December 18, 2024 • 24 mins
How far should the Detroit Lions drop after their loss to the Bills and with all the injuries that have accumulated? Should the Eagles, Bills, Chiefs, or Vikings be ranked as the new #1 team? How high should Eric be on the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders following their wins over the Colts and Saints? How dangerous are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their blowout over the Chargers?
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings.
Mike Am and Eric at Home with you. This is
the show where we go through some of the best
teams in the NFL, but we'll touch on every single
one of them. Complete analysis of your team on NFL
dot Com. But Eric, this is gonna be fun because
last couple of weeks at the top, not a ton
of movement, But this week we do have some changes
and two teams not in the top ten that should
(00:34):
scare some of the league's elite.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah. I think in a season Mike, where there aren't
there isn't a whole lot of mystery about who is
going to get in the playoffs, not that many teams
sort of vying for those spots like we normally have.
We do have two teams in the playoff picture, the
Bucks and Rams, just outside my top ten. I think
could make a move or be a very scary opponent
in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, look at the Atlanta Falcons. We'll touch on them,
because the Bucks at this point not in an exact
lot to go and win that division, and at the
end of the day, still don't know what's going to
happen in the NFC West. I Knowlanta fans are like, dude,
did you see Kirk Cousins out there? I did, But
I'm just looking at the remaining schedule and maybe we
see Michael Pennix. More on that in just a moment.
But let's go with the top. All right, here's the change.
And I love when we can start off the show
(01:17):
and we talk about a new number one, and that
is the Philadelphia The Eagles maybe the most impressive thing
of that win a second half shutout to the Steelers.
The Bills at number two, yet they're the real deal.
The Chiefs at three. Got some real questions about Patrick
Mahomes and his health. The Lions, speaking of health, walking wounded.
We will talk about that in just a moment. The
Vikings continue to figure out ways to win some football games.
(01:39):
The Packers they dominate Seattle. Lamar not out of the
MVP conversation as his Ravens are in the seventh spot,
and the Steelers just fifty six rushing yards, no rushing touchdowns,
a little bit of a cause for concern, but still
in the top ten. Sitting at number eight. All right,
so let's start with this number one team here, the
Philadelphia Eagles, Eric, and this is a squad that had
(02:00):
a little bit of I don't want to say dysfunction,
Maybe that's overstating things, but a little bit of contra
at AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts. Look, they were winning
and they were still potentially at least an issue. They
get another impressive win, and those guys seem to be
simpotico on the same page.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, I think so. I think that's the way to
answer a question. Right, It's leads up to the game.
It's been the discussion point all week long, and then
what do they do. They passed their way to victory.
Antonio Brown using that very specific word after the win
over Carolina suggesting things aren't going well. Well they did Sunday,
and it's nice to know, Mike that you can have
Saquon Barkley kind of have an off day, certainly by
(02:36):
his standards anyway, but not be the focal part of
the offense. Jalen Hurts was dialed in. He was effective
as a scrambler and as a thrower. AJ Brown, the
leading receiver, DeVante Smith very active, having both those guys
go off in the same game makes them that much
more dangerous. Love the way the defense played, and frankly,
I didn't think it was that close the game. I
(02:57):
thought they outplayed it pretty thoroughly, maybe more so than
the score indicated.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, I'm with you there, at least on the MVP
watch with Saquon Barkley. A dominant performance against this Steelers
team I think would have kept him in that conversation.
I'm not saying that he's out. It's just tougher for
Riebacks in general, and I think that margin is not
as big. It does. Feel like Josh Allen is clearly
in pole position right now for that award. His Buffalo
(03:22):
Bills continue to win now caveat here, and we'll talk
about it when we discussed Detroit. They're obviously banged up,
but Josh just continues to perform at a ridiculously high level,
and he's got kind of like these Heisman moments, right
like we talk about that for that award. He's got
these MVP moments, and I think a win against the
Lions that we just witnessed with another big game maybe
(03:42):
cements it for him.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, I mean, obviously he kind of helped his stock
with the loss of the Rams, sort of as a
one man show bringing his team back to the cost
of victory.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Bill's had to hold.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
On in this one, but they needed every single one
of the points that Allen generated, and he was spectacular.
You know. Some of the ball placements Mike on those
long throws were terrific. And to me, the biggest thing
for the difference between what we've seen Mallen in the
past is he's had those those Heisman moments or those
MVP moments before. But the down to down consistency and
the accuracy, the lack of turnovers this year has been
(04:14):
a huge reason why his game is elevated, I think.
And yeah, Buffalo has some defensive issues they've got to
work out, certainly last two games have kind of exposed them.
But when you have a nuclear grade weapon at quarterback,
sometimes that isn't even all that important. So I think
the Bills are in great shape just behind the Eagles.
Could make a case for either one of them at
number one. This is this is a really potent team
(04:36):
right now.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
All right, I will ask if you like them better
than the Chiefs, but I want to get your take
on Kansas City right now, because I think there's a
world that exists where the usage of Patrick Mahomes certainly
in question, dealing obviously with the ankle sprain, I don't know, like,
like what am I supposed to make of this team?
Because there I get home field advantage. I understand how
important it is, But there's a world, at least in
my mind, where I go, Hey, should I be rolling
(04:59):
Patrick Mahomes not out one hundred percent down the stretch
out in a lot of these games?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, go figure, it's their first early win in months,
our easy win, I should say, in months where they
get ahead, they put it out in our out of
arms reach and.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
A cruise to victory. And what do we do?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
We have something else to talk about, and that's mahomes injury.
And look, he's played through pain before, played almost an
entire season through it through an injury, and.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Still won a super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
So you know, we have to kind of grade it
on a scale, just like we graded all the close
victories on a scale because of all the good will
the Chiefs have built up the last several years. So yeah,
I'm concerned. I don't have enough information right now. We
haven't seen Mahomes in action obviously to know what he's
capable of. Will he even play this coming weekend against
the Texans, So a lot of questions. You know, it
(05:44):
really does sort of put the target on this defense again.
And maybe it's not quite as good a group as
the one that had Lagerius sneed last year, but still
this is a defense that at its best can carry
this team to a championship, especially, like you said, if
they get home field advantage at Arrowhead.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Just for context here, obviously they get the win against
Cleveland on a Sunday, They're playing Houston on on Saturday,
so the Texans they could use the signature win to
bolster their confidence, there's no question about that. And then
they're playing on Christmas Day. So we're talking about a
very short period of time with Patrick Mahomes that that's
not at one hundred percent. I just throw that out there.
Are they better than the Bills? And I know we
(06:22):
got the head to head, but just generally speaking in
a postseason, do you like the Bills better than the Chiefs?
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I do right now, But obviously once we turn the
page of the postseason, we know how that history has gone.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Right the Bills have.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Sort of had a little bit of an edge in
the regular season matchups the Chiefs obviously in the postseason.
So you know, it might come down to what kind
of shape boath these teams are in a month from
now if they do end up meeting. But yeah, I
would say I like the Bills by a sliver, especially
with the Mahomes injury kind of tipping in that direction.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Okay, where teams are currently at as a different conversation
than where they are going to be. Here's what I
can tell you about the Detroit Lions, who sit at
number four. This story doesn't feel great, and I love
where they had, what they've been able to accomplish. But Eric,
I look all over the football feels on the defensive side,
all I see are hurt dudes.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
It's adding up at at an alarming rate.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
And now we also get the news not just the
defense effected, but David Montgomery with the mcl injury. He's
done for the year. We know how important he is,
so that sort of thunder and lightning backfield they have.
But you know, Aleen McNeil a big piece upfront. He's
now al Carlton Davis possibly could return.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
You know in about six weeks. But that's putting him on.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
You know, they've got to get to the NFC Championship
game if they want to have him back. News maybe
getting worse two on Aiden Hutchinson if they were to
make a Super Bowl run. So yeah, everything seems to
be trending in the wrong direction. You and I both
know this has been the best team in football more
often than it hasn't this season, but this this late
season turn, it's like the Lions just can't have nice
(07:51):
things or something. Now, maybe they'll pull through it. This
is Dan Campbell and company, but right now they're really
up against it.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Schedule somewhat favorable when you consider it's the Bears and
the Niners. Sure both of those games are on the road.
And then they closed out Week eighteen in a game
that not only can decide the vision, but who gets
the one seed in Week eighteen against the Minnesota Vikings,
that is a home game in Detroit. Speaking of the Vikings,
you know, I loved what you said last week on
the show. Not that Sam Donald's the MVP this year,
(08:19):
but he deserves to be in the conversation. Couldn't agree
with you more. The Vikings They are as dangerous as
any team in the NFL. I've had some folks on
social media hit me up and say, hey, stop talking
about us. We want to fly under the radar. I
think they're grabbing enough attention. Now we have to pay
attention to what they are doing on the football field.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, it feels different to me. Two years ago when
they were thirteen and fourteen with the negative point differential,
we had an easy sort of talking point. They didn't
necessarily match the eye test. The thirteen wins felt like
an aberration. This year, however, with right now and even
better record at least win percentage wise, they look the
part right. They've got the number one receiver healthy and
(08:58):
justin Jefferson, they have the sidekick and Addison Donald has
cut down his turnovers. Have played great football, and I
thought really set the tone against Chicago. Those first three
or four series of the game really kind of took over.
Jonathan Garnard attacking Caleb Williams, forcing that fumble, and after
all those early stops, they didn't convert a lot, but
they built up enough of a big lead and then
(09:19):
put it away in the second half. So much cleaner
outing than the game ass Soldier Field where they dominated
and then gave up the big run at the end.
We're kind of frankly lucky to win. So I think
they're just sort of cleaning up some of their their
little they're little messes that they made earlier in the
season and turning out sort of crisper performances as we
go along in the season.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I think when you assess the teams as from a
fan perspective, and you sit back and you go, who
are the legitimately the teams that can make a run? Like,
what's the mental makeup of a lot of these squads?
A you got to be mentally tough, but what do
you do really well? I tend to favor you got
to be so dominant on one side of the football
to overcome some deficiencies maybe on the other side. This
is a complete Vikings team Offensively, we know what they're
(10:02):
able to do. Defensively, Brian Flores has got these guys
absolutely rolling. And I think there's fans in Green Bay
that are sitting there, go let's pump the brakes here,
Let's relax. We got a good we have an opportunity
to to win this division. Now Green Bay needs some
things to fall into place. But the best sign for me,
Eric is Jordan Love, who is a turnover machine to
start the season, hasn't thrown a pick in the last
(10:22):
four games, a couple prime time matchups. He's got seven
touchdowns during that span. He's elevating this Packers team.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I agree, he absolutely is.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
You may have questions about whether the defense can stop
a top unit, you know, you may have concerns about
little pieces on the offensive line, or whether the special
teams are gonna crumble. But I really think that offense,
especially with Love playing more turnover free ball, as you said,
has become one of the more dangerous quarterbacks in the league.
You saw the Detroit Lions go for it late against
the Green Bay Packers. I think it wasn't just the
(10:52):
Lions being the Lions, it was them being scared of
Jordan Love, you know, because he's shown consistently that he's
got a ton of weapons. Romeo Doves comes out of
witness protection to catch two touchdowns. You know, after a
quiet game eight and Reid heats up, Tucker Kraft can
get going, Christian Watson, they have so many options in
that passing game. I love the diversity and oh by
the way, Josh Jacobs contend to rise you for the
(11:14):
first half of a game like he did on Sunday too,
so you know it was a strong performance. They beat
a good Seattle team in Seattle and really sent a
message that even though they haven't beaten those top teams
this year, they are absolutely capable of doing so if
they convert one or two more possessions in those outings.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yeah, all right, we got a little bit more to
come here on NFL Power rankings. In fact, there's one
team that we thought were giants heading into the season.
Not the Giants, the Houston Texans is who I'm talking about.
Eric doesn't have him in the top ten. He explains
why coming up next back here on power rankings. As
(11:53):
we take a look at Eric's teams nine through sixteen,
the Broncos one four straight. They're outscoring their opponents one
thirty nine to seventy during that span. Commanders sit at
number ten and y'ill wright against the Saints at eleven.
It's Houston Texans who clinched the AFC South. The Bucks
real dangerous will dive in on them in just a moment.
(12:13):
The Chargers at thirteen with that high powered defense. The Rams,
speaking of dangerous teams, sitting in the fourteenth position, got
an opportunity to go and win that division currently at
the top occupied by the Seahawks, where the fifteenth ranked
team and the Cardinals figure out a way to get
a victory are at sixteen. All right, let's focus in
on this Broncos team. You know, the side of a
good team, Eric is sometimes when you have some issues
(12:36):
and some mistakes, you still figure out a way to
get it done. Bonix obviously had a costly interception in
that game, and I thought it was going to sort
of result in potentially a loss. Resilient makeup of this squad,
how high are you right now on this Denver team?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, Nix's play has concerned me a little bit, right
The turnovers have gone up, and you know, some of
the sort of pre play that he's had lately, it's
been a little loose and not the same kind of
level that we saw earlier in the system when he
was playing within the confines of the offense a lot more.
But still, you have a defense that can create turnovers
the way Denver can. That's gonna help you a lot too.
(13:13):
They're still figuring out the run game. You know, I
don't know if there's another receiver they truly trust outside
of Courtland Sutton, but we'll see they're plucky there. Well.
Coach too, Sean Payton has done a good job and
kind of managing Nixes up into ups and downs a
little bit. But yeah, I mean this was a desperate
Colts team they faced on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
It wasn't pretty early.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
The Colts had their opportunities to open up the game,
but Denver hung in there and then had the big
fourth quarter to kind of put it away. Still a
little shaky for me, but big matchup coming up with
the Chargers in two weeks and that'll obviously help decide
positioning a lot in that AFC wildcard picture.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I'm actually glad that you brought up Sean Payton. We've
been having some conversations in our hallways here at NFL Media,
and look, my Tomlins name pops up for Coach of
the Year. I've thrown out O'Connor, but I think Sean
Payton deserves to be in that mix. In fact, I
would maybe even argue it's O'Connor, the Peyton and then
the Tomlin. But we still got a couple weeks of
the season to see how it shakes out. The Commanders
(14:09):
sitting at number ten, they move up one spot. They
get Philadelphia coming up this week. I was amazed by
this stat, Eric, because we always talk about teams coming
off of a bye. It was the Commander's first road
win coming off a bye since two thousand and two. Boy,
what a time to go and pick up a win. Here.
To me, it was just nice to see this team
get a w and maybe put themselves at least back
(14:31):
in that conversation for a team that maybe could make
a run. Maybe possibly, I don't.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Know, maybe yeah, maybe. Obviously, Jade Dale is a dangerous guy.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
We saw that.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I mean, obviously he's kind of rediscovered as scrambling a
little bit, made some big throws, was accurate, but the
Sacks really.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Kept adding up.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
And after they got up you know, seventeen nothing or
whatever it was, they took their foot off the gas.
The Saints crawled back in it find a way, you know,
with a backup court. They're really their third street quarterback
in Spencer Rattler, and Washington was fortunate to get out
of New Orleans with a win. Obviously, came down to
that two point conversion at the end. You like the
fact that defense made a game changing play there.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
You know, I moved them up.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
We've got the game against the Eagles that'll tell us
a lot about them. That's obviously sort of a telltale
game for them, and you know, do they stack up.
We were playing tough teams, tough earlier in the season,
but now as we get a little later, their shine.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Is kind of rubbed off a little bit.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
We'd love to see a little stronger, cleaner performance against
one of the best teams in football.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I thought there was an opportunity that you might slot
the Houston Texans into the tenth place. Look, they're eleven,
so we're not talking about a huge jump here. There's
just something in my mind that is cool when you
can say, hey, we're a top ten team. They're on
the precipice of that. They create three turnovers in terms
of in the form of interceptions against a to a
squad that needed a win. Houston needed to win as well.
(15:51):
They get Kansas City and ice barometer game. Hopefully Mahomes
goes and plays here. What do you make of the squad?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Yeah, I mean they haven't been able to get Joe
Mixon going lately.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Obviously, you know Nico Collins and great in the red zone,
but just the drives were not there. They had to
rely on each of those four turnovers, three picks and
one fumble, the big strip sack there that I think
kind of change momentum a little bit in that game.
You know, those were crucial. I don't know if they
win if they only get two or three. Let's say,
and that fake punt two Dariu Gunbawally gets down there
(16:25):
in the red zone, almost fumbles, they fall on it,
there's a penalty. You know, they keep the ball and
score after that to go up twenty to six. So
you know, it really took a lot of good field
position and you know, stealing possessions for them to score points.
So I am a little bit worried about that offense,
but you know, it's nice when you can be efficient.
When the defense does give you those opportunities, you convert
(16:46):
them into touchdowns and put in desperate teams like Miami away.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I am excited to hear your take on the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, who you have at twelve. It wasn't just
a win, it was a dominant performance against one of
the teams that we felt for a good stretch of
the season was as dangerous as any in the AFC.
And that's the Chargers throw up forty points against a
defense that I felt great about this season. How dangerous
(17:11):
is this team?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah, they can turn it on fast, right, And we've
seen Baker Makefield have some first hats where he gets
in a little trouble or throw some interceptions and you know,
things are a little chaotic, and then all of a
sudden he dials in. He made that one post throw
to Mike Evans the Agels. Mike Evans looks like he
could get that other that thousand yard season yet another
one incredible consistency throughout his career. He's fully back from
(17:34):
the injury making a difference. You know, Jalen McMillan has
stepped up too. So those three were really big on Sunday.
You know, you're down seventeen to ten, you turn the
ball over midway through the second quarter.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
At midfield, things aren't looking.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Great, but then you have the ability to rip off
thirty straight points unanswered over the final thirty five minutes
or so in the game. That's dominant on the road
against like you said, a good quality opponent who's going
to probably end up in the postseason and the Chargers,
and they just ran through him like it was nothing.
So so that's why I put them in that dangerous
team group. I think they really can make some noise
(18:09):
in the postseason. Remember how tough they were against the
lines in the playoffs last year. I think we're seeing
an almost better version, certainly offensively than what we saw
last year.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
There's a story about both of those teams. One how
good Tampa Bay is and two the need from a
Charger's perspective to get some other playmakers, high level playmakers
to squash a run that you made reference to. Keep
in mind, the Buccaneers a one spot, one game lead
in the standings and they they do not have I
(18:40):
should say, the head to heads against the Atlanta Falcons,
so not done just yet in terms of that race.
Taking a look at the odds, here, the Rams the
favorite to go and win this division, the Seahawks right
behind them, the Arizona Cardinals in that third position, and
just in case you're wondering, FanDuel not giving the San
Francisco forty nine ers a chance to go and win
the NFC West. But let's focus in on the number
(19:02):
fourteen team. Look, you told me the Bucks were really damp.
The Rams are also in that conversation as well, there
is some concern that I was starting to have down
the stretch here about the Rams. They've seemed to write
the ship. I've been high on them all season long.
I think they got snake bit earlier this season because
of some of the injuries, especially on their offensive line.
But when this offense is going, boyle boy, I think
(19:23):
you can make an argument they're top two or three
in the league.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Yeah, they're a scary team.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
And I love the fact, Mike that in the span
of four days they won two games in come two
close games too, in completely different fashions. You have the
shootout against the Bills where they're all gas, no breaks,
knowing they're going to have to outscore Josh Allen, one
of the league's best players. You turn around, you go
into a rain soak game up in San Francisco on
(19:48):
a short week, and you win a field goal fest
the defensive battle. So that tells me the Rams can
match up against a variety of different style of teams,
and so that kind of helps them in their playoff quest.
You know, obviously they could be hosting a game, but
you never know who you're going to draw, you never
know how going to lay out.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
And I love the fact they can.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
You know, they can win games forty four to forty two,
or they can win them twelve to six.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
The defense has made strides.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
But you said it, I think the most dangerous aspect
is Matthew Stafford in the playoffs with the ball in
his hand and the game on the line, and then
those two receivers. Having Nikoua and Cooper Cup healthy obviously
makes a world of difference for their offense. We saw
him without them, they couldn't move the ball with them.
Now they're a very explosive team.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah. Look, once again, I know they didn't have a
touchdown on TNF, but the point is that was an
ugly game in terms of the weather conditions on the road,
short week against the divisional opponent. To me, I think
you sit there and you say, hey, even with an
inability because of the weather to really be effective in
the air game, Nicola almost gets a hunter Karen Williams,
one of the most underrated running backs that we have
in the NFL, and they will go on the road
(20:54):
again as they match the New York Jets. Meanwhile, they
have a great shot of being a postseason team. In fact,
even with the tie breakers in their favor. Got to
feel cautiously optimistic. But there's a a your question about
QB one for the Atlanta Falcons. We dive into the
atl coming up next back here on power rankings. As
(21:17):
we dive into team seventeen through twenty four, we'll talk
about the Falcons, who are at seven and seven. They
move up three spots the forty nine ers. Got some
turmoil around this team. At nineteen, it's the Dolphins three
picks by two. Ooh, bad time for that. At twenty
the Bengals not dead yet. At twenty one it's the Cowboys,
followed by the Colts, the Saints, and the Bears. At
(21:37):
twenty four, Eric, I want to hit you up on
Team seventeen, the Atlanta Falcons. Once again, they got the
head to head tiebreaker against the Tampa Bay Bucks. Only
one game back, right now? What do you do if
you're Raheem Morris with Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Boy, yeah, they did move up three.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
I am cautioning people don't read too much into that
because there is a Kirk Cousins problem right now, at
least you know, the eye test certainly tells us. And
also just the behavior of the Falcons right after through
that third quarter interception.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
On Monday night.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
They barely threw the ball after that, really lean on
the run game. It was working for a while, but
you know, you see the Raiders storm back, have an opportunity,
multiple opportunities to try to go steal that game last night,
and Cousins was a big reason why they they were
kind of held back. He did make the first touchdown
throw in five games. It's nice for him to get
off that schneid, but another pick added to his total
(22:28):
this year. And yeah, I don't know what they do.
They've got Michael Pennix in the pen. I don't know
if it's a respect thing, a veteran thing, if they
just don't feel like Pennis is ready. But you know,
the playoffs are hanging in the balance Mic and they're
sticking with him at least to this point.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
I don't know how much longer they can afford to
do so.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Though, Yeah, not the easiest decision to make for Raheem
wore So though maybe fans and Atlanta, saying, actually, it
is pretty easy considering what we've seen from Kirk Cousins
Yawhile teams twenty five through thirty two. Here we go
the Browns, they dropped another one, the Jets, seizing some
fans with that win against the Jags. At twenty seven,
it's the Panthers, then the Jaguars, and the Patriots. At
(23:05):
twenty nine, Tennessee Titans sitting in the thirtieth position, followed
by the Raiders and the New York Giants. All right,
at twenty six, I just because it's a win. All
I'm going to say here, Eric, is I think DeVante
Adams and Aaron Rodgers might be auditioning together as a
package deal for their next team. Adams nine catches, one
hundred and ninety eight receiving yards, and two touchdowns. We
(23:26):
can talk about them, but I'm calling it audible here.
I'm going to say, no, we don't need to talk
about the Jets. We're moving on from that season. Eric,
you and I have been blessed this season, my first
year on this show, working with Medicine Sanders, who's been
our producer, who is now moving on Madison. We are
going to miss you sorry for hijacking the.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
End of the show.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
We only had like thirty seconds left, So I mean,
did you want us to really talk about the Jets? Eric,
if you had something you wanted to say, I guess
we could do it.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I love Madison Sanders much more than I do the Jets,
So yes, I'm very happy that we're talking. Good luck
in your next endeavor. We're lucky to have been with you,
and now we'll miss you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
No, absolutely, Madison, best of luck to you, and as
Eric made reference to, we will miss you. Appreciate everyone
watching another edition of Power Rankings.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
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 (00:11):
Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings.
Mike Am and Eric at Home with you. This is
the show where we go through some of the best
teams in the NFL, but we'll touch on every single
one of them. Complete analysis of your team on NFL
dot Com. But Eric, this is gonna be fun because
last couple of weeks at the top, not a ton
of movement, But this week we do have some changes
and two teams not in the top ten that should
(00:34):
scare some of the league's elite.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah. I think in a season Mike, where there aren't
there isn't a whole lot of mystery about who is
going to get in the playoffs, not that many teams
sort of vying for those spots like we normally have.
We do have two teams in the playoff picture, the
Bucks and Rams, just outside my top ten. I think
could make a move or be a very scary opponent
in the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, look at the Atlanta Falcons. We'll touch on them,
because the Bucks at this point not in an exact
lot to go and win that division, and at the
end of the day, still don't know what's going to
happen in the NFC West. I Knowlanta fans are like, dude,
did you see Kirk Cousins out there? I did, But
I'm just looking at the remaining schedule and maybe we
see Michael Pennix. More on that in just a moment.
But let's go with the top. All right, here's the change.
And I love when we can start off the show
(01:17):
and we talk about a new number one, and that
is the Philadelphia The Eagles maybe the most impressive thing
of that win a second half shutout to the Steelers.
The Bills at number two, yet they're the real deal.
The Chiefs at three. Got some real questions about Patrick
Mahomes and his health. The Lions, speaking of health, walking wounded.
We will talk about that in just a moment. The
Vikings continue to figure out ways to win some football games.
(01:39):
The Packers they dominate Seattle. Lamar not out of the
MVP conversation as his Ravens are in the seventh spot,
and the Steelers just fifty six rushing yards, no rushing touchdowns,
a little bit of a cause for concern, but still
in the top ten. Sitting at number eight. All right,
so let's start with this number one team here, the
Philadelphia Eagles, Eric, and this is a squad that had
(02:00):
a little bit of I don't want to say dysfunction,
Maybe that's overstating things, but a little bit of contra
at AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts. Look, they were winning
and they were still potentially at least an issue. They
get another impressive win, and those guys seem to be
simpotico on the same page.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, I think so. I think that's the way to
answer a question. Right, It's leads up to the game.
It's been the discussion point all week long, and then
what do they do. They passed their way to victory.
Antonio Brown using that very specific word after the win
over Carolina suggesting things aren't going well. Well they did Sunday,
and it's nice to know, Mike that you can have
Saquon Barkley kind of have an off day, certainly by
(02:36):
his standards anyway, but not be the focal part of
the offense. Jalen Hurts was dialed in. He was effective
as a scrambler and as a thrower. AJ Brown, the
leading receiver, DeVante Smith very active, having both those guys
go off in the same game makes them that much
more dangerous. Love the way the defense played, and frankly,
I didn't think it was that close the game. I
(02:57):
thought they outplayed it pretty thoroughly, maybe more so than
the score indicated.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, I'm with you there, at least on the MVP
watch with Saquon Barkley. A dominant performance against this Steelers
team I think would have kept him in that conversation.
I'm not saying that he's out. It's just tougher for
Riebacks in general, and I think that margin is not
as big. It does. Feel like Josh Allen is clearly
in pole position right now for that award. His Buffalo
(03:22):
Bills continue to win now caveat here, and we'll talk
about it when we discussed Detroit. They're obviously banged up,
but Josh just continues to perform at a ridiculously high level,
and he's got kind of like these Heisman moments, right
like we talk about that for that award. He's got
these MVP moments, and I think a win against the
Lions that we just witnessed with another big game maybe
(03:42):
cements it for him.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Yeah, I mean, obviously he kind of helped his stock
with the loss of the Rams, sort of as a
one man show bringing his team back to the cost
of victory.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Bill's had to hold.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
On in this one, but they needed every single one
of the points that Allen generated, and he was spectacular.
You know. Some of the ball placements Mike on those
long throws were terrific. And to me, the biggest thing
for the difference between what we've seen Mallen in the
past is he's had those those Heisman moments or those
MVP moments before. But the down to down consistency and
the accuracy, the lack of turnovers this year has been
(04:14):
a huge reason why his game is elevated, I think.
And yeah, Buffalo has some defensive issues they've got to
work out, certainly last two games have kind of exposed them.
But when you have a nuclear grade weapon at quarterback,
sometimes that isn't even all that important. So I think
the Bills are in great shape just behind the Eagles.
Could make a case for either one of them at
number one. This is this is a really potent team
(04:36):
right now.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
All right, I will ask if you like them better
than the Chiefs, but I want to get your take
on Kansas City right now, because I think there's a
world that exists where the usage of Patrick Mahomes certainly
in question, dealing obviously with the ankle sprain, I don't know, like,
like what am I supposed to make of this team?
Because there I get home field advantage. I understand how
important it is, But there's a world, at least in
my mind, where I go, Hey, should I be rolling
(04:59):
Patrick Mahomes not out one hundred percent down the stretch
out in a lot of these games?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah, go figure, it's their first early win in months,
our easy win, I should say, in months where they
get ahead, they put it out in our out of
arms reach and.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
A cruise to victory. And what do we do?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
We have something else to talk about, and that's mahomes injury.
And look, he's played through pain before, played almost an
entire season through it through an injury, and.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Still won a super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
So you know, we have to kind of grade it
on a scale, just like we graded all the close
victories on a scale because of all the good will
the Chiefs have built up the last several years. So yeah,
I'm concerned. I don't have enough information right now. We
haven't seen Mahomes in action obviously to know what he's
capable of. Will he even play this coming weekend against
the Texans, So a lot of questions. You know, it
(05:44):
really does sort of put the target on this defense again.
And maybe it's not quite as good a group as
the one that had Lagerius sneed last year, but still
this is a defense that at its best can carry
this team to a championship, especially, like you said, if
they get home field advantage at Arrowhead.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Just for context here, obviously they get the win against
Cleveland on a Sunday, They're playing Houston on on Saturday,
so the Texans they could use the signature win to
bolster their confidence, there's no question about that. And then
they're playing on Christmas Day. So we're talking about a
very short period of time with Patrick Mahomes that that's
not at one hundred percent. I just throw that out there.
Are they better than the Bills? And I know we
(06:22):
got the head to head, but just generally speaking in
a postseason, do you like the Bills better than the Chiefs?
Speaker 4 (06:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
I do right now, But obviously once we turn the
page of the postseason, we know how that history has gone.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Right the Bills have.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Sort of had a little bit of an edge in
the regular season matchups the Chiefs obviously in the postseason.
So you know, it might come down to what kind
of shape boath these teams are in a month from
now if they do end up meeting. But yeah, I
would say I like the Bills by a sliver, especially
with the Mahomes injury kind of tipping in that direction.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Okay, where teams are currently at as a different conversation
than where they are going to be. Here's what I
can tell you about the Detroit Lions, who sit at
number four. This story doesn't feel great, and I love
where they had, what they've been able to accomplish. But Eric,
I look all over the football feels on the defensive side,
all I see are hurt dudes.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
It's adding up at at an alarming rate.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
And now we also get the news not just the
defense effected, but David Montgomery with the mcl injury. He's
done for the year. We know how important he is,
so that sort of thunder and lightning backfield they have.
But you know, Aleen McNeil a big piece upfront. He's
now al Carlton Davis possibly could return.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
You know in about six weeks. But that's putting him on.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
You know, they've got to get to the NFC Championship
game if they want to have him back. News maybe
getting worse two on Aiden Hutchinson if they were to
make a Super Bowl run. So yeah, everything seems to
be trending in the wrong direction. You and I both
know this has been the best team in football more
often than it hasn't this season, but this this late
season turn, it's like the Lions just can't have nice
(07:51):
things or something. Now, maybe they'll pull through it. This
is Dan Campbell and company, but right now they're really
up against it.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Schedule somewhat favorable when you consider it's the Bears and
the Niners. Sure both of those games are on the road.
And then they closed out Week eighteen in a game
that not only can decide the vision, but who gets
the one seed in Week eighteen against the Minnesota Vikings,
that is a home game in Detroit. Speaking of the Vikings,
you know, I loved what you said last week on
the show. Not that Sam Donald's the MVP this year,
(08:19):
but he deserves to be in the conversation. Couldn't agree
with you more. The Vikings They are as dangerous as
any team in the NFL. I've had some folks on
social media hit me up and say, hey, stop talking
about us. We want to fly under the radar. I
think they're grabbing enough attention. Now we have to pay
attention to what they are doing on the football field.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, it feels different to me. Two years ago when
they were thirteen and fourteen with the negative point differential,
we had an easy sort of talking point. They didn't
necessarily match the eye test. The thirteen wins felt like
an aberration. This year, however, with right now and even
better record at least win percentage wise, they look the
part right. They've got the number one receiver healthy and
(08:58):
justin Jefferson, they have the sidekick and Addison Donald has
cut down his turnovers. Have played great football, and I
thought really set the tone against Chicago. Those first three
or four series of the game really kind of took over.
Jonathan Garnard attacking Caleb Williams, forcing that fumble, and after
all those early stops, they didn't convert a lot, but
they built up enough of a big lead and then
(09:19):
put it away in the second half. So much cleaner
outing than the game ass Soldier Field where they dominated
and then gave up the big run at the end.
We're kind of frankly lucky to win. So I think
they're just sort of cleaning up some of their their
little they're little messes that they made earlier in the
season and turning out sort of crisper performances as we
go along in the season.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I think when you assess the teams as from a
fan perspective, and you sit back and you go, who
are the legitimately the teams that can make a run? Like,
what's the mental makeup of a lot of these squads?
A you got to be mentally tough, but what do
you do really well? I tend to favor you got
to be so dominant on one side of the football
to overcome some deficiencies maybe on the other side. This
is a complete Vikings team Offensively, we know what they're
(10:02):
able to do. Defensively, Brian Flores has got these guys
absolutely rolling. And I think there's fans in Green Bay
that are sitting there, go let's pump the brakes here,
Let's relax. We got a good we have an opportunity
to to win this division. Now Green Bay needs some
things to fall into place. But the best sign for me,
Eric is Jordan Love, who is a turnover machine to
start the season, hasn't thrown a pick in the last
(10:22):
four games, a couple prime time matchups. He's got seven
touchdowns during that span. He's elevating this Packers team.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
I agree, he absolutely is.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
You may have questions about whether the defense can stop
a top unit, you know, you may have concerns about
little pieces on the offensive line, or whether the special
teams are gonna crumble. But I really think that offense,
especially with Love playing more turnover free ball, as you said,
has become one of the more dangerous quarterbacks in the league.
You saw the Detroit Lions go for it late against
the Green Bay Packers. I think it wasn't just the
(10:52):
Lions being the Lions, it was them being scared of
Jordan Love, you know, because he's shown consistently that he's
got a ton of weapons. Romeo Doves comes out of
witness protection to catch two touchdowns. You know, after a
quiet game eight and Reid heats up, Tucker Kraft can
get going, Christian Watson, they have so many options in
that passing game. I love the diversity and oh by
the way, Josh Jacobs contend to rise you for the
(11:14):
first half of a game like he did on Sunday too,
so you know it was a strong performance. They beat
a good Seattle team in Seattle and really sent a
message that even though they haven't beaten those top teams
this year, they are absolutely capable of doing so if
they convert one or two more possessions in those outings.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yeah, all right, we got a little bit more to
come here on NFL Power rankings. In fact, there's one
team that we thought were giants heading into the season.
Not the Giants, the Houston Texans is who I'm talking about.
Eric doesn't have him in the top ten. He explains
why coming up next back here on power rankings. As
(11:53):
we take a look at Eric's teams nine through sixteen,
the Broncos one four straight. They're outscoring their opponents one
thirty nine to seventy during that span. Commanders sit at
number ten and y'ill wright against the Saints at eleven.
It's Houston Texans who clinched the AFC South. The Bucks
real dangerous will dive in on them in just a moment.
(12:13):
The Chargers at thirteen with that high powered defense. The Rams,
speaking of dangerous teams, sitting in the fourteenth position, got
an opportunity to go and win that division currently at
the top occupied by the Seahawks, where the fifteenth ranked
team and the Cardinals figure out a way to get
a victory are at sixteen. All right, let's focus in
on this Broncos team. You know, the side of a
good team, Eric is sometimes when you have some issues
(12:36):
and some mistakes, you still figure out a way to
get it done. Bonix obviously had a costly interception in
that game, and I thought it was going to sort
of result in potentially a loss. Resilient makeup of this squad,
how high are you right now on this Denver team?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, Nix's play has concerned me a little bit, right
The turnovers have gone up, and you know, some of
the sort of pre play that he's had lately, it's
been a little loose and not the same kind of
level that we saw earlier in the system when he
was playing within the confines of the offense a lot more.
But still, you have a defense that can create turnovers
the way Denver can. That's gonna help you a lot too.
(13:13):
They're still figuring out the run game. You know, I
don't know if there's another receiver they truly trust outside
of Courtland Sutton, but we'll see they're plucky there. Well.
Coach too, Sean Payton has done a good job and
kind of managing Nixes up into ups and downs a
little bit. But yeah, I mean this was a desperate
Colts team they faced on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
It wasn't pretty early.
Speaker 3 (13:32):
The Colts had their opportunities to open up the game,
but Denver hung in there and then had the big
fourth quarter to kind of put it away. Still a
little shaky for me, but big matchup coming up with
the Chargers in two weeks and that'll obviously help decide
positioning a lot in that AFC wildcard picture.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
I'm actually glad that you brought up Sean Payton. We've
been having some conversations in our hallways here at NFL Media,
and look, my Tomlins name pops up for Coach of
the Year. I've thrown out O'Connor, but I think Sean
Payton deserves to be in that mix. In fact, I
would maybe even argue it's O'Connor, the Peyton and then
the Tomlin. But we still got a couple weeks of
the season to see how it shakes out. The Commanders
(14:09):
sitting at number ten, they move up one spot. They
get Philadelphia coming up this week. I was amazed by
this stat, Eric, because we always talk about teams coming
off of a bye. It was the Commander's first road
win coming off a bye since two thousand and two. Boy,
what a time to go and pick up a win. Here.
To me, it was just nice to see this team
get a w and maybe put themselves at least back
(14:31):
in that conversation for a team that maybe could make
a run. Maybe possibly, I don't.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Know, maybe yeah, maybe. Obviously, Jade Dale is a dangerous guy.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
We saw that.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I mean, obviously he's kind of rediscovered as scrambling a
little bit, made some big throws, was accurate, but the
Sacks really.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Kept adding up.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
And after they got up you know, seventeen nothing or
whatever it was, they took their foot off the gas.
The Saints crawled back in it find a way, you know,
with a backup court. They're really their third street quarterback
in Spencer Rattler, and Washington was fortunate to get out
of New Orleans with a win. Obviously, came down to
that two point conversion at the end. You like the
fact that defense made a game changing play there.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
You know, I moved them up.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
We've got the game against the Eagles that'll tell us
a lot about them. That's obviously sort of a telltale
game for them, and you know, do they stack up.
We were playing tough teams, tough earlier in the season,
but now as we get a little later, their shine.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Is kind of rubbed off a little bit.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
We'd love to see a little stronger, cleaner performance against
one of the best teams in football.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
I thought there was an opportunity that you might slot
the Houston Texans into the tenth place. Look, they're eleven,
so we're not talking about a huge jump here. There's
just something in my mind that is cool when you
can say, hey, we're a top ten team. They're on
the precipice of that. They create three turnovers in terms
of in the form of interceptions against a to a
squad that needed a win. Houston needed to win as well.
(15:51):
They get Kansas City and ice barometer game. Hopefully Mahomes
goes and plays here. What do you make of the squad?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Yeah, I mean they haven't been able to get Joe
Mixon going lately.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Obviously, you know Nico Collins and great in the red zone,
but just the drives were not there. They had to
rely on each of those four turnovers, three picks and
one fumble, the big strip sack there that I think
kind of change momentum a little bit in that game.
You know, those were crucial. I don't know if they
win if they only get two or three. Let's say,
and that fake punt two Dariu Gunbawally gets down there
(16:25):
in the red zone, almost fumbles, they fall on it,
there's a penalty. You know, they keep the ball and
score after that to go up twenty to six. So
you know, it really took a lot of good field
position and you know, stealing possessions for them to score points.
So I am a little bit worried about that offense,
but you know, it's nice when you can be efficient.
When the defense does give you those opportunities, you convert
(16:46):
them into touchdowns and put in desperate teams like Miami away.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
I am excited to hear your take on the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, who you have at twelve. It wasn't just
a win, it was a dominant performance against one of
the teams that we felt for a good stretch of
the season was as dangerous as any in the AFC.
And that's the Chargers throw up forty points against a
defense that I felt great about this season. How dangerous
(17:11):
is this team?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Yeah, they can turn it on fast, right, And we've
seen Baker Makefield have some first hats where he gets
in a little trouble or throw some interceptions and you know,
things are a little chaotic, and then all of a
sudden he dials in. He made that one post throw
to Mike Evans the Agels. Mike Evans looks like he
could get that other that thousand yard season yet another
one incredible consistency throughout his career. He's fully back from
(17:34):
the injury making a difference. You know, Jalen McMillan has
stepped up too. So those three were really big on Sunday.
You know, you're down seventeen to ten, you turn the
ball over midway through the second quarter.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
At midfield, things aren't looking.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Great, but then you have the ability to rip off
thirty straight points unanswered over the final thirty five minutes
or so in the game. That's dominant on the road
against like you said, a good quality opponent who's going
to probably end up in the postseason and the Chargers,
and they just ran through him like it was nothing.
So so that's why I put them in that dangerous
team group. I think they really can make some noise
(18:09):
in the postseason. Remember how tough they were against the
lines in the playoffs last year. I think we're seeing
an almost better version, certainly offensively than what we saw
last year.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
There's a story about both of those teams. One how
good Tampa Bay is and two the need from a
Charger's perspective to get some other playmakers, high level playmakers
to squash a run that you made reference to. Keep
in mind, the Buccaneers a one spot, one game lead
in the standings and they they do not have I
(18:40):
should say, the head to heads against the Atlanta Falcons,
so not done just yet in terms of that race.
Taking a look at the odds, here, the Rams the
favorite to go and win this division, the Seahawks right
behind them, the Arizona Cardinals in that third position, and
just in case you're wondering, FanDuel not giving the San
Francisco forty nine ers a chance to go and win
the NFC West. But let's focus in on the number
(19:02):
fourteen team. Look, you told me the Bucks were really damp.
The Rams are also in that conversation as well, there
is some concern that I was starting to have down
the stretch here about the Rams. They've seemed to write
the ship. I've been high on them all season long.
I think they got snake bit earlier this season because
of some of the injuries, especially on their offensive line.
But when this offense is going, boyle boy, I think
(19:23):
you can make an argument they're top two or three
in the league.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
Yeah, they're a scary team.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
And I love the fact, Mike that in the span
of four days they won two games in come two
close games too, in completely different fashions. You have the
shootout against the Bills where they're all gas, no breaks,
knowing they're going to have to outscore Josh Allen, one
of the league's best players. You turn around, you go
into a rain soak game up in San Francisco on
(19:48):
a short week, and you win a field goal fest
the defensive battle. So that tells me the Rams can
match up against a variety of different style of teams,
and so that kind of helps them in their playoff quest.
You know, obviously they could be hosting a game, but
you never know who you're going to draw, you never
know how going to lay out.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
And I love the fact they can.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
You know, they can win games forty four to forty two,
or they can win them twelve to six.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
The defense has made strides.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
But you said it, I think the most dangerous aspect
is Matthew Stafford in the playoffs with the ball in
his hand and the game on the line, and then
those two receivers. Having Nikoua and Cooper Cup healthy obviously
makes a world of difference for their offense. We saw
him without them, they couldn't move the ball with them.
Now they're a very explosive team.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah. Look, once again, I know they didn't have a
touchdown on TNF, but the point is that was an
ugly game in terms of the weather conditions on the road,
short week against the divisional opponent. To me, I think
you sit there and you say, hey, even with an
inability because of the weather to really be effective in
the air game, Nicola almost gets a hunter Karen Williams,
one of the most underrated running backs that we have
in the NFL, and they will go on the road
(20:54):
again as they match the New York Jets. Meanwhile, they
have a great shot of being a postseason team. In fact,
even with the tie breakers in their favor. Got to
feel cautiously optimistic. But there's a a your question about
QB one for the Atlanta Falcons. We dive into the
atl coming up next back here on power rankings. As
(21:17):
we dive into team seventeen through twenty four, we'll talk
about the Falcons, who are at seven and seven. They
move up three spots the forty nine ers. Got some
turmoil around this team. At nineteen, it's the Dolphins three
picks by two. Ooh, bad time for that. At twenty
the Bengals not dead yet. At twenty one it's the Cowboys,
followed by the Colts, the Saints, and the Bears. At
(21:37):
twenty four, Eric, I want to hit you up on
Team seventeen, the Atlanta Falcons. Once again, they got the
head to head tiebreaker against the Tampa Bay Bucks. Only
one game back, right now? What do you do if
you're Raheem Morris with Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Boy, yeah, they did move up three.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
I am cautioning people don't read too much into that
because there is a Kirk Cousins problem right now, at
least you know, the eye test certainly tells us. And
also just the behavior of the Falcons right after through
that third quarter interception.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
On Monday night.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
They barely threw the ball after that, really lean on
the run game. It was working for a while, but
you know, you see the Raiders storm back, have an opportunity,
multiple opportunities to try to go steal that game last night,
and Cousins was a big reason why they they were
kind of held back. He did make the first touchdown
throw in five games. It's nice for him to get
off that schneid, but another pick added to his total
(22:28):
this year. And yeah, I don't know what they do.
They've got Michael Pennix in the pen. I don't know
if it's a respect thing, a veteran thing, if they
just don't feel like Pennis is ready. But you know,
the playoffs are hanging in the balance Mic and they're
sticking with him at least to this point.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
I don't know how much longer they can afford to
do so.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Though, Yeah, not the easiest decision to make for Raheem
wore So though maybe fans and Atlanta, saying, actually, it
is pretty easy considering what we've seen from Kirk Cousins
Yawhile teams twenty five through thirty two. Here we go
the Browns, they dropped another one, the Jets, seizing some
fans with that win against the Jags. At twenty seven,
it's the Panthers, then the Jaguars, and the Patriots. At
(23:05):
twenty nine, Tennessee Titans sitting in the thirtieth position, followed
by the Raiders and the New York Giants. All right,
at twenty six, I just because it's a win. All
I'm going to say here, Eric, is I think DeVante
Adams and Aaron Rodgers might be auditioning together as a
package deal for their next team. Adams nine catches, one
hundred and ninety eight receiving yards, and two touchdowns. We
(23:26):
can talk about them, but I'm calling it audible here.
I'm going to say, no, we don't need to talk
about the Jets. We're moving on from that season. Eric,
you and I have been blessed this season, my first
year on this show, working with Medicine Sanders, who's been
our producer, who is now moving on Madison. We are
going to miss you sorry for hijacking the.
Speaker 4 (23:41):
End of the show.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
We only had like thirty seconds left, So I mean,
did you want us to really talk about the Jets? Eric,
if you had something you wanted to say, I guess
we could do it.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
I love Madison Sanders much more than I do the Jets,
So yes, I'm very happy that we're talking. Good luck
in your next endeavor. We're lucky to have been with you,
and now we'll miss you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
No, absolutely, Madison, best of luck to you, and as
Eric made reference to, we will miss you. Appreciate everyone
watching another edition of Power Rankings.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
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