September 17, 2024 • 24 mins
The NFL Power Rankings Podcast begins with Mike Yam asking Eric Edholm why he still has the San Francisco 49ers as the #2 team despite a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. How far should the Lions drop after they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home? Which 0-2 football team does Eric still have ranked in his top-10? After their win in week-2, which team JUMPED 16 SPOTS?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well it's official.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
You can say goodbye to week number two in the NFL.
Welcome to NFL Power Rankings. To Mike Hamelong with.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Eric at home.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
By the way, the rankings they are available on NFL
dot com. You can scan the QR code to check
out the entire list. Eric, I guess we can look
at week two now and say, hey, maybe some of
those biases that we had coming into the season, we
can booth those.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Yeah, I'm ready to throw most of mine in the trash.
You can see my preseason rankings. Laugh at them at
your own desire if you will. So, yeah, we've made
the adjustments. We've tried to shift and adjust to what
we've seen in the first two weeks.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
You know, there's one team in particular who we will
get to in just a couple of minutes here, and
I'm glad you were paying attention to some of my
observations because they made a massive jump. But let's get
through some of the top teams right now. And sitting
at number one not a huge surprise to Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
No change there, just in case you're one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And I sent a message to our producer Madison when
I got the updated rankings. I said, hey, Madison, I
think I'm looking at the old rankings because San Francisco
is sitting at number two. Apparently I was not. We'll
talk about the Niners in just a moment.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
The Texans sitting at number three, their first two and
oh starts since twenty sixteen.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
The Bills dominated on Thursday Night football. They are four.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
The Lions, they lose a tough one against Tampa Bay.
They sit at number five. The Eagles tough Monday night loss,
they dropped two spots to six.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The Chargers.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
It's Jim Harbaugh. His team is two and zero, Not
John and the Saints, the whole the big time Risers,
who we will get to in just a minute, moving
all the way up to number sixteen.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
All right, break this down for me.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
You'll lose, and yet you're still the number two team
on your power rankings.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Make the case for the Niners not changing.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, And you know, look, I hear what people are
saying out there, right Deebo Samuel is going to miss time.
We know CMC's already out, and you know they haven't
quite looked themselves, especially on Sunday at Minnesota. But they
lost up there last year, lost to a quarterback who
has you know, practiced against this defense all year. Still
a pretty close game. I know that that one turnover
probably you know, helped make it a little closer than
(02:13):
it should have been. But still I believe in this
team long term. I'm willing to kind of invest in them.
Maybe maybe two's a little high. I was prepared to
move the Eagles ahead of them a little Monday night
game got in the way there, So that was a
little bit of a last minute freak out there where
I thought, all right, I'll leave them be. I'll put
them at the number two spot. I'll take the heat
that comes with it. I still think long term, this
(02:35):
team's gonna figure it out. They had some issues in
early October last year. They're having them a little sooner
this year. Consider me unworried, Mike. I'm sticking with them
for now.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Okay, So just macro vision of how you do these rankings,
it seems like you're still future casting for San Francisco
squad and it's not necessarily about where they sit right now.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yeah, I'm sorry, but there's gonna be a little bit
of a weighted system for teams like the Niners, and
even like the Ravens, who will get to later in
the show. Who I didn't throw down the rankings twenty
spots because they're row and two. So if you've built
up a reputation and you have the same coaching staff
in the same core in place, and you start slowly,
I'm not going to throw you in the trash because
you have a proven track record, and that to me matters. Now, look,
(03:17):
that's not to say that the Saints or somebody like that,
you know, can't keep moving up with wins, or the
Buccaneers or somebody like that. But when there's a team
that has that record like the Chiefs who almost blew it,
like the forty nine ers who lost, like the Ravens
who are row and two, we're gonna give them a
little bit of a benefit of the doubt.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
In that case, well, I'm glad you bring up the
Bucks because they score a giant win against the Lions, who.
I'm sure that watching the film this week has got
to be a little tough here one touchdown in seven
trips inside that red zone.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Hutchinson was terrific with four and a half sacks.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You know, and once again, I mean, you look at
these rankings, you make a case maybe the buck should
be in front of the Lions. That's not how you
have it, but why the line's just a two spot drop.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Yeah. Another team that I think from really the midpoint
of the twenty twenty two season showed that they, you know,
are one of the better teams, if not one of
the best. But the first two weeks, let's face it,
they left points on the board. Jared Goff hasn't been great.
They let Baker Mayfield get after him early. Defense was
actually pretty good after a certain point, but they've got
to find ways to get in the end zone. You know.
(04:18):
Ben Johnson turns down a head coaching opportunity to return
to Detroit and get this thing done. Some of it
is on golf, some of it is on his receivers
and protection. But right now it's just a little bit
of a disconnect. And I thought they would finish that
game off Sunday against Tampa. I just couldn't get it done. Again.
Another team that I feel like I've kind of bought
into a little bit in terms of long term investment,
(04:40):
but short term some stuff to work out, no doubt. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Look, they got a tough trip now on the road,
and yes, I said tough trip against the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
We'll talk about the Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
One of those teams for Eric that is rising Monday
night football boyle boy.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
A late game collapse again.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They've had four of these games over the course of
the last tool this season and then last season where
they have a lead with two minutes to go here,
but yet you only have the Eagles dropping two spots
to six. It sounds like not too much panic here
without aj Brown.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Yeah, I mean the Brown loss for a couple of weeks,
I think they can manage. They managed it last night, right,
I mean Siquon Barkley outside of the third Town drop
had a really good game. DeVante Smith came up with
some big catches. Dallas Goddard was ignored most of the game,
and then you know, came up big late. So you know,
you look at this. Was it a play calling thing, No,
it was the right call if they had it. Was
(05:28):
it a drop yeah? Was it a flukey thing? Absolutely?
I still feel like they probably should have gone for
it on fourth down and run some more clock off
or run the ball there and then run it again
on fourth. The field goal ended up doing nothing. So, yeah,
this is a team that has found ways to lose
games that they probably shouldn't and that was an issue
that you know, kind of plagued me with them all
(05:49):
you last year. Even if they were you know, ten
and one at one point, there was still that doubt
because of games like this. So this one is going
to be hard to swallow over a ninety nine percent
chance to win it according to next Gen Stats when
they had when they lined up for that third down
place kind of wild to see it happen in front
of the Lincoln Financial Field crowd, and yeah, it was
(06:09):
a church quiet after that one.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, they're not the only really good team in the
NFL that has issues closing. The Baltimore Ravens one of
those squads, and we'll talk about the Ravens coming up
in just a bit here. Meanwhile, the Chargers, Hello, I
don't even know if we've seen this team at the
peak of their powers right now, but the one thing
that we knew heading into the season it was going
to look a lot different. It has and it's run
the football, run the football and run the football.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Yeah, I mean Jim Harbaugh basically said on day one
what he was gonna do, and we all said, well, okay,
sure he's got justin Herbert. You know, he's got a
good pass blocking a line. But he's done exactly what
he said he would do. And you know, the identity
of this team has completely changed, and all the defensive
laps is you know, haven't added up the way they
did last year. Not perfect, but Sunday was an easy
(06:54):
chair game. You know, they really took control early, made
life heck for Bryce Young and sort of put it in
an auto drive a little bit. The competition will raise
There's no doubt these two games were not their most
challenging too on the schedule, But I like what I've seen.
Herbert looks a little bit more comfortable and JK. Dobbins
is sort of a founder resurgence here. You just hope
(07:14):
it's gonna last because he's had such an injury plague season.
But so impressed with the early performance of the defense.
Love the direction of the team right now, and yeah,
they're flying high for now. Even if they do have
some words.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah you mentioned levin Lock being competition, they will hit
the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, it is time
for our future champions and taking a closer look at
the standings and in the NFC South and the odds
to win this look the Saints. I'm not surprised that
they're sitting there at the top. I think there's a
real case for the Bucks. And don't look now, but
the Atlanta Falcons with the road win in Philadelphia, I
(07:46):
think they're in the mix.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
The point is.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
This is a log jam here. I like the Saints
coming off of Week one. Apparently now you've we had
room on the train, and I get that, but you
really like them now. This is a massive jump sixteen
spots into the top ten at eight.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Mike, we have set a power rankings record, at least
under my watch. Right my predecessor, I'm sure has had
a few that exceeded that, but I could deny it
no longer. You beat Carolina at home in Week one,
Bully for you, that's great, good job. You beat Dallas
in Dallas, a place where they or they'd won sixteen
straight regular season games, A whole different story. And Mike,
(08:21):
this wasn't a floky game. Anyone who watched it knows.
Tom Brady knows. The Saints got after them early. Their
big play percentage is super high. Their efficiency has been amazing.
Derek Carr hasn't thrown forty passes, but he's probably the
league's best passer statistically right now. Look it off. Alvin
Kamaras Juice is back in his legs. He's got five
touchdowns this season. So everything has worked perfectly with Clint
(08:44):
Kubiak's offense. The defense has not been an issue whatsoever.
And boy Talise fuuaga in that offensive line, what a
question was coming into the season and what an afterthought
it is now because they've been paving the way up front,
really hasn't been a problem. I'm sure they'll hit static
at some point. But here's a number for you. My
three teams and history have crossed the ninety point mark
(09:06):
through two games. The seventy one Cowboys, the two thousand
and nine Saints, and now this year's Saints. First two
teams won the Super Bowl. Guess where the Super Bowl
is this year? New Orleans, baby. So I'm just saying
it's kind of lining up to where, if it is
indeed a special season, the final game will be in
their hometown.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
You know, I'm going to be asking you to reference
that stat throughout the course of the season. I'm starting
to get higher and hire on this Saints team as
we move closer to really the goblin of the season. Meanwhile,
there's an zero and two team that's still sitting in
the top ten.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Find out who that is.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
It's coming up next on NFL Power Rankings. Welcome back
to NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. This is a
look at teams nine through sixteen according to Eric and yes,
you got a Ravens squad O wing two for the
first time since twenty fifteen.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
They sit at number nine.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Number ten the Packers, who needs Jordan Love right, Milake
Willis watched.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
His backfield run. Wild's Number eleven.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It's the Cowboys, a stunning defeat at home. Meanwhile, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers four straight years now they are off
to a two and h start and they are in
the twelfth position. At thirteen, it's the New York Jets
who scored that first win of the year.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
It's on the road against the Titans.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
At fourteen, the Steelers also still perfect on the year
at two and zero. The Vikings only at fifteen after
taking out San Francisco, who Eric still has at number two,
and at sixteen it is the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow,
by the way, one and nine in weeks one and.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Two in his career.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Just a really odd stat that I was in to
dig up. All right, Ravens nine zero to two. I'm
I'm not worried, but I don't like this if I'm
a Ravens fan.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Talk to a friend of mine who's a Ravens fan
in Baltimore the other day and he said, the vibes
are a little bit ugly right now. And I get why, right.
I mean, it's not just the oh and two record,
it's kind of how those games have unfolded. It felt
like the Ravens had a great opportunity to win both,
especially Sunday, giving up some plays to Devonte Adams and
Gardner Minshew, the Ravens slayer. He went in there last
(11:10):
year and beat them with the Colts did the same
thing Sunday with a great fourth quarter. But you know,
you look at eleven penalties, a deflected ball off for
shod Bateman's hands for a pick. It just felt like
there were a lot of flukey things that worked against them.
And I'm like you, I haven't panicked yet. I'm not
saying to bury this team. I don't think they're dead
and gone. And just look at the AFC North Mic.
(11:30):
I mean, you know, the Bengals are struggling, the Browns
are kind of going sideways. It's hard to know exactly
where these teams sit right now. Steelers look pretty good,
but what are we rating those wins? So I'm still
saying the Ravens are the you know, the champs of
this group until further notice.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, we'll get to the Steelers here in just a moment.
I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
The way this division is going to shake out with
two teams like Cincinnati and Baltimore sitting at owen two,
this race during the season is going to be an
absolute juggernaut.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You know, Eric at eleven, they didn't just lose, they
got absolutely throttled at home against the Saints team, who,
by the way, you have the top ten right now.
But I just I don't know what to make of
dak in the squad.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, you know, a statement Week one victory followed by
a dud at home and that's the danger of Week two.
We sit in this sort of delicate place where team's
identities haven't been defined, and you know they teams are
allowed bad games, right, No, they lost to the Arizona
Cardinals last year I think in what Week three on
the road, and it was kind of a flukey game
at least as far as how most of the regular
(12:31):
season went. So do we chalk that up as this
or the Saints truly among those elite teams and they
don't stack up head to head. You couple this with
the loss of Jordan Love and the Packers and the playoffs.
That's too straight. They've lost now at home, and so
have they lost their edge? I don't know, but there's
something a little off now all of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
You know what the worst part is from a Dallas perspective,
we think they're a good team.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I don't know if that's necessarily a case.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Right, Like the last couple of seasons here they're beating
up on the bad teams in the NFL and then
the good ones they're struggling with. So it's hard to
really gauge where they should sit. Top half of the
league makes sense. Eleven, maybe a touch high, especially when
I look at the Buccaneers one spot behind him, Tampa Bay.
I think they got better wins. Right, Well, clearly they
have better wins because the road went against Detroit. Any
consideration of maybe having Tampa Bay in front.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Of Dallas, yeah, they were. All these teams were all
kind of real close. There was this group at the
top where you know, we had the Chiefs and you
know a few other teams that you feel like belonged
in there, and then there was this drop off to
this next group and that included Tampa Bay. And you know,
what they did Sunday shouldn't be overlooked at all. It
was a break game performance by Baker. You see him
scrambling with his legs. He made some big throws too.
(13:37):
The offense definitely slowed down in the second half. I
don't know that Detroit's a fantastic defense, but the point
is they won the game. They made more plays than
Detroit did and that's ultimately what matters. They dragged that
secondary in there and somehow got out alive. But I
want to see them be a little bit more productive.
I still don't know if it's a great division. Hard
to say. It does feel like it's a little better
(13:58):
than people thought. But give them one more week and
then and then we'll see if we can crack the
top eight.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
If they win again, we have Denver, so they got
a good opportunity to go and do that. They did
move up four spots, so it's not like he didn't
love them up, but as sitting at twelve, I don't know.
I think there's an argument they should have been a
touch higher. Meanwhile, the Steelers they're at fourteen. Okay, they
got one touchdown, one offensive touchdown so far this team.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I don't know what to make of this team's offense.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Yeah, I don't either, and it sounds like Justin Fields
is going to get another shot this This calf injury
has been lingering for Russell Wilson. I mean, they have
two road wins right in a big test coming up
against the Chargers. I think kind of a measuring stick
for both of those teams, and you know that'll help
sort our rankings out the more of these head to
head matchups between teams in the top half teams in
(14:44):
the bottom half. And so look, you know, their defense
has been really good. They've led what eight scoring drives,
nine scoring drives they've gotten position. It's been a lot
of field goals, not enough touchdowns. As Fields gets more comfortable,
though he may not give this job back if he
keeps playing. I would argue moderately well, not amazingly, but
fairly well. And you beat a Falcons team at home
(15:06):
that looked pretty good on Monday night.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yeah, that was a quarterback competition that went to the
bitter end. I mean to the end of the end
of the preseason before Mike Tomlin decided to make that announcement,
and it was supposed to be Russell Wilson but banged
up right now, Well, Eric, one team whose offense were
not worried about are the Vikings.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It's time for power moves.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
As Minnesota moves up five spots to fifteen, they do
move up five spots for you, Eric, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
To love it.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Just took out the number two team in your rankings,
in the San Francisco forty nine ers, And I know
they throttled the Giants in week number one and the
GM Unfortunately for the fans like myself, they're not a
great football team. But this squad, this Vikings team, has
looked really good.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Yeah. The disrespect tour just keeps rolling on, doesn't it? Right, Mike,
and I hear people like it. People say, how do
you not have teams like the Bucks and Vikings in
your top fifteen, your top twelve, you know, your top ten?
Keep moving them up the rankings the way they looked,
and I think that it's fair to point out, but
Jordan Addison banged up, Justin Jefferson banged up. You know,
(16:05):
still have a small track record on Sam Donald. As
strong as he looked and as confident as he looked
on Sunday. Love what I saw out of Brian Flora's defense.
Think they had a really good game plan, good execution.
Still need to see a little bit more. And you know,
they face a good Houston team. If they beat them
or stand toe to toe with them next week, I
think I'll have a lot more evidence to say, yes,
this team can win with Donald, this coaching staff is excellent,
(16:29):
and they'll find ways to replace those injured players.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Well, one of the other dramatic moves and it went
the wrong way the Cincinnati Bengals. They dropped six spots.
They're sitting oh into right now on the season. I
don't know, man, I still think They're a really good
football team, and if you would have said to me, hey,
are they a top ten team? You can't make the
argument based off of the record right now, and you
certainly didn't. But I mean, I'd put them in that conversation.
(16:54):
I mean, it's a tough loss against Kansas City. They
should have won that, and if had they done that,
you would have had them in the top ten, right.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I'd have moved them up, or probably at least kept
them the same. Maybe I had them overrated in the
preseason and maybe had them too high after Week one's loss,
but you know, you see this team. You at least
saw the super Bowl potential in that club on Sunday. Yes,
they lost it with two horrific penalties, but they're the
ultimate Roarshack test. Do you look back and see the
history that you said, the one to nine start for Burrow,
(17:20):
the historic slow starts under Zach Taylor, or do you
look at the body of evidence that says by the
end of the season they usually figure it out when
Burrow's healthy. So that's kind of what I'm betting on.
I thought they looked like a top half team, and
like you said, on their best day, I think they're
absolutely in the top ten.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
You know the worst part about this if you're a
Bengals fan, you didn't get the win in Week one
that everyone thought you were going to get against the Patriots,
and now you're sitting at zero to two. At worst
case scenario, you thought you were a one to one
football team and you lose a close one against the
Super Bowl champs.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
You say, oh, okay, cool, like we're still there.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
There's some questions around this squad in that division, which
we highlighted already here on Power Rankings.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It is going to be interesting to watch.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Meanwhile, they're on the short list of maybe the best
win of week number two.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Where's the Atlanta Falcon sid in the rankings?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
The answer to that is coming up next. All right,
let's hit teams seventeen through twenty four on Eric's rankings.
Not a huge surprise that the Dolphins drop, but they
fall eight spots to his injuries certainly looming large. The
Browns are at eighteen. The defense is still looking good
at nineteen. The Seahawks they escape with an overtime win
(18:27):
against the Patriots. They got out rushed one eighty five
to forty six, and yes, I know Kenneth Walker wasn't playing.
The Falcons are at twenty, the Bears at twenty one.
I'm starting to feel bad for Caleb Williams considering the
amount of hits that he took. The Cardinals Hello easily
handled the Rams at twenty two. The Jags at twenty three.
Anthony Richardson can't turn the football over three interceptions and
(18:47):
they fall to twenty four. All right, the Falcons up
three spots here. I think there's an argument top three
win of the weekend, getting it done or not the weekend.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It was a Monday night game of the week.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Just because it's a Philadelphia win, and the way that
they have looked, You're starting to buy this stock a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Say it's the biggest Falcons win and in a couple
of years at least. Right, this was exactly what they needed,
and this is why they went out and got Kirk
Cussins early in the night. You know, his passes are
coming up short, losing some steam. Didn't look like his
legs were into it. Was he even healthy. All the
Michael Pennix talks started on Twitter, and then this last
drive Kirk Captain Kirk ran them down the field before
(19:24):
the Eagles even had a chance to adjust. No pass rush,
by the way, where was it Philly, I don't know,
but big plays from the wide receivers. They had to
get Drake Lonimore involved. All he does is catch the
game winning touchdown pass, but early on the offensive line,
the run game, defense all kept him in the game
and gave them a chance to come back and pull
off that stunner.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah. Look, I do Monday Night Football the post game
on NFL Network.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
When I tell you down the stretch there, I.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Mean, I think it was six plays, seventy yards and
a bucko six something along those lines.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I mean, phenomenal job by Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
This is why they paid that dude to all the
money that he got this offseason. At twenty two, I'm
actually happy we get to love up the Arizona Cardinals here.
They hung tough and we one against the Bills. They
lost that game, but huge when and they looked like
a juggernaut offensively against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Kyler Murray is having a terrific start to the season.
I don't know if everyone's caught on. Maybe if you
got him on your fantasy club, Maybe if you live
out in Glendale or that part of the country. But
let me tell you, he looked fantastic on Sunday. They
got Marvin Harrison Junior involved right away, right all four catches,
all one hundred and thirty yards, both touchdowns, all in
the first nine minutes of the game. So it was
incredible after his sort of slow debut and a rough
(20:34):
start to his season. But you know, they have James
Connor in the run game, they have the tight end
of McBride. You know, the offensive line was really opening
holes in the run game. And defensively, Mike, this team
has taken it on the chin the last year plus.
But that was Jonathan Gannon's best defensive performance by his
club Sunday, even if it came against the beat up
RAMS team. I was very impressed. I love the momentum
(20:55):
of this team and I can't wait to see where
they end up.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Yeah, Marvin Harrison putting a smile on every fantasy owner's face,
because I think there was a little concern coming off
of Week over one, but in it early, I mean,
in that first half, he was ridiculous. You mentioned the Rams.
As we get through the rest of the rankings here
they check in at twenty five. Look, they're the walking wound.
Did they drop eleven spots? They get healthy? I'm sure
we're going to have a different conversation. The Raiders are
at twenty six. The Patriots. Maybe they're tougher than we think.
(21:19):
They're the twenty seventh ranked team, The Commanders at twenty eight.
The Titans. Will Levis continues to cough up the football.
They're twenty nine at number thirty, the Broncos. Bonnick still
trying to figure it out. The Giants, oh my god, dude,
at thirty one, and then the Panthers. A lot of
changes there. We're not going to talk about the g
Men at this point.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
The Raiders.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
I think when you win against one of the best
teams in my mind in the NFL on the road
in their house, you deserve at least to be talked about.
The Raiders. That was an impressive win. Down in the
fourth quarter, it didn't matter. Minsheot just dealing.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
It might be their biggest win of the year. I mean,
I still have my questions about Gardner Minshew. Is he
the right guy for this offense. We'll find out. But
Sunday look great. You know, DeVante Adams is still here
for a reason too, and they made it the great
work of him. Week one not so hot, didn't think
they looked very good. Week two, second half it was
a different story. So they're in the right direction. But
(22:12):
for me, six of the eight quarters haven't quite looked right.
They've looked like a bottom eight team to me more
than they haven't. But they absolutely came through with a
huge win. Credit to Antonio Pierson. It wasn't looking great,
but when you topped the Ravens in Baltimore, you're doing
something right.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
One other note here, and I know we already talked
about Baltimore some of the issues defensively. I mean DeVante
Adams just was tearing them up in week number two
and we saw some breakdowns and you highlighted it last
week on the show against Kansas City. Just something to
track here from a Raiders or excuse me, from a
Ravens perspective. Panthers, maybe the most significant news. You're a
number one overall pick and you can't make it into
(22:49):
past two games into your sophomore season.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
What should we make of this? News?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
On Bryce Young getting bench with Carolina A.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Massive news story, no question about it, right anytime a
number one pick gets bench, it's a big story. But
when it happens this soon in his career, after hiring
the head coach who was supposedly there to fix him,
the guy who convinced David Tepper and Dan Morgan I
have a plan to make Bryce Young better. It hasn't happened.
It looks worse than last year somehow, And we're not
putting it all on Bryce, but there's something clearly off
(23:18):
with him, and you risk losing the locker room. Andy
Dalton very popular guy, and I think very you know,
a fishing guy. He can come in and step right in,
be ready to go. So this may be as much
about trying to save the locker room as it is
trying to fix Young or get him back on track,
because I don't know if he's getting his job back
anytime soon.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I don't know how you go back to him. This
is starting to have like the injury will send him
type vibes. You're right, maybe it is an injury that
gets him another opportunity here, but I don't know if
we see him start in a catline uniform, and if
that is not the scenario, Heerrik, you're the best man
your entire rankings. You can die through him all on
NFL dot com. We will do it again in week
number three.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Thanks for watching.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
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
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Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well it's official.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
You can say goodbye to week number two in the NFL.
Welcome to NFL Power Rankings. To Mike Hamelong with.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Eric at home.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
By the way, the rankings they are available on NFL
dot com. You can scan the QR code to check
out the entire list. Eric, I guess we can look
at week two now and say, hey, maybe some of
those biases that we had coming into the season, we
can booth those.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Yeah, I'm ready to throw most of mine in the trash.
You can see my preseason rankings. Laugh at them at
your own desire if you will. So, yeah, we've made
the adjustments. We've tried to shift and adjust to what
we've seen in the first two weeks.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
You know, there's one team in particular who we will
get to in just a couple of minutes here, and
I'm glad you were paying attention to some of my
observations because they made a massive jump. But let's get
through some of the top teams right now. And sitting
at number one not a huge surprise to Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
No change there, just in case you're one.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
And I sent a message to our producer Madison when
I got the updated rankings. I said, hey, Madison, I
think I'm looking at the old rankings because San Francisco
is sitting at number two. Apparently I was not. We'll
talk about the Niners in just a moment.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Here.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
The Texans sitting at number three, their first two and
oh starts since twenty sixteen.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
The Bills dominated on Thursday Night football. They are four.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
The Lions, they lose a tough one against Tampa Bay.
They sit at number five. The Eagles tough Monday night loss,
they dropped two spots to six.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The Chargers.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
It's Jim Harbaugh. His team is two and zero, Not
John and the Saints, the whole the big time Risers,
who we will get to in just a minute, moving
all the way up to number sixteen.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
All right, break this down for me.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
You'll lose, and yet you're still the number two team
on your power rankings.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Make the case for the Niners not changing.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Yeah, And you know, look, I hear what people are
saying out there, right Deebo Samuel is going to miss time.
We know CMC's already out, and you know they haven't
quite looked themselves, especially on Sunday at Minnesota. But they
lost up there last year, lost to a quarterback who
has you know, practiced against this defense all year. Still
a pretty close game. I know that that one turnover
probably you know, helped make it a little closer than
(02:13):
it should have been. But still I believe in this
team long term. I'm willing to kind of invest in them.
Maybe maybe two's a little high. I was prepared to
move the Eagles ahead of them a little Monday night
game got in the way there, So that was a
little bit of a last minute freak out there where
I thought, all right, I'll leave them be. I'll put
them at the number two spot. I'll take the heat
that comes with it. I still think long term, this
(02:35):
team's gonna figure it out. They had some issues in
early October last year. They're having them a little sooner
this year. Consider me unworried, Mike. I'm sticking with them
for now.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Okay, So just macro vision of how you do these rankings,
it seems like you're still future casting for San Francisco
squad and it's not necessarily about where they sit right now.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yeah, I'm sorry, but there's gonna be a little bit
of a weighted system for teams like the Niners, and
even like the Ravens, who will get to later in
the show. Who I didn't throw down the rankings twenty
spots because they're row and two. So if you've built
up a reputation and you have the same coaching staff
in the same core in place, and you start slowly,
I'm not going to throw you in the trash because
you have a proven track record, and that to me matters. Now, look,
(03:17):
that's not to say that the Saints or somebody like that,
you know, can't keep moving up with wins, or the
Buccaneers or somebody like that. But when there's a team
that has that record like the Chiefs who almost blew it,
like the forty nine ers who lost, like the Ravens
who are row and two, we're gonna give them a
little bit of a benefit of the doubt.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
In that case, well, I'm glad you bring up the
Bucks because they score a giant win against the Lions, who.
I'm sure that watching the film this week has got
to be a little tough here one touchdown in seven
trips inside that red zone.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Hutchinson was terrific with four and a half sacks.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You know, and once again, I mean, you look at
these rankings, you make a case maybe the buck should
be in front of the Lions. That's not how you
have it, but why the line's just a two spot drop.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
Yeah. Another team that I think from really the midpoint
of the twenty twenty two season showed that they, you know,
are one of the better teams, if not one of
the best. But the first two weeks, let's face it,
they left points on the board. Jared Goff hasn't been great.
They let Baker Mayfield get after him early. Defense was
actually pretty good after a certain point, but they've got
to find ways to get in the end zone. You know.
(04:18):
Ben Johnson turns down a head coaching opportunity to return
to Detroit and get this thing done. Some of it
is on golf, some of it is on his receivers
and protection. But right now it's just a little bit
of a disconnect. And I thought they would finish that
game off Sunday against Tampa. I just couldn't get it done. Again.
Another team that I feel like I've kind of bought
into a little bit in terms of long term investment,
(04:40):
but short term some stuff to work out, no doubt. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Look, they got a tough trip now on the road,
and yes, I said tough trip against the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
We'll talk about the Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
One of those teams for Eric that is rising Monday
night football boyle boy.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
A late game collapse again.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
They've had four of these games over the course of
the last tool this season and then last season where
they have a lead with two minutes to go here,
but yet you only have the Eagles dropping two spots
to six. It sounds like not too much panic here
without aj Brown.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Yeah, I mean the Brown loss for a couple of weeks,
I think they can manage. They managed it last night, right,
I mean Siquon Barkley outside of the third Town drop
had a really good game. DeVante Smith came up with
some big catches. Dallas Goddard was ignored most of the game,
and then you know, came up big late. So you know,
you look at this. Was it a play calling thing, No,
it was the right call if they had it. Was
(05:28):
it a drop yeah? Was it a flukey thing? Absolutely?
I still feel like they probably should have gone for
it on fourth down and run some more clock off
or run the ball there and then run it again
on fourth. The field goal ended up doing nothing. So, yeah,
this is a team that has found ways to lose
games that they probably shouldn't and that was an issue
that you know, kind of plagued me with them all
(05:49):
you last year. Even if they were you know, ten
and one at one point, there was still that doubt
because of games like this. So this one is going
to be hard to swallow over a ninety nine percent
chance to win it according to next Gen Stats when
they had when they lined up for that third down
place kind of wild to see it happen in front
of the Lincoln Financial Field crowd, and yeah, it was
(06:09):
a church quiet after that one.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, they're not the only really good team in the
NFL that has issues closing. The Baltimore Ravens one of
those squads, and we'll talk about the Ravens coming up
in just a bit here. Meanwhile, the Chargers, Hello, I
don't even know if we've seen this team at the
peak of their powers right now, but the one thing
that we knew heading into the season it was going
to look a lot different. It has and it's run
the football, run the football and run the football.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Yeah, I mean Jim Harbaugh basically said on day one
what he was gonna do, and we all said, well, okay,
sure he's got justin Herbert. You know, he's got a
good pass blocking a line. But he's done exactly what
he said he would do. And you know, the identity
of this team has completely changed, and all the defensive
laps is you know, haven't added up the way they
did last year. Not perfect, but Sunday was an easy
(06:54):
chair game. You know, they really took control early, made
life heck for Bryce Young and sort of put it in
an auto drive a little bit. The competition will raise
There's no doubt these two games were not their most
challenging too on the schedule, But I like what I've seen.
Herbert looks a little bit more comfortable and JK. Dobbins
is sort of a founder resurgence here. You just hope
(07:14):
it's gonna last because he's had such an injury plague season.
But so impressed with the early performance of the defense.
Love the direction of the team right now, and yeah,
they're flying high for now. Even if they do have
some words.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Yeah you mentioned levin Lock being competition, they will hit
the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, it is time
for our future champions and taking a closer look at
the standings and in the NFC South and the odds
to win this look the Saints. I'm not surprised that
they're sitting there at the top. I think there's a
real case for the Bucks. And don't look now, but
the Atlanta Falcons with the road win in Philadelphia, I
(07:46):
think they're in the mix.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
The point is.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
This is a log jam here. I like the Saints
coming off of Week one. Apparently now you've we had
room on the train, and I get that, but you
really like them now. This is a massive jump sixteen
spots into the top ten at eight.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Mike, we have set a power rankings record, at least
under my watch. Right my predecessor, I'm sure has had
a few that exceeded that, but I could deny it
no longer. You beat Carolina at home in Week one,
Bully for you, that's great, good job. You beat Dallas
in Dallas, a place where they or they'd won sixteen
straight regular season games, A whole different story. And Mike,
(08:21):
this wasn't a floky game. Anyone who watched it knows.
Tom Brady knows. The Saints got after them early. Their
big play percentage is super high. Their efficiency has been amazing.
Derek Carr hasn't thrown forty passes, but he's probably the
league's best passer statistically right now. Look it off. Alvin
Kamaras Juice is back in his legs. He's got five
touchdowns this season. So everything has worked perfectly with Clint
(08:44):
Kubiak's offense. The defense has not been an issue whatsoever.
And boy Talise fuuaga in that offensive line, what a
question was coming into the season and what an afterthought
it is now because they've been paving the way up front,
really hasn't been a problem. I'm sure they'll hit static
at some point. But here's a number for you. My
three teams and history have crossed the ninety point mark
(09:06):
through two games. The seventy one Cowboys, the two thousand
and nine Saints, and now this year's Saints. First two
teams won the Super Bowl. Guess where the Super Bowl
is this year? New Orleans, baby. So I'm just saying
it's kind of lining up to where, if it is
indeed a special season, the final game will be in
their hometown.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
You know, I'm going to be asking you to reference
that stat throughout the course of the season. I'm starting
to get higher and hire on this Saints team as
we move closer to really the goblin of the season. Meanwhile,
there's an zero and two team that's still sitting in
the top ten.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Find out who that is.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
It's coming up next on NFL Power Rankings. Welcome back
to NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. This is a
look at teams nine through sixteen according to Eric and yes,
you got a Ravens squad O wing two for the
first time since twenty fifteen.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
They sit at number nine.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Number ten the Packers, who needs Jordan Love right, Milake
Willis watched.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
His backfield run. Wild's Number eleven.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It's the Cowboys, a stunning defeat at home. Meanwhile, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers four straight years now they are off
to a two and h start and they are in
the twelfth position. At thirteen, it's the New York Jets
who scored that first win of the year.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
It's on the road against the Titans.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
At fourteen, the Steelers also still perfect on the year
at two and zero. The Vikings only at fifteen after
taking out San Francisco, who Eric still has at number two,
and at sixteen it is the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow,
by the way, one and nine in weeks one and.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Two in his career.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
Just a really odd stat that I was in to
dig up. All right, Ravens nine zero to two. I'm
I'm not worried, but I don't like this if I'm
a Ravens fan.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Talk to a friend of mine who's a Ravens fan
in Baltimore the other day and he said, the vibes
are a little bit ugly right now. And I get why, right.
I mean, it's not just the oh and two record,
it's kind of how those games have unfolded. It felt
like the Ravens had a great opportunity to win both,
especially Sunday, giving up some plays to Devonte Adams and
Gardner Minshew, the Ravens slayer. He went in there last
(11:10):
year and beat them with the Colts did the same
thing Sunday with a great fourth quarter. But you know,
you look at eleven penalties, a deflected ball off for
shod Bateman's hands for a pick. It just felt like
there were a lot of flukey things that worked against them.
And I'm like you, I haven't panicked yet. I'm not
saying to bury this team. I don't think they're dead
and gone. And just look at the AFC North Mic.
(11:30):
I mean, you know, the Bengals are struggling, the Browns
are kind of going sideways. It's hard to know exactly
where these teams sit right now. Steelers look pretty good,
but what are we rating those wins? So I'm still
saying the Ravens are the you know, the champs of
this group until further notice.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, we'll get to the Steelers here in just a moment.
I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
The way this division is going to shake out with
two teams like Cincinnati and Baltimore sitting at owen two,
this race during the season is going to be an
absolute juggernaut.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
You know, Eric at eleven, they didn't just lose, they
got absolutely throttled at home against the Saints team, who,
by the way, you have the top ten right now.
But I just I don't know what to make of
dak in the squad.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah, you know, a statement Week one victory followed by
a dud at home and that's the danger of Week two.
We sit in this sort of delicate place where team's
identities haven't been defined, and you know they teams are
allowed bad games, right, No, they lost to the Arizona
Cardinals last year I think in what Week three on
the road, and it was kind of a flukey game
at least as far as how most of the regular
(12:31):
season went. So do we chalk that up as this
or the Saints truly among those elite teams and they
don't stack up head to head. You couple this with
the loss of Jordan Love and the Packers and the playoffs.
That's too straight. They've lost now at home, and so
have they lost their edge? I don't know, but there's
something a little off now all of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
You know what the worst part is from a Dallas perspective,
we think they're a good team.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
I don't know if that's necessarily a case.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Right, Like the last couple of seasons here they're beating
up on the bad teams in the NFL and then
the good ones they're struggling with. So it's hard to
really gauge where they should sit. Top half of the
league makes sense. Eleven, maybe a touch high, especially when
I look at the Buccaneers one spot behind him, Tampa Bay.
I think they got better wins. Right, Well, clearly they
have better wins because the road went against Detroit. Any
consideration of maybe having Tampa Bay in front.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Of Dallas, yeah, they were. All these teams were all
kind of real close. There was this group at the
top where you know, we had the Chiefs and you
know a few other teams that you feel like belonged
in there, and then there was this drop off to
this next group and that included Tampa Bay. And you know,
what they did Sunday shouldn't be overlooked at all. It
was a break game performance by Baker. You see him
scrambling with his legs. He made some big throws too.
(13:37):
The offense definitely slowed down in the second half. I
don't know that Detroit's a fantastic defense, but the point
is they won the game. They made more plays than
Detroit did and that's ultimately what matters. They dragged that
secondary in there and somehow got out alive. But I
want to see them be a little bit more productive.
I still don't know if it's a great division. Hard
to say. It does feel like it's a little better
(13:58):
than people thought. But give them one more week and
then and then we'll see if we can crack the
top eight.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
If they win again, we have Denver, so they got
a good opportunity to go and do that. They did
move up four spots, so it's not like he didn't
love them up, but as sitting at twelve, I don't know.
I think there's an argument they should have been a
touch higher. Meanwhile, the Steelers they're at fourteen. Okay, they
got one touchdown, one offensive touchdown so far this team.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I don't know what to make of this team's offense.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Yeah, I don't either, and it sounds like Justin Fields
is going to get another shot this This calf injury
has been lingering for Russell Wilson. I mean, they have
two road wins right in a big test coming up
against the Chargers. I think kind of a measuring stick
for both of those teams, and you know that'll help
sort our rankings out the more of these head to
head matchups between teams in the top half teams in
(14:44):
the bottom half. And so look, you know, their defense
has been really good. They've led what eight scoring drives,
nine scoring drives they've gotten position. It's been a lot
of field goals, not enough touchdowns. As Fields gets more comfortable,
though he may not give this job back if he
keeps playing. I would argue moderately well, not amazingly, but
fairly well. And you beat a Falcons team at home
(15:06):
that looked pretty good on Monday night.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yeah, that was a quarterback competition that went to the
bitter end. I mean to the end of the end
of the preseason before Mike Tomlin decided to make that announcement,
and it was supposed to be Russell Wilson but banged
up right now, Well, Eric, one team whose offense were
not worried about are the Vikings.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It's time for power moves.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
As Minnesota moves up five spots to fifteen, they do
move up five spots for you, Eric, I gotta tell you.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
To love it.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Just took out the number two team in your rankings,
in the San Francisco forty nine ers, And I know
they throttled the Giants in week number one and the
GM Unfortunately for the fans like myself, they're not a
great football team. But this squad, this Vikings team, has
looked really good.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Yeah. The disrespect tour just keeps rolling on, doesn't it? Right, Mike,
and I hear people like it. People say, how do
you not have teams like the Bucks and Vikings in
your top fifteen, your top twelve, you know, your top ten?
Keep moving them up the rankings the way they looked,
and I think that it's fair to point out, but
Jordan Addison banged up, Justin Jefferson banged up. You know,
(16:05):
still have a small track record on Sam Donald. As
strong as he looked and as confident as he looked
on Sunday. Love what I saw out of Brian Flora's defense.
Think they had a really good game plan, good execution.
Still need to see a little bit more. And you know,
they face a good Houston team. If they beat them
or stand toe to toe with them next week, I
think I'll have a lot more evidence to say, yes,
this team can win with Donald, this coaching staff is excellent,
(16:29):
and they'll find ways to replace those injured players.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Well, one of the other dramatic moves and it went
the wrong way the Cincinnati Bengals. They dropped six spots.
They're sitting oh into right now on the season. I
don't know, man, I still think They're a really good
football team, and if you would have said to me, hey,
are they a top ten team? You can't make the
argument based off of the record right now, and you
certainly didn't. But I mean, I'd put them in that conversation.
(16:54):
I mean, it's a tough loss against Kansas City. They
should have won that, and if had they done that,
you would have had them in the top ten, right.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I'd have moved them up, or probably at least kept
them the same. Maybe I had them overrated in the
preseason and maybe had them too high after Week one's loss,
but you know, you see this team. You at least
saw the super Bowl potential in that club on Sunday. Yes,
they lost it with two horrific penalties, but they're the
ultimate Roarshack test. Do you look back and see the
history that you said, the one to nine start for Burrow,
(17:20):
the historic slow starts under Zach Taylor, or do you
look at the body of evidence that says by the
end of the season they usually figure it out when
Burrow's healthy. So that's kind of what I'm betting on.
I thought they looked like a top half team, and
like you said, on their best day, I think they're
absolutely in the top ten.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
You know the worst part about this if you're a
Bengals fan, you didn't get the win in Week one
that everyone thought you were going to get against the Patriots,
and now you're sitting at zero to two. At worst
case scenario, you thought you were a one to one
football team and you lose a close one against the
Super Bowl champs.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
You say, oh, okay, cool, like we're still there.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
There's some questions around this squad in that division, which
we highlighted already here on Power Rankings.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
It is going to be interesting to watch.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Meanwhile, they're on the short list of maybe the best
win of week number two.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Where's the Atlanta Falcon sid in the rankings?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
The answer to that is coming up next. All right,
let's hit teams seventeen through twenty four on Eric's rankings.
Not a huge surprise that the Dolphins drop, but they
fall eight spots to his injuries certainly looming large. The
Browns are at eighteen. The defense is still looking good
at nineteen. The Seahawks they escape with an overtime win
(18:27):
against the Patriots. They got out rushed one eighty five
to forty six, and yes, I know Kenneth Walker wasn't playing.
The Falcons are at twenty, the Bears at twenty one.
I'm starting to feel bad for Caleb Williams considering the
amount of hits that he took. The Cardinals Hello easily
handled the Rams at twenty two. The Jags at twenty three.
Anthony Richardson can't turn the football over three interceptions and
(18:47):
they fall to twenty four. All right, the Falcons up
three spots here. I think there's an argument top three
win of the weekend, getting it done or not the weekend.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
It was a Monday night game of the week.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Just because it's a Philadelphia win, and the way that
they have looked, You're starting to buy this stock a
little bit.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Say it's the biggest Falcons win and in a couple
of years at least. Right, this was exactly what they needed,
and this is why they went out and got Kirk
Cussins early in the night. You know, his passes are
coming up short, losing some steam. Didn't look like his
legs were into it. Was he even healthy. All the
Michael Pennix talks started on Twitter, and then this last
drive Kirk Captain Kirk ran them down the field before
(19:24):
the Eagles even had a chance to adjust. No pass rush,
by the way, where was it Philly, I don't know,
but big plays from the wide receivers. They had to
get Drake Lonimore involved. All he does is catch the
game winning touchdown pass, but early on the offensive line,
the run game, defense all kept him in the game
and gave them a chance to come back and pull
off that stunner.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah. Look, I do Monday Night Football the post game
on NFL Network.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
When I tell you down the stretch there, I.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Mean, I think it was six plays, seventy yards and
a bucko six something along those lines.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
I mean, phenomenal job by Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
This is why they paid that dude to all the
money that he got this offseason. At twenty two, I'm
actually happy we get to love up the Arizona Cardinals here.
They hung tough and we one against the Bills. They
lost that game, but huge when and they looked like
a juggernaut offensively against the Rams.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Kyler Murray is having a terrific start to the season.
I don't know if everyone's caught on. Maybe if you
got him on your fantasy club, Maybe if you live
out in Glendale or that part of the country. But
let me tell you, he looked fantastic on Sunday. They
got Marvin Harrison Junior involved right away, right all four catches,
all one hundred and thirty yards, both touchdowns, all in
the first nine minutes of the game. So it was
incredible after his sort of slow debut and a rough
(20:34):
start to his season. But you know, they have James
Connor in the run game, they have the tight end
of McBride. You know, the offensive line was really opening
holes in the run game. And defensively, Mike, this team
has taken it on the chin the last year plus.
But that was Jonathan Gannon's best defensive performance by his
club Sunday, even if it came against the beat up
RAMS team. I was very impressed. I love the momentum
(20:55):
of this team and I can't wait to see where
they end up.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
Yeah, Marvin Harrison putting a smile on every fantasy owner's face,
because I think there was a little concern coming off
of Week over one, but in it early, I mean,
in that first half, he was ridiculous. You mentioned the Rams.
As we get through the rest of the rankings here
they check in at twenty five. Look, they're the walking wound.
Did they drop eleven spots? They get healthy? I'm sure
we're going to have a different conversation. The Raiders are
at twenty six. The Patriots. Maybe they're tougher than we think.
(21:19):
They're the twenty seventh ranked team, The Commanders at twenty eight.
The Titans. Will Levis continues to cough up the football.
They're twenty nine at number thirty, the Broncos. Bonnick still
trying to figure it out. The Giants, oh my god, dude,
at thirty one, and then the Panthers. A lot of
changes there. We're not going to talk about the g
Men at this point.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
The Raiders.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
I think when you win against one of the best
teams in my mind in the NFL on the road
in their house, you deserve at least to be talked about.
The Raiders. That was an impressive win. Down in the
fourth quarter, it didn't matter. Minsheot just dealing.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
It might be their biggest win of the year. I mean,
I still have my questions about Gardner Minshew. Is he
the right guy for this offense. We'll find out. But
Sunday look great. You know, DeVante Adams is still here
for a reason too, and they made it the great
work of him. Week one not so hot, didn't think
they looked very good. Week two, second half it was
a different story. So they're in the right direction. But
(22:12):
for me, six of the eight quarters haven't quite looked right.
They've looked like a bottom eight team to me more
than they haven't. But they absolutely came through with a
huge win. Credit to Antonio Pierson. It wasn't looking great,
but when you topped the Ravens in Baltimore, you're doing
something right.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
One other note here, and I know we already talked
about Baltimore some of the issues defensively. I mean DeVante
Adams just was tearing them up in week number two
and we saw some breakdowns and you highlighted it last
week on the show against Kansas City. Just something to
track here from a Raiders or excuse me, from a
Ravens perspective. Panthers, maybe the most significant news. You're a
number one overall pick and you can't make it into
(22:49):
past two games into your sophomore season.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
What should we make of this? News?
Speaker 3 (22:53):
On Bryce Young getting bench with Carolina A.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Massive news story, no question about it, right anytime a
number one pick gets bench, it's a big story. But
when it happens this soon in his career, after hiring
the head coach who was supposedly there to fix him,
the guy who convinced David Tepper and Dan Morgan I
have a plan to make Bryce Young better. It hasn't happened.
It looks worse than last year somehow, And we're not
putting it all on Bryce, but there's something clearly off
(23:18):
with him, and you risk losing the locker room. Andy
Dalton very popular guy, and I think very you know,
a fishing guy. He can come in and step right in,
be ready to go. So this may be as much
about trying to save the locker room as it is
trying to fix Young or get him back on track,
because I don't know if he's getting his job back
anytime soon.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
I don't know how you go back to him. This
is starting to have like the injury will send him
type vibes. You're right, maybe it is an injury that
gets him another opportunity here, but I don't know if
we see him start in a catline uniform, and if
that is not the scenario, Heerrik, you're the best man
your entire rankings. You can die through him all on
NFL dot com. We will do it again in week
number three.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Thanks for watching.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
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