October 7, 2025 • 24 mins
On the latest Power Rankings Podcast, Mike Yam and Eric Edholm discuss Eric's newest rankings, and he explains why he pulled the Eagles from the #1 slot.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to a.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings along with Eric
heat Home Mike Am with You for a list of
every single team and where they spot. All I got
to do is check out NFL dot com before Eric
we get to the rankings here. So sort of wild
I didn't say Wilders. I don't want to oversell it,
but it is really significant. There was a trade. Cincinnati
has a new quarterback. I don't know what the most
interesting part of this story is, so I'll let you
(00:31):
take your pick. Is it the fact that Cincinnati traded
for a quarterback, Is it the fact that it's Joe Flacco?
Or is it the fact that we got to trade
inside the division?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
All three? Right?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
I guess you know, I guess the Bengals decided he
they needed a quarterback, be they needed a guy who
could beat Green Bay, their next opponent. That's the one
guy who's done it this season. So still trying to
make sense of this. I didn't think Flacco was going
to be the kind of guy who got traded this year.
But Brown's clearly moving Philip forward with Dylan Gabriel and
we'll see what Joe can do in Cincy.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, and by the way, from a Cleveland perspective, this
was the most talked about quarterback room in the NFL.
I think those conversations are not going anywhere now that
Flacco was gone and Shador Sanders slots up on the
depth chart. All right, let's get a closer look the
power rankings one through.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
Eight, and we have a change. The Detroit Lions sitting
at the top.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But we saw the Eagles and the Bills loose, so
they fall to two and three respectively. Tampa Bay, this
team just continues to win this sit four to one.
They move up three spots there in the fourth position. Seattle. Look,
I mean, this is this still dangerous team here. They
remain even at five, Green Bay sitting at six, and
we've got the Rams dropping three spots to the seventh
position and the Colts at eight.
Speaker 5 (01:37):
Time for power moves. It is presented by Energizer.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
All right, Eric, let's focus in on this number one
team in the Lions. I knew you were gonna have
to slot these guys in after we saw Philadelphia and
Buffalo go and lose. But Candidly speaking, I think even
if those teams had won the way, Detroit looks like
they really do warrant this top position.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
They do.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
But as I wrote in the power rankings this week,
you know, a theme seems to be and now that
we have no unbeaten teams left that everybody's got a
big question at the top. But when you have the
offensive firepower and also if the defensive prowess too of
the Lions, they're starting to make more plays on that
side of the ball. You could see it through the
first three quarter Sunday. You know this is a team
to be taken seriously. Even with some injuries Terry and
(02:20):
Arnold will find out how long he's out. David Montgomery
obviously part of that great running duo. He can also
throw a former high school quarterback there, so they still
have all that great offensive versatility, all that playmaking ability.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Wish they would have played a little bit better four
quarter game. Third quarter was.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
About where they peaked and then obviously let the Bengals
get back in it. But still think they were warranted
this week, and especially given that Buffalo and Philly both
lost at home.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Look, I know there's a lot of people that will
look at the final score and say that the Bengals
did get back into this game.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Here's what I would tell you.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I think in a lot of ways that team was
playing for their regular season slash postseason lives to stay afloat.
They were at home, so I'm not surprised that the
game maybe was a little bit tighter than most had anticipated.
But this is a huge matchup for them. Sunday Night Football,
they matchup against Kansas City. I think the Chiefs are
also in this really weird situation of going like, hey,
(03:13):
really good or we a team that's got some major
question marks.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
But we'll dissect that in just a bit here.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Meanwhile, the Eagles, Eric, this is a team that I
sit here and I go, there was drama.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
They were undefeated.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Now they lose, and they give up a pretty significant
run to the Broncos twenty one fourth quarter points, the
two point conversion from Denver's perspective late in that game,
onions from Sean Payton explain to me the level of
concern that you have for Philadelphia.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Well, when you have that kind of lead at home, right,
We're so used to seeing the Eagles sort of choke
opponents out with their run game, right, even the quick
passing game, Jalen Hurtz's improvisational skills, all those things. That's
death for a defense, right, But we didn't see that
happen on Sunday. We didn't see them hand off. I
believe they had nine handoffs in the game, and one
(03:59):
that wasn't negated by penalty at least came in the
second half. One one candoff to take one. He is
a pretty good back last time I check. I know
his long run of the year is something like sixteen
seventeen yards. The explosive place haven't been there. Maybe he's
a little more banged up than we're realizing at this point,
but that right there, the offensive lack of balance and opponents,
(04:22):
you know, sort of figuring that this is going to
be a pass heavy operation right now unless it's a
short yardage situation. You know, that's limiting them. And we've
seen him, Mike now three straight games and arguably four
out of five where they played pretty well for a
half and then all of a sudden, something happens in
the other one.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
It could be the first or the.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Second half, and so just not playing sixty minutes of
good football they're here for a reason. They're good, they're
they're really talented, the defending champs, they can turn this
thing around in a heartbeat. But right now we're starting
to see some identity questions that have cropped up for
a team that had locked in and sort of in
its nucleus, and it's DNA rather who.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They were, and they're getting away from it a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I fight this in my head because I'm with you
and you've had them as the best team in the
NFL on the show, you know, the first few weeks
of this season. There's a part of me it says, yeah,
they haven't hit that ceiling. But now I start asking, like,
are they number two because of the potential of what
they are as opposed to the reality. I know we
can go off of record and say they were undefeated,
but at the same time, they don't look as good.
(05:20):
Like I think this was an opportunity for you, Eric
to slop Buffalo in front of them.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I know the Bills had lost that game and they
lose to a Patriots team inside that division, but I
don't know. I think Buffalo just looks better just by
coming off of a lost in Philadelphia. Does But what's
your read right now on Josh Allen's crew, because I
think the story is maybe the Drake May and the
Patriots on the rise as opposed to Buffalo just not
handling business since Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I agree with you to a certain extent.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
But you can also look back at the Miami game,
which they ended up winning, and the New Orleans game,
which they ended up winning, where you know, as I
wrote this week, they kind of played with their food
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
They got away with it.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
They were able to win those games, endure, move on
that sort of thing. But against New England, even with
the Patriots get in the ball up a couple of
times early in the game, they weren't able to do that,
and there wasn't the same level of offensive productivity there were.
There were the turnovers that we really hadn't seen to
this point, including a you know, a bad Josh Allen
interception in the red zone. That's a that's a game
(06:18):
changer right there. So the defense is not able to
stop May in the fourth quarter, not able to get
that New England offense off the field at times. So yeah,
this is not the kind of you know, situation we're
talking about. With the Eagles, where you say, boy, you
know this is this is something that could really, you know,
be interesting for them, but it has sort of trended
the last few games where you'd expect a certain level
(06:42):
of dominance from them, and it's just not there right now.
So I agree this should be sort of more positive
for the Patriots that it is negative for Buffalo. But
I'm still a little bit worried about the total makeup. Again,
it's early and no team has really shown themselves to
be that clear cut number one, so they're right in
the mix.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Yeah, you're right, because I think Detroit, even with the
blemish on the resume. With Green Bay, I don't know
with the clear cut number one is. I think you
slot them correctly by the way. The Eagles, I know,
we talked about them. The Broncos get that win, the
Patriots get that win. We will focus on both of
those teams coming up here on power rankings. I am
smiling as I'm saying Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because man, they
(07:19):
are just fun to watch. I had said this to
one of our colleagues, Steve Whitch, the other day. I said, look,
the guy that Baker Mayfield took over was Tom Brady,
and I'm not saying it's the same, and I hate
to make this comp but in these late game situations
when Tom strode out onto the football field, they go, hey,
all good, They're going to figure it out. I have
the same vibe now with Baker Mayfield lighton ball games,
(07:39):
like there's Tom on the clock, They're going to figure
out a way to get it done.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
I'm a little shock mic that there hasn't been more. Again,
it's early in the season and all that. Who knows
that the Bucks can keep up this pace, but there
hasn't been enough Baker Mayfield MVP talk for my taste, right,
I want to see this guy get the love he deserves.
And you know, we think about all the hoops he's
had to jump through, the debacle in Cleveland, going to Carolina,
ending up in LA and then happen to win his
(08:04):
job up in Tampa in a tryout against Kyle Trask.
So that was all fairly recent stuff. He's now ascended
from that level. Most teams didn't want to sign him
as a free agent, too. Boy, he has proven himself
to be one of the most competitive, hard nosed, clutch
quarterbacks in the NFL, and what else do we debate
about for MVP caliber, you know, credentials, that's the stuff
(08:26):
that we're going to want to see. So he's delivered
almost every time out. Came up a little short against
the Eagles, but otherwise it's been fantastic and doesn't really
matter who's out of the lineup.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
You know, he trusts a mecha buga.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
You know, he has these weapons that are you know,
not as well known that he's saying, I'm going to
throw you the same ball that I would have thrown
Mike Evans two weeks ago. So I love the confidence
from Baker and I love the confidence of this team
that give us a chance at a one score game
and we'll probably come out on top.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, this could be a tough test against a pretty
good Niners team coming up this week. By the way,
I covered a lot of college sports, college basketball, college football,
and they do like blind resumes, right, and you start
comparing teams. I'd love to do a blode resume of
Baker Mayfield and then just a bunch of other quarterbacks
and you're one hundred percent right, because if his name
was Maholmes or Allen or Jackson on the.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
Back of that jersey. We would be talking about him
for MVP.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
The Seahawks in an absolute shootout, one of the more
entertaining games of the weekend. What am I supposed to
make of this team? Because I know that there was
glimpses of this defense. We were loving them up where
there were some struggles here. But are you with me
and you say like, hey, I still am a believer
in Sam Donald and company?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Donald was terrific. Outside of the interception. It was a
crazy play too, write a glance at sort of the
perfect angle right to the defender. I'm not going to
kill a guy who had you know, three hundred and
seventy plus passing yards four touchdowns. I mean, he helped
keep them in it. He was as good as Bait
and Maker was for most.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Of the game. So you know, Jackson Smith and Jig.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
But that run game, I think the offensive formula is
pretty darn good right now. What worries me a little
bit was watching that game and seeing how many open
receivers there were for the Bucks just streaking through the secondary.
That's not something we'd really seen previously to that, you know,
against the Seahawks. Sure they've given up some yards but
not a ton, and that defense had made strides. So
(10:10):
just is that a one week blip? Was it the
caliber of opponent or is it something else that we
have to worry about. It is their second home loss, too,
so again, you know it's early in the season. I mean,
that's sort of something you take note of and file
away for a later date. But I thought about dropping them.
We'll see what happens at this big game at Jacksonville
next week. But I still think they're pretty darn good.
(10:31):
Maybe not number five good, but that's kind of what
their resume is speaking to me right now. And have
my questions about all these guys, but at some point
you have to sort of file.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Them in and figure out where they stack up.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Look, I can tell just based off of this position
that you still are a believer in this team. This
is a tougher game that I think I would have
anticipated just two days ago against Jacksonville. I saw from
them on Monday night, and this confidence that I think
they get from a win against the Kansas City Chiefs,
this is gonna be a tough test for them. The
Rams they drop three spots for you, I get it.
(11:04):
I guess supposed to lose a game like that. I mean,
San Francisco is banged up right now. The Niners seemed
to just have the Rams' number that game SOFI Stadium, Like,
I don't, how do you explain this? Like they were
on paper they're the better football team.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
I point to two positions right now that concern me
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
One is kicker. Right.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
We know a couple of years ago Sean McVay had
all the kicking issues.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
They had two different guys.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
They were kind of, you know, trying to figure out
how they were going to play it and ended up
kind of hurting.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
The team and costing them wins. I think McVeigh wants
to do everything possible to avoid that situation.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
That's where they are right now with Joshua Carty, you know,
not enough consistency for them that obviously hurt him in
the game.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
But also the running back situation.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
You know, Blake Korham can't handle the early toss, Kyen
Williams is going into the end zone, loses the football.
You remember he had some fall security issues in middle
of last season as well. So you know, there's a
lot of good and as Sean said after the game,
we had plenty of chances to win the game. I
just keep remembering that because that's what I wrote in
my notes. I said they should be winning, they should
(12:04):
be taking this game over at this point. It didn't happen.
You got to credit the Niners for an incredible effort.
But those are the kind of games. And the Philly
loss as well, one they kind of controlled for the
most part. They let those things slip away, and it
just makes you wonder. You know, they could have lost
that game to the Texans in Week one. It took
a late turnover to kind of bail them out. So
they're playing with fire a little bit. That just worries
(12:25):
me a tiny bit.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, look, there's a lot of these teams that are
playing with fire, and like Tampa Bay would be a
good example why the games are falling in their favor.
The Denver Broncos, for example, Like they've been kind of
split here. But I'm glad you bring up that Philly
lost for them, because it's another one.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
At the end of the season.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
McVeigh and company will be like, bro, like we had
that one on the road, and then you're gonna look
at this Niners one and say, like what's going on here.
It's just something to think about rams and a get
right situation on the road against Baltimore. I can't believe
those words just came out of my mouth that the
Ravens obviously are banged up. I made reference to the Broncos.
What a finish in Philadelphia? Where do they sit in
the power rankings? That answer is coming up next back
(13:08):
here on Power Right Games on LAE with Eric at home.
I am I'm with you, and this is Eric's teams
nine through sixteen. It's the Commanders, Broncos, and jag sitting
at nine, ten and eleven. At twelve Kansas City coming
off of a loss on Monday Night Football, they dropped
three spots to the twelfth position.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
The Niners just continue to find ways to win.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
They move up two spots to thirteenth. The Chargers they
drop to fourteen, and then it's the Steelers and Vikings at.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Fifteen and sixteen.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
All right, Jane and Daniels comes back into the lineup
for the Commanders. They get a win against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
A win is a win.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I'm not trying to story this and make excuses. Charge
is pretty banged up right now? You still saw enough
from a Commander's perspective to say, hey, they deserved him
sit in the top ten.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I was the only guy in NFL media who actually
picked the Commanders to win, So, you know, I think
I look at it that way, like, hey, I was impressed.
I thought Jayden Daniels I didn't know what to expect
out him in the first quarter or so. He really
wasn't getting the footing right, switch cleats. Everything was good.
But Washington's defense too. I know you mentioned the Chargers
are banged up. There's no question their offensive lines in
(14:10):
bad shape, but they continue to make huge plays on
this side of the ball. They were really three big ones.
Quintin Johnson's fumble in the first half, a bad roughing
penalty on the Chargers at the end of the first half,
and then that one right there.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Mikey say was still picking off Herbert.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
But when you can finish the game in style like this,
toss up a little lollipop to Deebo Samuel, life is
good again. And so I think the Commanders got knocked
down rightfully. So with Dane was being out, they lost
the game.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
He's back now.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
He looked terrific, and I just felt like there was
an r around this team that we hadn't seen really
since probably last season, but maybe in Week one, and
just seeing them regain it a little bit made me think,
I think this team's gonna move up even more at
some point.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Like we go international with our next team, and that's
the Denver Broncos, who head to London this weekend a
matchup against the Jets, which you can catch on NFL Network.
They move up two spots. I'm looking at some of
my notes here. This is a team that has lost
their two games by four total points. A couple walk
off field go they get a win in Philadelphia. This
was a dramatic come back win in that fourth quarter.
(15:10):
I think the Broncos are legit. And once again we're
talking about a play here or there from talking about
an undefeated football team.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Yeah, I'd love to see them kind of get rid
of the slow starts a little bit. We saw Knicks
kind of hesitant at times.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
But boy did he light it up.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Started using his legs a little in the third quarter,
got some things going, and then found his rhythm as
a passer. I think it was nine to ten for
one hundred and twenty four yards. In the fourth alone
had the two point conversion two That was a beautiful throw.
So look, everything was firing for them. They figured out
the Seagulls defense, but it did take them a while.
I love what the Broncos Steed does. Sacks were there
all game. Hurts might have run into a few, but
(15:45):
the pressure was there. Coverage could be a little better,
and again just not putting themselves in holes. But when
you have the kind of fight and I think execution
that they showed in the second half, you know this
so Broncos team that preseasons some people thought maybe they're
the NFC westa our AFC West favorites, maybe they can
overcome the Chiefs. See right now they're ahead of them
(16:06):
looking pretty good.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
I would say, yeah, I think there was some I
don't want to say concerned, but people talked about Bonnicks
when he got drafted and say, hey, in a Denver
reach for him, and Champagne's like, no, he was my
guy the whole time. If that is the case, and
I'll take him out his word. They know what they're
doing in terms of scounting, because bon Nis is a
real dude and has been very impressive in these first
couple campaigns. You mentioned Denver's defense, which has been pretty good.
(16:27):
The team right now leading the NFL in terms of takeaways.
Devin Lloyd, by the way, four interceptions by himself that
also leads the NFL. The Jags in prime time they
beat Kansas City. To me, this is a confidence building
game where I start to say, hey, they've been able
to manage just some lesser moments from their offense so
far this season to get some of these wins.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I'm kind of liking this team.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Absolutely, especially when you consider Liam Cohen's expertise is on
the offensive side. They're going to find better ways to
get Travis Hunter of the ball. We saw the big
play from him, Parker Washington made a great play here
on the touchdown, you know, and just the inconsistency we
saw from Laurence throwing the football. There were some spectacular throws,
especially on that final drive.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Obviously the touchdown run.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
We're gonna watch this one for years and laugh at
how many seconds tick off the clock while he was
down there.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But incredible play.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Obviously, his legs did a lot of the heavy lifting
Sunday night, and you saw some fight and some spirit.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Didn't love how.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
He managed certain situations, taking a sack late, taking a
delay of game, But boy, when you can make some
big time plays like that, it makes up for it.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And you're right.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Defensively, the takeaways been a huge part of their equation.
And this team is just absolutely rolling with confidence, and
like the Bucks, they're just fun to watch, Mike. I mean,
every time I turn them on, I'm like something's happening
with them. And that's a good sign right there.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Three total touchdowns for Trevor Lawrence, two on the ground
on his twenty sixth birthday, and Devin Lloyd is about
to get paid this offseason for what he has been
able to accomplish at that linebacker spot. All right, time
for future champions. It is presented by fan Duel eric.
I do want to get your take on the NFC
West and the odds here to go and win. You
(18:05):
got the Niners still the favorite at negative one twenty,
the Rams right behind him at plus one ninety, Seattle
at plus four to eighty now for nothing, pretty good
value there, and the Arizona Cardinals that's had some issues
at plus three thousand, three hundred. The Niners, though, on
your rankings, they move up two spots and are sitting
now at thirteenth. How good of a job is Kyle
(18:27):
Shanahan orchestrating right now on the sidelines for this team,
considering all of the injuries that continue to mount up.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean I've had a
lot of people say, hey, why why so low? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Shouldn't they be higher? Shouldn't they be above a two
to three team like the Chiefs. I understand part of
why I've held back is because they've been so ravaged
by injury, whether it's you know, obviously the playmakers.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
There, the quarterback party.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
You know, Mac Jones has done a fantastic job in
his place, but even he got banged up and we
weren't sure he was going to be able to finish
that game Thursday, So I keep having the hedge a
little bit. But when you have players like Kendrick Bourne
who can step up Mac Jones, so obviously some of
the other parts, Tan just at tight end has been great.
But again it comes back to Kyle Shanahan knowing how
(19:08):
to employ these guys, and I think he does as
good a job as anybody in the league. When he's
got a backup quarterback or when he's in one of
these situations where you know he's got to alter the plan.
That's when Kyle's genius really seems to come out. Christian McCaffrey,
we know they're going to ride him till the wheels
fall off, and he's so good for him, But there's
a lot more lurking here, and I just wonder if
(19:29):
they're gonna going to be punished at some point for
all their injuries, but right now they're holding for him.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Yeah. I did an interview in the Bay Area and
they had asked me, hey, like, do you think there's
a quarterback controversy here with Mac Jones getting all these wins.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
I said, hey, man, I got to pump the brakes
breaks on that. Still it is still Brock Berdie's team.
We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
But if Brock doesn't play this weekend and we're talking
about Mac Jones and he gets a win on the
road against Tampa Bay, I think on my call the
radio station revisits that convo. Meanwhile, I know we were
loving up the Patriots after a huge win. We're going
to focus in on them, not to mention this Dallas
Cowboys team, a closer look at Dak company after just
handling the Jets, But really, in my mind, that Patriots
team is legit. Drake May looking pretty strong. Where did
(20:11):
they sit on the rankings? That's coming up next. Back
here on Power Rankings along with Eric at home, Mike
Am with you. Eric's team seventeen through twenty four. The
Texans hole, let's go, starting to win, moving up four
spots to seventeen. The Patriots also flashing at eighteen. It's
the Bears, Cowboys and Falcons at nineteen, twenty and twenty
one the Ravens. The free fall continues, dropping six spots.
(20:34):
They are a one to four football team, sitting at
twenty second, the Cardinals at twenty three, in the Carolina
Panthers at twenty four. All right, the Patriots, they move
up the five spots. Can you just just love up
Drake May and company? Because that was an impressive win
for him on Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It was he was, you know, kind of struggling earlier.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
You know, he was taking some sacks, he was feeling
the pressure, and then the second half came and he
really showed why he's one of the bright young stars
in this League at the quarterback position, and you know
they are always comparing him to Josh Allen, Josh Junior,
whatever you want to call him. I thought he outplayed
Josh in the fourth quarter. I mean, he made some
big time throws. Obviously, step On Diggs coming back to
I mark this one was personal for him. So we'll
(21:12):
see if he can continue that kind of production throughout
the season. But he looked like a number one receiver
and that was one of the issues I had with
this team. Did they have a go to target? Was
May able to make those plays that he made Sunday night?
We saw it, KENNI continue. I don't know, but you
know those mistakes from the first quarter were erased and
they really played some good football towards the end there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I just love the fact that a national audience got
to watch drink May because I don't think people realize
what's been happening in New England and the strength that
he's got. I was hat tip respect there, Cowboys. They
move up two spots. I look at this Dallas team,
Ceedee Lamb's have been banged up.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Dak and company.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Man, like I get it, record wise, like not like
the Premier teams.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
But Dak's playing like an MVP.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Yeah, he's been fantastic, and I hope people realize that too,
Almost like Joe Burrow last year, right stuck on a
team with a tough record, playing elite level quarterback.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Now, granted it's the Jets have the factor that in.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
They've been struggling to only Winley's steam left, but controlled
this game throughout, really took it to him early on.
You know, I love the confidence in Ryan Illinoy and
other receivers like that doesn't have to be George Pickens
every single time when Lamb's out. You know, Javonte Williams
running the football well defensively, give Maddie Refleuce a little
credit given who they have right now. Even with the Jets,
(22:27):
I thought they played really well on that side. So
you know that Bears game is almost the aberration now.
They've been competitive in every single game except that one.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Twenty one to three was the score at one point
for the Cardinals.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
They lose. What am I supposed to do with this team?
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Figure out a way not to fumble the ball one
inch outside the end zone to Murray Deboncardo. I mean,
especially after Adni Mitchell did it for the Colts last week.
We saw how disastrous that was. Please, we need to
get this play out of the league. It's it has
no place right when you consider that and then the
interception that was dropped and then recovered by the Titans
in the end zone. The Arizona Cardinals are finding new
(23:05):
inventive ways to find the most painful loss as possible.
They almost did it against the Carolina Panthers. They certainly
did it against the Niners in San Francisco after a safety.
Losing That game was tough. This one about eight times tougher.
How does this play happen? I don't even understand, but
it did. Tyler Lockett and there earned his stripes, and
kim Ward looked pretty darn good in the fourth.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Quarter interception, fumble, touchdown all in one play. Absolutely wilds
teams twenty five through thirty two. The Saints, the Titans
get that win that we just talked about. They rise
six spots. Cincinnati we mentioned that trade. Joe Flacco now
in Cincinnati after getting traded from Cleveland. The Giants, the Browns, Miami,
(23:46):
the Raiders, and the Jets close out the rankings. The Saints,
they do move up those five spots. Can we just
just say, hey, Spencer zero for ten coming into this game.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Job well done, and get your first NFL win.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I wish he could have gotten on his birthday last week.
Wasn't able to get the Trevor Lawrence birthday party. But
he's played well. One turnover, he's getting used in as athleticism,
throwing the ball over the field.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Give this guy a little credit, he deserves it. I
like the way Spencer Ratler's played this year.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Yeah, maybe Kellen Moore knew what he was doing, deciding
to give Spencer Rattler the rains and QB one status
of not Tyler Shack, who will eventually get his turn.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
Eric, you be the best man. Great job on Power Rankings.
We'll catch you guys next week.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
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 (00:09):
Welcome to a.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings along with Eric
heat Home Mike Am with You for a list of
every single team and where they spot. All I got
to do is check out NFL dot com before Eric
we get to the rankings here. So sort of wild
I didn't say Wilders. I don't want to oversell it,
but it is really significant. There was a trade. Cincinnati
has a new quarterback. I don't know what the most
interesting part of this story is, so I'll let you
(00:31):
take your pick. Is it the fact that Cincinnati traded
for a quarterback, Is it the fact that it's Joe Flacco?
Or is it the fact that we got to trade
inside the division?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
All three? Right?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
I guess you know, I guess the Bengals decided he
they needed a quarterback, be they needed a guy who
could beat Green Bay, their next opponent. That's the one
guy who's done it this season. So still trying to
make sense of this. I didn't think Flacco was going
to be the kind of guy who got traded this year.
But Brown's clearly moving Philip forward with Dylan Gabriel and
we'll see what Joe can do in Cincy.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, and by the way, from a Cleveland perspective, this
was the most talked about quarterback room in the NFL.
I think those conversations are not going anywhere now that
Flacco was gone and Shador Sanders slots up on the
depth chart. All right, let's get a closer look the
power rankings one through.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
Eight, and we have a change. The Detroit Lions sitting
at the top.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But we saw the Eagles and the Bills loose, so
they fall to two and three respectively. Tampa Bay, this
team just continues to win this sit four to one.
They move up three spots there in the fourth position. Seattle. Look,
I mean, this is this still dangerous team here. They
remain even at five, Green Bay sitting at six, and
we've got the Rams dropping three spots to the seventh
position and the Colts at eight.
Speaker 5 (01:37):
Time for power moves. It is presented by Energizer.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
All right, Eric, let's focus in on this number one
team in the Lions. I knew you were gonna have
to slot these guys in after we saw Philadelphia and
Buffalo go and lose. But Candidly speaking, I think even
if those teams had won the way, Detroit looks like
they really do warrant this top position.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
They do.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
But as I wrote in the power rankings this week,
you know, a theme seems to be and now that
we have no unbeaten teams left that everybody's got a
big question at the top. But when you have the
offensive firepower and also if the defensive prowess too of
the Lions, they're starting to make more plays on that
side of the ball. You could see it through the
first three quarter Sunday. You know this is a team
to be taken seriously. Even with some injuries Terry and
(02:20):
Arnold will find out how long he's out. David Montgomery
obviously part of that great running duo. He can also
throw a former high school quarterback there, so they still
have all that great offensive versatility, all that playmaking ability.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Wish they would have played a little bit better four
quarter game. Third quarter was.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
About where they peaked and then obviously let the Bengals
get back in it. But still think they were warranted
this week, and especially given that Buffalo and Philly both
lost at home.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Look, I know there's a lot of people that will
look at the final score and say that the Bengals
did get back into this game.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Here's what I would tell you.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I think in a lot of ways that team was
playing for their regular season slash postseason lives to stay afloat.
They were at home, so I'm not surprised that the
game maybe was a little bit tighter than most had anticipated.
But this is a huge matchup for them. Sunday Night Football,
they matchup against Kansas City. I think the Chiefs are
also in this really weird situation of going like, hey,
(03:13):
really good or we a team that's got some major
question marks.
Speaker 5 (03:15):
But we'll dissect that in just a bit here.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Meanwhile, the Eagles, Eric, this is a team that I
sit here and I go, there was drama.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
They were undefeated.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Now they lose, and they give up a pretty significant
run to the Broncos twenty one fourth quarter points, the
two point conversion from Denver's perspective late in that game,
onions from Sean Payton explain to me the level of
concern that you have for Philadelphia.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Well, when you have that kind of lead at home, right,
We're so used to seeing the Eagles sort of choke
opponents out with their run game, right, even the quick
passing game, Jalen Hurtz's improvisational skills, all those things. That's
death for a defense, right, But we didn't see that
happen on Sunday. We didn't see them hand off. I
believe they had nine handoffs in the game, and one
(03:59):
that wasn't negated by penalty at least came in the
second half. One one candoff to take one. He is
a pretty good back last time I check. I know
his long run of the year is something like sixteen
seventeen yards. The explosive place haven't been there. Maybe he's
a little more banged up than we're realizing at this point,
but that right there, the offensive lack of balance and opponents,
(04:22):
you know, sort of figuring that this is going to
be a pass heavy operation right now unless it's a
short yardage situation. You know, that's limiting them. And we've
seen him, Mike now three straight games and arguably four
out of five where they played pretty well for a
half and then all of a sudden, something happens in
the other one.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
It could be the first or the.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Second half, and so just not playing sixty minutes of
good football they're here for a reason. They're good, they're
they're really talented, the defending champs, they can turn this
thing around in a heartbeat. But right now we're starting
to see some identity questions that have cropped up for
a team that had locked in and sort of in
its nucleus, and it's DNA rather who.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
They were, and they're getting away from it a little bit.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I fight this in my head because I'm with you
and you've had them as the best team in the
NFL on the show, you know, the first few weeks
of this season. There's a part of me it says, yeah,
they haven't hit that ceiling. But now I start asking, like,
are they number two because of the potential of what
they are as opposed to the reality. I know we
can go off of record and say they were undefeated,
but at the same time, they don't look as good.
(05:20):
Like I think this was an opportunity for you, Eric
to slop Buffalo in front of them.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I know the Bills had lost that game and they
lose to a Patriots team inside that division, but I
don't know. I think Buffalo just looks better just by
coming off of a lost in Philadelphia. Does But what's
your read right now on Josh Allen's crew, because I
think the story is maybe the Drake May and the
Patriots on the rise as opposed to Buffalo just not
handling business since Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
I agree with you to a certain extent.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
But you can also look back at the Miami game,
which they ended up winning, and the New Orleans game,
which they ended up winning, where you know, as I
wrote this week, they kind of played with their food
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
They got away with it.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
They were able to win those games, endure, move on
that sort of thing. But against New England, even with
the Patriots get in the ball up a couple of
times early in the game, they weren't able to do that,
and there wasn't the same level of offensive productivity there were.
There were the turnovers that we really hadn't seen to
this point, including a you know, a bad Josh Allen
interception in the red zone. That's a that's a game
(06:18):
changer right there. So the defense is not able to
stop May in the fourth quarter, not able to get
that New England offense off the field at times. So yeah,
this is not the kind of you know, situation we're
talking about. With the Eagles, where you say, boy, you
know this is this is something that could really, you know,
be interesting for them, but it has sort of trended
the last few games where you'd expect a certain level
(06:42):
of dominance from them, and it's just not there right now.
So I agree this should be sort of more positive
for the Patriots that it is negative for Buffalo. But
I'm still a little bit worried about the total makeup. Again,
it's early and no team has really shown themselves to
be that clear cut number one, so they're right in
the mix.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Yeah, you're right, because I think Detroit, even with the
blemish on the resume. With Green Bay, I don't know
with the clear cut number one is. I think you
slot them correctly by the way. The Eagles, I know,
we talked about them. The Broncos get that win, the
Patriots get that win. We will focus on both of
those teams coming up here on power rankings. I am
smiling as I'm saying Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because man, they
(07:19):
are just fun to watch. I had said this to
one of our colleagues, Steve Whitch, the other day. I said, look,
the guy that Baker Mayfield took over was Tom Brady,
and I'm not saying it's the same, and I hate
to make this comp but in these late game situations
when Tom strode out onto the football field, they go, hey,
all good, They're going to figure it out. I have
the same vibe now with Baker Mayfield lighton ball games,
(07:39):
like there's Tom on the clock, They're going to figure
out a way to get it done.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
I'm a little shock mic that there hasn't been more. Again,
it's early in the season and all that. Who knows
that the Bucks can keep up this pace, but there
hasn't been enough Baker Mayfield MVP talk for my taste, right,
I want to see this guy get the love he deserves.
And you know, we think about all the hoops he's
had to jump through, the debacle in Cleveland, going to Carolina,
ending up in LA and then happen to win his
(08:04):
job up in Tampa in a tryout against Kyle Trask.
So that was all fairly recent stuff. He's now ascended
from that level. Most teams didn't want to sign him
as a free agent, too. Boy, he has proven himself
to be one of the most competitive, hard nosed, clutch
quarterbacks in the NFL, and what else do we debate
about for MVP caliber, you know, credentials, that's the stuff
(08:26):
that we're going to want to see. So he's delivered
almost every time out. Came up a little short against
the Eagles, but otherwise it's been fantastic and doesn't really
matter who's out of the lineup.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
You know, he trusts a mecha buga.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
You know, he has these weapons that are you know,
not as well known that he's saying, I'm going to
throw you the same ball that I would have thrown
Mike Evans two weeks ago. So I love the confidence
from Baker and I love the confidence of this team
that give us a chance at a one score game
and we'll probably come out on top.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, this could be a tough test against a pretty
good Niners team coming up this week. By the way,
I covered a lot of college sports, college basketball, college football,
and they do like blind resumes, right, and you start
comparing teams. I'd love to do a blode resume of
Baker Mayfield and then just a bunch of other quarterbacks
and you're one hundred percent right, because if his name
was Maholmes or Allen or Jackson on the.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
Back of that jersey. We would be talking about him
for MVP.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
The Seahawks in an absolute shootout, one of the more
entertaining games of the weekend. What am I supposed to
make of this team? Because I know that there was
glimpses of this defense. We were loving them up where
there were some struggles here. But are you with me
and you say like, hey, I still am a believer
in Sam Donald and company?
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Donald was terrific. Outside of the interception. It was a
crazy play too, write a glance at sort of the
perfect angle right to the defender. I'm not going to
kill a guy who had you know, three hundred and
seventy plus passing yards four touchdowns. I mean, he helped
keep them in it. He was as good as Bait
and Maker was for most.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Of the game. So you know, Jackson Smith and Jig.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
But that run game, I think the offensive formula is
pretty darn good right now. What worries me a little
bit was watching that game and seeing how many open
receivers there were for the Bucks just streaking through the secondary.
That's not something we'd really seen previously to that, you know,
against the Seahawks. Sure they've given up some yards but
not a ton, and that defense had made strides. So
(10:10):
just is that a one week blip? Was it the
caliber of opponent or is it something else that we
have to worry about. It is their second home loss, too,
so again, you know it's early in the season. I mean,
that's sort of something you take note of and file
away for a later date. But I thought about dropping them.
We'll see what happens at this big game at Jacksonville
next week. But I still think they're pretty darn good.
(10:31):
Maybe not number five good, but that's kind of what
their resume is speaking to me right now. And have
my questions about all these guys, but at some point
you have to sort of file.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Them in and figure out where they stack up.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Look, I can tell just based off of this position
that you still are a believer in this team. This
is a tougher game that I think I would have
anticipated just two days ago against Jacksonville. I saw from
them on Monday night, and this confidence that I think
they get from a win against the Kansas City Chiefs,
this is gonna be a tough test for them. The
Rams they drop three spots for you, I get it.
(11:04):
I guess supposed to lose a game like that. I mean,
San Francisco is banged up right now. The Niners seemed
to just have the Rams' number that game SOFI Stadium, Like,
I don't, how do you explain this? Like they were
on paper they're the better football team.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
I point to two positions right now that concern me
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
One is kicker. Right.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
We know a couple of years ago Sean McVay had
all the kicking issues.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
They had two different guys.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
They were kind of, you know, trying to figure out
how they were going to play it and ended up
kind of hurting.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
The team and costing them wins. I think McVeigh wants
to do everything possible to avoid that situation.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
That's where they are right now with Joshua Carty, you know,
not enough consistency for them that obviously hurt him in
the game.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
But also the running back situation.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
You know, Blake Korham can't handle the early toss, Kyen
Williams is going into the end zone, loses the football.
You remember he had some fall security issues in middle
of last season as well. So you know, there's a
lot of good and as Sean said after the game,
we had plenty of chances to win the game. I
just keep remembering that because that's what I wrote in
my notes. I said they should be winning, they should
(12:04):
be taking this game over at this point. It didn't happen.
You got to credit the Niners for an incredible effort.
But those are the kind of games. And the Philly
loss as well, one they kind of controlled for the
most part. They let those things slip away, and it
just makes you wonder. You know, they could have lost
that game to the Texans in Week one. It took
a late turnover to kind of bail them out. So
they're playing with fire a little bit. That just worries
(12:25):
me a tiny bit.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, look, there's a lot of these teams that are
playing with fire, and like Tampa Bay would be a
good example why the games are falling in their favor.
The Denver Broncos, for example, Like they've been kind of
split here. But I'm glad you bring up that Philly
lost for them, because it's another one.
Speaker 5 (12:38):
At the end of the season.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
McVeigh and company will be like, bro, like we had
that one on the road, and then you're gonna look
at this Niners one and say, like what's going on here.
It's just something to think about rams and a get
right situation on the road against Baltimore. I can't believe
those words just came out of my mouth that the
Ravens obviously are banged up. I made reference to the Broncos.
What a finish in Philadelphia? Where do they sit in
the power rankings? That answer is coming up next back
(13:08):
here on Power Right Games on LAE with Eric at home.
I am I'm with you, and this is Eric's teams
nine through sixteen. It's the Commanders, Broncos, and jag sitting
at nine, ten and eleven. At twelve Kansas City coming
off of a loss on Monday Night Football, they dropped
three spots to the twelfth position.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
The Niners just continue to find ways to win.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
They move up two spots to thirteenth. The Chargers they
drop to fourteen, and then it's the Steelers and Vikings at.
Speaker 5 (13:33):
Fifteen and sixteen.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
All right, Jane and Daniels comes back into the lineup
for the Commanders. They get a win against the Chargers.
Speaker 5 (13:39):
A win is a win.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
I'm not trying to story this and make excuses. Charge
is pretty banged up right now? You still saw enough
from a Commander's perspective to say, hey, they deserved him
sit in the top ten.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I was the only guy in NFL media who actually
picked the Commanders to win, So, you know, I think
I look at it that way, like, hey, I was impressed.
I thought Jayden Daniels I didn't know what to expect
out him in the first quarter or so. He really
wasn't getting the footing right, switch cleats. Everything was good.
But Washington's defense too. I know you mentioned the Chargers
are banged up. There's no question their offensive lines in
(14:10):
bad shape, but they continue to make huge plays on
this side of the ball. They were really three big ones.
Quintin Johnson's fumble in the first half, a bad roughing
penalty on the Chargers at the end of the first half,
and then that one right there.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Mikey say was still picking off Herbert.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
But when you can finish the game in style like this,
toss up a little lollipop to Deebo Samuel, life is
good again. And so I think the Commanders got knocked
down rightfully. So with Dane was being out, they lost
the game.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
He's back now.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
He looked terrific, and I just felt like there was
an r around this team that we hadn't seen really
since probably last season, but maybe in Week one, and
just seeing them regain it a little bit made me think,
I think this team's gonna move up even more at
some point.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
Like we go international with our next team, and that's
the Denver Broncos, who head to London this weekend a
matchup against the Jets, which you can catch on NFL Network.
They move up two spots. I'm looking at some of
my notes here. This is a team that has lost
their two games by four total points. A couple walk
off field go they get a win in Philadelphia. This
was a dramatic come back win in that fourth quarter.
(15:10):
I think the Broncos are legit. And once again we're
talking about a play here or there from talking about
an undefeated football team.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Yeah, I'd love to see them kind of get rid
of the slow starts a little bit. We saw Knicks
kind of hesitant at times.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
But boy did he light it up.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Started using his legs a little in the third quarter,
got some things going, and then found his rhythm as
a passer. I think it was nine to ten for
one hundred and twenty four yards. In the fourth alone
had the two point conversion two That was a beautiful throw.
So look, everything was firing for them. They figured out
the Seagulls defense, but it did take them a while.
I love what the Broncos Steed does. Sacks were there
all game. Hurts might have run into a few, but
(15:45):
the pressure was there. Coverage could be a little better,
and again just not putting themselves in holes. But when
you have the kind of fight and I think execution
that they showed in the second half, you know this
so Broncos team that preseasons some people thought maybe they're
the NFC westa our AFC West favorites, maybe they can
overcome the Chiefs. See right now they're ahead of them
(16:06):
looking pretty good.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
I would say, yeah, I think there was some I
don't want to say concerned, but people talked about Bonnicks
when he got drafted and say, hey, in a Denver
reach for him, and Champagne's like, no, he was my
guy the whole time. If that is the case, and
I'll take him out his word. They know what they're
doing in terms of scounting, because bon Nis is a
real dude and has been very impressive in these first
couple campaigns. You mentioned Denver's defense, which has been pretty good.
(16:27):
The team right now leading the NFL in terms of takeaways.
Devin Lloyd, by the way, four interceptions by himself that
also leads the NFL. The Jags in prime time they
beat Kansas City. To me, this is a confidence building
game where I start to say, hey, they've been able
to manage just some lesser moments from their offense so
far this season to get some of these wins.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
I'm kind of liking this team.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Absolutely, especially when you consider Liam Cohen's expertise is on
the offensive side. They're going to find better ways to
get Travis Hunter of the ball. We saw the big
play from him, Parker Washington made a great play here
on the touchdown, you know, and just the inconsistency we
saw from Laurence throwing the football. There were some spectacular throws,
especially on that final drive.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Obviously the touchdown run.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
We're gonna watch this one for years and laugh at
how many seconds tick off the clock while he was
down there.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
But incredible play.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Obviously, his legs did a lot of the heavy lifting
Sunday night, and you saw some fight and some spirit.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Didn't love how.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
He managed certain situations, taking a sack late, taking a
delay of game, But boy, when you can make some
big time plays like that, it makes up for it.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
And you're right.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Defensively, the takeaways been a huge part of their equation.
And this team is just absolutely rolling with confidence, and
like the Bucks, they're just fun to watch, Mike. I mean,
every time I turn them on, I'm like something's happening
with them. And that's a good sign right there.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Three total touchdowns for Trevor Lawrence, two on the ground
on his twenty sixth birthday, and Devin Lloyd is about
to get paid this offseason for what he has been
able to accomplish at that linebacker spot. All right, time
for future champions. It is presented by fan Duel eric.
I do want to get your take on the NFC
West and the odds here to go and win. You
(18:05):
got the Niners still the favorite at negative one twenty,
the Rams right behind him at plus one ninety, Seattle
at plus four to eighty now for nothing, pretty good
value there, and the Arizona Cardinals that's had some issues
at plus three thousand, three hundred. The Niners, though, on
your rankings, they move up two spots and are sitting
now at thirteenth. How good of a job is Kyle
(18:27):
Shanahan orchestrating right now on the sidelines for this team,
considering all of the injuries that continue to mount up.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean I've had a
lot of people say, hey, why why so low? Right?
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Shouldn't they be higher? Shouldn't they be above a two
to three team like the Chiefs. I understand part of
why I've held back is because they've been so ravaged
by injury, whether it's you know, obviously the playmakers.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
There, the quarterback party.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
You know, Mac Jones has done a fantastic job in
his place, but even he got banged up and we
weren't sure he was going to be able to finish
that game Thursday, So I keep having the hedge a
little bit. But when you have players like Kendrick Bourne
who can step up Mac Jones, so obviously some of
the other parts, Tan just at tight end has been great.
But again it comes back to Kyle Shanahan knowing how
(19:08):
to employ these guys, and I think he does as
good a job as anybody in the league. When he's
got a backup quarterback or when he's in one of
these situations where you know he's got to alter the plan.
That's when Kyle's genius really seems to come out. Christian McCaffrey,
we know they're going to ride him till the wheels
fall off, and he's so good for him, But there's
a lot more lurking here, and I just wonder if
(19:29):
they're gonna going to be punished at some point for
all their injuries, but right now they're holding for him.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Yeah. I did an interview in the Bay Area and
they had asked me, hey, like, do you think there's
a quarterback controversy here with Mac Jones getting all these wins.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
I said, hey, man, I got to pump the brakes
breaks on that. Still it is still Brock Berdie's team.
We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
But if Brock doesn't play this weekend and we're talking
about Mac Jones and he gets a win on the
road against Tampa Bay, I think on my call the
radio station revisits that convo. Meanwhile, I know we were
loving up the Patriots after a huge win. We're going
to focus in on them, not to mention this Dallas
Cowboys team, a closer look at Dak company after just
handling the Jets, But really, in my mind, that Patriots
team is legit. Drake May looking pretty strong. Where did
(20:11):
they sit on the rankings? That's coming up next. Back
here on Power Rankings along with Eric at home, Mike
Am with you. Eric's team seventeen through twenty four. The
Texans hole, let's go, starting to win, moving up four
spots to seventeen. The Patriots also flashing at eighteen. It's
the Bears, Cowboys and Falcons at nineteen, twenty and twenty
one the Ravens. The free fall continues, dropping six spots.
(20:34):
They are a one to four football team, sitting at
twenty second, the Cardinals at twenty three, in the Carolina
Panthers at twenty four. All right, the Patriots, they move
up the five spots. Can you just just love up
Drake May and company? Because that was an impressive win
for him on Sunday night.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
It was he was, you know, kind of struggling earlier.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
You know, he was taking some sacks, he was feeling
the pressure, and then the second half came and he
really showed why he's one of the bright young stars
in this League at the quarterback position, and you know
they are always comparing him to Josh Allen, Josh Junior,
whatever you want to call him. I thought he outplayed
Josh in the fourth quarter. I mean, he made some
big time throws. Obviously, step On Diggs coming back to
I mark this one was personal for him. So we'll
(21:12):
see if he can continue that kind of production throughout
the season. But he looked like a number one receiver
and that was one of the issues I had with
this team. Did they have a go to target? Was
May able to make those plays that he made Sunday night?
We saw it, KENNI continue. I don't know, but you
know those mistakes from the first quarter were erased and
they really played some good football towards the end there.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I just love the fact that a national audience got
to watch drink May because I don't think people realize
what's been happening in New England and the strength that
he's got. I was hat tip respect there, Cowboys. They
move up two spots. I look at this Dallas team,
Ceedee Lamb's have been banged up.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
Dak and company.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Man, like I get it, record wise, like not like
the Premier teams.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
But Dak's playing like an MVP.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Yeah, he's been fantastic, and I hope people realize that too,
Almost like Joe Burrow last year, right stuck on a
team with a tough record, playing elite level quarterback.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Now, granted it's the Jets have the factor that in.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
They've been struggling to only Winley's steam left, but controlled
this game throughout, really took it to him early on.
You know, I love the confidence in Ryan Illinoy and
other receivers like that doesn't have to be George Pickens
every single time when Lamb's out. You know, Javonte Williams
running the football well defensively, give Maddie Refleuce a little
credit given who they have right now. Even with the Jets,
(22:27):
I thought they played really well on that side. So
you know that Bears game is almost the aberration now.
They've been competitive in every single game except that one.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Twenty one to three was the score at one point
for the Cardinals.
Speaker 5 (22:38):
They lose. What am I supposed to do with this team?
Speaker 4 (22:42):
Figure out a way not to fumble the ball one
inch outside the end zone to Murray Deboncardo. I mean,
especially after Adni Mitchell did it for the Colts last week.
We saw how disastrous that was. Please, we need to
get this play out of the league. It's it has
no place right when you consider that and then the
interception that was dropped and then recovered by the Titans
in the end zone. The Arizona Cardinals are finding new
(23:05):
inventive ways to find the most painful loss as possible.
They almost did it against the Carolina Panthers. They certainly
did it against the Niners in San Francisco after a safety.
Losing That game was tough. This one about eight times tougher.
How does this play happen? I don't even understand, but
it did. Tyler Lockett and there earned his stripes, and
kim Ward looked pretty darn good in the fourth.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
Quarter interception, fumble, touchdown all in one play. Absolutely wilds
teams twenty five through thirty two. The Saints, the Titans
get that win that we just talked about. They rise
six spots. Cincinnati we mentioned that trade. Joe Flacco now
in Cincinnati after getting traded from Cleveland. The Giants, the Browns, Miami,
(23:46):
the Raiders, and the Jets close out the rankings. The Saints,
they do move up those five spots. Can we just
just say, hey, Spencer zero for ten coming into this game.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Job well done, and get your first NFL win.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I wish he could have gotten on his birthday last week.
Wasn't able to get the Trevor Lawrence birthday party. But
he's played well. One turnover, he's getting used in as athleticism,
throwing the ball over the field.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Give this guy a little credit, he deserves it. I
like the way Spencer Ratler's played this year.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Yeah, maybe Kellen Moore knew what he was doing, deciding
to give Spencer Rattler the rains and QB one status
of not Tyler Shack, who will eventually get his turn.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
Eric, you be the best man. Great job on Power Rankings.
We'll catch you guys next week.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
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