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#17: Sleeping giants?? · NFL Power Rankings

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Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
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Speaker 1: partnership with iHeartRadio.
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Speaker 2: Staring down week number eighteen in the NFL season, plenty
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Speaker 2: of playoff positioning on the line. Welcome to a brand
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Speaker 2: new edition of NFL Power Rankings. Mike Am and Eric
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Speaker 2: at home with you, and look we can get to
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Speaker 2: all the conversations Eric about the postseason, not to mention,
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Speaker 2: of course, your rankings, which are available on NFL dot
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Speaker 2: com complete analysis of all these teams. But I got
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Speaker 2: to start with a happy belated.
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Speaker 3: Birthday to you, Thank you very much. Yeah, I recovered
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Speaker 3: just in time, right before and I got hit with
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Speaker 3: a nasty stomach bug, which I guess is the kind
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Speaker 3: of thing that happens to you when you're my age.
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Speaker 3: So it was a good birthday. Got to spend it
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Speaker 3: with the family. But now I'm here with my football family.
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Speaker 2: Where do you even go with that? Like, you're not
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Speaker 2: supposed to be sick, and by the way, if you were,
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Speaker 2: you know, I know your early thirties now, but in
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Speaker 2: your twenties, like you just muscle through the stomach viruses
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Speaker 2: and you still go out there and party. The party
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Speaker 2: is just starting for us here on power rankings as
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Speaker 2: we get at some of the top teams, and no
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Speaker 2: surprise with Kansas City, Buffalo and Detroit leading the way
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Speaker 2: in those top three spots. Keep in mind, still a
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Speaker 2: lot to be played for for the Lions, which we
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Speaker 2: will talk about in just a couple of moments. The
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Speaker 2: division on the line Week eighteen matchup, it is huge
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Speaker 2: against the fourth ranked team, the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles
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Speaker 2: at five, they've clinched the NFC East thanks to that
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Speaker 2: win against the Cowboys. Ravens at six, Lamar, in my mind,
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Speaker 2: still in the MVP mix, and his team might be
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Speaker 2: the sleeping giant in the AFC. The Packers at seven,
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Speaker 2: the Commanders at eight, they have clinched a playoff spot
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Speaker 2: as well. All right, the Minnesota Viking sit at number four,
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Speaker 2: they move up a spot. I think you can make
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Speaker 2: an argument they are as complete a football team as
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Speaker 2: any in the NFL, which maybe might not be a
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Speaker 2: like a bold statement considering that they could be a
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Speaker 2: one seed in the NFC, But Eric, the reality is
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Speaker 2: they haven't been discussed that way most of the season.
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Speaker 3: I admit I've been part of the problem. And I
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Speaker 3: tell you what, Mike, you know for a decent stretch
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Speaker 3: of the season. I had them in that second tier
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Speaker 3: good but not great maybe, and I kept Kevin my
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Speaker 3: doubts them. But as you've seen this team grow, and
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Speaker 3: I think, really, especially in the last four or five games,
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Speaker 3: the chemistry between Sam Donald and Kevin O'Connell As a
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Speaker 3: play caller, Donald and his receivers getting the ball to
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Speaker 3: guys like Jalen Naylor, Jordan Justin Jefferson obviously is a
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Speaker 3: weekly target. But Addison's come up big and how do
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Speaker 3: cam Akers do you know you lose Aaron Jones for
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Speaker 3: part of that game? He makes a couple of crucial
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Speaker 3: plays down the stretch. It has been so fun to
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Speaker 3: watch this team develop and grow and just the excitement
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Speaker 3: I think that is built around this team too. I mean,
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Speaker 3: how do you not love them? I think they and
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Speaker 3: the Lions going head to head next week. A lot
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Speaker 3: of people watching from the outside with fascination, wishing that
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Speaker 3: their team could have the same kind of aura and
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Speaker 3: energy and vibe that these guys do. And you saw
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Speaker 3: it play out in the locker room after the game.
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Speaker 3: What a scene this is. I think what every NFL
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Speaker 3: player dreams to be a part of. This kind of
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Speaker 3: a celebration, not just the guys in the middle of
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Speaker 3: the celebration, but the ones being part of it too.
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Speaker 3: And all Kevin O'Connell can do is sit back and
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Speaker 3: watch his handiwork. He's done a massful job this year. Look,
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Speaker 3: I think dan quinn might be Coach of the Year,
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Speaker 3: but Kevin's as good to Canada as there is. And
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Speaker 3: as you pointed out, this team is dangerous that could
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Speaker 3: beat anybody right now, they are very very very good.
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Speaker 2: If you would have told Sam Donald, I don't know
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Speaker 2: six months ago, ten months ago, three years ago, you
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Speaker 2: are going to be in this position and you were
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Speaker 2: going to be lifted up by your teammates at the
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Speaker 2: end of the season in a week seventeen game, he
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Speaker 2: is beloved. I don't know if he would have believed it.
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Speaker 2: I mean, this is a journeyman. God it's been bouncing
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Speaker 2: around who is well thought of. But I think there's
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Speaker 2: some parallels here because we talk about this week eight
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Speaker 2: team matchup against the Lions and keep him on the
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Speaker 2: winner of this game, we'll get the one scene home
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Speaker 2: field advantage throughout the course of the postseason leading up
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Speaker 2: into the Super Bowl. Sam Donald, we just characterize in
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Speaker 2: the way that we did. Jared Goff was kind of
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Speaker 2: the same thing. And by the way, the Lions, his teammates,
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Speaker 2: the fan base, they treat Jared Goff like what we
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Speaker 2: just saw from Sam Donald.
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Speaker 3: Absolutely, from Poppers to Princes, I guess right. You just
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Speaker 3: find the right spot, the right mix, with the right
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Speaker 3: play caller, the skill position players. It all works together
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Speaker 3: in Detroit the same way it kind of does in Minnesota.
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Speaker 3: It's a group effort. Yes, there are stars on both
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Speaker 3: sides of the ball and both teams, but you know,
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Speaker 3: this Lion's team. I love what they do offensively, I
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Speaker 3: love their creativity, I love their aggression. There's so much
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Speaker 3: to love about this team. But we also have to
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Speaker 3: face facts here, Mike. They gave up four touchdowns playing
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Speaker 3: against a lot of backups. I mean, yes, Perdy was
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Speaker 3: out there and all that, but a lot of San
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Speaker 3: Francisco backups out there. Four out of the first five
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Speaker 3: drives steam roll down the field on them for touchdowns
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Speaker 3: and missfield goal in between. There so really five drives
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Speaker 3: where they gave up a lot of ground. Before Kirby
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Speaker 3: Joseph made some plays, the offense kept pushing the pedal
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Speaker 3: to the medal, and they have that ability, right they
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Speaker 3: have that fastball that can absolutely take down anybody. But
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Speaker 3: against the Vikings, a team that's really curred their turnovers recently,
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Speaker 3: got to make sure they have at least one or
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Speaker 3: be plus one somehow in this game because they are
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Speaker 3: not really stopping people on defense right now.
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Speaker 2: I think you could have made the argument that the
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Speaker 2: Lions were the most complete team for the entire season
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Speaker 2: and we were waiting for attrition to on the defensive side.
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Speaker 3: To be a problem.
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Speaker 2: They keep winning games, but it does look a little different,
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Speaker 2: and I think case in point to what we saw
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Speaker 2: on Monday night football against a San Francisco forty nine
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Speaker 2: ers team that's really struggled. Keep in mind this way
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Speaker 2: week a team matchup between these two teams. Eric check
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Speaker 2: this out. The loser of this game be the first
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Speaker 2: time in NFL history a fourteen win team has not
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Speaker 2: won the division. I don't know if what that says
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Speaker 2: is about the NFC or this division specifically, if it's
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Speaker 2: a good or a bad thing, but just stating some facts. Meanwhile,
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Speaker 2: we go to number five, and yes it is the
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Speaker 2: Philadelphia Eagles. You could check the boxer Saquon two k
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Speaker 2: on the ground. He gets to go up against his
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Speaker 2: former squad, the Giants.
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Speaker 3: Do you play this, dude, I say no. Now, we
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Speaker 3: haven't heard officially as of the time. We take this
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Speaker 3: just a hunch, but I think they sit them and look,
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Speaker 3: first of all, Saquon's a pretty selfless guy in my
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Speaker 3: experience from what I've observed people I've talked to. And
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Speaker 3: then also Nick Sirianni, the coach, I think just has
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Speaker 3: a better finger on the pulse of his team this year,
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Speaker 3: and I think he understands the big picture here. I
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Speaker 3: don't know that saquanall push for it, and I don't
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Speaker 3: think Nick is gonna throw him out there if he
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Speaker 3: doesn't want to go, So you defer to the younger guys.
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Speaker 3: Barkley's done it on a few occasions and second halves
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Speaker 3: this year, and also with the QB uncertainty. Jalen hurts
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Speaker 3: out last week, canny pick it getting banged up. To me,
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Speaker 3: it's an unnecessary risk. Yeah, you'd love to see him
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Speaker 3: break an all time market to do it against his
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Speaker 3: old team would would certainly have a poetic justice to it.
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Speaker 3: But I really think the smart play here is to
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Speaker 3: keep him on the sideline, rest your horse, have everybody
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Speaker 3: you know gassed up and ready to go for the postseason.
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Speaker 3: We forget how good these guys are. Sometimes they kind
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Speaker 3: of fall between the cracks among the big teams. But man,
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Speaker 3: there is a bigger mission here and I think Sirianni
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Speaker 3: and Barkley know that, but who knows, Maybe they surprise us.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, there's different philosophies and I don't know what Sirianni
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Speaker 2: is is going to be. But heading into the week
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Speaker 2: seventeen match of Dan Campbell before Monday Night FOTBA against
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Speaker 2: the Niners said, hy man, like, we're rolling our guys
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Speaker 2: out there. I was doing the postgame show. Jared Goff said, Hey,
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Speaker 2: this was squashed earlier in the week. We knew we're
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Speaker 2: going to be playing. This is how we're wired. I
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Speaker 2: don't know how Nick Sirianni's team is wired. And if
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Speaker 2: we will see Saquan against the Giants, who by the way,
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Speaker 2: we'll talk about them as a Giants fan coming up
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Speaker 2: in just a minute. The Commanders, meanwhile, check in at
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Speaker 2: number eight. They've clinched their spot. Is there a real
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Speaker 2: path for this team in the postseason to make a run.
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Speaker 3: I think there is. And you know, how do you
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Speaker 3: define a run, right, I mean, it's the postseason feels
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Speaker 3: so short in the big picture, but you know, really
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Speaker 3: they have nothing to lose, and they have all kinds
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Speaker 3: of confidence building up, you know, playing with house money
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Speaker 3: if you will. Jayden Daniels leads the way. Dan Quinn
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Speaker 3: has been a rock for this team all year. But
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Speaker 3: you know you also have those motivated veteran zach Ertz
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Speaker 3: coming up big in this game against the Falcons. Maybe
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Speaker 3: the Falcons helped them out with little clock management stuff too,
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Speaker 3: but you can't take away from what the Commanders did.
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Speaker 3: Bobby Wagner, another key guy you know's a key is
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Speaker 3: Tyler biad Jeremy Chin. I mean, Adam Peters did a
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Speaker 3: wonderful job putting this roster together. And I think the
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Speaker 3: makeup of this roster this isn't a fluke thing. It's
8:16
Speaker 3: a lot better roster than I think some people realize.
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Speaker 3: So that gives them a chance. And you have a
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Speaker 3: rookie quarterback with a fearlessness that Daniels possesses. I'm willing
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Speaker 3: to roll the dice and see they can go into
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Speaker 3: a road game and feel pretty darn confident about their chances.
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Speaker 3: So you'd like to see the non Jaden Daniels run
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Speaker 3: game pick up a little. That's just one little nitpick
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Speaker 3: I'd like to see. They were so good at it
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Speaker 3: earlier in the year. But man, there are a ton
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Speaker 3: of things that they can do in these playoffs to
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Speaker 3: give whoever they face a lot of trouble.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, they will match up against the Dallas Cowboys, another
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Speaker 2: divisional matchup and a Dallas team that's been like I think,
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Speaker 2: there's a lot of questions we'll find out actually next
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Speaker 2: week about what the future for Mike McCarthy is going
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Speaker 2: to be with the Cowboys. Meanwhile, it is time for
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Speaker 2: power Moves and it is presented by Energizer at number six.
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Speaker 2: It's the Ravens, who I think legitimately are these sleeping giant.
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Speaker 2: A season ago the one seed, dominant defensively, dominant offensively,
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Speaker 2: they were the hunted. Now all of a sudden, they
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Speaker 2: are the hunters, And I think mentally that's a good
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Speaker 2: thing for this ball club is I think they teem
9:19
Speaker 2: to figure out how to get over the hump and
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Speaker 2: get to a super Bowl and then win that game.
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Speaker 2: This might be the year, am I crazy in thinking
9:25
Speaker 2: that there's a legit argument for this team, maybe just
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Speaker 2: as much as any other team, whether it's the Bills,
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Speaker 2: are the Chiefs.
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Speaker 3: I mean, look, I said, if they're really the sixth
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Speaker 3: best team, this is going to be a whale of
9:35
Speaker 3: a playoffs, right. This is not your typical number six
9:38
Speaker 3: overall team at this stage. Now, they've paid for some
9:41
Speaker 3: of their past sins. They had trouble on defense at
9:43
Speaker 3: one point this season, they had the kicking issue, special
9:46
Speaker 3: teams in general. Those are the two things that they
9:48
Speaker 3: have seemingly cleaned up a little bit, So you tip
9:52
Speaker 3: your hat to them. John Harball always fixes mistakes within
9:55
Speaker 3: the course of the season. The penalties, though, that's the
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Speaker 3: one thing that kind of leaves me hanging a little
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Speaker 3: bit and guessing, is that going to be their achilles seals?
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Speaker 3: That going to be the thing that cost them A
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Speaker 3: thirteen penalty game wouldn't be a crazy thing considering what
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Speaker 3: we've seen this year. They've been averaging eight to nine
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Speaker 3: a game, So that's the only thing that holds me back.
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Speaker 3: But I like the way you framed it. Last year,
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Speaker 3: all the spotlight was on them, Lamar. The number one seed,
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Speaker 3: the home games etc. The first round blowout of the Texans.
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Speaker 3: I think this year they're flying a lot lower, a
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Speaker 3: lot under the radar, even with Jackson having a better
10:27
Speaker 3: year and Dereck Henry joining the team. So they're different.
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Speaker 3: But I think they're just as dangerous as we thought
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Speaker 3: they were last year.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I love your take on the penalties, because you're right,
10:36
Speaker 2: we don't talk nearly enough about it. It's hard to
10:38
Speaker 2: find some issues because the defensive issues earlier this season
10:42
Speaker 2: don't seem to be much of a factor in the
10:44
Speaker 2: second half of the season. And that's a win for
10:46
Speaker 2: this squad. And keep in mind an opportunity on Saturday
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Speaker 2: against the Browns to clinch the AFC North with a victory.
10:52
Speaker 2: We will find out if it gets done. And I
10:54
Speaker 2: think they're going this way. The Steelers might be going
10:57
Speaker 2: the other way. We will talk about Pittsburgh coming up
10:59
Speaker 2: in just a minute. But there's some other teams that
11:01
Speaker 2: could make a Super Bowl run. You think we've only
11:03
Speaker 2: talked about the top teams again who legitimately can make
11:06
Speaker 2: a case that they can get to the super Bowl.
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Speaker 2: And that next tier of Eric's power rankings, that's next
11:18
Speaker 2: back here on power rankings, it's Erics teams nine through sixteen,
11:22
Speaker 2: the Chargers sitting in the ninth spot, they move up
11:25
Speaker 2: one position. They clinched the playoff spot with that dominant
11:28
Speaker 2: win against the Patriots, attendant to the Steelers, who have
11:30
Speaker 2: some offensive issues. Eleven. The Bucks lead the NFC South.
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Speaker 2: We'll talk about that in just a moment. The Rams
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Speaker 2: are at twelve, escaping with a win against Arizona. They
11:39
Speaker 2: are playoff bound though. At thirteen, win and you're in.
11:42
Speaker 2: That's the case for the Broncos. At fourteen the Texans.
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Speaker 2: What happened to the squad? Meanwhile at fifteen it's Cincinnati
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Speaker 2: and yes there's still a chance for them. At sixteen
11:51
Speaker 2: it is the Seahawks. But let's focus our attention at
11:54
Speaker 2: number nine. This is a Chargers team that's got an
11:56
Speaker 2: opportunity here to get some good playoff position, considering how
11:59
Speaker 2: the season has gone, could finish as high as the
12:01
Speaker 2: fifth seed in the AFC with the win against Vegas
12:04
Speaker 2: a Pittsburgh loss on Saturdays. So story this squad for me?
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Speaker 2: When you look at them, what are we learning about
12:11
Speaker 2: this team? Coming off a dominant performance offensively against the Patriots.
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Speaker 3: It was good to see, right, Mike is because the
12:18
Speaker 3: last three four games, even with the Broncos win, you'd
12:21
Speaker 3: seen kind of a backslide just a little bit, and
12:24
Speaker 3: you'd seen them have to work a little bit harder
12:25
Speaker 3: to get wins. So you know, to knock Drake May
12:28
Speaker 3: out of the game earlier. I know he came back,
12:30
Speaker 3: but you know, be aggressive defensively and then offensively, you know,
12:34
Speaker 3: getting you know lab McConkie drops a pass early, they
12:36
Speaker 3: go right back to him. He scores two touchdowns. The
12:39
Speaker 3: return of JK. Dobbins was absolutely huge too. Offensive line
12:43
Speaker 3: probably played one of its best games in the second
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Speaker 3: half of the season, so this was a complete performance.
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Speaker 3: Short week. You heard Jim Harbaugh kind of build up
12:52
Speaker 3: to this game and say like, this is the one
12:54
Speaker 3: guys we can we can clinch it here, get in
12:57
Speaker 3: sort of seal our fate, and they played like it,
13:00
Speaker 3: So I think he's kind of got his team ready
13:02
Speaker 3: to go, even with a little bit of shaky moments
13:05
Speaker 3: down the stretch. So bad team, Yeah, they beat up
13:08
Speaker 3: on one, but still you go on the road and
13:10
Speaker 3: perform like that, It makes me feel a lot better
13:12
Speaker 3: about your playoff credentials and your chances to pull in
13:14
Speaker 3: a full first round upset against a team like the Texans.
13:17
Speaker 2: Let's say, yeah, I'm with you on that they're not
13:19
Speaker 2: a good team, right the Patriots, and they should have won.
13:22
Speaker 2: But I think the one thing that we're learning in
13:23
Speaker 2: the NFL is when you are a better football team,
13:25
Speaker 2: you need to smash the teams that you should. That's
13:28
Speaker 2: not always the case, and yet, yep, that's what we
13:30
Speaker 2: saw from this Chargers squad. Odds to win the NFC
13:34
Speaker 2: South boy, talk about a race, who actually wants it? Well,
13:37
Speaker 2: it feels like it's the Bucks who are the favorite.
13:39
Speaker 2: The Atlanta Falcons issues. I can't imagine what the situation
13:42
Speaker 2: would have been if Michael Panicks, if they had gone
13:44
Speaker 2: to him earlier than they did. But yes, right now
13:47
Speaker 2: it is the Bucks that are the favorite. Let's focus
13:50
Speaker 2: in on the number eleven team, and it is Tampa
13:52
Speaker 2: Bay who move up those three spots. They got an
13:54
Speaker 2: opportunity to clinch this division with a win against the Saints.
13:58
Speaker 2: I don't know if I would have said that, considering
13:59
Speaker 2: Atlanta had the tiebreaker and the way the season was unfolding.
14:02
Speaker 2: Health issues for Tampa Bay five and one since Mike
14:05
Speaker 2: Evans return, I feel good to say, like, I think
14:08
Speaker 2: this team's gonna win it.
14:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, they really have turned it up a notch.
14:13
Speaker 3: Right in Baker Mayfield, I think I don't know if
14:16
Speaker 3: people saw, but a five touchdown performance, one of the
14:19
Speaker 3: best showings of his career. He absolutely went off and
14:23
Speaker 3: got it early. And you know, we've seen some first
14:25
Speaker 3: halfs where he's taken chances, thrown picks, you know, sort
14:28
Speaker 3: of played a little faster and looser to see what
14:30
Speaker 3: he can get away with almost and he got away
14:33
Speaker 3: with a lot in this game because the Panthers didn't
14:35
Speaker 3: offer much resistance. It was almost a perfect game. You
14:38
Speaker 3: get Mike Evans in the end zone twice. He's almost
14:41
Speaker 3: at one k again another season over a thousand yards.
14:44
Speaker 3: Bucky Irving, the rookie running back fourth round pick, has
14:47
Speaker 3: been absolutely spectacular. He and Rashad White are a great
14:50
Speaker 3: duo again, another sort of offensive base team that I
14:54
Speaker 3: think can really give some teams problems. I mean, they
14:57
Speaker 3: beat the Lions in Detroit earlier this season, so we
15:00
Speaker 3: knew all year long they had that capability. But they've
15:03
Speaker 3: sort of weathered this story, fought off the Falcons, and
15:06
Speaker 3: now are in the driver's seat for the NFC South.
15:08
Speaker 3: I just love their chances, even with a banged up secondary.
15:11
Speaker 3: You know, they have an opportunity to win a game
15:13
Speaker 3: in the postseason, maybe more.
15:15
Speaker 2: You know, it's funny off air, Eric I said this
15:17
Speaker 2: to you, Hey, at some point on this show, I'd
15:19
Speaker 2: love to do like an underrated, underappreciated squad. I got
15:22
Speaker 2: to tell you there's three dudes on Tampa Bay who
15:24
Speaker 2: I would put on that list. Mike Evans and I know,
15:26
Speaker 2: just a model of consistency. We don't talk about him
15:29
Speaker 2: nearly enough. Bucky Irving is another guy that we got
15:31
Speaker 2: to say, and Baker Mayfield. All this dude does is
15:34
Speaker 2: figure out ways to help his team win. The moxie
15:37
Speaker 2: is there, and that's part of the reason why I
15:38
Speaker 2: think I'm with you. I think the Bucks go and
15:40
Speaker 2: take this division. At number twelve, it's the Rams. Should
15:44
Speaker 2: I be concerned that they needed a late interception to
15:47
Speaker 2: beat an Arizona team when I've been making the case
15:50
Speaker 2: that the Rams are as dangerous as any team in
15:51
Speaker 2: the NFC.
15:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, they can be, right, but those slow starts plague
15:56
Speaker 3: them a little bit. And you know, Cooper Cupp will
15:58
Speaker 3: get it. Hasn't been involved as much as you'd expect,
16:01
Speaker 3: and Coop is great and everything. Kiren Williams is great,
16:03
Speaker 3: and Matthew Stafford is great. We love Sean McVeigh and
16:05
Speaker 3: that offense, but for some reason they haven't been able
16:08
Speaker 3: to string together a ton of successful drives. Now, credit
16:11
Speaker 3: the defense for kind of doing its job, and they've
16:14
Speaker 3: found ways. You know, whatever the game script is we
16:16
Speaker 3: have to beat the Bills forty four or forty two,
16:19
Speaker 3: we can do it that way. We have to win
16:21
Speaker 3: a low scoring game, they can win that way too.
16:23
Speaker 3: So you love their flexibility, their adaptability, if you will,
16:27
Speaker 3: But there's also a little bit of a freight factor
16:29
Speaker 3: with them, and that you know, they can go through
16:31
Speaker 3: stretches where it looks a little a little labored on offense.
16:36
Speaker 3: So we'll see what version comes out in the postseason.
16:39
Speaker 3: I didn't know what to do with them in the rankings,
16:41
Speaker 3: but I just felt the Bucks were a little bit
16:43
Speaker 3: better and that's why they bumped up over them. Still
16:45
Speaker 3: give the Rams a lot of credit.
16:46
Speaker 2: Though, six points three weeks ago, nine points two weeks ago,
16:50
Speaker 2: and then this weekend nine points three consecutive games now
16:53
Speaker 2: for this Rams defense holding opponents to under ten points
16:56
Speaker 2: per game. The Broncos at thirteen win and you're in.
17:01
Speaker 2: Do they get it done against the Kansas City team
17:03
Speaker 2: who might be resting some players.
17:07
Speaker 3: They almost be Kansas City starters in Kansas City, So
17:10
Speaker 3: I think they do get it done and spoil the
17:12
Speaker 3: dreams of the Dolphins and Bengals and whatnot. But there's
17:14
Speaker 3: some worries with this team, even with Bonix coming up
17:17
Speaker 3: with that late touchdown drive and Sincy still kind of
17:20
Speaker 3: holding back. I have them obviously on the lower end
17:22
Speaker 3: of the playoff teams right now.
17:24
Speaker 2: All right, the Bengals right now, first team. It's the
17:27
Speaker 2: first time I should say that they get a win
17:28
Speaker 2: against a five hundred team or better, which was huge.
17:31
Speaker 2: They were zero to seven before that win against the Broncos.
17:35
Speaker 2: There's still a chance here story it for me.
17:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean they found a way, like zombies to
17:42
Speaker 3: just sort of fight through the Morassier and get their
17:44
Speaker 3: way to a position where they can make the playoffs,
17:47
Speaker 3: which I didn't think was possible a few weeks ago,
17:49
Speaker 3: but it says here. I think they're gonna come up
17:52
Speaker 3: a little short, mostly because of the Denver Kansas City situation.
17:56
Speaker 3: But you have to love the fight that Joe Burrows
17:58
Speaker 3: showing T Higgins going off. You know, you'd love to
18:01
Speaker 3: see him back in Cincinnati, unless you're any of the
18:03
Speaker 3: other thirty one teams I suppose. But this team still
18:06
Speaker 3: has firepower, still has guts. They just didn't have the
18:09
Speaker 3: right kind of lay of the land this season with
18:11
Speaker 3: the early early losses. Really put himself in a hole.
18:15
Speaker 2: Eric, real quick, if Joe Burrow won the MVP, would
18:17
Speaker 2: you be upset?
18:19
Speaker 3: I think it would have taken them needing them to
18:21
Speaker 3: get in the playoffs, and maybe it still happens, but yeah,
18:24
Speaker 3: I mean, the way he's played this year hard to argue.
18:26
Speaker 3: He Allen Jackson. I mean, there's so many great choices, Saquan,
18:30
Speaker 3: I mean, you really can't go wrong.
18:31
Speaker 2: The numbers are crazy for Joe Burrow. It is truly remarkable. Meanwhile,
18:36
Speaker 2: the Atlanta Falcons that looked like they run the driver's
18:38
Speaker 2: seats to go and win that division. That car has
18:40
Speaker 2: officially turned off the road. What every fan in the
18:43
Speaker 2: atl needs to know. That's coming up next on Power Rankings.
18:55
Speaker 2: Back here on Power Rankings Show Me Squad seventeen through
18:59
Speaker 2: twenty four. The Dolphins still alive at seventeen, The Falcons
19:03
Speaker 2: not done just yet. Nineteen it's the Cardinals who almost
19:06
Speaker 2: get a win against the Rams. The Niners, sitting at
19:09
Speaker 2: twenty almost pulled it off on Monday Night Football, the
19:13
Speaker 2: Dallas Cowboys, they drop a spot at twenty one, The Colts.
19:16
Speaker 2: What in the world's happened against the g Men at
19:19
Speaker 2: twenty two. Then it's the Saints and Bears twenty three
19:22
Speaker 2: and twenty four. All Right, the Dolphins, there's still a
19:25
Speaker 2: chance for them, And for what it's worth, I know too.
19:27
Speaker 2: It didn't play last week. They one matchup against the
19:29
Speaker 2: Jets on the road. In this upcoming matchup Tyler Huntley,
19:32
Speaker 2: it looks as if we'll get the nod this week.
19:35
Speaker 2: He's certainly preparing. Mike McDaniel's preparing his guys to have
19:38
Speaker 2: Tyler Huntley, the former pro bowler in the saddle. What
19:42
Speaker 2: do you make of their chances to get into the postseason.
19:45
Speaker 3: Well, he looked a lot better last week. We had
19:47
Speaker 3: more yards at halftime than I think he did most
19:49
Speaker 3: of his starts when he filled in earlier. Was kind
19:51
Speaker 3: of thrown into the fire when two was out. So
19:54
Speaker 3: you know, I love the way he's always been a
19:55
Speaker 3: pros pro since he came in the league as undrafted QB.
19:58
Speaker 3: I think he's a gamer and he'll give him a
20:00
Speaker 3: great chance, especially if the Jets mail it in after
20:03
Speaker 3: a terrible performance Buffalo, so they'll I think they'll take
20:07
Speaker 3: care of there, and depends on what happens in Denver.
20:09
Speaker 3: So still a little bit iffy.
20:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, once again, a win against the Jets coupled with
20:14
Speaker 2: a Chiefs win against the Broncos means it's to an
20:17
Speaker 2: end company into the playoffs. At eighteen, it's the Falcons
20:20
Speaker 2: who drop three spots. Disappointment. I don't know how else
20:25
Speaker 2: to describe what we've seen in the second half. I
20:27
Speaker 2: kind of wish we saw Michael Pennox earlier this season.
20:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I wish we saw Jon Robinson out there
20:34
Speaker 3: for the entire game too. I mean, he was really
20:35
Speaker 3: kind of tearing some holes in that Washington defense, and
20:38
Speaker 3: you know, Penix was working his way through it. This
20:40
Speaker 3: looked like a typical kind of early quarterback start. You know,
20:43
Speaker 3: he made some brilliant throws, had that terrific one late
20:46
Speaker 3: in regulation, but why no time out? My goodness, that
20:49
Speaker 3: was what I was screaming at my TV. I seen
20:51
Speaker 3: a lot of people were to cost him about twenty
20:54
Speaker 3: seconds and really cost them a chance at moving up
20:57
Speaker 3: and giving themselves a better field goal shot. So disappointment,
21:00
Speaker 3: you know, too late maybe on the penis call. We've
21:03
Speaker 3: talked about that for weeks now, too late on the
21:05
Speaker 3: timeout calls. So a little bit of heat on Raheem Morrison.
21:09
Speaker 3: A season that was looking very promising, as you said
21:12
Speaker 3: at six and three seasons sweep over the Bucks. They
21:14
Speaker 3: were in the driver's seat, and it appears at least
21:17
Speaker 3: right now that they're going to end up blowing that lead.
21:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, they will need some help. They need to win
21:21
Speaker 2: against Carolina and they need Tampa Bay to lose to
21:24
Speaker 2: the Saints in order for with the Falcons to win.
21:26
Speaker 2: The NFC South teams twenty five through thirty two the Panthers.
21:30
Speaker 2: Speaking of Carolina, they sit in that position at twenty
21:34
Speaker 2: six the Jets, potentially the last game for Rodgers in
21:36
Speaker 2: a Jets uniform this week the Raiders, brock Bowers, here
21:40
Speaker 2: we go, passing Pooka Nakua for the most receptions by
21:42
Speaker 2: a rookie and passed the Hall of Famer Mike Dikka
21:45
Speaker 2: for the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end.
21:47
Speaker 2: Raiders all of a sudden have won two straight. At
21:49
Speaker 2: twenty eight, it's the Jags, Brian Thomas hat tipped to you.
21:52
Speaker 2: At twenty nine, it's the Giants. No words can soothe
21:56
Speaker 2: fans in the Big Apple following a win. Yes, you
21:59
Speaker 2: heard me right, a win this past weekend. I'm taking
22:03
Speaker 2: a deep breath on that one. The Brown to thirty,
22:05
Speaker 2: the Patriots thirty one, and the Titans at thirty two.
22:09
Speaker 2: I take a deep breath. And you know this, Eric,
22:11
Speaker 2: I am a Giants fan. I was hoping we would
22:13
Speaker 2: get the number one overall pick. Still could happen here,
22:16
Speaker 2: but right now the team that occupies that spot fortunately
22:19
Speaker 2: is not in the market for a quarterback. I'm just
22:21
Speaker 2: saying the seat worm for coach Mayo in your number one.
22:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, they got the Drake Mayo part right? Did they
22:28
Speaker 3: get the Mayo part right? That's I think what Robert
22:31
Speaker 3: Kraft has to sort of triage this offseason and figure out, like,
22:36
Speaker 3: do I have the right coach in place? We knew
22:39
Speaker 3: that Bill Belichick would always fix issues, We're not as
22:41
Speaker 3: confident now with the smaller sample size here with Mayo
22:45
Speaker 3: so far and when you hear his players talk about
22:48
Speaker 3: the need for change and being kind of vague about
22:50
Speaker 3: it and not exactly Remember Mayo called a lot of
22:53
Speaker 3: team soft earlier in the year that did not go
22:55
Speaker 3: over very well. I kind of wonder what the backchannel
22:58
Speaker 3: conversations are like now. Ian Rappaport and other folks at
23:00
Speaker 3: NFL Media have reported more likely than not Mayo gets
23:04
Speaker 3: another And I'll be fascinated to see what ends up
23:06
Speaker 3: happening if they do get this number one pick. But yeah,
23:10
Speaker 3: what changes are going to be happening. Is it just
23:12
Speaker 3: to the other parts of the coaching staff, or is
23:14
Speaker 3: Meyo looking for a new job and somebody like who knows,
23:17
Speaker 3: maybe Mike Rabel coming back to Foxborough. We'll see. There's
23:20
Speaker 3: a lot to figure out. They have got the quarterback
23:23
Speaker 3: part right, but they have the other twenty one positions
23:25
Speaker 3: on the field that they really need to solidify.
23:28
Speaker 2: You know, last year in the draft and not to
23:29
Speaker 2: go down this rabbit hole with you, I felt like
23:31
Speaker 2: they should trade out of that position because there are
23:34
Speaker 2: so many needs to this roster, because they have the
23:36
Speaker 2: quarterback solved, and because it looks like they're looking at
23:38
Speaker 2: a top one, two three pick again, I don't know
23:41
Speaker 2: if it makes sense to stick in that position. I
23:44
Speaker 2: think there's a lot of holes to fill. Regardless, it's
23:46
Speaker 2: always great to work with you. Eric. Happy belated birthday.
23:49
Speaker 2: Once again, appreciate everyone watching Power Rankings.
23:59
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