The NFL Power Rankings Podcast with Colleen Wolfe and Dan Hanzus begins with the AFC East and NFC East teams taking the top half of the Power Rankings. The Eagles take the top spot back from the Chiefs. The Vikings and Bengals both move up 2 spots, while the Jets jump up 4 after a victory over the Bears. The Ravens are out of the Top 10 for the first time this season. Dan is ready to be realistic with the Buccaneers as they drop 7 spots to #18. It's the holiday season, so we wrap up with teams that could be getting gifts from their late season schedules and teams that may suffer down the strech.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with I Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to the
NFL Power Rankings podcast, presented by Energizer. I am Dan
Hansas joining me in the studio. Why because I haven't
been back since the Phillies were in the playoffs? Count Wolf. Hello. Um, Yes,
(00:28):
when your when your team is celebrating a world Series title, Yes,
there's going to be a certain hangover of that. And
they didn't win. Sorry Dan, come on, neither did your team,
so whatever. All right, but we're not talking the MLB
Power Rankings. Does that exist? Probably, But the NFL Power
Rankings do exist. In fact, there's only one official one.
(00:52):
It's mine on NFL dot Com and hours on this podcast.
That's right. We share this one, right, so I'm going
to have some ownership of this. So I don't know
if there's like a pre nup involved that we need when, um,
you know, if they end up going south if I
get if you divorce me in a business sense and
then take my power rankings, that sounds I get the dogs,
(01:15):
you get the power ranking deals off deals. All right,
let's get into it. By the way, weird times here, Um,
in our league the East Coast. We both hail from
the East Coast. I'm from New York here from Pennsylvania,
Philly girl. Um, the a f C East and the
NFC East. All eight teams are in the top half
of the power rankings right now. So eight out of
(01:37):
sixty nailed it. Of the power rankings, the top half
are the East teams. Is that East Coast bias by
ol ZUSA? Are you in on this? Well, that's what
I mean. I guess it's hard for me to talk
about East Coast bias because I opened the show talking
about the Phillies in But what a time to be
(01:57):
alive if you're from the East, if you root for
a team from the East. Nobody really thought that that
was going to happen in training camp anything like that.
So it's kind of cool to see. Yeah, so that
is interesting. We'll see if that holds. Is the season
kind of comes towards its final point of the regular season.
Of course we do this all the way through the playoffs.
No one really knows, but you do, so make sure
to watch us every week through the Super Bowl. Let's
(02:19):
check out teams one through eight. And speaking of Philadelphia
and those Eagles. Somebody actually tweeted at me this morning, well,
this guy's list. He can't be taken seriously because he's
an Eagles fan. That eaggles green. But they do swap
spots with the Chiefs. Eagles at number one after one
(02:40):
spot one week out of the top spot, the Chiefs
dropped it to the Niners. Look out for the Niners
up two to number three, the Cowboys at number four,
Bills number five, Dolphins up one to six, Vikings coming
off the Thanksgiving win up to to seven, and yes,
the Bengals of two to eight. Where do we want
to start here? I don't know. Maybe we should just
(03:01):
start at the top, all right, I shall we start
with the Let's start now. People don't make too much
of it, society that the Chiefs dropped in the Eagles rose.
It's not because I put so much into the Chiefs
not performing so well in a win against a decimated
Rams team. But I did put when they're this close,
the Eagles dominating the way they did in primetime, which
(03:24):
is always just a little bit of a bump in
the power rankings, those Island game performances. That was enough
to get him to the top spot. But it's very
close right now. Yeah, and I think you could argue
that both teams one and two are the best in
their conference, but the Eagles. Right now, Jalen Hurts is
the most popular guy in Philadelphia. When I went home
for Thanksgiving, everyone everyone wanted to talk about Jalen Hurts.
(03:46):
Didn't matter who it was. Family members, friends from high
school that I didn't even know knew about football. They
want to know about Jalen Hurts. And he did it.
He's picking up a lot of the slack without Dallas
Goddard in the lineup, and he's doing it with his legs.
I mean, he was absolutely magical. He had a killer
first half and he just keeps building a stronger case
for m v P, which I thought was interesting watching
(04:08):
this game, seeing Aaron Rodgers, last year's MVP, in the
spot that he's in right now, and we know he's
playing with the broken thumb as well, and then he
got hurt his oblique. But it's just it's bleak. Watching
the Packers bleak is bleak, you know. The way they
are right now did feel like a bit of a
changing of the guard in the NFC because when Rogers,
after he leaves the game and he gets the X rays.
(04:29):
They show him with the pads off, with the jersey off,
and he looked very much like a man nearing forty
years old. And then you see Jalen Hurts looking like
Michael vick On. I would say reincarnated, but Michael, there
is still a lot as a football player, perhaps reincarnated.
A hundred and fifty seven yards rushing for Hurts, which
is a Eagles record, and they came Jeez, Connie, three
(04:51):
and sixty three yards on the ground by the Eagles,
just thirteen yards shy of the franchise records set in nineteen.
It's been a minute. So that is what happened with Eagles.
Do you know? You know, do you have? How much
time do you have? They lost in the wild card
round to the Jaguars. Actually, I do hate by the way,
c J. Gardner Johnson, and he's gonna miss some time
(05:15):
now too with the lacerated kidney. Um. It was encouraging
to see the rookie read blanket ship get a pick
on his first career target. But c. J. Gardner Johnson
leads the league. He was leading the league in interceptions.
He's a huge part of the defense. In that secondary,
so that could hurt them. Yeah, he was such a
huge pickup right before the season starts. They really swindled
him away from the Saints. And if I guess, if
(05:36):
you want to pick one thing the Eagles defense is,
it's something that can be exposed. I know they did
give up thirty three points to Green Bay, but some
of that came in kind of garbage time with Jordan's
love feeling good about them at number one, But when
Jordan Davis is back, by the way, just one last
thing that Eagles run defense too will significantly improve. I agree,
who else did you like? Like? Kind of who when
(05:56):
we take a look at the first tier? Who else
did you kind of like what you saw from? Well? Im?
You know who I liked? I liked the Jets did Jets?
We haven't seen that. I'm not just like pandering to
you about this because I really love Mike White. I'm
one of those like basic girls that just absolutely he
came in and provided such a spark, like there was
(06:19):
actual juice on this offense. And I think it all
goes back to was it last year that Mike White
had his whole thing? And then we were and I
did the Thursday night football game, and I spent an
entire pregame show talking about Mike White and how amazing
and blah blah blah. Did they send something to the
Hall of Fame that way they did his jersey because
he kind of set the yardage record I believe in
(06:41):
a first start. And yeah, he went and immediately got
knocked out of that Thursday night game with an injury,
and then through four picks the following weekends the Bills,
and then he disappeared. So pardon me as a jetsman.
And by the way, they're up to number ten, up
four spots after dropping four spots the previous week after
that grizzly loss to the Patriots. You have to pardon
me if I am still my guards up here, because
(07:03):
the Bears are just there's no eat on that bone
when you take out justin fields and their defense is wretched.
But at the same time, White looked incredible, and the
offense was running like it's intended to run with the
right playmakers like Garrett Wilson and remember Elijah Moore getting right.
They all wanted to trade because none of them wanted
(07:23):
to play with Zach Wilson, and I think It's a
credit to Robert Salt for listening to his team, saving
the locker room and maybe saving this season. Now you
got the vikings coming up, you do. But I like
the fact that Mike White spread the ball around and
everybody was eating, like ten different players caught a pass.
It was just he had a great haircut to go
with it too, like he was looking yeah great, fade good,
(07:45):
good good. And what about Zack Wilson cut to him
on the sideline? Oh no, it was too sad. I
wish I knew the Star Wars reference. But someone posted
a side by side of who's the guy he turned
into Darth Vader and those dopey sequels from the nineties
and early two thousand. Anybody, I haven't even seen The
Godfather all the way through? What do I look like? Marks?
(08:06):
Is it? Frodo? Who was it? Who was it? This
is this is where I need a producer to help
us out back there? Nobody knows nothing. Everyone just been
his hands up, baby Yoda? How old is everyone back there?
All right, let's so the Jets. Let's see I'm guarded here,
because this would be a very Jets move, like the
Thursday night preview. You did last year and then nothing
(08:28):
good happens? Can they stack some? It's been a roller coach.
Why don't you just have fun though? Why can't you
just because isn't this offense more fun? It's like being
an Eagles fan before the Nick Foles here. Do you
remember how you you were always expecting something terrible to happen? Yeah?
I still do. Jets fans are Eagles fans without the
Nick Foles here. So we're not that. We've been hurt
so many times we don't expect the good times to
(08:49):
ever last. All right? About the jag Wars, Sorry, they're
another team you've got your eye on. Speaking of Nick Foles,
the Doug Peterson connection, which, oh my god, going for
two Jets, but I know where you're going. Listen. That
was the head coach, Doug Peterson. I don't know if
you know about what happened that year, Dan, that Star
(09:11):
Wars guy. While okay, so absolutely loved what I saw
from the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence. I mean, he had
such a strong performance in this game, with the game
winning drive plus the two point conversion that I couldn't
believe they went for and got with fourteen seconds left.
That was a defining moment for Trevor Lawrence. That was
(09:31):
the moment that we've been waiting to see from him,
and he got it done at that passed to say
Jones on fourth and eight. Three straight games now he's
completed over seven passes. I know, what the hell, But
it was just one of those games where I was
watching and I thought that they were not going to
get the two points. You know, it is wild, and
I have to say, as a head coach, I'd probably
(09:53):
be kicking the extra point. But we had two teams,
the Chargers and the Jacks go for it on too
this week, and they both hit them to win their
games in dramatic fashion. So you know, props to that. Yeah.
I think what we've been seeing with Lawrence is a
slow building title way right, because his rookie season was
a disaster because of you know who Urban Meyer. The
second year, it was very hit or miss, some scatter
(10:15):
shot games in the mix of bad games in the mix.
And just when you started, you know, those conversations were
percolating again in November, what happened to this guy being
you know, a generational town. He's now stacked three games
in a row, but this one, especially this one felt
like the game, and I think give it to Jaguars fans.
That building t i a a stadium. Maybe we could
(10:35):
workshop that. I still call it the Big Chlorine Tank
because of that pool. That place is going nuts. You
can you could tell that that's a good fan base,
that that sensed the moment happening. And the Jaguars are
gonna be trouble. Maybe not this year, but they're gonna
give teams trouble the rest of the season. Yeah, you
can see that consistency starting to develop with Trevor Lawrence.
And their mascot is really spicy too, you know, not
(10:55):
since the Philly Fanatic has a mascot so currently captured
the city in which it lives. I mean, the what
is it an American flag thong? Is that what we're
dealing with, Mammock? Is that? What we're dealing with here
is that even allowed I don't will listen, the Fanatic
gets naked all the time and nobody blinks an eye.
Do you think of Rock? But he's not. He's like
(11:18):
a living He's a cartoon character. Like the Here's the
thing that's the thing about Jacksonville. He's a human body.
He's in spandex, Right, Philip Finatic doesn't have to wear
pants because he's like a muppet. He's like a mutated muppet.
Is listen, Jack's got parts. This is confirmed. We know
that this is a This is so I'm just one,
(11:41):
can he be celebrated? Why does he have to be ashamed?
I'm just wondering body positivity? Okay with it? I'm okay,
I'm just waring, Like is rog okay with this? Is
rock watching on the tube and like, all right, where
is he up? Like, hey, put some pants on the mascot.
We'll see. We're gonna find out next week. Will all right,
where are we going next? What do we want to talk? Maybe? Okay,
(12:04):
so this is going to be now two weeks in
a row, so we're skipping around a little bit. But Washington,
I thought, once again, Yeah, Now they've won six of
their last seven. They're above five D for the first
time since which was two years before the pandemic. So
I like to say two bp um at this point
(12:26):
because I can only really judge years by the pandemic.
So the fact that I just love Brian Robinson, that's
what this is all about for me, Like I know
that I'm trying to compartmentalize Washington is the organization versus
the Commanders as a team. We can we can them. Yeah,
and that's and that's what I'm doing. And I'm also
(12:47):
trying to pretend that they're not in the division with
the Eagles and that they did not beat the Eagles
and give them their only loss of the year. However,
I just love Brian Robinson so much. Had his first
one hundred yard Russian game of the year, he got
the game ball, he was wearing that gigantic hat, like
everything about it, and him a lot of money. I think, yeah,
(13:07):
it's listen. He he had such a good game, and
his return and the Commander's success are not independent of
each other. They're directly And for people who don't know,
here's the timeline. Brian Robinson Jr. Gets drafted in April
in the third round by Washington, has a great offseason,
training season, has a really strong preseason. Then he gets
(13:29):
shot twice in the leg during an attempt at robbery
in August, makes it back to the field in October,
and then it wasn't until Sunday where this you could
tell this is the guy Washington thought they were getting.
And he's a good matches physical style with Washington's defense.
And yeah, on the power rankings, the number thirteen spot,
as I always say, is like when I'm not sure
what to do with the team, I stick him at thirteen.
(13:50):
But that's not really the case of the Commanders. I
kind of know who they are. They're limited offensively to
a certain degree. They're not gonna win any shootouts, but
they're gonna drag you into the muck and they're gonna
make games ugly, and they're showing an ability to win
those games. And that's a team that I don't want
to face, especially as the season that gets into the
later stages, and that defense, the way that they can
wreck a game. Their half game behind the Giants. Right now,
(14:12):
they play them twice in the next three weeks with
a buy in between the Giants. They've lost two straight.
They're going in the wrong direction. I just want to
know if the Commanders are going to end up in
the playoffs with Carson Wentz watching on the bench. They should,
I mean they can't. I don't know, Carson Wentz, You're
not You don't have that ring with the Eagles of
that Wentz his first four team games. But I know
(14:33):
I speaking of Commanders. Yes, they're number thirteen. Let's check
out the rest of Quad two as we call it.
The Titans dropped three spots to number nine off that
disappointing lost to Cincinnati, like the Bengals a lot, but
I feel like they they're rounding in to form the
Jets as we sent up four spots to ten. Ravens
down three and we'll get to them in a second
(14:53):
to eleven, Chargers up five to twelve, Commanders up three
to thirteen. They've been on a steady rise over the
past month. Seahawks down to that defense is an issue
again to fourteen, Pats down too, off the narrow loss
and Thanksgiving the Vikings Hunter Henry caught it uh to fifteen,
and the Giants are going the wrong direction right now,
(15:14):
and they're down one to sixteen with two matchups in
three weeks against the Commanders, and I feel like there's
a bit of a maybe a body swap between those
two teams now, and I kind of expect Washington to
find a way to win one at least of those games.
The Ravens, Connie, let's talk about it. What's going on?
Here's a stat Come into the therapist corner. What's up?
You want a little data point? I would love it.
Data or data data numbers? Please, you're a regular, Cynthia Freeland.
(15:40):
For the first time this season all year in the
Power rankings, the Ravens are outside the top ten. And
you know why, Connie, because I've seen it now too
many times. Fool me once, Shame on you, Fool me twice,
shame on me three times. Boy, you must be an idiot.
Fool me a fourth time. Why are you on a
camera talking into a microphone. But they have led every
(16:00):
opponent by at least nine points this season in the
second half, and they've lost four games now, including yes,
that loss to the Jaguars on the apware mentioned two
point conversion, and it just it was the way they
lost too. And listen, the whole team didn't exactly cover
itself and glory in this game, the fumble by Gus Edwards,
the defense completely laying down, and Lamar Jackson, even after
(16:22):
he played well down the stretch, then gets after an
idiot fan on Twitter and says stupid stuff, and it's
just like that was a weird moment for him. It
was also weird that it was up for three hours
before taking down and John Harbaugh came out and said
it was out of character and they addressed it. It's
just like what is going on, Baltimore. But anyway, the
way the Jaguars offense just marched down the field, it
just seems schematically that the Ravens were a mess and
(16:44):
personnel wise, they weren't getting it done. And it's this
has happened enough now where I just you feel like
this is how their season is going to end eventually
as well, maybe in January and a playoff game where
they get ahead and then they just can't close because
they can't close, and it almost feels like it has
a little bit of a Chargers vibe to it, where
they just keep coming so close and then they just
(17:04):
keep failing, which is exactly it's so out of character
for them. Also, they're having so many issues in the
red zone to the last two games or three of
nine in the red zone. Lamar Jackson just is in
his effective at all. I mean de Sean Jackson. They
got him in there and he was involved, so that
was cool for a second, but even just routine throws
that Lamar would have made earlier in the season, the
(17:26):
one where he overthrew DeMarcus Robinson who was wide open early.
Like things like that just keep adding up and they're struggling. Yeah,
but you know what, I understand that, But I put
this one on the defense. Gotta close that game out.
You gotta close that game out. And it's one thing
I know we just talked about. Trevor Lawrence has arrived,
so that I get. So you don't want to say, oh,
(17:47):
how do you let the Jaguars beat you? But it's
the way that Jaguars went down the field, how pathetic
the Baltimore defense was, the way they weren't even defending
the sidelines for a team the Jacksonal team that didn't
have time out, it was just like, what is going
on with this team? Anyway? I don't know, Let's move on.
We'll see if they get back to the topton I.
I kind of think they will because they are talented
than when it ends, when the season is over, they'll
probably get those eleven wins or so well, they have
(18:09):
the Broncos next week. What do I trust them there?
They should take care of business. How about a team
that you want to take from this quadrant? I got
one for you here. I was looking at the Patriots. Yeah,
I was trying to see where you have them at fifteen.
This team it bums me out for some reason. They
just feel worse than their actual record and their six
and five, so they're they're pretty mediocre. But I don't
(18:30):
really love anything that I see from them. I know
Mac mac jones kind of woke up the offense, but
like they just couldn't get it going, couldn't keep it going,
couldn't sustain it, and that just felt like such a
waste for the team to not take advantage of a
really good effort from mac Jones, because he threw for
a career high in yards. But the same issues just
(18:52):
continue to hurt New England. And that's where my frustration lies,
because they had five penalties that just gifted the Vikings
first downs. They converted on just three of ten third downs.
The red zone and is where the offense just goes
to die. They were oh for three. I mean, although
Hunter Henry caught it, but yes, and I know I
know that was The Vikings red zone defense is awful,
(19:15):
Like they're the worst in the league, so they should
have at least been a little bit better aside from
the Hunter Henry and if you are a truther of
the Patriots have a bad coaching staff and Belichick blew it,
which is there is a faction of people out there
you can point to the Patriots doing Unpatriots things during
the season with self inflicted eras of stuff. That part
of their greatness other than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
(19:37):
being in the building, was they would let other teams
beat themselves. And they were just so clinical and how
precise they were in terms of playing the game. So
you have to go for three and the red zone.
Those five penalties were first downs, to surrender, a kick off,
a return for a touchdown when they seemed to take
the momentum in the second half, all that stuff. They're
not good enough to make up for that. And yet
(19:57):
you know, six and five seems right for them. Five
and six, six and five the Jets games were weird
because Zack Wilson basically gifted them to them gift of
those two games they probably should have at least split
with the Jets, which would make them five and six.
They feel like an eight and nine, nine and eighteen,
So maybe they are kind of I guess that's just
kind of like with them. And now they have stuff
on Diggs next week where they couldn't stop Justin Jefferson
(20:18):
at all. So I don't know how that's going to
work out. That's coming up on Thursday, all right, And
we know what the Bills have been doing to the
Patriots the last few matchups. It's been grizzly. Let's finish
this discussion of Quad two with old juice or taken
an owl. I don't like to do it, but if
you're gonna be powering this guy, you gotta admit when
you were dumb. And I was dumb about the Bucks
because I've all season kind of believed that they were
(20:40):
going to figure things out, and when they had the
slightest bit of success like that win over Seattle and Munich,
I took that to mean, oh, the offense is fine now.
But then you look, it's like I scored what one
points in that game, whatever it was, and then they
have their by, they come out of the by, and
it's more the same against the Brown seventeen points, six
(21:01):
three and outs. Just it's so hard for the team
to manufacture offense, and at a certain point I need
to stop looking at the names and focus on the game.
So I I dropped them seven spots to eighteen, which
is really probably the area they should have been for
most of this year. But I was just giving them
that benefit of the doubt. I'm not doing it anymore.
I shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.
(21:21):
But sometimes you get sucked in, and I did. I
also did after the game in Germany. It was I
got swept up in the full emotion of it all,
which was amazing by the way, but the way that
they were able to run the ball finally, and that
was the whole thing going into the game. They hadn't
been able to do it for so long, and we
just saw so many good moments from them, and maybe
(21:42):
that was more of an indictment on the Seahawks defense,
especially after what we saw them do their their next game,
which is the defense completely tank again exactly so. And
you add the Tristan Worf's injury to it as well,
and not just compounds things. Yeah, Wors went down with
a high ankle sprain, a weird freak injury, and overtime
he's going to be out multiple weeks. They don't really
even have a timetable three to four. That's exactly what
(22:03):
that is. That's a timetable. So Colleen, that's why we
work well together. You know, we're just getting started here.
By the way, Anakin Skywalker is from Star Wars that
Zack Wilson resembled on the sideline with this hoodie on
getting rained on. Were traded by Hayden Christensen and that
(22:24):
one person behind the glass can help us out with him.
Is that related to our producer Drew. He doesn't speak.
He seems like a Darth Vader in trading. Maybe that
is what's going on here. We'll be right back back here.
On Power Rankings brought to you by Energizer. For quad
(22:45):
three of the old Zeuser's rankings, we got teens through
at seventeen. You have the Raiders up nine spots, okay,
running away with Josh Jacobs at eighteen. The Bucks they're
going the other way. They fall seven spots. The Browns
come in at nineteen, up five. Then you have the
(23:07):
Lions down to at twenty, the Packers down to one,
Cardinals just you know, hanging around there at twenty two,
not going to any of the most two team that's
ever been. They are you got the Jags at twenty
three up six love that we talked about that and
then twenty four up one spot after beating the Colts
(23:28):
on Monday Night Football. Alright, So time four Power Moves
presented by Energizer and Dan. You know, tis the season
right now to rise or fall in the rankings. And December,
you know, it's the tough months of December to remember,
it is the sales event. What's coming to December? You know, Listen,
You've got a lot of stuff in the schedule. You
got holiday parties. You got to come up with gift ideas.
(23:51):
I mean, and that's tough. You're buying gift cards for
everybody that you don't know. Maybe you're feeling ashamed about
giving a gift card, but that's what people want. Yeah,
you have alcoholic family members to try and deal with.
It's a lot at the holidays, but sometimes the schedule
breaks your way and everything comes up right. Um, And
that's what's going on with the Raiders. It's going to
(24:15):
be a good discever for them. We're gonna go through
some schedules here with teams who could potentially make a
huge jump in the rankings. So I was looking at
what the Raiders have going on. Okay, and two straight
overtime wins, so that's some nice moment off a little
(24:36):
extra adrenaline shot. So good. It's starting to feel Dare
I say a little bit like last season when they
went on a streak and then they made the playoffs.
But maybe this is something that they could do this season.
I mean, can they keep it up? You little wet here?
Next four games? They got the Chargers, they got the Rams,
(24:59):
they got the Patriots, and then they got the Steelers.
Now most of those games are you got two of
their final six games are on the road, so they're
playing four of those games at home. The only problem
is they have the Diners and the Chiefs at the
end of the year. But they could in theory have
eight wins, could be eight and seven going into those
(25:21):
final two games. And if Josh Jacobs is still making
everyone regret doubting him there in Vegas like this could be.
This could be good for them. I like it their
fun team right now. Okay, So now I'm gonna even
though I wrote about the same things that you're talking
about right now, I'm gonna now let's go the other way.
Josh Jacobs We don't even know if he's playing this week.
(25:42):
He's got a calf issue, he said. He said on
Tuesday's gonna try to play weird, but he will probably play.
Hopefully he'll be himself. After the three yards from scrimmage,
we're gonna talk about the decisions, Daniels. I'm gonna talk
about that. What I'm gonna talk about is this is
a team that has repeatedly they play heart attack football.
(26:02):
They've lost so many close games before these two overtime
wins that they are a very hard team to trust.
To say, all of a sudden, they're going to become
a consistently good team. And yes, you mentioned those last
two games where it gets really tough. Who is it
against the Chiefs, the Chiefs of the Niners. Chiefs and Niners,
two of the best teams in football. They have to
win the next four weeks to even have a chance,
and they've already won the So we're asking these Raiders
(26:24):
to win six games in a row. That feels rich
to me, But at the same time, it's worth having
the conversation because there's usually one team that kind of
comes out of nowhere in December and makes a push
and they do have the talent. I know it's there.
I think the reason why I sort of like them
is because they're such a chaotic team and that that
(26:44):
just draws me in. Like I like the chaos, I
like heart attack football, like that is. I don't have
any other stakes with that team, so it really it
doesn't doesn't hurt me if they end up losing, but
it is exciting when they do win. They win the
way that they have, you know they're gonna do by
the way they're gonna win the next three games, it's
gonna be five game winning trick. Everyone's gonna be talking
about him, and then Kenny Hick it's gonna beat him
(27:05):
on a last second touchdown a week or sixteen or whatever.
All right, what about what about the Panthers? You? Uh,
I listened, Sam Donald? He might I wish I could
quit you. He might end up taking this team to
the playoffs because it's such a bad division. Let's take
(27:26):
a look at the schedule right now. Okay, so Carolina,
are you actually are you? Do you believe what you're
about to say, Connie or is this content for a
program they I'm not just giving an honest answer. I'm
just trying to stay ahead of this because if it happens,
I will look so great, and if not, I'll just,
you know whatever. Everyone's doubting me anyway, so it doesn't matter.
(27:47):
So their schedule pretty favorable. Let's take a look at
it here. Okay, so you've got the Seahawks, then you
got the Steelers, the Lions. Let me um and doable
with Baker Mayfield, I guess, sitting on the bench like I.
(28:07):
This is the same thing with the Commanders and Taylor
Heinecky potentially taking them on a run with Carson Wentz
sitting there and watching. Now, I'm rooting for Sam Donald
and I need this to happen. Yeah, I I see
that four game stretch, maybe one or two wins in there.
I'm not I'm not buying in. And you know, as
a Jets fan who had a warmer viewpoint of Sam
(28:28):
Donald than the rest of the world, I want to
see him do well because it will get set him
up for whatever comes next in his career. He'll make
a little bit of money. Um. But at the same time,
can I really get behind this team getting hot? Their
defense is better than people realize, but they're going to
struggle to score points. And for instance, you know Gina
Smith and the Seahawks, they're gonna put up a lot
(28:49):
of points. The Lions, I imagine, are gonna put up
a lot of points. And I feel like the Pittsburgh
and Tampa defenses will be able to really neutralize Sam
Donald and company. Like, I'm not buying on this. This
division is so bad. Like you have the Bucks and
the Falcons the lead the division with five wins each,
Like that's it. They could win just because someone has
(29:10):
to from the division. All right, let's flip this down,
all right, so as we look at quad four. By
the way, let's look a quad for Falcons down five,
Saints down five to six. I think that coach is
gonna get canned, by the way, Cold State at Panthers
(29:31):
up three to eight, Bears down six. Like I said,
there's just nothing there with Justin Why would Justin Fields
play again? Also if he is vulnerable with that shoulder
down six, Rams down two to thirty? Could the Rams
do it? Can they win the Super Bowl and finish
this season thirty two in the power rankings? They're knocking
down the door, but probably not because the Broncos have
(29:51):
Russell Wilson at thirty one, and the Texans are whoa
whoof bad thirty two. Um, yeah, let's let's look at
the teams that we feel good about now. But then
when you look at the schedules you get a little noise.
Let's start Connie with the defending conference champions. Okay, so
the Bengals, I love them. It could be a little
(30:13):
bit of a stressful holiday season. Things might not go
that great. They really needed this win because coming up
they're about to enter the part of the schedule that
I like to call and get some somber holiday music
while you go through. Yeah, these teams, that'd be great. Okay,
what do you got the love to hear that? So? Alright,
(30:36):
a little bit of a nightmare before Christmas. Well, this
works because this is the part of the schedule that
I like to call a Colfin corner that they are
about to embark upon. And as you can see, they
got the Chiefs. All right, let me go through this
for you. Okay, I'll set you up on this one.
The Chiefs obviously the number two team in the part rankings,
(30:58):
the Browns at nine, team of the power ranks, but
a pretty good team of the Browns and now they
had that guy Deshaun Watson on the team playing quarterback
Tom Brady and the Bucks number eighteen, and then the
Patriots at fifteen. This, to you, profiles, is a very
difficult stretch. Well really, it's just the Chiefs coming up.
But I think that the Browns, we don't know what
they're going to be like with Deshaun Watson, and then
(31:21):
I think that the Bucks could maybe play like a
spoiler situation, depending on if they can get their stuff
together first exactly. But there's seven and four right now.
I like the fact that the Bengals have kind of
found something in Soma J. P Ryan, but it's just
not totally smooth sailing from Yeah, and they finished with
(31:42):
Buffalo and Baltimore. So it's a tough schedule, but I
think this team is battle tested, Connie, and it's not
an easy schedule. But as we saw, they just went
to Nashville and beat up on the Titans, who a
lot of people, who's the most physical team in football,
exotic smash mouth and Society goes there without Jamar Chase
and without Joe Mixon and and beat him up and
(32:04):
win the game. So I'm okay, with this, I'm okay,
how about let's look at another team, This team I
feel legitimately concerned about the New York Giants. Absolutely. Let's
look at their up chemic schedule. And of course they
were seven and two, which builds in a lot of
wiggle room. But they've lost two straight games now and
now here's the schedule. Ahead, go ahead, cutting, Okay, you
(32:24):
got Washington number the number, you got Washington again, and
then you got the Vikings seven. I think the Giants
the Giants. My viewpoint of the Giants is, I think
all four of these games are gonna be very difficult
to get one. There is a scenario where they go
(32:44):
from seven and two to seven and eight. But I'm
not gonna be that critical. I'm not gonna be that negative,
so I will say they're gonna split with Washington. But
I do see them coming out of this stretch eight
and seven. The problem is the injuries have hit at
just the wrong time too, because last week they were
missing like eleven starters that game against the Cowboys. They
(33:07):
should get two of their starters on the offensive lineback,
their right tackle, on their left guard, they should get
a Zzo Glari back. Things seem to be trending upward
for Fabian Brow, but you're you can't run the ball
when you're missing three starters on the offensive line, and
Daniel Jones can't get anything going with his legs either,
so it could be rough. And Kwan has looked a
(33:27):
little a little off the last couple of weeks. You
wonder if the work workload, which has been immense after
two years of missing a lot of action, might be
he might be hitting a little bit of a wall here.
But we will will see, and and and I will say,
because the Giants fans that are mad at me, and
they've been annoyed all year that I've never given them
the quote unquote respect they deserve and the power rankings.
They have also won a lot of games in close
(33:50):
fashion when people were picking against them. Could they come
out of this with two or three wins? Yeah, they
can do that too, but I don't think that's how
it plays out. Let me tee up on another team
and this one, Connie, me and you lockstep on the
Miami Dolphins. WHOA, you know what, Let's let's mix up
the music too. I like the off brand Nightmare before Christmas,
(34:11):
But what would you like something a little more sinister.
Do we have a DJ back there? This does sound
like kind of an evil Santa. Okay, Evil Santa's in
the house. Okay, all right, that works. So the Dolphins,
they've won five straight. They lead the division now at
this point, and I think that they're legitimately dangerous right
(34:32):
now with wins over the Bills, the Ravens. I guess,
you know, the Patriots. I don't really know how I
feel about that anymore, kind of like you cut them
down earlier. But look at this schedule. Yes, no, now
you say the number, Oh my god, three Bills, five Packers, one. Okay.
(34:54):
So here is the thing though, because they are at
the Niners, at the Chargers, at the Bills, they have
three straight road games and you're talking about two of
those on the West Coast, and then the Floridians have
to go up to in December, and then finally they
get back home and it's Christmas against the Packers. So
(35:17):
I mean, come on, that that is rough. That schedule
stinks for them. So yeah, and I have the Dolphins.
I get I show respect. You know you haven't got
there yet. I show respect to the Dolphins by putting
at number six, we need the mandolin. But let's not
let's not forget who they beat during this five game
losing streaks some of the worst teams in football, which
(35:39):
is whatever you you, you play your schedule. They hung
thirty points on every one of those teams. I got
respect for you for that, okay, But in my soul
down the Dolphins. No will I be absolutely in on
the Dolphins. If they beat the Niners all the way in,
in fact they could, they could contend for the number
one overall spot in the power rankings next week. That's
(36:02):
how much I think of San Francisco. So you wouldn't
dare you wouldn't do it. There's a little bit of
a show me thing with the old Juser and the Dolphins.
But they have a golden opportunity not just next week
but in the next month. But yes, what a what
a perfect measuring stick game. If they beat the Niners,
they go to one, Well, they beat the Niners, and
you all set the factor in what the other teams
do ahead of them. But if they moved to nine
(36:22):
and three and they're writing a six game winning streak,
and if it's the type of game like we've grown
to see where they hang thirty eight on the Niners,
who have not surrendered a point in the second half
in a month, that are averaging ten points allowed on
defense during their own winning streak. Yeah, there's a real
case to be made that they're the best team in football.
But see, I can't even see that. I don't see
that as something that's going to happen. I predict the
(36:44):
Niners will throttle this Dolphins offense and bring them down
to earth. But I'd be happy to be wrong because
I like chaos. Chaos is I bet we'll get some
You want to hear something crazy? I would love to
the whole bit with the Star Wars thing and Zack
Wilson and Anakin Skywalker. And then I was like, oh,
is our produced or Drew who's seven ft three always
(37:07):
wearing a hat and a mask and that doesn't really
speak to a lot of people. And I said, is
he Darth? Is he Darth Vader? His last name is
Christian Sin, That's what I said. Is he related to him?
Because of Christians? Exact same spelling it to someone unusual spelling? Drue,
Do you have anything you want to not gonna talk?
I gotta get him to talk. Just one word. By
(37:28):
the end of this regular season, Drew will speak and
people will love it. Give us a no even no
one's all right. Thank you to everybody for checking out
the Power Rankings, check out the podcast, check this show
out digitally on NFL Plus and YouTube and wherever the
places Roger should be, and we'll be right back here
(37:51):
next week. He had NFL Power Rankings as a production
of the NFL in partnership with I heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with I Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to the
NFL Power Rankings podcast, presented by Energizer. I am Dan
Hansas joining me in the studio. Why because I haven't
been back since the Phillies were in the playoffs? Count Wolf. Hello. Um, Yes,
(00:28):
when your when your team is celebrating a world Series title, Yes,
there's going to be a certain hangover of that. And
they didn't win. Sorry Dan, come on, neither did your team,
so whatever. All right, but we're not talking the MLB
Power Rankings. Does that exist? Probably, But the NFL Power
Rankings do exist. In fact, there's only one official one.
(00:52):
It's mine on NFL dot Com and hours on this podcast.
That's right. We share this one, right, so I'm going
to have some ownership of this. So I don't know
if there's like a pre nup involved that we need when, um,
you know, if they end up going south if I
get if you divorce me in a business sense and
then take my power rankings, that sounds I get the dogs,
(01:15):
you get the power ranking deals off deals. All right,
let's get into it. By the way, weird times here, Um,
in our league the East Coast. We both hail from
the East Coast. I'm from New York here from Pennsylvania,
Philly girl. Um, the a f C East and the
NFC East. All eight teams are in the top half
of the power rankings right now. So eight out of
(01:37):
sixty nailed it. Of the power rankings, the top half
are the East teams. Is that East Coast bias by
ol ZUSA? Are you in on this? Well, that's what
I mean. I guess it's hard for me to talk
about East Coast bias because I opened the show talking
about the Phillies in But what a time to be
(01:57):
alive if you're from the East, if you root for
a team from the East. Nobody really thought that that
was going to happen in training camp anything like that.
So it's kind of cool to see. Yeah, so that
is interesting. We'll see if that holds. Is the season
kind of comes towards its final point of the regular season.
Of course we do this all the way through the playoffs.
No one really knows, but you do, so make sure
to watch us every week through the Super Bowl. Let's
(02:19):
check out teams one through eight. And speaking of Philadelphia
and those Eagles. Somebody actually tweeted at me this morning, well,
this guy's list. He can't be taken seriously because he's
an Eagles fan. That eaggles green. But they do swap
spots with the Chiefs. Eagles at number one after one
(02:40):
spot one week out of the top spot, the Chiefs
dropped it to the Niners. Look out for the Niners
up two to number three, the Cowboys at number four,
Bills number five, Dolphins up one to six, Vikings coming
off the Thanksgiving win up to to seven, and yes,
the Bengals of two to eight. Where do we want
to start here? I don't know. Maybe we should just
(03:01):
start at the top, all right, I shall we start
with the Let's start now. People don't make too much
of it, society that the Chiefs dropped in the Eagles rose.
It's not because I put so much into the Chiefs
not performing so well in a win against a decimated
Rams team. But I did put when they're this close,
the Eagles dominating the way they did in primetime, which
(03:24):
is always just a little bit of a bump in
the power rankings, those Island game performances. That was enough
to get him to the top spot. But it's very
close right now. Yeah, and I think you could argue
that both teams one and two are the best in
their conference, but the Eagles. Right now, Jalen Hurts is
the most popular guy in Philadelphia. When I went home
for Thanksgiving, everyone everyone wanted to talk about Jalen Hurts.
(03:46):
Didn't matter who it was. Family members, friends from high
school that I didn't even know knew about football. They
want to know about Jalen Hurts. And he did it.
He's picking up a lot of the slack without Dallas
Goddard in the lineup, and he's doing it with his legs.
I mean, he was absolutely magical. He had a killer
first half and he just keeps building a stronger case
for m v P, which I thought was interesting watching
(04:08):
this game, seeing Aaron Rodgers, last year's MVP, in the
spot that he's in right now, and we know he's
playing with the broken thumb as well, and then he
got hurt his oblique. But it's just it's bleak. Watching
the Packers bleak is bleak, you know. The way they
are right now did feel like a bit of a
changing of the guard in the NFC because when Rogers,
after he leaves the game and he gets the X rays.
(04:29):
They show him with the pads off, with the jersey off,
and he looked very much like a man nearing forty
years old. And then you see Jalen Hurts looking like
Michael vick On. I would say reincarnated, but Michael, there
is still a lot as a football player, perhaps reincarnated.
A hundred and fifty seven yards rushing for Hurts, which
is a Eagles record, and they came Jeez, Connie, three
(04:51):
and sixty three yards on the ground by the Eagles,
just thirteen yards shy of the franchise records set in nineteen.
It's been a minute. So that is what happened with Eagles.
Do you know? You know, do you have? How much
time do you have? They lost in the wild card
round to the Jaguars. Actually, I do hate by the way,
c J. Gardner Johnson, and he's gonna miss some time
(05:15):
now too with the lacerated kidney. Um. It was encouraging
to see the rookie read blanket ship get a pick
on his first career target. But c. J. Gardner Johnson
leads the league. He was leading the league in interceptions.
He's a huge part of the defense. In that secondary,
so that could hurt them. Yeah, he was such a
huge pickup right before the season starts. They really swindled
him away from the Saints. And if I guess, if
(05:36):
you want to pick one thing the Eagles defense is,
it's something that can be exposed. I know they did
give up thirty three points to Green Bay, but some
of that came in kind of garbage time with Jordan's
love feeling good about them at number one, But when
Jordan Davis is back, by the way, just one last
thing that Eagles run defense too will significantly improve. I agree,
who else did you like? Like? Kind of who when
(05:56):
we take a look at the first tier? Who else
did you kind of like what you saw from? Well? Im?
You know who I liked? I liked the Jets did Jets?
We haven't seen that. I'm not just like pandering to
you about this because I really love Mike White. I'm
one of those like basic girls that just absolutely he
came in and provided such a spark, like there was
(06:19):
actual juice on this offense. And I think it all
goes back to was it last year that Mike White
had his whole thing? And then we were and I
did the Thursday night football game, and I spent an
entire pregame show talking about Mike White and how amazing
and blah blah blah. Did they send something to the
Hall of Fame that way they did his jersey because
he kind of set the yardage record I believe in
(06:41):
a first start. And yeah, he went and immediately got
knocked out of that Thursday night game with an injury,
and then through four picks the following weekends the Bills,
and then he disappeared. So pardon me as a jetsman.
And by the way, they're up to number ten, up
four spots after dropping four spots the previous week after
that grizzly loss to the Patriots. You have to pardon
me if I am still my guards up here, because
(07:03):
the Bears are just there's no eat on that bone
when you take out justin fields and their defense is wretched.
But at the same time, White looked incredible, and the
offense was running like it's intended to run with the
right playmakers like Garrett Wilson and remember Elijah Moore getting right.
They all wanted to trade because none of them wanted
(07:23):
to play with Zach Wilson, and I think It's a
credit to Robert Salt for listening to his team, saving
the locker room and maybe saving this season. Now you
got the vikings coming up, you do. But I like
the fact that Mike White spread the ball around and
everybody was eating, like ten different players caught a pass.
It was just he had a great haircut to go
with it too, like he was looking yeah great, fade good,
(07:45):
good good. And what about Zack Wilson cut to him
on the sideline? Oh no, it was too sad. I
wish I knew the Star Wars reference. But someone posted
a side by side of who's the guy he turned
into Darth Vader and those dopey sequels from the nineties
and early two thousand. Anybody, I haven't even seen The
Godfather all the way through? What do I look like? Marks?
(08:06):
Is it? Frodo? Who was it? Who was it? This
is this is where I need a producer to help
us out back there? Nobody knows nothing. Everyone just been
his hands up, baby Yoda? How old is everyone back there?
All right, let's so the Jets. Let's see I'm guarded here,
because this would be a very Jets move, like the
Thursday night preview. You did last year and then nothing
(08:28):
good happens? Can they stack some? It's been a roller coach.
Why don't you just have fun though? Why can't you
just because isn't this offense more fun? It's like being
an Eagles fan before the Nick Foles here. Do you
remember how you you were always expecting something terrible to happen? Yeah?
I still do. Jets fans are Eagles fans without the
Nick Foles here. So we're not that. We've been hurt
so many times we don't expect the good times to
(08:49):
ever last. All right? About the jag Wars, Sorry, they're
another team you've got your eye on. Speaking of Nick Foles,
the Doug Peterson connection, which, oh my god, going for
two Jets, but I know where you're going. Listen. That
was the head coach, Doug Peterson. I don't know if
you know about what happened that year, Dan, that Star
(09:11):
Wars guy. While okay, so absolutely loved what I saw
from the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence. I mean, he had
such a strong performance in this game, with the game
winning drive plus the two point conversion that I couldn't
believe they went for and got with fourteen seconds left.
That was a defining moment for Trevor Lawrence. That was
(09:31):
the moment that we've been waiting to see from him,
and he got it done at that passed to say
Jones on fourth and eight. Three straight games now he's
completed over seven passes. I know, what the hell, But
it was just one of those games where I was
watching and I thought that they were not going to
get the two points. You know, it is wild, and
I have to say, as a head coach, I'd probably
(09:53):
be kicking the extra point. But we had two teams,
the Chargers and the Jacks go for it on too
this week, and they both hit them to win their
games in dramatic fashion. So you know, props to that. Yeah.
I think what we've been seeing with Lawrence is a
slow building title way right, because his rookie season was
a disaster because of you know who Urban Meyer. The
second year, it was very hit or miss, some scatter
(10:15):
shot games in the mix of bad games in the mix.
And just when you started, you know, those conversations were
percolating again in November, what happened to this guy being
you know, a generational town. He's now stacked three games
in a row, but this one, especially this one felt
like the game, and I think give it to Jaguars fans.
That building t i a a stadium. Maybe we could
(10:35):
workshop that. I still call it the Big Chlorine Tank
because of that pool. That place is going nuts. You
can you could tell that that's a good fan base,
that that sensed the moment happening. And the Jaguars are
gonna be trouble. Maybe not this year, but they're gonna
give teams trouble the rest of the season. Yeah, you
can see that consistency starting to develop with Trevor Lawrence.
And their mascot is really spicy too, you know, not
(10:55):
since the Philly Fanatic has a mascot so currently captured
the city in which it lives. I mean, the what
is it an American flag thong? Is that what we're
dealing with, Mammock? Is that? What we're dealing with here
is that even allowed I don't will listen, the Fanatic
gets naked all the time and nobody blinks an eye.
Do you think of Rock? But he's not. He's like
(11:18):
a living He's a cartoon character. Like the Here's the
thing that's the thing about Jacksonville. He's a human body.
He's in spandex, Right, Philip Finatic doesn't have to wear
pants because he's like a muppet. He's like a mutated muppet.
Is listen, Jack's got parts. This is confirmed. We know
that this is a This is so I'm just one,
(11:41):
can he be celebrated? Why does he have to be ashamed?
I'm just wondering body positivity? Okay with it? I'm okay,
I'm just waring, Like is rog okay with this? Is
rock watching on the tube and like, all right, where
is he up? Like, hey, put some pants on the mascot.
We'll see. We're gonna find out next week. Will all right,
where are we going next? What do we want to talk? Maybe? Okay,
(12:04):
so this is going to be now two weeks in
a row, so we're skipping around a little bit. But Washington,
I thought, once again, Yeah, Now they've won six of
their last seven. They're above five D for the first
time since which was two years before the pandemic. So
I like to say two bp um at this point
(12:26):
because I can only really judge years by the pandemic.
So the fact that I just love Brian Robinson, that's
what this is all about for me, Like I know
that I'm trying to compartmentalize Washington is the organization versus
the Commanders as a team. We can we can them. Yeah,
and that's and that's what I'm doing. And I'm also
(12:47):
trying to pretend that they're not in the division with
the Eagles and that they did not beat the Eagles
and give them their only loss of the year. However,
I just love Brian Robinson so much. Had his first
one hundred yard Russian game of the year, he got
the game ball, he was wearing that gigantic hat, like
everything about it, and him a lot of money. I think, yeah,
(13:07):
it's listen. He he had such a good game, and
his return and the Commander's success are not independent of
each other. They're directly And for people who don't know,
here's the timeline. Brian Robinson Jr. Gets drafted in April
in the third round by Washington, has a great offseason,
training season, has a really strong preseason. Then he gets
(13:29):
shot twice in the leg during an attempt at robbery
in August, makes it back to the field in October,
and then it wasn't until Sunday where this you could
tell this is the guy Washington thought they were getting.
And he's a good matches physical style with Washington's defense.
And yeah, on the power rankings, the number thirteen spot,
as I always say, is like when I'm not sure
what to do with the team, I stick him at thirteen.
(13:50):
But that's not really the case of the Commanders. I
kind of know who they are. They're limited offensively to
a certain degree. They're not gonna win any shootouts, but
they're gonna drag you into the muck and they're gonna
make games ugly, and they're showing an ability to win
those games. And that's a team that I don't want
to face, especially as the season that gets into the
later stages, and that defense, the way that they can
wreck a game. Their half game behind the Giants. Right now,
(14:12):
they play them twice in the next three weeks with
a buy in between the Giants. They've lost two straight.
They're going in the wrong direction. I just want to
know if the Commanders are going to end up in
the playoffs with Carson Wentz watching on the bench. They should,
I mean they can't. I don't know, Carson Wentz, You're
not You don't have that ring with the Eagles of
that Wentz his first four team games. But I know
(14:33):
I speaking of Commanders. Yes, they're number thirteen. Let's check
out the rest of Quad two as we call it.
The Titans dropped three spots to number nine off that
disappointing lost to Cincinnati, like the Bengals a lot, but
I feel like they they're rounding in to form the
Jets as we sent up four spots to ten. Ravens
down three and we'll get to them in a second
(14:53):
to eleven, Chargers up five to twelve, Commanders up three
to thirteen. They've been on a steady rise over the
past month. Seahawks down to that defense is an issue
again to fourteen, Pats down too, off the narrow loss
and Thanksgiving the Vikings Hunter Henry caught it uh to fifteen,
and the Giants are going the wrong direction right now,
(15:14):
and they're down one to sixteen with two matchups in
three weeks against the Commanders, and I feel like there's
a bit of a maybe a body swap between those
two teams now, and I kind of expect Washington to
find a way to win one at least of those games.
The Ravens, Connie, let's talk about it. What's going on?
Here's a stat Come into the therapist corner. What's up?
You want a little data point? I would love it.
Data or data data numbers? Please, you're a regular, Cynthia Freeland.
(15:40):
For the first time this season all year in the
Power rankings, the Ravens are outside the top ten. And
you know why, Connie, because I've seen it now too
many times. Fool me once, Shame on you, Fool me twice,
shame on me three times. Boy, you must be an idiot.
Fool me a fourth time. Why are you on a
camera talking into a microphone. But they have led every
(16:00):
opponent by at least nine points this season in the
second half, and they've lost four games now, including yes,
that loss to the Jaguars on the apware mentioned two
point conversion, and it just it was the way they
lost too. And listen, the whole team didn't exactly cover
itself and glory in this game, the fumble by Gus Edwards,
the defense completely laying down, and Lamar Jackson, even after
(16:22):
he played well down the stretch, then gets after an
idiot fan on Twitter and says stupid stuff, and it's
just like that was a weird moment for him. It
was also weird that it was up for three hours
before taking down and John Harbaugh came out and said
it was out of character and they addressed it. It's
just like what is going on, Baltimore. But anyway, the
way the Jaguars offense just marched down the field, it
just seems schematically that the Ravens were a mess and
(16:44):
personnel wise, they weren't getting it done. And it's this
has happened enough now where I just you feel like
this is how their season is going to end eventually
as well, maybe in January and a playoff game where
they get ahead and then they just can't close because
they can't close, and it almost feels like it has
a little bit of a Chargers vibe to it, where
they just keep coming so close and then they just
(17:04):
keep failing, which is exactly it's so out of character
for them. Also, they're having so many issues in the
red zone to the last two games or three of
nine in the red zone. Lamar Jackson just is in
his effective at all. I mean de Sean Jackson. They
got him in there and he was involved, so that
was cool for a second, but even just routine throws
that Lamar would have made earlier in the season, the
(17:26):
one where he overthrew DeMarcus Robinson who was wide open early.
Like things like that just keep adding up and they're struggling. Yeah,
but you know what, I understand that, But I put
this one on the defense. Gotta close that game out.
You gotta close that game out. And it's one thing
I know we just talked about. Trevor Lawrence has arrived,
so that I get. So you don't want to say, oh,
(17:47):
how do you let the Jaguars beat you? But it's
the way that Jaguars went down the field, how pathetic
the Baltimore defense was, the way they weren't even defending
the sidelines for a team the Jacksonal team that didn't
have time out, it was just like, what is going
on with this team? Anyway? I don't know, Let's move on.
We'll see if they get back to the topton I.
I kind of think they will because they are talented
than when it ends, when the season is over, they'll
probably get those eleven wins or so well, they have
(18:09):
the Broncos next week. What do I trust them there?
They should take care of business. How about a team
that you want to take from this quadrant? I got
one for you here. I was looking at the Patriots. Yeah,
I was trying to see where you have them at fifteen.
This team it bums me out for some reason. They
just feel worse than their actual record and their six
and five, so they're they're pretty mediocre. But I don't
(18:30):
really love anything that I see from them. I know
Mac mac jones kind of woke up the offense, but
like they just couldn't get it going, couldn't keep it going,
couldn't sustain it, and that just felt like such a
waste for the team to not take advantage of a
really good effort from mac Jones, because he threw for
a career high in yards. But the same issues just
(18:52):
continue to hurt New England. And that's where my frustration lies,
because they had five penalties that just gifted the Vikings
first downs. They converted on just three of ten third downs.
The red zone and is where the offense just goes
to die. They were oh for three. I mean, although
Hunter Henry caught it, but yes, and I know I
know that was The Vikings red zone defense is awful,
(19:15):
Like they're the worst in the league, so they should
have at least been a little bit better aside from
the Hunter Henry and if you are a truther of
the Patriots have a bad coaching staff and Belichick blew it,
which is there is a faction of people out there
you can point to the Patriots doing Unpatriots things during
the season with self inflicted eras of stuff. That part
of their greatness other than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
(19:37):
being in the building, was they would let other teams
beat themselves. And they were just so clinical and how
precise they were in terms of playing the game. So
you have to go for three and the red zone.
Those five penalties were first downs, to surrender, a kick off,
a return for a touchdown when they seemed to take
the momentum in the second half, all that stuff. They're
not good enough to make up for that. And yet
(19:57):
you know, six and five seems right for them. Five
and six, six and five the Jets games were weird
because Zack Wilson basically gifted them to them gift of
those two games they probably should have at least split
with the Jets, which would make them five and six.
They feel like an eight and nine, nine and eighteen,
So maybe they are kind of I guess that's just
kind of like with them. And now they have stuff
on Diggs next week where they couldn't stop Justin Jefferson
(20:18):
at all. So I don't know how that's going to
work out. That's coming up on Thursday, all right, And
we know what the Bills have been doing to the
Patriots the last few matchups. It's been grizzly. Let's finish
this discussion of Quad two with old juice or taken
an owl. I don't like to do it, but if
you're gonna be powering this guy, you gotta admit when
you were dumb. And I was dumb about the Bucks
because I've all season kind of believed that they were
(20:40):
going to figure things out, and when they had the
slightest bit of success like that win over Seattle and Munich,
I took that to mean, oh, the offense is fine now.
But then you look, it's like I scored what one
points in that game, whatever it was, and then they
have their by, they come out of the by, and
it's more the same against the Brown seventeen points, six
(21:01):
three and outs. Just it's so hard for the team
to manufacture offense, and at a certain point I need
to stop looking at the names and focus on the game.
So I I dropped them seven spots to eighteen, which
is really probably the area they should have been for
most of this year. But I was just giving them
that benefit of the doubt. I'm not doing it anymore.
I shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.
(21:21):
But sometimes you get sucked in, and I did. I
also did after the game in Germany. It was I
got swept up in the full emotion of it all,
which was amazing by the way, but the way that
they were able to run the ball finally, and that
was the whole thing going into the game. They hadn't
been able to do it for so long, and we
just saw so many good moments from them, and maybe
(21:42):
that was more of an indictment on the Seahawks defense,
especially after what we saw them do their their next game,
which is the defense completely tank again exactly so. And
you add the Tristan Worf's injury to it as well,
and not just compounds things. Yeah, Wors went down with
a high ankle sprain, a weird freak injury, and overtime
he's going to be out multiple weeks. They don't really
even have a timetable three to four. That's exactly what
(22:03):
that is. That's a timetable. So Colleen, that's why we
work well together. You know, we're just getting started here.
By the way, Anakin Skywalker is from Star Wars that
Zack Wilson resembled on the sideline with this hoodie on
getting rained on. Were traded by Hayden Christensen and that
(22:24):
one person behind the glass can help us out with him.
Is that related to our producer Drew. He doesn't speak.
He seems like a Darth Vader in trading. Maybe that
is what's going on here. We'll be right back back here.
On Power Rankings brought to you by Energizer. For quad
(22:45):
three of the old Zeuser's rankings, we got teens through
at seventeen. You have the Raiders up nine spots, okay,
running away with Josh Jacobs at eighteen. The Bucks they're
going the other way. They fall seven spots. The Browns
come in at nineteen, up five. Then you have the
(23:07):
Lions down to at twenty, the Packers down to one,
Cardinals just you know, hanging around there at twenty two,
not going to any of the most two team that's
ever been. They are you got the Jags at twenty
three up six love that we talked about that and
then twenty four up one spot after beating the Colts
(23:28):
on Monday Night Football. Alright, So time four Power Moves
presented by Energizer and Dan. You know, tis the season
right now to rise or fall in the rankings. And December,
you know, it's the tough months of December to remember,
it is the sales event. What's coming to December? You know, Listen,
You've got a lot of stuff in the schedule. You
got holiday parties. You got to come up with gift ideas.
(23:51):
I mean, and that's tough. You're buying gift cards for
everybody that you don't know. Maybe you're feeling ashamed about
giving a gift card, but that's what people want. Yeah,
you have alcoholic family members to try and deal with.
It's a lot at the holidays, but sometimes the schedule
breaks your way and everything comes up right. Um, And
that's what's going on with the Raiders. It's going to
(24:15):
be a good discever for them. We're gonna go through
some schedules here with teams who could potentially make a
huge jump in the rankings. So I was looking at
what the Raiders have going on. Okay, and two straight
overtime wins, so that's some nice moment off a little
(24:36):
extra adrenaline shot. So good. It's starting to feel Dare
I say a little bit like last season when they
went on a streak and then they made the playoffs.
But maybe this is something that they could do this season.
I mean, can they keep it up? You little wet here?
Next four games? They got the Chargers, they got the Rams,
(24:59):
they got the Patriots, and then they got the Steelers.
Now most of those games are you got two of
their final six games are on the road, so they're
playing four of those games at home. The only problem
is they have the Diners and the Chiefs at the
end of the year. But they could in theory have
eight wins, could be eight and seven going into those
(25:21):
final two games. And if Josh Jacobs is still making
everyone regret doubting him there in Vegas like this could be.
This could be good for them. I like it their
fun team right now. Okay, So now I'm gonna even
though I wrote about the same things that you're talking
about right now, I'm gonna now let's go the other way.
Josh Jacobs We don't even know if he's playing this week.
(25:42):
He's got a calf issue, he said. He said on
Tuesday's gonna try to play weird, but he will probably play.
Hopefully he'll be himself. After the three yards from scrimmage,
we're gonna talk about the decisions, Daniels. I'm gonna talk
about that. What I'm gonna talk about is this is
a team that has repeatedly they play heart attack football.
(26:02):
They've lost so many close games before these two overtime
wins that they are a very hard team to trust.
To say, all of a sudden, they're going to become
a consistently good team. And yes, you mentioned those last
two games where it gets really tough. Who is it
against the Chiefs, the Chiefs of the Niners. Chiefs and Niners,
two of the best teams in football. They have to
win the next four weeks to even have a chance,
and they've already won the So we're asking these Raiders
(26:24):
to win six games in a row. That feels rich
to me, But at the same time, it's worth having
the conversation because there's usually one team that kind of
comes out of nowhere in December and makes a push
and they do have the talent. I know it's there.
I think the reason why I sort of like them
is because they're such a chaotic team and that that
(26:44):
just draws me in. Like I like the chaos, I
like heart attack football, like that is. I don't have
any other stakes with that team, so it really it
doesn't doesn't hurt me if they end up losing, but
it is exciting when they do win. They win the
way that they have, you know they're gonna do by
the way they're gonna win the next three games, it's
gonna be five game winning trick. Everyone's gonna be talking
about him, and then Kenny Hick it's gonna beat him
(27:05):
on a last second touchdown a week or sixteen or whatever.
All right, what about what about the Panthers? You? Uh,
I listened, Sam Donald? He might I wish I could
quit you. He might end up taking this team to
the playoffs because it's such a bad division. Let's take
(27:26):
a look at the schedule right now. Okay, so Carolina,
are you actually are you? Do you believe what you're
about to say, Connie or is this content for a
program they I'm not just giving an honest answer. I'm
just trying to stay ahead of this because if it happens,
I will look so great, and if not, I'll just,
you know whatever. Everyone's doubting me anyway, so it doesn't matter.
(27:47):
So their schedule pretty favorable. Let's take a look at
it here. Okay, so you've got the Seahawks, then you
got the Steelers, the Lions. Let me um and doable
with Baker Mayfield, I guess, sitting on the bench like I.
(28:07):
This is the same thing with the Commanders and Taylor
Heinecky potentially taking them on a run with Carson Wentz
sitting there and watching. Now, I'm rooting for Sam Donald
and I need this to happen. Yeah, I I see
that four game stretch, maybe one or two wins in there.
I'm not I'm not buying in. And you know, as
a Jets fan who had a warmer viewpoint of Sam
(28:28):
Donald than the rest of the world, I want to
see him do well because it will get set him
up for whatever comes next in his career. He'll make
a little bit of money. Um. But at the same time,
can I really get behind this team getting hot? Their
defense is better than people realize, but they're going to
struggle to score points. And for instance, you know Gina
Smith and the Seahawks, they're gonna put up a lot
(28:49):
of points. The Lions, I imagine, are gonna put up
a lot of points. And I feel like the Pittsburgh
and Tampa defenses will be able to really neutralize Sam
Donald and company. Like, I'm not buying on this. This
division is so bad. Like you have the Bucks and
the Falcons the lead the division with five wins each,
Like that's it. They could win just because someone has
(29:10):
to from the division. All right, let's flip this down,
all right, so as we look at quad four. By
the way, let's look a quad for Falcons down five,
Saints down five to six. I think that coach is
gonna get canned, by the way, Cold State at Panthers
(29:31):
up three to eight, Bears down six. Like I said,
there's just nothing there with Justin Why would Justin Fields
play again? Also if he is vulnerable with that shoulder
down six, Rams down two to thirty? Could the Rams
do it? Can they win the Super Bowl and finish
this season thirty two in the power rankings? They're knocking
down the door, but probably not because the Broncos have
(29:51):
Russell Wilson at thirty one, and the Texans are whoa
whoof bad thirty two. Um, yeah, let's let's look at
the teams that we feel good about now. But then
when you look at the schedules you get a little noise.
Let's start Connie with the defending conference champions. Okay, so
the Bengals, I love them. It could be a little
(30:13):
bit of a stressful holiday season. Things might not go
that great. They really needed this win because coming up
they're about to enter the part of the schedule that
I like to call and get some somber holiday music
while you go through. Yeah, these teams, that'd be great. Okay,
what do you got the love to hear that? So? Alright,
(30:36):
a little bit of a nightmare before Christmas. Well, this
works because this is the part of the schedule that
I like to call a Colfin corner that they are
about to embark upon. And as you can see, they
got the Chiefs. All right, let me go through this
for you. Okay, I'll set you up on this one.
The Chiefs obviously the number two team in the part rankings,
(30:58):
the Browns at nine, team of the power ranks, but
a pretty good team of the Browns and now they
had that guy Deshaun Watson on the team playing quarterback
Tom Brady and the Bucks number eighteen, and then the
Patriots at fifteen. This, to you, profiles, is a very
difficult stretch. Well really, it's just the Chiefs coming up.
But I think that the Browns, we don't know what
they're going to be like with Deshaun Watson, and then
(31:21):
I think that the Bucks could maybe play like a
spoiler situation, depending on if they can get their stuff
together first exactly. But there's seven and four right now.
I like the fact that the Bengals have kind of
found something in Soma J. P Ryan, but it's just
not totally smooth sailing from Yeah, and they finished with
(31:42):
Buffalo and Baltimore. So it's a tough schedule, but I
think this team is battle tested, Connie, and it's not
an easy schedule. But as we saw, they just went
to Nashville and beat up on the Titans, who a
lot of people, who's the most physical team in football,
exotic smash mouth and Society goes there without Jamar Chase
and without Joe Mixon and and beat him up and
(32:04):
win the game. So I'm okay, with this, I'm okay,
how about let's look at another team, This team I
feel legitimately concerned about the New York Giants. Absolutely. Let's
look at their up chemic schedule. And of course they
were seven and two, which builds in a lot of
wiggle room. But they've lost two straight games now and
now here's the schedule. Ahead, go ahead, cutting, Okay, you
(32:24):
got Washington number the number, you got Washington again, and
then you got the Vikings seven. I think the Giants
the Giants. My viewpoint of the Giants is, I think
all four of these games are gonna be very difficult
to get one. There is a scenario where they go
(32:44):
from seven and two to seven and eight. But I'm
not gonna be that critical. I'm not gonna be that negative,
so I will say they're gonna split with Washington. But
I do see them coming out of this stretch eight
and seven. The problem is the injuries have hit at
just the wrong time too, because last week they were
missing like eleven starters that game against the Cowboys. They
(33:07):
should get two of their starters on the offensive lineback,
their right tackle, on their left guard, they should get
a Zzo Glari back. Things seem to be trending upward
for Fabian Brow, but you're you can't run the ball
when you're missing three starters on the offensive line, and
Daniel Jones can't get anything going with his legs either,
so it could be rough. And Kwan has looked a
(33:27):
little a little off the last couple of weeks. You
wonder if the work workload, which has been immense after
two years of missing a lot of action, might be
he might be hitting a little bit of a wall here.
But we will will see, and and and I will say,
because the Giants fans that are mad at me, and
they've been annoyed all year that I've never given them
the quote unquote respect they deserve and the power rankings.
They have also won a lot of games in close
(33:50):
fashion when people were picking against them. Could they come
out of this with two or three wins? Yeah, they
can do that too, but I don't think that's how
it plays out. Let me tee up on another team
and this one, Connie, me and you lockstep on the
Miami Dolphins. WHOA, you know what, Let's let's mix up
the music too. I like the off brand Nightmare before Christmas,
(34:11):
But what would you like something a little more sinister.
Do we have a DJ back there? This does sound
like kind of an evil Santa. Okay, Evil Santa's in
the house. Okay, all right, that works. So the Dolphins,
they've won five straight. They lead the division now at
this point, and I think that they're legitimately dangerous right
(34:32):
now with wins over the Bills, the Ravens. I guess,
you know, the Patriots. I don't really know how I
feel about that anymore, kind of like you cut them
down earlier. But look at this schedule. Yes, no, now
you say the number, Oh my god, three Bills, five Packers, one. Okay.
(34:54):
So here is the thing though, because they are at
the Niners, at the Chargers, at the Bills, they have
three straight road games and you're talking about two of
those on the West Coast, and then the Floridians have
to go up to in December, and then finally they
get back home and it's Christmas against the Packers. So
(35:17):
I mean, come on, that that is rough. That schedule
stinks for them. So yeah, and I have the Dolphins.
I get I show respect. You know you haven't got
there yet. I show respect to the Dolphins by putting
at number six, we need the mandolin. But let's not
let's not forget who they beat during this five game
losing streaks some of the worst teams in football, which
(35:39):
is whatever you you, you play your schedule. They hung
thirty points on every one of those teams. I got
respect for you for that, okay, But in my soul
down the Dolphins. No will I be absolutely in on
the Dolphins. If they beat the Niners all the way in,
in fact they could, they could contend for the number
one overall spot in the power rankings next week. That's
(36:02):
how much I think of San Francisco. So you wouldn't
dare you wouldn't do it. There's a little bit of
a show me thing with the old Juser and the Dolphins.
But they have a golden opportunity not just next week
but in the next month. But yes, what a what
a perfect measuring stick game. If they beat the Niners,
they go to one, Well, they beat the Niners, and
you all set the factor in what the other teams
do ahead of them. But if they moved to nine
(36:22):
and three and they're writing a six game winning streak,
and if it's the type of game like we've grown
to see where they hang thirty eight on the Niners,
who have not surrendered a point in the second half
in a month, that are averaging ten points allowed on
defense during their own winning streak. Yeah, there's a real
case to be made that they're the best team in football.
But see, I can't even see that. I don't see
that as something that's going to happen. I predict the
(36:44):
Niners will throttle this Dolphins offense and bring them down
to earth. But I'd be happy to be wrong because
I like chaos. Chaos is I bet we'll get some
You want to hear something crazy? I would love to
the whole bit with the Star Wars thing and Zack
Wilson and Anakin Skywalker. And then I was like, oh,
is our produced or Drew who's seven ft three always
(37:07):
wearing a hat and a mask and that doesn't really
speak to a lot of people. And I said, is
he Darth? Is he Darth Vader? His last name is
Christian Sin, That's what I said. Is he related to him?
Because of Christians? Exact same spelling it to someone unusual spelling? Drue,
Do you have anything you want to not gonna talk?
I gotta get him to talk. Just one word. By
(37:28):
the end of this regular season, Drew will speak and
people will love it. Give us a no even no
one's all right. Thank you to everybody for checking out
the Power Rankings, check out the podcast, check this show
out digitally on NFL Plus and YouTube and wherever the
places Roger should be, and we'll be right back here
(37:51):
next week. He had NFL Power Rankings as a production
of the NFL in partnership with I heart Radio. For
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
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