mahomes and a guy who
could come back, I mean, hecky played a whole season
with a turf toe injury, so I think on some
level all of us expected himself to him to peel
himself out there, get out there, play and win the game.
And of course that's what he did, had to fight
(03:47):
off a valiant effort like you said from Baker, and
the Bucks thought they were really great, especially on that
last drive. But you know you've got Mahomes and the
Chiefs defense needed help, right. I mean that last drive,
I think they looked a little gassed out there in
the bad weather, and Mahomes and the Chiefs drive down
the field scored the touchdown win in overtime for them.
I mean, they were like the early voters, right, they
(04:07):
got there. DeAndre Hopkins trade done early. They got josh
Hugh Chase, so their moves are already kind of in
the tank a little bit. And Hopkins was a big
addition last night. Two touchdowns of several clutch catches. Still
working that chemistry out a little bit. They weren't always
on the same page, but boy, by the end of
the season, that move could really end up paying off
in a big way.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Huge fourteen receptions for Travis Kelcey.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
That was a career high for him, season highs across
the board for d hop especially with those two touchdowns.
I gotta be honest with you, I think Commanders fans
are probably over me just saying, oh, you know, on
top of the NFC, e's a little bit of surprise
here this last time.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I'm going to say this.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
If you would have told me at this point of
the season, before the trade deadline they would be buyers,
I would be like, no, not, probably not going to happen.
But they are, and for good reason. Marshall Lttimore gets
inserted into this lineup. What's the overall effect that you
think he can have for the Commanders.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, I'm with you. I would have projected if they
were going to be buyers, it was going to be
something like what the Chicago Bears did when they got
Montes sweat Oka, thinking ahead of free agency, trying to
get someone on an expiring deal, hopefully re signing them.
But no, they went out and got Marshaun Lattimore, who's,
you know, towards the end of his career, closer to
the end than the beginning, certainly, but an established, feisty,
(05:18):
hard nose corner and I think Dan Quinn obviously knows
what he's getting here, and in terms of their biggest
positional need probably and maybe one of the best players
of that at that position that was actually available. So
they did give up a premium three draft picks. One.
Coming back to the Commanders, you know, we know how
well they did in the draft last year, but I
think this says, look, we see an opportunity here not
(05:40):
only to win the division, but perhaps make some noise
in the playoffs. We've got this precocious rookie quarterback who
can deliver hail Mary's and beat teams consistently and luster
them with his legs and his throwing ability. So they're
going for it. And I think Commanders fans, after all
they've been through and now this new regime, this new
ownership change, this new head coach, new quarterback, knew everything.
(06:02):
They have to be over the moon and how this
season has gone, and have to love Adam Peters aggressiveness
and getting a cover guy that can really help that secondary.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Eric.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
We're a long ways away from talking about the NFL draft,
but this is the exact reason why everyone clamors over quarterbacks,
because one player on the field potentially changes the entire
trajectory of your franchise, and Jamie Daniels has been able
to do that. The other thing I'll throw out there
another tough test for the squad matching up against the
Steelers team, who we will discuss. They were also buyers
(06:31):
before the trade deadline. But I want to focus our
attention on the Minnesota Vikings, who sit sixth in your rankings.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
I think there's a big relief here.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Two consecutive losses now officially in the rearview mirror, and
they get it done against the Cults. How big of
a relief should this be from Minnesota?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah? I think a pretty big one, right. I mean, obviously,
you give up a defensive touchdown that maybe some people
felt like they shouldn't have the Colts shouldn't have gotten,
and you know, really had to fight through it. Sam
Darnold had a good second half after some shaky moments.
There wasn't perfect, but I think the biggest development was
seeing that defense dominate again. That was something that I
think they had to have as part of their winning equation.
(07:09):
You know, we'd seen Brian Flores as unit be a
really good group all season long up until the last
couple of games, and I felt like they had a
real bounce back effort in that game against Indy. And
you know in the run game is going to be
there to a certain degree. Donald's going to have his moments.
We know the receivers can shine. They've gotten Hockinson back so,
you know, even with Darris Alt, I'm not as worried
(07:30):
about the offense, and Donald is a wild card, sure,
but I felt like that defense had to get back
to that top five, top ten type of unit that
they'd established themselves as being the first part of the season.
I think they did that Sunday. We'll see if it
keeps going though.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, we'll see the Vikings on the road against the
Jacksonville Jaguars that just figure out ways to rack up losses.
Time for future champions. I know we just touched on
the Washington Commanders winning that division, but they're not the favorite.
According to Fandel, No, it's the Philadelphia Eagles. Sakwon Barkley
gave us one of the best wow moments that we
have seen. Dallas Cowbo will be the Eagles next opponent.
(08:06):
They sit in that third position. And then it's the
New York Giants, who also can't seem to get out
of their own way. But let's focus on the seventh
ranked team in those Eagles look dominant at times in
this game.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Second half daylea Jacksonville make a run here.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
What do you make of the type of season that
the Eagles are having, because quite Honestly, this roster is good,
and I think most.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Of us would have felt like they were the favorite
to win this division.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. I think going into the season, Philly Dallas had
established themselves as the most consistent contenders. Now maybe the Commanders,
you know, had this thing going that the Eagles and
other teams should have seen coming. But you know, they've
worked through some inconsistencies. Bad defense one week, good the next.
I thought Sunday was pretty good, even though geez, they
did give up a you know, make it a twenty
two point game and then a twenty two point lead
(08:54):
and then almost blow it. Got to work on those
two point conversions, boys. But I'll tell you what, Jalen Hurts,
Saquon Barkley, they have really been special. I think the
last four games, no interceptions for Hurts over that period.
Twelve total touchdowns, six of them running, six of them
passing that great catch by Devonte Smith. He's been so steady,
you know, even when aj Brown was out. So really
(09:16):
like the direction the offense has taken. And you know,
I don't know how much you could put on the
defense for making it a close game. Obviously there was
a defensive score that helped get the Jaguars back in
it a little bit. So if Barkley can keep making
the impact he did, it'll continue justifying. Yes, this was
a great signing at the time, despite the thirteen plus
million dollar tag, and I think that could help them
(09:37):
really push the Commanders for that division title.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, slim reaper in Smith, you made reference to it.
Had it not been for the Garrett Wilson touchdown on TNF,
I think Smith would have had the best touchdown in
the entire week.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Certainly fantastic. By the way.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
The Eagles just a fifthteam in NFL history to fail
three two point conversions and win.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
They got to figure that aspect out.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Meanwhile, they'll match up against the Dallas Cowboys and their
season looking not too We'll touch on them a little
bit later here on power rankings at number eight, it's
the Green Bay Packers. They drop a couple spots here.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I don't know. I'm not overly concerned about that.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
What does raise some attention for me is Jordan Love
and some of the turnovers here. We talk about him
as an elite quarterback, and yet it seems like every
single week there's another interception.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, obviously the injury kind of changed his season a
little bit, but there are some parallels to last year
his first real time as a starting quarterback. Had ten
interceptions the first half of the season, one in the
second half prior to the playoffs, So we have seen
this pattern before. The question is are we going to
get better ball security from Love? And that pick six
was a gutter right before the half. I mean, that
(10:46):
was a tough one. Obviously, the conditions were bad. Should
never make this throw in the first place. He knows that,
you know, Lafleur knows that everybody else does too. There
are some mistakes you got to live with with this guy,
but he's a special playmaker. I think he's starting to
get healthy again. And you're right. I mean, they played
the best team in football, one that is shown it
can play in a lot of different conditions if they
(11:07):
can get that sort of ball security, ball handling, the
snaps and all that figure those things out. The Packers
are a good team. They just had a bad Sunday and.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
That happens, and you can't have another bad Sunday in
the division on the road against the Chicago Bears this
coming week. Meanwhile, we got the Pittsburgh Steelers buyers at
the trade deadline will hit on them. Don't look now,
but the Cardinals are flying high and Eric there is
one team we don't talk nearly enough about that continues
to win.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
That changes.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Coming up next on NFL Power Rankings. Back here on
power rankings, teams ranked nine through sixteen.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
The Steelers, they're buyers. We will get to them in
just a moment. Here at number ten, the Texans little
bit of a drop two spot. CJ.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Stroudsacked eight times on TNF Falcons, winners of five of
the last six. The Chargers at number twelve, they've won
three out of four niners on a buy their thirteenth
the fourteenth ranked team is also the first place team
in the NFC WES. That's the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos
they got throttled by Baltimore. They dropped four spots to fifteenth,
and Tampa Bay still hanging tough here. I know they
(12:14):
lost on Monday night, but they are the sixteenth ranked squad.
Mike Williams and then on the defensive side, Preston Smith
now Pittsburgh bound. How dangerous does the Steelers now become
the rest of the way.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah, just another deep threat for Russell Wilson. I think
had Justin Fields continue to be the quarterback. I don't
know that they make a move like this, and maybe
they do. It's not that Williams can't do other things,
but he's a go up and get it kind of receiver,
I think. And it wasn't quite working with the Jets. Obviously.
They had hoped he would be a big target for
Aaron Rodgers. Those two couldn't quite get on the same page.
(12:47):
A few moments here and there. Adds to a Steelers
receiver room that I think everybody pictured. They would do
something at the deadline and then Preston Smith on defense,
just another veteran edge guy to help kind of spell
Watt and high Smith and those guys. He can play
off the ball, too, so you know, how he fits
in will be interesting to see. With Russ there, I
think Williams can kind of unlock his town a little
(13:08):
bit more.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, Eric, I'm actually in love with where you
have the Texans. I think they're the one of the
premier teams in the NFL. Tenth feels right to me
based off of what we saw against the Jets on
Thursday Night Football I'm actually cautiously worried about this team,
considering all the pressure that CJ was under.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Absolutely, I mean even before the season, I thought, are
they quite ready for primetime? That was the big debate
I had with myself. But now that we've seen the
pass protection break down completely, and this was in the
first game it happened, but Thursday night against the Jets
should have been pretty eye opening, and I hope they've
spent the last several days trying to figure out ways
to improve the protection. What can they do schematically? Are
(13:46):
there any personnel changes we can make? There are not
a lot of in house candidates who are obvious. How
do you get the ball out of CJ's hand a
little quicker? And oh, by the way, Stefan Diggs great
underneath receiver guy, can catch short passes, take them a
long way. He's out for the year, so they might
get Nico Collins back. How much more can they can
keep asking Joe Mixon to kind of be the you know,
(14:07):
the load bearer for this offense? I guess, And that's
I guess comes down a little bit of an offensive
identity question when you have these pass production breakdowns.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Yeah, and look, I know I mentioned this earlier when
we discussed the lines. That's the matchup between these two
teams this upcoming week, So certainly a lot on the
line for both of these squads. This is not breaking news,
and I don't feel like I'm going out on a limb.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
The Falcons are going to win the division.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
They've got the two matchups already in the bag with
Tampa Bay after beating that squad twice. The league continues
to balloon here and Kirk Cousins continues.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
The ball absolutely. I mean, look, Cousins has been a
big part of what they've done, and you know, continuing
to kind of put their foot down against Dallas. Maybe
let up a little bit late, but I thought looked
pretty impressive overall. Bejon Robinson is really kind of settled
in as the guy in the run game. You know,
they can have a game where one of those receivers
doesn't have a big outing. Now we'll see what Drake Lennon.
(15:00):
Is he banged up, Is he gonna miss some time?
I'm not sure about that yet, but this is sort
of steadily making progress throughout the season. I think, like
you said, there's open road in front of them to
win this NFC South Division that has really become kind
of a two horse race, and that's giving the Bucks
a lot of credit too because of the sweep and
also their loss and Monday night putting in below five hundred,
(15:22):
So you're right, Can they avoid blowing it? Can they
just win games consistently down the stretch and get ready
for the playoffs. That's the big question for this Atlanta group.
Find a pass rush, get more consistent on defense as well. Eric.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
The team that I teased before the break that we
don't talk enough about and continues to win is the Chargers,
and they sit twelfth in your rankings. They move up
three spots here justin Herbert hasn't thrown an interception in
his last six starts. They had six sacks and three
picks against Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
This is the way, candidly I.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thought that we're gonna win some football games. Don't turn
the ball over. Defense has taken a step up, and
they're running effectively.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Amen. I mean, they haven't allowed twenty points all year.
It's kind of wild, even with a little bit of
a soft schedule. I mean, look, it includes the Chiefs,
it includes the Steelers. They faced some other good teams too,
So it's not like they're facing nobody's and Sunday was
just a dismantling of a team that looked really good
the week prior against the Ravens. And you're right defensively,
(16:20):
just the improvements they've made from one year to the next.
Jesse min Or Jim Harbaugh done an excellent job on
that side of the ball and on the other side,
figuring out that balance, that fine line between having Justin
Herbert throw, making sure they have this franchise quarterback get
his looks, his touches, and also be that run dominant
team they are. They've kind of settled in nicely here.
(16:41):
They're winning games in a very predictable but very tough
to stop fashion if you don't have the right personnel.
So yeah, they're gonna be a handful to deal with it.
If they have to go on the road in the playoffs.
I think they would embrace that challenge. They've got nothing
to lose at this point, and I love the direction
of this team and what they've been able to do
so far.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yeah, they get the Titans next time out, so I
got to imagine probably get another victory here.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Tennessee hasn't been necessarily a juggernaut this year. Time for
power moves. Eric. The team that is leading the NFC West, the.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Arizona Cardinals, they just they're figuring this thing out here.
They're the fourteenth ranked team for you defense season high
six sacks for them. James, speaking of formulas to win,
I mean, Connor's been an absolute monster here. I don't
know if it's going to end up where they're going
to win this division, but my lord had tip to
Arizona absolutely.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I mean Jonathan Gannon, I'll be honest. At the time
of his hiring, I had my questions. But even last year,
even in a you know, a four win season, you
could see the progress. You could see the aggressiveness on offense,
you could see the direction they were heading. And Sunday
it all kind of came to a head. I thought
it was one of their best games we've seen from
them all season. Had a couple bad, tough losses earlier
in the year, but made life really tough on Caleb Williams.
(17:51):
You know, you lose Dennis Gardak and pass rush. The
way they did I thought was very, very impressive, even
against the Bears team that's had their share of issues
there love the Backs. You know, they're getting their playmakers
the ball defensively, they're making strides and they're having fun
out there too.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Yeah, it feels that way.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
And to be fair, I don't even think we've seen
Kyler Murray at the peak of his powers just yet
so far this season.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
So there's actually another gear here.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I just look at the Niners and that roster Christian
McCaffrey on the men's and the Rams are also a
team that would scare me. By the way, speaking of
the Rams, another trade to get to involving LA and Baltimore. Meanwhile,
the Saints they lost to Carolina, they got a new coach.
What Eric makes of what's happening in New Orleans that's
still become on power rankings. Back here on power rankings,
(18:45):
the squad drank seventeen through twenty four. The Bears scored
a season hoh nine points. That's not good the Rams,
by the way, at eighteen, they're training two time Pro
bowler Jadarius White to the Ravens, so the corner gonna
help bolster a Baltimore defense that's had some issues this season.
At nineteen, it's the Seahawks, twentieth, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
At twenty one.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
We saw the Colts lose another game with Joe Flacco,
this time as their starter. They're the twenty first ranked team,
the Jets, they snapped a five game slide. Sit at
twenty two.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
No Dak for a while.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
You got the Cowboys at twenty three, the Dolphins losing
a nail bier against Buffalo, the twenty fourth ranked team.
Let's get to this Rams squad here needed overtime, get
a win here. I still look at this team. Eric
is one of the more dangerous ones, and I wouldn't
be surprised if they win the division by season zen
as this team continues to get healthy. Although getting rid
of White is a little bit of a head scratcher
(19:35):
right now.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah, it seems like he kind of fallen out of
the rotation. Some of the young guys like Cameron Kinchin
steps up obviously. The two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
You know it's funny too. We talk about the Lions
being able to win in a lot of different ways.
The Rams have due in different passions. You lose Pukinakua,
he gets kicked out of the game throwing a punch,
and they still win without him. Credit to Matthew Stafford
(19:56):
those other receivers. I thought Cup had a big game.
You know, they did what they had to do to
fight back in this one and get the overtime three
riller against the division rival when you know they could
have lost this game very, very easily. So a lot
of praise for Sean McVay and what he's done there
and he's how he's gotten his team back from the
bad start.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Yeah, Jets get a victory on Thursday Night football. Aaron
Rodgers season high three touchdowns for him and the defense
had eight sacks. That's the formula that I would have
thought equaled wins throughout the course of the entire season.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Are things heading in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
We'll see, right the first half did go so well, Right,
so there's still this kind of jeckal and the high
nature to the Jets. And until we see it, you know,
in kind of a regular Sunday situation, you know, Texans
come in in a short week on the road. Maybe
that hurt them a little bit. I'm gonna be a
little bit hesitant on the Jets, but it starts with
the defense, Mike. They have to be more consistent on
(20:52):
that side of the ball as well as Rogers in
the passing game. Humming.
Speaker 3 (20:56):
Yeah, look, they're on the road against Arizona next time out.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
At twenty three, it was, yeah, it's going to be
a tough game the Dallas Cowboys. They dropped two spots
in your rankings. No Dak Prescott hamstring injury now for
the foreseeable future. Is this the last time I bring
up the Cowboys on the show.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It could be we'll see. I mean, unless they just
lose a colossal fashion, But they're in a real tough
spot three and five. Like you said, no, Dak could
be on the ir soon. Am I gonna have to
turn it over to Cooper Rush? Yeah? He won four
games for him a couple of years ago, but probably
not the same situation. I know they traded for Jonathan Mingo.
Felt like a bit of a strange move. Maybe has
more of an effect next year, But yeah, this is
(21:33):
gonna be really tricky for them to kind of pull
out of this tailspin and remain a contending club. With
Washington Philly ahead of them in the division standings, Giants
are playing some competitive football too, so yeah, swimming upstream
is the way I would describe it.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Look I don't want to be that dude. If you know,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
But there's been that little video gif on social media
regarding Dak Prescott when he was on the sideline mouthing
something admitting that the team wasn't good. That's probably the
most politically correct way I can describe. I'm not necessarily
the lip reader, but it was pretty obvious he was.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Going with it. Teams ranked twenty five through thirty two.
Oh boy. At number twenty five, it's the Giants. I
say this every single week.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yes, I'm a Giants fan, and this is probably the
only time I'm going to say this.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
It's not Daniel Jones's fault.
Speaker 1 (22:16):
Just saying at twenty six a coaching change will get
to in just a moment. Twenty seven it's the Browns
at twenty eight, another loss for the Jags. The Titans
get a win against the Patriots. They're twenty ninth at
Patriots squad by the way, all the way at number
thirty two. I'm going out of order here, but the
Panthers give.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Them their flowers. They gotta win. Okay, here we go.
They're at thirty. At thirty one, it's the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
A lot of changes Lukeetzie, their offensive coordinator out in
the r Turner is now in. So let's focus in
on the Saints. It's a lot of losses that continue.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
To pile up here.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
What do we make of the squad who earlier this
season we thought was one of the best in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yeah, two and oho start. Ninety one points scored in
those first two huge win at Dallas, you just thought, Wow, okay,
here we go, right, this is going to be the
new fangled Saints. And after a slew of closed losses,
the blowouts started happening, the injuries piled up. You had
questions swirling around Dennis Allen now Dennis Rizzy taking over
a really, really tough situation. I think who dat Nation's
(23:12):
kind of checked out a little bit. They've got to
find solutions in all three phases. Carr coming back Sunday
didn't really help them against the Panthers. Good luck, sir.
There's a lot going on there.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You lose to Carolina, my lord, though, like Spencer Rattler
was their quarterback for a little bit. Here, you throw
a rookie out into the mix here. You don't have
Derek Carr out for a good stretch of the season.
Once again a little bit of a surprise because they
were a team up to your point that was just
looking like an absolute juggernaut as we started off this
NFL season.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Hopefully they can fix it. Dude, you're the best man.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
I know.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
This is always a tough little slending here to rank
these teams, but appreciate everyone watching
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