November 19, 2025 • 24 mins
Coming up on the Power Rankings Podcast, Mike Yam and Eric Edholm deliver the latest power rankings leading into NFL Week 12!
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings
along with Eric at Home Mike am with you. Do
not forget a full breakdown of all thirty two teams.
You can find it on NFL dot com and Eric,
I was actually pretty excited. There's a few teams I
wanted to see where you slot them at Carolina Panthers,
by the way, one of those teams, we'll talk about
them a little bit later. I know they're not sitting
in the top nine as we unveil these rankings in
(00:31):
just a moment here. But the reality is we had
stud teams going up against stud teams this past weekend.
That I think gives us a little bit more clarity
on what to expect the rest of the way.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Well, I certainly hope so, Mike.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Obviously, this year has been a little bit topsy turvy
at the top right. It almost feels like our new
number one is just a placeholder right now. But we
certainly did get some pretty telling games with the teams
closely ranked together faced off against each other.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
All right, let's get to the nude number one.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
In fact, it's the fifth different number one team that
we've had on these power rankings as we head into twelve,
and it is the Rams.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Seattle had four interceptions in the game and still had
an opportunity. You dropped them three spots into that fourth position.
But it starts with the Rams. The Colts sitting at
number two, the Eagles at three, Seattle four, the Denver
Bronco's moving up three spots. I think there's a real
case for what they might be the most dangerous team
in the NFL because of their defense.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
We may or may not take a closer look at
the rest of their opponents.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We got the New England Patriots at number six, the
Bills at seven, and the Detroit Lions sitting at number eight.
Time for power moves presented by Energizer. All right, sell
me on this Rams team being arguably the most complete
in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Or maybe you think they're the most complete team in
the league.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Yeah, it's not like they're not without their warts, right,
They've they've had a kicking situation. We'll see if Harrison
MeVis is going to be the answer there. He's only
tried extra points so far. They've had other issues as well,
and really the offense stall. They came down to Sam
Darnold throwing these interceptions one, two, three, four of them,
and they they needed every single one of them. Now,
obviously the pressure up front is a big reason why
(02:08):
the Rams have been successful. They seem to get in
Darnold's head in the playoff game when he was a Viking.
They certainly did on Sunday as well, but offensively, Mike,
I mean there.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Were some questions after this one.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I know they had two good games coming into this one,
but kind of slowed down a little bit as you mentioned,
still had a chance to win Seattle came down to
the last play of the game. Not as much urgency
as I would like to see, But still I think
that bodes well for the Seahawks, and it also lets
you know that the Rams. You know, I've had some
issues closing out a couple games this year, so still something.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
To be leary of.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
And like I said, at this point, they're just keeping
the seat warm for the Eagles or Colts or anybody else.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Who wants to move up.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
At this point, do you think that you're not going
to have the Rams?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It sounds like you were even hedging about having them
in that top spot, and it really just centers on
the fact that they beat Seattle.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I second guess everything in my life, Mike, Let me
just start with that. But yes, I do think that
there is enough vulnerability here, especially with a battle tested
team like the Eagles, who've obviously had the RAMS number
at least once this season. So maybe they face off
again in the postseason, who knows, and maybe they'll end
up not stacking up that Well, it's just hard to
really endorse that one team and say they are clearly
(03:16):
the best.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, the team that's already beaten this RAMS team is
a team that you have at number three right now,
and that's the Philadelphia Eagles. This Philly team, their defense
has been bawling so good, and all we do is
spend time talking about their offense and some drama that
we see with aj Brown and the whole thing. Does
it even matter what this team gives us offensively when
the defense plays like this.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, you still obviously see some suspicion right out there
in the Internet and stuff people say, and this Eagles
offense is broken and all this, but look, they put
up thirty eight and twenty eight points before the BUYE.
The two games prior to the buy, you know you
saw a concerted effort to get aj Brown involved. I
think they're going to try to not only make him happy,
but also use one of their best weapons as well.
(03:55):
I'm worried about Lane Johnson's injury. That's obviously something big
if he ends up missing a month or so or
possibly more. But this defense has thrown two heaters in
a row against pretty good offenses, right, I mean, I
think you'd argue that the Packers and Lions can score
some points at their best, So for them to play
as well defensively as they have after the bye, it
does kind of mirror last year, where you saw them
(04:17):
kind of reach a new level defensively. So if they
could just level up slightly on offense, I think they're
in good shape. Probably starts with Hurts running the football,
getting back to some basics, and then opening up the
passing game.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Seattle, I know we touched on them a little bit.
They dropped three spots here. I think Sam Donald's a
good quarterback who had a bad day. I think that's
the best way to describe what we witnessed on Sunday.
Ernest Jones came out and said, hey, like, this isn't
Sam's fault, Like we were still in this thing. What's
the one thing that concerned you about the Seattle team
(04:49):
moving forward?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
That they've become this team that relies on throwing and
throwing deep and throwing early in games. That's sort of
become kind of their core identity. Even with those two
very good running backs. A lot of times those guys
helped finish off games. But if the formula gets upset
in any way, like it was Sunday, with multiple picks
early to kind of throw off the rhythm put them
(05:10):
in a hole. Guess what kind of hard to run
the ball when you're down multiple scores. But they stay
with their plan. They figured it out and still almost
had a chance to win. It kind of reminded me
a little bit of the win over the Texans in Seattle,
where again four turnovers on offense, had chances to put
the game away, didn't look all that impressive, but still
won the game by eight points. And this one came
(05:32):
up a little short against a very good Rams team.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
You know, I did knock them down.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Three spots, but if you're in that upper eighth of
the NFL. You still have a chance to be a
super Bowl team in my mind, so not a huge
drop relatively speaking. And I think they'll be back if
they can avoid Darnold having one of these kind of
hiccup games where everything seems to kind of snowball and
the mistakes keep piling up.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, I know you still told me a little bit
earlier you second guess everything. I think this is a
fair spot to put them when you consider it. You
got the Colts and the Eagles ahead of them, and
you can't drop them obviously in front of a Rams team.
So it feels where you currently have Seattle the matchup
against Tennessee coming up this week. All right, let's move
on talk about future champions. Presented by Fan Duel. Here
(06:13):
are the odds to win the AFC West. Not how
I saw this plan nowt Kansas City has won this
division nine consecutive times, but it's the Denver Broncos who
are a favorite minus three hundred, the Chargers behind them
a plus five hundred, the Chiefs at plus five fifty.
Let's not even talk about the Raiders and what we
are seeing.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
From the squad. Here's the good news.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
The Denver Broncos keep winning games, they move up three
spots in the rankings. Right now, they head into this
bye week feeling very very confident. I think you can
make an argument and in the statistics might say something else.
This is the best defense in the NFL. And the
way that they're making people feel and these quarterbacks feel
uncomfortable is so darn impressive that even if boon Nicks
has some stumbles early in games, when the fourth cler
(06:54):
comes around, he'll flip the switch. Like I look at Denver,
go this is a legit Super Bowl contender.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
You look at that first drive of the third quarter
where Mahomes threw a pick six, it was called back
by penalty. They gave up some big plays, got down
close to the red zone and then made that other interception,
and so two picks on one drive. Essentially, that's the
kind of potency they have. Obviously, we know about the
sack numbers. They're bearing down on the nineteen eighty four
Chicago Bears record at this point, even though the Bears
(07:20):
had one fewer game in which to get those seventy
two sacks. But their pressure is unbelievable. And then to
your point, offensively you know, look, I thought this was
bo Nix's best game or one of them pretty darn
close this season. The big pass plays were a huge
difference to Courtland Sutton play on third and fifteen. He
had one in the first down that was huge. Troy
Franklin with a couple of big catches as well. So
(07:42):
getting those deep downfield shots against the good Kansas City defense,
finishing it off with the game winning kick has to
feel pretty darn good. Look, I've been a little bit
hard on the Broncos. I've kind of soft footed, a
little held back. I've heard it from their fans, but
I kind of needed to see this type of performance
after what happened against them last year. And Mike, you know,
they they're winning close games one in six in close
(08:04):
games year ago, one score games this year seven and two.
That really has kind of flipped everything around for them.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well look, and that's the narrative of the flip side
for a Kansas City team that was twelve to zero
one score games a season ago and right now sitting
at zero to five in those one score games. Mind
blown on what we're seeing from Downsas City, who doesn't
look like they're going to go and win this division.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Even Patrick Mahomes after the game had made reference.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
To that Buffalo the Bills seven right now a huge response.
Josh Allen six touchdowns in this game. Here's what worries me.
Eric The season has been.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Like this offensively for him. It's some ups and some downs.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I thought we'd get a little more consistency from Buffalo,
and I think that's what concerns me about putting this
team in the elite category.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, they're right on the cosp right.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
I kind of consider that top eight, like you're nominally,
nominally a super Bowl contender in that range.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
But you know, I thought about very hard where to put.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Them, considering Allen really did have to put them on
his back still through two interceptions too.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So it wasn't a perfect game.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
But that's about as good a two inner exception game
as a quarterback can have. And I think maybe it
just comes down to instead of trying to play this
this this team ball, so to speak. Look, Josh is
gonna have to carry him with some big wins. He
did Sunday. He can do it again, whether it's you know,
New England or any of the other big games they
have left on their calendar.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Look, they may end up being a wildcard team for
all we know.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
They may have to take the hard road to do it,
but that could put them in a situation where they're
forced to say, Josh, go win the game for us.
Our defense has had trouble this year. Our receivers aren't
getting open the way they need to, or even our
offensive line, once a bedrock, has had a little bit
of hiccups here and there. So look at that could
end up being very good for this team, or it
could end up being a first round playoff loss, or
(09:45):
they can miss the postseason entirely.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
There's so many scenarios.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Out there, but I think Josh is gonna have to
wear that cape again at some point.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
It is wild to think about this team not being
in the postseason, considering the expectation, considering some of the
wins that they've been able to score, and then there's
those head scratching moments that we've.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Seen from Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Keep in mind a short week for these guys as
they matchup against the Houston Texans.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
That game little tnf action for everyone.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
The Lions have been I think darlings of the NFL
for a good stretch of the last couple campaigns. Another
team that's having some problems finding some consistency. They dropped
three spots in your rankings. What's the biggest red flag
that is being waived right now with regard to this team.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
When they have their full unit, they have Sam Laporte
out there, and you know, they get Jamiir Gibbs going, obviously,
that's the greatest formula for them. Finishing oh for five
on fourth downs clearly had a huge role in this game.
They weren't able to handle the pressure up front, and
to me, that may be the biggest worry personnel wise,
is what they have on the offensive line, that interior trio,
(10:46):
not able to get the big push on the fourth
down sneaks, having Jared Goff have multiple passes batted down
at the line, affecting his accuracy, affecting his sort of
confidence in making some of these throws too. So you know,
if you can disrupt the timing of Golf and get
him off the spots and have them go to a
second and third receivers and you can kind of keep
(11:08):
Gibbs in, you know, contain him a little bit, that's
a pretty good formula right there. They didn't run the
ball consistently enough, and there were times when they ran
it too much. For as good a game as Dan
Campbell seemed to have two weeks ago. Against the Commander's
calling plays, I think he had that much of a
trouble on Sunday, especially calling for it on fourth down
when you had the punt safe defense out there. That's
(11:30):
the kind of thing that you know, a head coach
who's calling plays may overlook.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
They're always aggressive.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Dan Campbell is an aggressive minded coach on the offensive side.
Why do you think that this was a wake up
call like moving forward in these situations, do we think, hey,
maybe doesn't always go for it on.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Fourth Yeah, and maybe it's also a respect for Philly thing.
I think they knew what they were facing against that
Eagles team. But I think you're right, maybe it's time
to kind of just dial it back a little bit,
especially early in games where those mistakes can really compound.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Yeah, all right, there's more to come here.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
On power rankings, there's some really talented teams that don't
sit right now in the top nine. Doesn't mean that
you don't have a chance. In fact, the Bears and
Packers are the Bears a good team. I'm not exactly sure,
but the Packers the record would say otherwise. Packers where
they sit, and it's a time to worry about the Chiefs.
The answer to those questions coming up next, I'll back
here on power rankings along with Eric at home, I
(12:19):
cam with you. Eric's teams nine through sixteen. The Green
Bay Packers moving up three spots thanks to a win
against the Giants. They sit at number nine. The Niners
also up on the move three spots. They're sitting at ten.
The Steelers also a three slot mover, up at eleven.
The Bucks dropping two spots to twelve. You got a
Ravens team that's really had some problems in the red
zone the last two weeks. Find a way to get
(12:41):
it done. They're at thirteen, the Bears at seven and
three football team at fourteen, the Chiefs at five hundred.
We'll talk about the biggest dropper eight spots down at fifteen,
and it's the Jacksonville Jacks at number sixteen. But let's
talk about the number nine squad. It's the Green Bay Packers.
Sell me on this team. I know there was a
coaching change with the Giants, and quite frankly, I did
expect them to play better. What I didn't anticipate was
(13:04):
green Bay being pushed the way that they that they
were in this game. Like I still look at this
roster and go, hey, they should be a Super Bowl contender.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I don't know if I'm buying this team right now, though.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I mean, they needed quite a bit to happen.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Touchdown pass in the last four minutes, an end zone interception, uh,
and then also a stripsack as the clock was expiring,
just to win.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
A game against the team with two victories.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But you know, without Tucker Craft, with the offensive line
struggling the way it was, with Josh Jacobs banged up
in this one, hard to know what his status is
right now day to day. It appears they were down.
They were, they were up against it a little bit.
They needed some big catches like Savion Williams here, and look,
Jamis Winston was going to play like he had everything
you know that he could possibly have on the line.
(13:47):
Mike Kafka his first game, wants to impress. So the
Giants weren't, you know, holding anything back in this one.
But I hear you, you know, those those those questions
about green Bay have really been there since about week three.
We've seen them have hiccups. We've seen them have poor
defensive games, offensive games where they're as sharp, and so
it's hard to really know what the trust factor is
(14:08):
with this team. Still, Michael Parsons came through in the end.
You know, defense for the most part, played pretty well
in the second half, so there's still some hope. But
do they have that fastball, that extra gear they can
kick down the stretch. That's the big question, and so
far we've only seen little glimpse of it.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Well, another team that moved up three spots to San
Francisco forty nine ers. I've been waiting for this moment
to get Brock Purdy back into the fold. Sunday, I
was doing game day preview, Cynthia Friedland said, Hey, Ristian
McCaffrey should be in the MVP conversation. Are we about
to find that next gear for the Niners now that
it is seemed Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Obviously there was a lot of interesting talk about mac Jones.
Do you just stick with him if he keeps winning
or whatever? But they kept sort of pingponging back forth
with wins and losses, and now just felt like the
time for Kyle Shanahan and obviously you know, Purdy looked
healthy right that early TD. The kittle was great. Here's
the second one as well. First time those guys have
played together since Week one. Just a reminder of how
(15:00):
badly the injuries have sunk into this team. But then
you look at the defense too. I thought they really
played well. You know, some of the guys stepping up,
Curtis Robinson, d Winners, Malik Mustafa had an interception, you know,
Diamedo or Leonor had a big play as well. So
you know, it really was three phases operationally for them
that worked pretty well in this game. And super Bowl
(15:21):
team we'll see, you know, they have that potential. We
saw that early in the year, you know, but we
felt like this team could maybe reach those heights, but
injuries rewrote the script a little. Can they straighten everything
out down the stretch without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner
and those guys still a stretch to.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Me, But can't really rule out a run a little bit, hear.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Me out here.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
They got a big game this week against the Carolina Panthers. Yes,
you heard me right, the Panthers on a role. We'll
touch on that squad coming up in just a bit.
The Steelers Aaron Rodgers. Before we started recording the show,
I saw a report. I think it was Ian Rapaport
who had it no surgery required for the fractured risk.
He's pushing to give it a go against Chicago. Something
tells me he's going to be out there on the field.
(16:01):
This defense, you know, it's been a little mostly down,
but it looked pretty good. He had a couple of
defensive touchdowns for him. Steelers, you still like them in
the driver's seat to go win this division.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Yeah, Obviously the worry about Rogers also kind of folds
into the fact that you know, he hasn't quite played
to the same level he did the last you know,
the first half of the season. Rough the last few games,
not as good, throw that injury, and on top of it,
like you, I think he'll be out there. But you know,
Kyle Dugger made kind of the play of the game
in this one with the long pick six, and you know,
help spur that defense and give them a little bit
(16:31):
more confidence more in the big play department as well.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And you know, maybe we made too much of it.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
I mean, obviously it was more than just that little
two game blip there been. There were spots early in
the season where they looked quite as good defensively as we.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Thought they should be.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
But you start to see with some of the secondary changes,
more rush up front, more pressure from Wat and those guys,
you know, maybe this defense can be just kind of
on the outskirts of a top ten unit or just
beyond that, And if the offense kind of holds steady,
I still have some faith this team can maybe even
hold off the Ravens for the division.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Look the Bucks, they drop two spots in your rankings.
They currently sit number twelve. You and I have been
generally pretty high on them. The difference is I don't
do the rankings you do, So what your thoughts are
are actually on record? Are you a little down on
this team? They drop a few spots and they're losing
some of these games, But I still feel like the
bones of this squad are strong.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I think so too, although I'm getting a little bit
more worried. My panic meter has risen just a little
bit because of all the injuries, some of which are
season enders too, so they can't really get those players back.
But the big worries for me right now is generating
big pass plays on offense. Haven't seen as much of
it is late, not as consistently, and then also giving
up big plays on defense. Obviously kind of started in
(17:45):
the New England game. Couple long Trevion Henderson runs and
then Josh Allen. No shame in letting Josh Allen beat you,
but to have him consistently bomb down the field and
also use his legs with success. That's now two weeks
in a row. A quality quarterback has kind of torn
them up in some respects. So do worry about that
a little bit? Can the secondary hold? Can the pass
(18:06):
rush kickup? Yes, they have guys like Sean Tucker, the
number three running back, who can you know, kind of
help change the formula of the game a little bit.
But we'll see when they get a little healthier offensively,
maybe I'll have more hope.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Right now, I'm just kind of pumping the brakes a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah, big matchup against the Rams at Sofi Stadium in
a place that Baker Mayfield had a cup of tea
in that locker room with those guys. Meanwhile, I'm I
think it's safe to say I don't think that you've
done these rankings where the Kansas City Chiefs have been
any fifteen spot.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
A free fall.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
They're the biggest movers down this week, dropping eight spots
for them.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
You're not ready to stick a fork in them, though, right.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Stick a fork in them? No, but look, I mean
maybe a butter knife. You know, I'm thinking about it
because after the game, hearing Patrick Mahomes pretty much admit
that the division may have gotten away from a Remember,
this is going to be their their quest for ten
ten straight divisional titles, and I think that meant a
lot to those guys started the year. But you know,
the close games that were their their hero last year,
(19:03):
that were their super power or has gotten away from
the same way that Denver Broncos have become much better
at closing out games and excellent in those final few minutes,
the Chiefs have been the opposite of that excellent last year.
Havn't gotten a win in a one score game this season.
And look, if you're to just look at the metrics
and the overall picture, it stacked them up next to
last season. You wouldn't see a big difference EPA per play,
(19:26):
and you know the sort of the rankings and what
they're allowing per play very similar, but the execution and
those critical situations like when they took the lead late
those last year.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Last year, that team.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Would have won that game. This year they didn't. They
let the Broncos score twice and beat them. So that's
the big concern is finishing off games and finishing what
they started essentially.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
And a barometer matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
You look at the remaining schedule for Kansas City and
trust me it is it's not exactly easy to navigate.
This is going to be an uphill battle for this
case squad. All right, let's focus our attention here. Team
of the week. It's presented by Truest. We'll focus in
on number sixteen. It's the Jacksonville Jaguars. They move up
two spots. I don't know what to make of the
squad because there's some weeks where I'm like, oh, they're
(20:12):
really good space, especially that game that they won against
the Kansas City Chiefs for Trevor Lawrence late in that
game found his way into the end zone. Then they
have a collapse against the Texas with a backup quarterback,
then they deliver against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Is this just what to expect with the Jags. Any
given Sunday, it's either going to be feast or famine.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Pretty bad week last week, pretty good one this week.
So you're right, hard to know exactly what we're getting.
But the pressure on Herbert was good. They got them
committed to force some throws. They sacked them. Trevor Lawrence
had the one bad play, but otherwise played well. When
they run the football the way they did Sunday, they're
a pretty effective offense. So that's picked a big part
of their formula. If they get back to that and
consistently churn out the yards on the ground, they're pretty
(20:50):
good Defensively. It's a little bit more of a big
range as to what we're going to get.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
Yeah, I'm the range is the way to describe it.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I do think there's an opportunity to go against this
Arizona squad who's really struggled to get a win streak.
Rolling here from a Jacksonville perspective. More to come here
on rankings. The Dallas Cowboys made some big additions, one
in particular at the trade deadline. Big number ninety two
Quinn Williams, who delivered on Monday Night Football is their
potential playoff push looming for Jerry Jones's team.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
We'll discuss that coming up next.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Back here on Power Rankings along with Eric at home,
I cam with you and for not the Chiefs dropping
eight spots. The biggest stroppers of the week would have
been the Chargers, who moved down six spots. They fall
to number seventeen on the rankings. The Texans at five
hundred and five and five at eighteen, the Carolina Panthers
will talk about them in just a moment at nineteen,
the Cowboys, we'll discuss them at twenty the Vikings at
twenty one, the Miami Dolphins moved up to spots. Somehow
(21:44):
figured out a way to get it done in Berlin
or Madrid, excuse me. And then it's the Arizona Cardinals
and the Atlanta Falcons at twenty three and twenty four.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
All right, let's love them up.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I was so excited that they made the conversation list
for us here on Power Rankings. We don't get to
talk enough about this team, Bryce Young in company.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
These dudes might win the division.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Chance right, playoffs still looking a little bit remote, But
the way Bryce was throwing the ball Sunday Heck, he
didn't have four hundred and forty eight yards, barely had
that in the previous three games. Combined one hundred and
twenty more yards than they ever had in a game.
And look, there weren't a ton of tight window throws.
I mean, his receivers were getting open. But I love
the way he distributed the ball around. It wasn't just McMillan.
(22:24):
He found Coker, He found other receivers there, and I
thought it was important to get those guys involved. They
took Rico DoD A out. You know, he really stepped
up defensively. They were just okay, got in a big
hole early, but Bryce just calmly chipped away and got
them to a victory on the road against the team
they had already beaten one. So it was just a
very composed, poise performance and that's what I think Panthers
(22:45):
fans really needed to see out of him.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
I love this story.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
We get the Monday night on the road, there's a
huge game against the San Francisco forty nine ers. This
could really stamp this team being valid Cowboys. They were
on Monday Night. They handle business against the Raiders. They
move up three spots. I thought the story of the game.
We can talk about an uptick in the offensive production,
and rightfully so, I thought Quentin Williams and the defense
was the story.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Though absolutely right.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
If we didn't have the you know, the George Pickens
Ceedee Lamb where they benched on the first series, that
it should have been all about the defensive pressure, Quinn
Williams honoring their their falling teammate, you know, obviously Marshaw
Neil in the tragedy last week.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I really felt like that defense.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Was inspired and how much more is Quinn going to
provide in this group?
Speaker 3 (23:29):
That remains to be seen.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Obviously, the Raiders struggling in the offensive line, a little
bit offensively in general, so we'll have to see big picture.
They got a lot of work to do, but Dallas
kept their season alive on Monday night.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
The rest of the rankings the Bengals at twenty five,
the Commanders at twenty six, Giants at twenty seven. It's
the Jets, the Browns, the Saints, that Raiders team at
thirty one, and the Tennessee Titans still at number thirty
two on the Power rankings, Eric, you're the best man,
hardest job in the business.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
I'm like am, thanks so much for watching.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings
along with Eric at Home Mike am with you. Do
not forget a full breakdown of all thirty two teams.
You can find it on NFL dot com and Eric,
I was actually pretty excited. There's a few teams I
wanted to see where you slot them at Carolina Panthers,
by the way, one of those teams, we'll talk about
them a little bit later. I know they're not sitting
in the top nine as we unveil these rankings in
(00:31):
just a moment here. But the reality is we had
stud teams going up against stud teams this past weekend.
That I think gives us a little bit more clarity
on what to expect the rest of the way.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Well, I certainly hope so, Mike.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Obviously, this year has been a little bit topsy turvy
at the top right. It almost feels like our new
number one is just a placeholder right now. But we
certainly did get some pretty telling games with the teams
closely ranked together faced off against each other.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
All right, let's get to the nude number one.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
In fact, it's the fifth different number one team that
we've had on these power rankings as we head into twelve,
and it is the Rams.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Seattle had four interceptions in the game and still had
an opportunity. You dropped them three spots into that fourth position.
But it starts with the Rams. The Colts sitting at
number two, the Eagles at three, Seattle four, the Denver
Bronco's moving up three spots. I think there's a real
case for what they might be the most dangerous team
in the NFL because of their defense.
Speaker 5 (01:26):
We may or may not take a closer look at
the rest of their opponents.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We got the New England Patriots at number six, the
Bills at seven, and the Detroit Lions sitting at number eight.
Time for power moves presented by Energizer. All right, sell
me on this Rams team being arguably the most complete
in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Or maybe you think they're the most complete team in
the league.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
Yeah, it's not like they're not without their warts, right,
They've they've had a kicking situation. We'll see if Harrison
MeVis is going to be the answer there. He's only
tried extra points so far. They've had other issues as well,
and really the offense stall. They came down to Sam
Darnold throwing these interceptions one, two, three, four of them,
and they they needed every single one of them. Now,
obviously the pressure up front is a big reason why
(02:08):
the Rams have been successful. They seem to get in
Darnold's head in the playoff game when he was a Viking.
They certainly did on Sunday as well, but offensively, Mike,
I mean there.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Were some questions after this one.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
I know they had two good games coming into this one,
but kind of slowed down a little bit as you mentioned,
still had a chance to win Seattle came down to
the last play of the game. Not as much urgency
as I would like to see, But still I think
that bodes well for the Seahawks, and it also lets
you know that the Rams. You know, I've had some
issues closing out a couple games this year, so still something.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
To be leary of.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
And like I said, at this point, they're just keeping
the seat warm for the Eagles or Colts or anybody else.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Who wants to move up.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
At this point, do you think that you're not going
to have the Rams?
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It sounds like you were even hedging about having them
in that top spot, and it really just centers on
the fact that they beat Seattle.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I second guess everything in my life, Mike, Let me
just start with that. But yes, I do think that
there is enough vulnerability here, especially with a battle tested
team like the Eagles, who've obviously had the RAMS number
at least once this season. So maybe they face off
again in the postseason, who knows, and maybe they'll end
up not stacking up that Well, it's just hard to
really endorse that one team and say they are clearly
(03:16):
the best.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Well, the team that's already beaten this RAMS team is
a team that you have at number three right now,
and that's the Philadelphia Eagles. This Philly team, their defense
has been bawling so good, and all we do is
spend time talking about their offense and some drama that
we see with aj Brown and the whole thing. Does
it even matter what this team gives us offensively when
the defense plays like this.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Yeah, you still obviously see some suspicion right out there
in the Internet and stuff people say, and this Eagles
offense is broken and all this, but look, they put
up thirty eight and twenty eight points before the BUYE.
The two games prior to the buy, you know you
saw a concerted effort to get aj Brown involved. I
think they're going to try to not only make him happy,
but also use one of their best weapons as well.
(03:55):
I'm worried about Lane Johnson's injury. That's obviously something big
if he ends up missing a month or so or
possibly more. But this defense has thrown two heaters in
a row against pretty good offenses, right, I mean, I
think you'd argue that the Packers and Lions can score
some points at their best, So for them to play
as well defensively as they have after the bye, it
does kind of mirror last year, where you saw them
(04:17):
kind of reach a new level defensively. So if they
could just level up slightly on offense, I think they're
in good shape. Probably starts with Hurts running the football,
getting back to some basics, and then opening up the
passing game.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Seattle, I know we touched on them a little bit.
They dropped three spots here. I think Sam Donald's a
good quarterback who had a bad day. I think that's
the best way to describe what we witnessed on Sunday.
Ernest Jones came out and said, hey, like, this isn't
Sam's fault, Like we were still in this thing. What's
the one thing that concerned you about the Seattle team
(04:49):
moving forward?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
That they've become this team that relies on throwing and
throwing deep and throwing early in games. That's sort of
become kind of their core identity. Even with those two
very good running backs. A lot of times those guys
helped finish off games. But if the formula gets upset
in any way, like it was Sunday, with multiple picks
early to kind of throw off the rhythm put them
(05:10):
in a hole. Guess what kind of hard to run
the ball when you're down multiple scores. But they stay
with their plan. They figured it out and still almost
had a chance to win. It kind of reminded me
a little bit of the win over the Texans in Seattle,
where again four turnovers on offense, had chances to put
the game away, didn't look all that impressive, but still
won the game by eight points. And this one came
(05:32):
up a little short against a very good Rams team.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
You know, I did knock them down.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Three spots, but if you're in that upper eighth of
the NFL. You still have a chance to be a
super Bowl team in my mind, so not a huge
drop relatively speaking. And I think they'll be back if
they can avoid Darnold having one of these kind of
hiccup games where everything seems to kind of snowball and
the mistakes keep piling up.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Yeah, I know you still told me a little bit
earlier you second guess everything. I think this is a
fair spot to put them when you consider it. You
got the Colts and the Eagles ahead of them, and
you can't drop them obviously in front of a Rams team.
So it feels where you currently have Seattle the matchup
against Tennessee coming up this week. All right, let's move
on talk about future champions. Presented by Fan Duel. Here
(06:13):
are the odds to win the AFC West. Not how
I saw this plan nowt Kansas City has won this
division nine consecutive times, but it's the Denver Broncos who
are a favorite minus three hundred, the Chargers behind them
a plus five hundred, the Chiefs at plus five fifty.
Let's not even talk about the Raiders and what we
are seeing.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
From the squad. Here's the good news.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
The Denver Broncos keep winning games, they move up three
spots in the rankings. Right now, they head into this
bye week feeling very very confident. I think you can
make an argument and in the statistics might say something else.
This is the best defense in the NFL. And the
way that they're making people feel and these quarterbacks feel
uncomfortable is so darn impressive that even if boon Nicks
has some stumbles early in games, when the fourth cler
(06:54):
comes around, he'll flip the switch. Like I look at Denver,
go this is a legit Super Bowl contender.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
You look at that first drive of the third quarter
where Mahomes threw a pick six, it was called back
by penalty. They gave up some big plays, got down
close to the red zone and then made that other interception,
and so two picks on one drive. Essentially, that's the
kind of potency they have. Obviously, we know about the
sack numbers. They're bearing down on the nineteen eighty four
Chicago Bears record at this point, even though the Bears
(07:20):
had one fewer game in which to get those seventy
two sacks. But their pressure is unbelievable. And then to
your point, offensively you know, look, I thought this was
bo Nix's best game or one of them pretty darn
close this season. The big pass plays were a huge
difference to Courtland Sutton play on third and fifteen. He
had one in the first down that was huge. Troy
Franklin with a couple of big catches as well. So
(07:42):
getting those deep downfield shots against the good Kansas City defense,
finishing it off with the game winning kick has to
feel pretty darn good. Look, I've been a little bit
hard on the Broncos. I've kind of soft footed, a
little held back. I've heard it from their fans, but
I kind of needed to see this type of performance
after what happened against them last year. And Mike, you know,
they they're winning close games one in six in close
(08:04):
games year ago, one score games this year seven and two.
That really has kind of flipped everything around for them.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well look, and that's the narrative of the flip side
for a Kansas City team that was twelve to zero
one score games a season ago and right now sitting
at zero to five in those one score games. Mind
blown on what we're seeing from Downsas City, who doesn't
look like they're going to go and win this division.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Even Patrick Mahomes after the game had made reference.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
To that Buffalo the Bills seven right now a huge response.
Josh Allen six touchdowns in this game. Here's what worries me.
Eric The season has been.
Speaker 5 (08:36):
Like this offensively for him. It's some ups and some downs.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I thought we'd get a little more consistency from Buffalo,
and I think that's what concerns me about putting this
team in the elite category.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, they're right on the cosp right.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
I kind of consider that top eight, like you're nominally,
nominally a super Bowl contender in that range.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
But you know, I thought about very hard where to put.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Them, considering Allen really did have to put them on
his back still through two interceptions too.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So it wasn't a perfect game.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
But that's about as good a two inner exception game
as a quarterback can have. And I think maybe it
just comes down to instead of trying to play this
this this team ball, so to speak. Look, Josh is
gonna have to carry him with some big wins. He
did Sunday. He can do it again, whether it's you know,
New England or any of the other big games they
have left on their calendar.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Look, they may end up being a wildcard team for
all we know.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
They may have to take the hard road to do it,
but that could put them in a situation where they're
forced to say, Josh, go win the game for us.
Our defense has had trouble this year. Our receivers aren't
getting open the way they need to, or even our
offensive line, once a bedrock, has had a little bit
of hiccups here and there. So look at that could
end up being very good for this team, or it
could end up being a first round playoff loss, or
(09:45):
they can miss the postseason entirely.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
There's so many scenarios.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Out there, but I think Josh is gonna have to
wear that cape again at some point.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
It is wild to think about this team not being
in the postseason, considering the expectation, considering some of the
wins that they've been able to score, and then there's
those head scratching moments that we've.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Seen from Buffalo.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Keep in mind a short week for these guys as
they matchup against the Houston Texans.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
That game little tnf action for everyone.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
The Lions have been I think darlings of the NFL
for a good stretch of the last couple campaigns. Another
team that's having some problems finding some consistency. They dropped
three spots in your rankings. What's the biggest red flag
that is being waived right now with regard to this team.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
When they have their full unit, they have Sam Laporte
out there, and you know, they get Jamiir Gibbs going, obviously,
that's the greatest formula for them. Finishing oh for five
on fourth downs clearly had a huge role in this game.
They weren't able to handle the pressure up front, and
to me, that may be the biggest worry personnel wise,
is what they have on the offensive line, that interior trio,
(10:46):
not able to get the big push on the fourth
down sneaks, having Jared Goff have multiple passes batted down
at the line, affecting his accuracy, affecting his sort of
confidence in making some of these throws too. So you know,
if you can disrupt the timing of Golf and get
him off the spots and have them go to a
second and third receivers and you can kind of keep
(11:08):
Gibbs in, you know, contain him a little bit, that's
a pretty good formula right there. They didn't run the
ball consistently enough, and there were times when they ran
it too much. For as good a game as Dan
Campbell seemed to have two weeks ago. Against the Commander's
calling plays, I think he had that much of a
trouble on Sunday, especially calling for it on fourth down
when you had the punt safe defense out there. That's
(11:30):
the kind of thing that you know, a head coach
who's calling plays may overlook.
Speaker 5 (11:33):
They're always aggressive.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Dan Campbell is an aggressive minded coach on the offensive side.
Why do you think that this was a wake up
call like moving forward in these situations, do we think, hey,
maybe doesn't always go for it on.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Fourth Yeah, and maybe it's also a respect for Philly thing.
I think they knew what they were facing against that
Eagles team. But I think you're right, maybe it's time
to kind of just dial it back a little bit,
especially early in games where those mistakes can really compound.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Yeah, all right, there's more to come here.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
On power rankings, there's some really talented teams that don't
sit right now in the top nine. Doesn't mean that
you don't have a chance. In fact, the Bears and
Packers are the Bears a good team. I'm not exactly sure,
but the Packers the record would say otherwise. Packers where
they sit, and it's a time to worry about the Chiefs.
The answer to those questions coming up next, I'll back
here on power rankings along with Eric at home, I
(12:19):
cam with you. Eric's teams nine through sixteen. The Green
Bay Packers moving up three spots thanks to a win
against the Giants. They sit at number nine. The Niners
also up on the move three spots. They're sitting at ten.
The Steelers also a three slot mover, up at eleven.
The Bucks dropping two spots to twelve. You got a
Ravens team that's really had some problems in the red
zone the last two weeks. Find a way to get
(12:41):
it done. They're at thirteen, the Bears at seven and
three football team at fourteen, the Chiefs at five hundred.
We'll talk about the biggest dropper eight spots down at fifteen,
and it's the Jacksonville Jacks at number sixteen. But let's
talk about the number nine squad. It's the Green Bay Packers.
Sell me on this team. I know there was a
coaching change with the Giants, and quite frankly, I did
expect them to play better. What I didn't anticipate was
(13:04):
green Bay being pushed the way that they that they
were in this game. Like I still look at this
roster and go, hey, they should be a Super Bowl contender.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
I don't know if I'm buying this team right now, though.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I mean, they needed quite a bit to happen.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Touchdown pass in the last four minutes, an end zone interception, uh,
and then also a stripsack as the clock was expiring,
just to win.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
A game against the team with two victories.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But you know, without Tucker Craft, with the offensive line
struggling the way it was, with Josh Jacobs banged up
in this one, hard to know what his status is
right now day to day. It appears they were down.
They were, they were up against it a little bit.
They needed some big catches like Savion Williams here, and look,
Jamis Winston was going to play like he had everything
you know that he could possibly have on the line.
(13:47):
Mike Kafka his first game, wants to impress. So the
Giants weren't, you know, holding anything back in this one.
But I hear you, you know, those those those questions
about green Bay have really been there since about week three.
We've seen them have hiccups. We've seen them have poor
defensive games, offensive games where they're as sharp, and so
it's hard to really know what the trust factor is
(14:08):
with this team. Still, Michael Parsons came through in the end.
You know, defense for the most part, played pretty well
in the second half, so there's still some hope. But
do they have that fastball, that extra gear they can
kick down the stretch. That's the big question, and so
far we've only seen little glimpse of it.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Well, another team that moved up three spots to San
Francisco forty nine ers. I've been waiting for this moment
to get Brock Purdy back into the fold. Sunday, I
was doing game day preview, Cynthia Friedland said, Hey, Ristian
McCaffrey should be in the MVP conversation. Are we about
to find that next gear for the Niners now that
it is seemed Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Obviously there was a lot of interesting talk about mac Jones.
Do you just stick with him if he keeps winning
or whatever? But they kept sort of pingponging back forth
with wins and losses, and now just felt like the
time for Kyle Shanahan and obviously you know, Purdy looked
healthy right that early TD. The kittle was great. Here's
the second one as well. First time those guys have
played together since Week one. Just a reminder of how
(15:00):
badly the injuries have sunk into this team. But then
you look at the defense too. I thought they really
played well. You know, some of the guys stepping up,
Curtis Robinson, d Winners, Malik Mustafa had an interception, you know,
Diamedo or Leonor had a big play as well. So
you know, it really was three phases operationally for them
that worked pretty well in this game. And super Bowl
(15:21):
team we'll see, you know, they have that potential. We
saw that early in the year, you know, but we
felt like this team could maybe reach those heights, but
injuries rewrote the script a little. Can they straighten everything
out down the stretch without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner
and those guys still a stretch to.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Me, But can't really rule out a run a little bit, hear.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
Me out here.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
They got a big game this week against the Carolina Panthers. Yes,
you heard me right, the Panthers on a role. We'll
touch on that squad coming up in just a bit.
The Steelers Aaron Rodgers. Before we started recording the show,
I saw a report. I think it was Ian Rapaport
who had it no surgery required for the fractured risk.
He's pushing to give it a go against Chicago. Something
tells me he's going to be out there on the field.
(16:01):
This defense, you know, it's been a little mostly down,
but it looked pretty good. He had a couple of
defensive touchdowns for him. Steelers, you still like them in
the driver's seat to go win this division.
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Yeah, Obviously the worry about Rogers also kind of folds
into the fact that you know, he hasn't quite played
to the same level he did the last you know,
the first half of the season. Rough the last few games,
not as good, throw that injury, and on top of it,
like you, I think he'll be out there. But you know,
Kyle Dugger made kind of the play of the game
in this one with the long pick six, and you know,
help spur that defense and give them a little bit
(16:31):
more confidence more in the big play department as well.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
And you know, maybe we made too much of it.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
I mean, obviously it was more than just that little
two game blip there been. There were spots early in
the season where they looked quite as good defensively as we.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Thought they should be.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
But you start to see with some of the secondary changes,
more rush up front, more pressure from Wat and those guys,
you know, maybe this defense can be just kind of
on the outskirts of a top ten unit or just
beyond that, And if the offense kind of holds steady,
I still have some faith this team can maybe even
hold off the Ravens for the division.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Look the Bucks, they drop two spots in your rankings.
They currently sit number twelve. You and I have been
generally pretty high on them. The difference is I don't
do the rankings you do, So what your thoughts are
are actually on record? Are you a little down on
this team? They drop a few spots and they're losing
some of these games, But I still feel like the
bones of this squad are strong.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
I think so too, although I'm getting a little bit
more worried. My panic meter has risen just a little
bit because of all the injuries, some of which are
season enders too, so they can't really get those players back.
But the big worries for me right now is generating
big pass plays on offense. Haven't seen as much of
it is late, not as consistently, and then also giving
up big plays on defense. Obviously kind of started in
(17:45):
the New England game. Couple long Trevion Henderson runs and
then Josh Allen. No shame in letting Josh Allen beat you,
but to have him consistently bomb down the field and
also use his legs with success. That's now two weeks
in a row. A quality quarterback has kind of torn
them up in some respects. So do worry about that
a little bit? Can the secondary hold? Can the pass
(18:06):
rush kickup? Yes, they have guys like Sean Tucker, the
number three running back, who can you know, kind of
help change the formula of the game a little bit.
But we'll see when they get a little healthier offensively,
maybe I'll have more hope.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Right now, I'm just kind of pumping the brakes a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Yeah, big matchup against the Rams at Sofi Stadium in
a place that Baker Mayfield had a cup of tea
in that locker room with those guys. Meanwhile, I'm I
think it's safe to say I don't think that you've
done these rankings where the Kansas City Chiefs have been
any fifteen spot.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
A free fall.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
They're the biggest movers down this week, dropping eight spots
for them.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
You're not ready to stick a fork in them, though, right.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Stick a fork in them? No, but look, I mean
maybe a butter knife. You know, I'm thinking about it
because after the game, hearing Patrick Mahomes pretty much admit
that the division may have gotten away from a Remember,
this is going to be their their quest for ten
ten straight divisional titles, and I think that meant a
lot to those guys started the year. But you know,
the close games that were their their hero last year,
(19:03):
that were their super power or has gotten away from
the same way that Denver Broncos have become much better
at closing out games and excellent in those final few minutes,
the Chiefs have been the opposite of that excellent last year.
Havn't gotten a win in a one score game this season.
And look, if you're to just look at the metrics
and the overall picture, it stacked them up next to
last season. You wouldn't see a big difference EPA per play,
(19:26):
and you know the sort of the rankings and what
they're allowing per play very similar, but the execution and
those critical situations like when they took the lead late
those last year.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Last year, that team.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Would have won that game. This year they didn't. They
let the Broncos score twice and beat them. So that's
the big concern is finishing off games and finishing what
they started essentially.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
And a barometer matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
You look at the remaining schedule for Kansas City and
trust me it is it's not exactly easy to navigate.
This is going to be an uphill battle for this
case squad. All right, let's focus our attention here. Team
of the week. It's presented by Truest. We'll focus in
on number sixteen. It's the Jacksonville Jaguars. They move up
two spots. I don't know what to make of the
squad because there's some weeks where I'm like, oh, they're
(20:12):
really good space, especially that game that they won against
the Kansas City Chiefs for Trevor Lawrence late in that
game found his way into the end zone. Then they
have a collapse against the Texas with a backup quarterback,
then they deliver against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Is this just what to expect with the Jags. Any
given Sunday, it's either going to be feast or famine.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
Pretty bad week last week, pretty good one this week.
So you're right, hard to know exactly what we're getting.
But the pressure on Herbert was good. They got them
committed to force some throws. They sacked them. Trevor Lawrence
had the one bad play, but otherwise played well. When
they run the football the way they did Sunday, they're
a pretty effective offense. So that's picked a big part
of their formula. If they get back to that and
consistently churn out the yards on the ground, they're pretty
(20:50):
good Defensively. It's a little bit more of a big
range as to what we're going to get.
Speaker 5 (20:53):
Yeah, I'm the range is the way to describe it.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I do think there's an opportunity to go against this
Arizona squad who's really struggled to get a win streak.
Rolling here from a Jacksonville perspective. More to come here
on rankings. The Dallas Cowboys made some big additions, one
in particular at the trade deadline. Big number ninety two
Quinn Williams, who delivered on Monday Night Football is their
potential playoff push looming for Jerry Jones's team.
Speaker 5 (21:19):
We'll discuss that coming up next.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Back here on Power Rankings along with Eric at home,
I cam with you and for not the Chiefs dropping
eight spots. The biggest stroppers of the week would have
been the Chargers, who moved down six spots. They fall
to number seventeen on the rankings. The Texans at five
hundred and five and five at eighteen, the Carolina Panthers
will talk about them in just a moment at nineteen,
the Cowboys, we'll discuss them at twenty the Vikings at
twenty one, the Miami Dolphins moved up to spots. Somehow
(21:44):
figured out a way to get it done in Berlin
or Madrid, excuse me. And then it's the Arizona Cardinals
and the Atlanta Falcons at twenty three and twenty four.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
All right, let's love them up.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I was so excited that they made the conversation list
for us here on Power Rankings. We don't get to
talk enough about this team, Bryce Young in company.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
These dudes might win the division.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Chance right, playoffs still looking a little bit remote, But
the way Bryce was throwing the ball Sunday Heck, he
didn't have four hundred and forty eight yards, barely had
that in the previous three games. Combined one hundred and
twenty more yards than they ever had in a game.
And look, there weren't a ton of tight window throws.
I mean, his receivers were getting open. But I love
the way he distributed the ball around. It wasn't just McMillan.
(22:24):
He found Coker, He found other receivers there, and I
thought it was important to get those guys involved. They
took Rico DoD A out. You know, he really stepped
up defensively. They were just okay, got in a big
hole early, but Bryce just calmly chipped away and got
them to a victory on the road against the team
they had already beaten one. So it was just a
very composed, poise performance and that's what I think Panthers
(22:45):
fans really needed to see out of him.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:48):
I love this story.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
We get the Monday night on the road, there's a
huge game against the San Francisco forty nine ers. This
could really stamp this team being valid Cowboys. They were
on Monday Night. They handle business against the Raiders. They
move up three spots. I thought the story of the game.
We can talk about an uptick in the offensive production,
and rightfully so, I thought Quentin Williams and the defense
was the story.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Though absolutely right.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
If we didn't have the you know, the George Pickens
Ceedee Lamb where they benched on the first series, that
it should have been all about the defensive pressure, Quinn
Williams honoring their their falling teammate, you know, obviously Marshaw
Neil in the tragedy last week.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
I really felt like that defense.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Was inspired and how much more is Quinn going to
provide in this group?
Speaker 3 (23:29):
That remains to be seen.
Speaker 4 (23:30):
Obviously, the Raiders struggling in the offensive line, a little
bit offensively in general, so we'll have to see big picture.
They got a lot of work to do, but Dallas
kept their season alive on Monday night.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
The rest of the rankings the Bengals at twenty five,
the Commanders at twenty six, Giants at twenty seven. It's
the Jets, the Browns, the Saints, that Raiders team at
thirty one, and the Tennessee Titans still at number thirty
two on the Power rankings, Eric, you're the best man,
hardest job in the business.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
I'm like am, thanks so much for watching.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
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