Latest / NFL Power Rankings / #18: Playoffs.....we're talkin' about playoffs?

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#18: Playoffs.....we're talkin' about playoffs? · 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: It's a playoff edition of NFL Power Rankings. And yes
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  Speaker 2: we're going through the teams, and yes we are taking
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  Speaker 2: a closer look at the squads that are still alive
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  Speaker 2: and their hopes and dreams of winning a Super Bowl. Mike,
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  Speaker 2: Cam and Eric at home with you and Eric. I
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  Speaker 2: know we're not going to see Kansas City out on
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  Speaker 2: the football field or Detroit, but the Chiefs. You still
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  Speaker 2: got a little bit of respect for this squad despite
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  Speaker 2: a loss, after resting most of its starters.
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  Speaker 3: And look, this is those good a lineup as I
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  Speaker 3: think we've had in a while. Mike, Yeah, no it.
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  Speaker 2: Is, and let's get right to it in your rankings.
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  Speaker 2: No change at the top. I know Kansas City had lost,
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  Speaker 2: but I think this is a hat tip respect that
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  Speaker 2: you're giving the squad didn't play most of its starters
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  Speaker 2: despite the fact that they got dominated by Denver. We'll
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  Speaker 2: talk about the Broncos in just a moment. The Chiefs
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  Speaker 2: big time flex on Sunday Night Football at two, the
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  Speaker 2: Bills at three. At four, we got some questions about
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  Speaker 2: some rust for Jalen hurts. But as Eagles are sitting
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  Speaker 2: in that fourth position, we'll talk about filling in just
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  Speaker 2: a moment. The Ravens seem like they're surging at five,
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  Speaker 2: the Vikings group time for them at six, the Commanders
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  Speaker 2: at seven, and the Packers at eight. All right, the
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  Speaker 2: lines they move up one spot. There's a part of
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  Speaker 2: me that says, I not that many people were doubting them.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, look, they're one seat, they got a first
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  Speaker 2: round by and the whole thing. But I think we
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  Speaker 2: had questioned what we could get from this squad because
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  Speaker 2: of some of the injuries that they have had over
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  Speaker 2: the last few weeks, specifically on the defensive side. Are
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  Speaker 2: we finally at a point where after a win against
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  Speaker 2: Minnesota we just stopped doubting them.
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  Speaker 4: I don't know about stop doubting him, but certainly that
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  Speaker 4: has slowed down to a crawl at best, right, and
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  Speaker 4: they're going to enjoy that week off to get some
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  Speaker 4: of their guys healthy. They earned it, right, I mean,
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  Speaker 4: with a defensive performance the likes of which I don't
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  Speaker 4: know that we've seen this year. You know, Aaron Glenn
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  Speaker 4: came up huge, especially in the red zone, really flustered
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  Speaker 4: Sam Darnold. He was only two for eleven for seven
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  Speaker 4: yards passing down in that area of the field. I
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  Speaker 4: don't think anyone thought nine points was possible. I mean,
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  Speaker 4: they played pretty well a couple weeks before against the Bears,
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  Speaker 4: but different level of accomplishment here. You know, I thought
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  Speaker 4: that two sacks were really big too, and they had
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  Speaker 4: constant pressure all night. So this certainly answers a lot
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  Speaker 4: of their questions. Now they can get some of that
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  Speaker 4: defense healthy, maybe get David Montgomery back. We'll see on
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  Speaker 4: him and each game each week they go farther, you know,
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  Speaker 4: those questions start dissipating pretty quickly.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, your name check Aaron Glenn, who put on a
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  Speaker 2: great resume tape, if you will, for a head coaching job.
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  Speaker 2: I know his name is popped up NFL dot com
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  Speaker 2: for all the latest of what's happening in terms of
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  Speaker 2: those searches and who's interviewing for which job. But we'll
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  Speaker 2: get to Minnesota here in just a second. But let's
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  Speaker 2: just kind of reset here. We know that Detroit has
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  Speaker 2: a one seed, they got a first round by we
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  Speaker 2: know Kansas City won't be playing this upcoming weekend. Let's
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  Speaker 2: take a look at the schedule here. Wild Card weekend.
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  Speaker 2: It's the AFC kicking things off for us. We got
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  Speaker 2: a doubleheader on Saturday. We'll talk about all of these squads.
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  Speaker 2: We got Chargers and Texans, Steelers and Ravens on Saturday.
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  Speaker 2: Then on Sunday it's the Broncos and Bills Philadelphia. We'll
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  Speaker 2: matchup against Green Bay. I remember no Christian Watson acl
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  Speaker 2: injury for him. Washington and Tampa a sneaky good matchup,
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  Speaker 2: and then on Monday it is the Vikings and the
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  Speaker 2: Rams that will go head to head. It's so far stadium,
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  Speaker 2: all right. We got the Bills, and I think there's
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  Speaker 2: been I don't want to say the good vibes have
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  Speaker 2: leveled off, but I don't know how welse to describe it.
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  Speaker 2: They were like the surging team. Now they get a
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  Speaker 2: Broncos team. There's a part of me that wonders if
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  Speaker 2: this is actually a good matchup for Buffalo. The way
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  Speaker 2: the Broncos look to close out. Maybe it's recency biased,
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  Speaker 2: but I'm like, all right, maybe a little tougher than
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  Speaker 2: I anticipated heading into this one.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, remember they beat the Buffalo at high Mark Stadium
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  Speaker 4: last year. I know things have changed dramatically quarterbacks and
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  Speaker 4: other things. Right, who was even running the offense back?
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  Speaker 4: That was before Joe Brady took over.
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  Speaker 3: But you're right, I.
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  Speaker 4: Think you know, as explosive as this offense is, we know,
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  Speaker 4: thirty touchdowns plus rushing and passing has never been done before,
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  Speaker 4: and they have that incredible explosive ability and balance. So
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  Speaker 4: that's what they got going for, no doubt. But Denver's
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  Speaker 4: defense is tough. We've also got the Bills defense, I
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  Speaker 4: think has to answer some questions. We remember the Rams game,
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  Speaker 4: giving up all those points to try, like to storming
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  Speaker 4: back to try to make it a game. You know,
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  Speaker 4: even their backups defending Joe Milton last week, so there's
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  Speaker 4: a question about depth. Even with Matt Mlano back. You know,
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  Speaker 4: Greg Russeau is playing well, but that secondary I think
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  Speaker 4: has to step up. One big thing they have going
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  Speaker 4: Rookie quarterbacks have not fared well against Sean McDermott. Defense
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  Speaker 4: is only seven touchdowns seventeen interceptions in thirteen games against him.
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  Speaker 4: So maybe they've got something against bon Knicks, but we'll
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  Speaker 4: see it. It should be a good matchup.
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  Speaker 2: I'd like where you're going with that stat with regard
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  Speaker 2: to McDermott and his defenses against rookie quarterbacks, bo Knicks
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  Speaker 2: doesn't feel like he's a rookie. These moments haven't been
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  Speaker 2: too big for him. We'll talk about the Broncos in
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  Speaker 2: just a moment. The Eagles a matchup against the Packers.
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  Speaker 2: That's Sunday, four to thirty Eastern time. I'm a little
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  Speaker 2: worried about Jalen Hurts, right, like the latest news that
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  Speaker 2: I saw in the press conference from Nick Sirianni. Like
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  Speaker 2: the concussion protocol, he hasn't cleared it just yet. Even
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  Speaker 2: if he does, we're talking about two and a half games.
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  Speaker 2: He hasn't played two and three quarters games. Really that
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  Speaker 2: he hasn't played. How much concerned do you have about
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  Speaker 2: the Eagles in a postseason run.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, there has been some murkiness over his situation or quietude.
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  Speaker 4: We haven't heard a lot of tangible updates. Mike garratfollow,
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  Speaker 4: our colleague at NFL Network, has reported he thinks he's
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  Speaker 4: not worried that Hurts will play, but the Russ factor
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  Speaker 4: you mentioned is something to consider. Right, they can be
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  Speaker 4: there could be some gamesman ship here about Hurts's availability
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  Speaker 4: and all that but he's got to get some reps
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  Speaker 4: in some practice and sort of get that rhythm back,
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  Speaker 4: because look, you miss time, you get away from things
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  Speaker 4: a little bit, and then that timing gets thrown off.
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  Speaker 4: So you know, Saquon Barkley rested, offensive line rested.
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  Speaker 3: Those are good.
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  Speaker 4: But when you've got question marks surrounding Hurts and Kenny
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  Speaker 4: Pickett he had his ribs looked at a couple of
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  Speaker 4: weeks ago, that's a little bit worrying for me. So
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  Speaker 4: there's also a Packers team that played in pretty tough
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  Speaker 4: again way back in Week one and way down in Brazil.
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  Speaker 4: A lot of things have changed there too, but you know,
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  Speaker 4: they've got some interesting questions facing them in their first
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  Speaker 4: playoff game.
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  Speaker 2: And forgive me, because I've read a million different articles
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  Speaker 2: on NFL dot com, I believe it was you also
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  Speaker 2: pointed out Tanner McKee would be sitting in that number
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  Speaker 2: QB two spot if assuming Jalen Hurts is ready to roll.
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  Speaker 2: By the way analysis on all thirty two teams on
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  Speaker 2: NFL dot Com, you can check out Eric's article as
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  Speaker 2: we go through some of these power rankings. The Ravens,
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  Speaker 2: Is this a hot take? They should be the favorite
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  Speaker 2: to win the Super Bowl this year.
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  Speaker 4: Look, I think they are almost in a better position
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  Speaker 4: than they were last year. Not in terms of home
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  Speaker 4: field advantage and all that right, better record, better team
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  Speaker 4: all around I think last year. But still they went
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  Speaker 4: from having the spotlight on them all the questions about
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  Speaker 4: can they win it again?
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  Speaker 3: Ken Lamar win.
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  Speaker 4: His first Super Bowl. Now the spotlight's been shifted elsewhere.
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  Speaker 4: They're the hunters now. They're in a different role than
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  Speaker 4: I think they're used to. Everything that started with oh
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  Speaker 4: and two kind of put them behind the eight ball
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  Speaker 4: and losses to the Browns and Steelers, but they came
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  Speaker 4: back in the second matchup against Pittsburgh, looked far better.
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  Speaker 4: Six and three on the road, three close losses, and
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  Speaker 4: I love the direction of the defense.
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  Speaker 3: Mike.
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  Speaker 4: We can talk until we're blue in the face about
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  Speaker 4: Lamar and Derrick Henry and they're being you know, this
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  Speaker 4: kind of year. The magic has been there. They're made
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  Speaker 4: for this time a season. But the defense has really
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  Speaker 4: made strides. I think the last seven games they are
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  Speaker 4: averaging two hundred and sixty two yards per game allowed.
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  Speaker 4: So they don't give you much and they also take
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  Speaker 4: a lot from you too, so they're absolutely rolling, and
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  Speaker 4: you could see them as the favorites that it wouldn't
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  Speaker 4: be anything I'd really challenge you on.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, they match up against the Steelers team.
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  Speaker 2: There's a part of me that says, well, division opponent,
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  Speaker 2: they know each other, they've already played two times. They split.
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  Speaker 2: I'd make an argument it should have been two zero
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  Speaker 2: in favor of Baltimore. Yeah, the way that that first
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  Speaker 2: game had played out, Pittsburgh, We're gonna dissect it here offensively,
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  Speaker 2: some real issues. One other note from a Baltimore perspective.
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  Speaker 2: You use the term murky to describe the situation around
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  Speaker 2: Jalen Hurts. I'd use the same term to describe as
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  Speaker 2: a Flowers right now dealing with that knee injury. Still
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  Speaker 2: his status for this game up in the air once again. Saturday,
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  Speaker 2: eight Eastern time. Those two teams will go head to
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  Speaker 2: head the Vikings. All right, take a deep breath, let's
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  Speaker 2: calm down. Fourteen wins, nothing to sneeze at. I know
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  Speaker 2: it's weird to talk about a fourteen wins squad as
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  Speaker 2: a fifth seed. Do they just go back and say, hey, outlier,
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  Speaker 2: we were in the red zone within the ten yard
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  Speaker 2: line multiple times, and we just didn't execute. Maybe Sam
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  Speaker 2: Donald wants a couple of these rows back, like that
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  Speaker 2: one to Justin Jefferson, We're gonna be okay.
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  Speaker 3: I think that's like Kevin O'Connell.
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  Speaker 4: I think has done this sort of equanimity thing all year,
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  Speaker 4: not too high, not too low, understanding the pulse.
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  Speaker 3: Of his locker room.
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  Speaker 4: And it was a hard fall from nine straight wins
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  Speaker 4: to to what we saw Sunday night. That said, I
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  Speaker 4: think what's gotten them there is that day to day
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  Speaker 4: and game to game consistency.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, I think they'll go back.
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  Speaker 4: They'll rep the heck out of red zone, make sure
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  Speaker 4: they've got that down going into La, a team they
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  Speaker 4: lost to this season. So you know, I just it
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  Speaker 4: is a little bit concerning that Donald had his worst
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  Speaker 4: game and the offense had its worst game of the season.
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  Speaker 4: Arguably anyway, maybe Cam Aker's former Rams running back could
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  Speaker 4: have a little lie. He gave him boost for that
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  Speaker 4: big long run in the second half, fifty eight yard er.
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  Speaker 4: Maybe he's a little more of the game plan in
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  Speaker 4: this one as they try to kind of balance out
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  Speaker 4: a little bit more.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll talk more about the Rams coming up here,
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  Speaker 2: who and not to give too much away, but do
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  Speaker 2: sit in the twelfth spot in your rankings, Vikings the
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  Speaker 2: sixth spot. That game will be played Monday, once again,
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  Speaker 2: right across the street from our studios at SOFI Stadium.
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  Speaker 2: Little home field advantage for Los Angeles. The Commanders and Bucks.
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  Speaker 2: How different are these two teams that we've already seen
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  Speaker 2: matchup in Week one?
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  Speaker 3: Certainly the Commanders, right.
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  Speaker 4: You can talk about the Bucks and everything they've been
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  Speaker 4: through and you know, even getting displaced after Hurricane Milton, certainly,
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  Speaker 4: you know, sent a shockway through the entire organization, but
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  Speaker 4: they've picked themselves up by the bootstraps. But the Commanders, right,
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  Speaker 4: I mean just the design of the offense I think
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  Speaker 4: was still in its kind of early stages. We saw
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  Speaker 4: them in Week one, and there were flashes, but I
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  Speaker 4: don't know that Jayden Daniels was comfortably yet taking the
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  Speaker 4: shots and making you know, those those deep shots with
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  Speaker 4: his arm, taking the opportunities to run with his leg.
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  Speaker 4: I think the design and the playbook has sort of
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  Speaker 4: opened up since then a little bit. They've become this
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  Speaker 4: dangerous team that I think people now fear going against.
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  Speaker 4: It's going to be fascinating to see how he stands
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  Speaker 4: in this playoff atmosphere against a Bucks team that I
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  Speaker 4: think is, you know, sort of brimming with confidence. They've
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  Speaker 4: been able to pull off some wild victories too. But
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  Speaker 4: you're right, I think a lot has changed both offensively
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  Speaker 4: and defensively for both teams since then.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Eric, I always say that you get the
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  Speaker 2: toughest job in the building because ranking these teams is
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: not as easy as everyone thinks. Because I know, for me,
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  Speaker 2: the recency bias is a real thing. Momentum is a
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  Speaker 2: real thing. You know. A couple of weeks ago, we
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  Speaker 2: were talking about the Green Bay Packers. I'm like, oh,
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  Speaker 2: world beaters out there, prime time game after primetime game,
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  Speaker 2: and it's win after win. Now, all of a sudden,
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  Speaker 2: I see a Week eighteen loss, and I know Jordan
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  Speaker 2: Love wasn't out there for most of that game. The
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  Speaker 2: league will has actually played pretty well. All of a sudden,
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  Speaker 2: doubts are creeping into my head, and I have a
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  Speaker 2: problem removing the totality of an entire season when I'm
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  Speaker 2: thinking about just the short term and what I've seen recently.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt.
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  Speaker 4: You have to factor in recency bias, especially when it
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  Speaker 4: comes to injuries and things like that. Now, I suspect
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  Speaker 4: Jordan loves elbow will be fine. But you saw him
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: continually trying to kind of warm up and get it
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  Speaker 4: loose on the sideline. So maybe it was a funny
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  Speaker 4: bone thing. Maybe it was something a little worse than that.
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  Speaker 4: But I expect them to be out there. Yeah, you're
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  Speaker 4: right though. I mean, even not too long ago, when
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  Speaker 4: they lost in Detroit by a field goal, I said, look,
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  Speaker 4: this is a very good football team. I know they've
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  Speaker 4: lost some close games to good opponents. Hang in there
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  Speaker 4: with me, Well, you got to keep hanging because we
• 11:21
  Speaker 4: haven't seen the best version of the one that messed
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  Speaker 4: up upon against Chicago and allowed them to run it
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  Speaker 4: back for a touchdown. You know, Matt Lafleur had clock
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  Speaker 4: issues at the end of the game. You know, the
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  Speaker 4: offense was sort of sputtering. They lose Christian wattson. So, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: the questions are starting to mount for a team that
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  Speaker 4: not long ago I would have still put as a
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  Speaker 4: dark horse sort of Super Bowl contender.
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  Speaker 3: Right now, they've kind of got to win me back
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  Speaker 3: a little bit. I think.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we were running boards on NFL network. I think
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  Speaker 2: we even flashed it on this show. What three weeks ago,
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  Speaker 2: there was still a path for them to go and
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  Speaker 2: win the division. They needed a lot of help. That's right.
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  Speaker 2: You know we're sitting here like and it's kind of
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  Speaker 2: like limping into this, and I know you made reference
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  Speaker 2: to Christian Watson. There's a lot of questions on both
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: sides of the football, not only for Green Bay but Philadelphia.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: I think that's a hard one to dissect for a
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: lot of reasons. But we're just getting started here on
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: NFL Power Rankings. Six teams we haven't talked about they're
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  Speaker 2: playing this weekend in the postseason. The best of the
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: rest that's coming up next. Back here on Power Rankings,
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: Mike Hamman, Eric at Home with You and Eric's teams
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: nine through sixteen. The Chargers all of a sudden, that
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: offense is rolla we'll talk about them in just a moment.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: At tenants, the Buccaneers figuring out ways to win. The
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: Broncos at eleven all of a sudden look like a
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: really dangerous team. The Rams at twelve, Steelers at thirteen,
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  Speaker 2: Where is this team's offense? And are the Texans at
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: fourteen and under the radar team considering what we thought
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: of them heading into the season. Bengals missed the postseason
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: at fifteen and the Seahawks also on the outside looking
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: in at sixteen. All Right, the Chargers think about this.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: We spent most of the year talking about this team
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  Speaker 2: in the playoffs, led by their defense. Last three games
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  Speaker 2: they've all been wins thirty four, forty and thirty four
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  Speaker 2: points respectively. Are they becoming a more complete team that
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: legitimately could not only beat Houston but also advanced past them.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's key for them to get their
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  Speaker 4: run game going if they obviously it didn't happen really
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  Speaker 4: Sunday and it did sort of fall on Justin Herbert
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  Speaker 4: to bring them back, and a key turnover kind of
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  Speaker 4: got them going after all those field goals, So you
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  Speaker 4: worry about them kind of bogging down in the red
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  Speaker 4: zone too much. And then again when you see big
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  Speaker 4: plays in the passing game to Quentin Johnston Lad McConkie.
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  Speaker 3: These guys have really stepped up this year.
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  Speaker 4: The tight ends, there's been three or four of them
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  Speaker 4: have really contributed so and then Herbert, he would not
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  Speaker 4: have done runs like this against the Raiders long run
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  Speaker 4: to set up a touchdown early in the season when
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  Speaker 4: his foot was bothering him. I think he's healthy now.
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  Speaker 4: That's a huge development. But where's the offensive line? Racheon
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  Speaker 4: Slater hurt last week, other guys depths A little question.
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  Speaker 4: I still have my worries heading into this game.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, have to go on the road against the Texan
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  Speaker 2: squad that also kind of like Baltimore. Right in this
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  Speaker 2: and not comparing the two teams, I think Baltimore's path
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  Speaker 2: is way easier because I think the better But I
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  Speaker 2: just think questions around the squad and maybe can start
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: surging late in the year. They played a bunch of
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: games in a tight window there, including that Christmas Day matchup.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: Who knows, we'll see. I know they were hyped up
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: in a meaningful way. The Buccaneers at ten, I think
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: they are the most disrespected team in the AFC or
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: NFC playoff picture it. They figure out ways to win.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: They've been a staple in that division winning it. They
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: got year in and year out. Baker Mayfield's balling, like
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: I just I don't know, Erica, Am I crazy to
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: think they can make a run?
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: Absolutely, I mean, obviously it's a very tough first matchup,
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: right I think a lot of people are sort of
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: eyeballing this game as maybe the sleeper of the weekend
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: or however you want.
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: To call it.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: But you know, Mike Evans got his thousand yard season,
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: great celebration on the field, and Baker's had a tremendous
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: year obviously throwing the football. More trusting guys like Jalen
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: McMillan there. You know, Kate Otten. We hope he's healthy
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: for the playoffs and ready to go, you know, in
• 14:59
  Speaker 4: their offensive line in good shape. Plus the Bucky Irving factor. Boy,
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: that has sort of changed the dynamic this team as
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: he's taken over a little bit more in the backfield,
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: been a huge development as a fourth round rookie.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: He and Rashad White are a great pair. So the
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: offensive weapons are there.
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: Is the secondary ready to handle Washington's passing attack? Are
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: they ready to take him on as a scrambler too?
• 15:20
  Speaker 4: Those are my sort of biggest questions right now.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: Be it right?
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: The fear factor that they bring and the fearlessness which
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: they play, I think are going to be huge factors
• 15:27
  Speaker 4: in this game and possibly beyond.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like every time I think about the Bucks,
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: the perception is ah like they can get beat here.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: It's a home playoff game for him against the Commanders.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I think I like Tampa Bay and
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: Baker Mayfield at home. It is time for power moves
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: moving up two spots. It's the Broncos. So at that
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: eleventh position. I think about a Denver team and a
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: bon Knicks player. Speaking of Washington, I know Jayden Daniels
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: might be the front runner for offensive rookie the year.
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: Bone Nicks has got to be right on his heels.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: What's a formula for a road win for Sean Payton squad?
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think a great opening script getting a lead.
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: You don't want to play from behind at Buffalo. If
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: Buffalo gets up fourteen to nothing. And I know last
• 16:10
  Speaker 4: year in the playoffs they had a big lead on
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: the Steelers before they fought back. But still I think
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: this team, if Buffalo gets up two scores, it's going
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: to be a real tough ride.
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they could throw the ball.
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: Nick has been very efficient this year doing so, especially
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: when he sort of plays within the confines of Sean
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: Payton's great playbook.
• 16:28
  Speaker 3: I think it works really well.
• 16:29
  Speaker 4: Sutton's come on, you know, Veley, you know even Troy Franklin.
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: So the other thing I think is not getting away
• 16:35
  Speaker 4: from the run too early. They often script up great
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: runs early in games and then kind of forget about
• 16:40
  Speaker 4: it later on. So I think that at least some
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: semblance of balance will help them against the Buffalo team
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: that at times had troubles stop in the run this year.
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: So they'll have a chance. That defense is nasty, we
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: know all about him. They can take the ball away,
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: they can sack you. Pressure is a big part of
• 16:54
  Speaker 4: what they do. But I think offensively they have to
• 16:57
  Speaker 4: be productive early in the game, avoid turnovers, sustained drives,
• 17:01
  Speaker 4: keep Josh Allen off the field.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: I know, besides their respective bases, generally speaking, I think
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: a lot of folks wanted to see Cincinnati sneak their
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: way into the postseason and grab that wildcard spot right
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: like they don't, and it's Denver. I don't know. A
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: week ago I would have felt maybe with the majority,
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: and that's see a Bengals team in the postseason. There's
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: a part of me that says, you know what, let's
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: see what bo Nix can do on the road. I
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: actually like this matchup at number twelve. It is the
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: Rams at their best, Eric, I think you can story
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: this team getting to the Super Bowl when they are
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: completely healthy and they are rolling, and that offense looks
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: as good as it can play, and yet I've seen
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: some hiccups on that side of the football. Legitimately, what
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: is this Rams team as they match up against the Vikings.
• 17:45
  Speaker 4: Yeah, obviously they've got to limit the pass protection problems,
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: especially if you know you're going up against the Brian
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: Flores defense that loves to bring pressure, overload, blitzes. Lots
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: of extra hats at Matthew Stafford when he's at his best,
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: obviously he could beat the blitz And those receivers are
• 18:00
  Speaker 4: pretty fine too.
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: And you know, all.
• 18:03
  Speaker 4: Both those guys and Nakua and Kyra and Williams all
• 18:07
  Speaker 4: had very productive games against Minnesota last time, so we
• 18:10
  Speaker 4: know they can obviously ring it up offensively. But you're right,
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: we've seen some fits and stalls, offensive penalties, o line
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: issues they've all kind of contributed. And again, same thing
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: we were talking about a minute ago. The Rams sometimes
• 18:21
  Speaker 4: will deviate and get away from their runs sometimes later
• 18:24
  Speaker 4: in games too. I'd like to see them stick with
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: it and be able to finish off a Vikings offense
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: that you know Sunday night notwithstanding, can be pretty darn good.
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: The Steelers they drop three spots, They sit at thirteenth
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: in your rankings. It's four straight losses, and offensively they
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: look lost. What has happened in this team?
• 18:42
  Speaker 4: You know, George Pickens comes back and didn't get involved
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: on Sunday. You know, certainly the blocking up front and
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: key turnovers down the stretch from two guys you don't
• 18:51
  Speaker 4: normally associate with a Russell Wilson and Pat Fryermouth. Both
• 18:55
  Speaker 4: guys had crucially either drops or turnovers that have cost
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: their team. So there's just a lack of rhythm right now.
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: And you see Wilson having to get a quarter and
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: a half two quarters to kind of get his feel
• 19:07
  Speaker 4: for the game, and by that point sometimes it's too late.
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: They put themselves in a hole. The defense is done
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: what it can, but even in the bigger games, the
• 19:14
  Speaker 4: Marquee matchups, the best teams they face this year, even
• 19:17
  Speaker 4: they can't hold him on that side of the ball.
• 19:20
  Speaker 4: So they've got a lot of worries heading into this game.
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: And you can see it on Mike Tomlin's face and
• 19:24
  Speaker 4: in his words.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, This is not going to be a good matchup
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: or an easy one to try to solve a Baltimore
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: team that's surging. The Texans. We thought about them as
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: a dark horse super Bowl team before the year started.
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: Is there at all a chance?
• 19:38
  Speaker 4: Well, look, they beat the Browns in Houston last year.
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: They were underdogs at home too, and look CJ. Stroud
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: can still bring it. I know the receivers have been
• 19:45
  Speaker 4: hurt the offensive line, Joe Mix has been out of
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: the lineup, but maybe they've been able to save it
• 19:50
  Speaker 4: up and store it up for this one game. And
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: we'll see they need it badly because all the momentum
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: has been going the other way.
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Meanwhile, there's one team that has consistently been in
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: your bottom five of the Power rankings for most of
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: this season, Eric, And yet there's one of our colleagues
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: who thinks they're going to be a playoff team next year.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: Who that is? And whatever he thinks that's coming up next?
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: Back here on Power Rankings team seventeen through twenty four.
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: What happens to the Arizona Cardinals who do move up
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: two spots? But man, we were talking about that maybe
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: win in the division, just a few weeks ago, they're
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: at seventeen, the Dolphins at eighteen. A lot of questions
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: around that squad. Atlanta was on the precipice. They're at
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: nineteen on the outside looking in though. The Colt set twenty,
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: the Cowboys twenty one. The Niners will finish out the
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: regular season ranked twenty second, the Bears twenty three, and
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: the Panthers twenty four. They move up that one spot.
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: Cam Wolf, who's one of our great reporters. I was
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: doing a show with him yesterday and he turned to
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: me and he goes, hey, I think Carolina could be
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: a playoff team next year. The way Bryce Young is
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: playing and how this offseason looks. Is he crazy?
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: I don't think crazy at all.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: You could absolutely see a path for them, provided they
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: add a little bit more firepower offense. I'd love to
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: see him bring out him feeling back. He's been a
• 21:07
  Speaker 4: great mentor for that receiver room and guys like Xavier
• 21:10
  Speaker 4: Laguette and Jalen Cocher and such. Maybe at a tight end,
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: and when you see that no look past though from Young,
• 21:16
  Speaker 4: you know he feels comfortable. This is Alabama version of
• 21:19
  Speaker 4: Bryce Young that we're seeing, not the guy who looked
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: miserable early in the year and was benched and we
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: didn't know what his future would be.
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: So complete one point eighty from what we've gotten.
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: You wish it happened for guys like Anthony Richardson, But
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: maybe that's next year. Bryce's turn is this year so
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: far at least turning the page And yeah, I can
• 21:36
  Speaker 4: see it. Defense needs a lot of help too, So
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: Dan Morgan and company have to get that side of
• 21:40
  Speaker 4: the ball right otherwise you know it's still gonna be
• 21:42
  Speaker 4: an uphill climb.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, alabamo, Bryce, Yet, I like, can I use that
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: on a show anytime?
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: Okay?
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, because you're right, he has that vibe. It looks
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: like he's having fun out there when when he's playing it.
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: And I know it hasn't always been wins down the stretch,
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: but competitive in a ton of these ball games. Teams
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: twenty five now through thirty two. The Saints, Oh, this
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: is gonna be a crazy offseason for really all of
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: these teams at twenty five, the Jets twenty six, the
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: Jags finish at twenty seven, the Raiders and Antonio Pearson
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: Company at twenty eight, the Patriots. They're going to be
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: looking for a new head coach. At twenty nine, the
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: Giants won't be looking for a new head coach. Brian
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: Dibble and Joe Shane, their general manager, keep their jobs.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: At thirty one, it's the Titans and the Browns finish
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: out the season rank thirty two. Tennessee moves up one spot.
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: Here's the silver line. A. They get the number one pick.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: I don't know who's making the call on it. Ron Karthon,
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: their general manager, just relieved of his duties. Is this
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: all about QB one?
• 22:36
  Speaker 4: I think the duty of whoever is hired as GM
• 22:38
  Speaker 4: is going to be is there a quarterback worth taking
• 22:41
  Speaker 4: it one? And the question they have to answer before
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: that is there a veteran quarterback who could possibly step
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: in and instantly give them credibility. On the one hand,
• 22:50
  Speaker 4: you see Brian Callahan here. Obviously he was in Cincinnati,
• 22:52
  Speaker 4: he was part of the Joe Burrow drafting process. Got
• 22:55
  Speaker 4: to see it from soup to knots understands how that
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: would work. You know, Burrow wasn't necessarily considered a classic
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: number one pick prior to that college season, So you
• 23:05
  Speaker 4: know they might go off the radar and take somebody
• 23:07
  Speaker 4: who wouldn't necessarily be a traditional number one overall guy,
• 23:10
  Speaker 4: but I think if there's a veteran option, they'll at
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: least explore that. There's so many questions in Tennessee about defense, offense,
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: and obviously now the front office as well. Who's going
• 23:20
  Speaker 4: to be making those calls. We just don't know right now.
• 23:23
  Speaker 4: They and the Browns I think have two really tough situations.
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: That's why they were thirty first, thirty second on my list.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, I was doing a show and Brian Baldinger said, hey,
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: six seven of the top ten teams picking in the
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: draft meet a quarterback. There's not six to seven first
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: round quarterback arm I agreed this year free agency, there's
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: going to be some movement this offseason. Cannot wait for
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: this weekend's games. Eric, You're the best. I'm Mike am
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: Thanks for watching.
• 23:52
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• 23:54
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• 23:58
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