Latest / NFL Power Rankings / #6: Why aren't the Eagles #1? Buying into Giants? Cowboys hot streak; Broncos turmoil

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#6: Why aren't the Eagles #1? Buying into Giants? Cowboys hot streak; Broncos turmoil · 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 I Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to Power Rankings,
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Speaker 1: presented by Energizer. I'm Dan Hansas in the power chair
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Speaker 1: because Connie Fox Colleen Wolf a little under the weather.
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Speaker 1: But you go to the bullpen and you have a
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Speaker 1: gifted right arm and gifted mouth and brain with Steve Weiss.
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Speaker 1: So here we are. Steve, thank you for stepping in,
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Speaker 1: you know, and and first of all, hope Connie is
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Speaker 1: feeling better. Um. Execondly, you're gonna have to go behind
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Speaker 1: my ears and do the inspection just to make sure
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Speaker 1: I've got no uh no, rather to scuff up the ball.
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Speaker 1: You might have some hot back there to keep you
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Speaker 1: focused on the show, which is one of the weirdest
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Speaker 1: baseball things I ever learned for a sport I've watched
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Speaker 1: my whole life. Um, but this is not about baseball.
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Speaker 1: This is about the NFL Power League and the Power
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Speaker 1: Rankings one through thirty two. Uh. They went up on
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Speaker 1: the website on Tuesday morning. People are fired up. Stephen.
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Speaker 1: Before we get into we're gonna kind of break it
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Speaker 1: into four quadrants. Before we get into the first eight teams,
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Speaker 1: I want to say, like I'm more of a broad
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Speaker 1: thing as I'm putting together power rankings, who do I trust?
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Speaker 1: Right now? Who do you trust? Because I I can
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Speaker 1: name three teams and we're gonna get to some of them,
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Speaker 1: but I have trust issues with the league right now?
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Speaker 1: Are you in the same boat? Yeah, I mean, look,
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Speaker 1: there's a couple of teams, and again, those are the
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Speaker 1: three teams that are probably at the top that you
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Speaker 1: feel comfortable with. But then some of the teams, you know,
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Speaker 1: you're looking at their quarterback situations. You know, the Patriots
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Speaker 1: to play their hearts up, but right is Bailey's happy
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Speaker 1: gonna be the guy who can do it for a
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Speaker 1: long time? What's going on with the quarterback situation in Miami?
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Speaker 1: I mean, so it's gonna be interesting to see. You
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Speaker 1: know when you when you look at your rankings, how
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Speaker 1: much maybe you factored that into it, because a lot
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Speaker 1: of times, you know, when you say, well, this team
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Speaker 1: might have a better record, but if they met head
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Speaker 1: to head, this team is better. Well, I kind of
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Speaker 1: like somebole some of the ways you looked at it.
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Speaker 1: We're gonna have some good conversations. But the trust, I mean,
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Speaker 1: there there's a certain team we're gonna get to that
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Speaker 1: played on Monday night. That is just the the the
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Speaker 1: Kings of sprinting into a parked car that they just
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Speaker 1: can't get it out of their own way. That should
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Speaker 1: be close to close to undefeated. But you know, continue
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Speaker 1: to go and you bite that rear bump. And you
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Speaker 1: have a new title here at the company, NFL Senior
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Speaker 1: correspond What is it? What does mean? It's it's it's
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Speaker 1: chief reporter, not chiefs not chief reporter, chief reporter, very confusing,
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Speaker 1: but chief reporters. So you have responsibility and you're guiding
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Speaker 1: conscience of the newsrooms. I've said many times, but now
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Speaker 1: you understand the cross that I bear. I've done. I've
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Speaker 1: done these rankings because again sometimes it's like, okay, this
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Speaker 1: team's got a better record, but if these teams met
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Speaker 1: head to head, right, you know, the team with the
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Speaker 1: lesser record would smoke them. So but again, the quarterback situation,
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Speaker 1: the injury situation, My god, the forts are back. You
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Speaker 1: know where the half the teams on? I r again, No,
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Speaker 1: I don't know what to do with them, but all right,
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Speaker 1: I'm here with the chief correspondence. So let's get to
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Speaker 1: number one through eight. Right, let's start right where we're
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Speaker 1: at the top here, and I put a new team
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Speaker 1: at number one, the Buffalo Bills, followed by the Eagles,
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Speaker 1: Chiefs at three, Niners for Ravens, five, Bucks, six, Vikings seven,
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Speaker 1: Packers eight. And yes, I do have trust issues about
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Speaker 1: most of these teams, but I don't have any trust
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Speaker 1: issues about the Bills. So let's start there, Steve, I
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Speaker 1: haven't had a chance to check my mentions yet. Um,
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Speaker 1: it's still early on the West coast, but I'm sure
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Speaker 1: Eagles fans are not happy. But this is the thing, Steve.
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Speaker 1: I couldn't do it. I couldn't in good conscience sit
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Speaker 1: in front of my laptop on Monday and say the
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Speaker 1: Bills aren't the best team in football. And and it's
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Speaker 1: not just because they pants the Steelers. It's because what
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Speaker 1: they've been doing all season long. To the Rams in
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Speaker 1: Week one, to the Titans in Week two. Uh, they
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Speaker 1: had to come back when on the Ravens in Week four. Yes,
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Speaker 1: a bump in the road against the Dolphins in weird, hot,
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Speaker 1: humid conditions came down to the wire. But then again,
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Speaker 1: the Steelers, they're just the best. They're the best team.
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Speaker 1: So I had to put them at number one. But
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Speaker 1: but here's where I'll say, you know, to push back
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Speaker 1: a little bit, what what did the Eagles do to
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Speaker 1: make you think that they're not? Again, when it comes
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Speaker 1: to style points, when the Bills win, they win. I mean,
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Speaker 1: their defense dominates, their offense, take to lead, they look clean.
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Speaker 1: But what did the Eagles do? Okay, they had a
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Speaker 1: tough game at Arizona, but they showed that they have
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Speaker 1: They have shown they can win with a big play,
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Speaker 1: that they can grind it out on the ground, that
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Speaker 1: they can take the ball away, they can come up
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Speaker 1: with defensive stops like they have shown, they can win
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Speaker 1: in every style possible. And again, if these two teams
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Speaker 1: met head to head, are you certain that Buffalo gets
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Speaker 1: the dub here? Again, that that's the question. But if
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Speaker 1: if you're asking me that question on a neutral field, yes,
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Speaker 1: I think the Bills are the best team in football
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Speaker 1: right now and the Eagles, the point you're making is
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Speaker 1: absolutely on point because they've done it all. They've won,
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Speaker 1: they've answered the bells in different ways. They've won in
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Speaker 1: to shootout, they've blown a team off the field, They've
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Speaker 1: rallied from multiple scores down. They want a close one
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Speaker 1: on Sunday in a hostile environment in Arizona. So it
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Speaker 1: wasn't easy, Steve. But again, the difference between one and two,
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Speaker 1: it's very tight. But I just think the Bills get
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Speaker 1: the edge. I get it, though. Well you're saying, basically,
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Speaker 1: is Dan, you're an idiot. This is just I know, no,
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Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's not disrespectful. I'm just saying, you
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Speaker 1: say the Bills. He didn't say, no, you're not an idiot, Dan.
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Speaker 1: Now he just said no, you're not disrespectful. I'll know that. No,
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Speaker 1: but just but just to take away, just to take
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Speaker 1: away from the Eagles when they did it again and
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Speaker 1: they won in a in a different way this time. Again,
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Speaker 1: I get what you're saying. It would be hard for
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Speaker 1: me to say that Bills aren't the best team. But
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Speaker 1: when I look at the unbeaten record and the team
5:50
Speaker 1: that right now looks like the best team in the NFC,
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Speaker 1: I don't know if I would have demoted them, so
5:56
Speaker 1: to speak, it would have been it's been a one
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Speaker 1: A one B type. So are you on the camp?
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Speaker 1: And I've been this guy before, but as my power
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Speaker 1: rankings era has moved on, I've shifted a little bit.
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Speaker 1: My philosophy. The Eagles should be number one until they lose. Correct, correct,
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Speaker 1: until they lose, until they lose. I disagree, and I respect. Um.
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Speaker 1: Let's let's check in with the number three team and
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Speaker 1: the final team I trust, like, wholeheartedly trust. It's the
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Speaker 1: Kansas City Chiefs. They hold at number three, four and one. Um,
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Speaker 1: and I have to say, I can't. I can't say
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Speaker 1: Steve that I was totally on board with the Raiders
6:30
Speaker 1: don't cover Kelsey strategy at the goal line of My god,
6:34
Speaker 1: isn't it an amazing like him and Mark Andrews. Look,
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Speaker 1: they're that's just a late coverage right there. Ran a
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Speaker 1: package is tough to cover. But there was one touchdown.
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Speaker 1: I forget he ran in front of three guys. It
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Speaker 1: was the fourth one. I think. It was just like
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Speaker 1: what are we doing here? For three? It was like
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Speaker 1: no where seven is no where eight? Seven is right?
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Speaker 1: And they just couldn't get it. Look, the candid the
6:55
Speaker 1: Chiefs are are absolutely right. Look they were, they were
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Speaker 1: down seventeen nothing. The Raiders came out and popped him
7:02
Speaker 1: and they and they went here here it is right here,
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Speaker 1: like oh hey, come on them, here but they came
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Speaker 1: back and they played physical. I mean, I thought that
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Speaker 1: the big plays by Valdesc Gantling and Jet McKinnon and
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Speaker 1: some of those guys sparked some of the place and
7:18
Speaker 1: they got the Raiders on their heels again. And the
7:20
Speaker 1: Raiders had a little doubt, you know, they came back. Um,
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Speaker 1: I don't really like Andy Reid going for two when
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Speaker 1: he did it, but I just the way now that
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Speaker 1: the Chiefs are playing, they diversified their offense. Their defense
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Speaker 1: still has some things to work through, right, but they've
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Speaker 1: played a brutal schedule to this point, giving up a
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Speaker 1: lot of points to this point. But again, Kelsey got
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Speaker 1: the touchdowns. But when you get Jet McKinnon, Edward Hilaire Judson,
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Speaker 1: Miss Schuster, Valdisc Gantling, hardmen, they look very very very good.
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Speaker 1: Got some issues on the offensive line a little bit,
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Speaker 1: but um, three is three is a perfect spot for them.
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Speaker 1: You're right there with your your your trust issues are
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Speaker 1: are are good right here, Dan, and they have thank you,
8:00
Speaker 1: and they have Tyreek Hill out the door. And yet
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Speaker 1: this offense still feels like when it starts cooking where
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Speaker 1: it gets warmed up. It is a freight train rolling
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Speaker 1: downhill and nobody could deal with. That's why, especially in
8:13
Speaker 1: the NFL today, Stephen, you've been covering the league for
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Speaker 1: years and years seventeen, nothing leads not what it used
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Speaker 1: to say, especially against Mahomes and read Well. And that's
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Speaker 1: the thing. Okay, Patrick Mahomes got it going and it once.
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Speaker 1: Once they got rolling, they're kind of at the end
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Speaker 1: of the of the first half right again, Valdis scantling
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Speaker 1: as a couple of big catches, Mahomes moving around a
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Speaker 1: little bit. They're like, okay, let's go. So then they
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Speaker 1: go in the halftime, they get the ball, come out
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Speaker 1: of halftime, they come right back down boom. I mean,
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Speaker 1: Holmes is just that guy. That's why when we came
8:41
Speaker 1: into the season, everybody was like, oh, you know, the
8:43
Speaker 1: Broncos got rouss, the Charger's got all this, you know,
8:47
Speaker 1: and you still have to say to yourself, yeah, but
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Speaker 1: the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and they've got Andy Reid.
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Speaker 1: To me, that keeps them on top until the Chargers
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Speaker 1: don't charge her, you know, until Brandon's Daley decides to
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Speaker 1: actually maybe punt or you know, kick it all that
9:05
Speaker 1: by the way, Oh my god, from home two scoops,
9:08
Speaker 1: what are we doing? Um? And finally in the in
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Speaker 1: the last spot of the first quadrant, we have the
9:14
Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers, a team that drops four spots, and UM,
9:17
Speaker 1: I don't know what it is here, Steve, because on paper,
9:21
Speaker 1: the Packers look like they should have a great defense,
9:24
Speaker 1: and yet we see it now throughout this season when
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Speaker 1: they need a big stop, they don't get it, and
9:30
Speaker 1: they're not getting against a third string quarterback in New
9:34
Speaker 1: for New England. In your building, you don't get stops.
9:37
Speaker 1: And then this week happens Sae Kwan Bartley's missing swaths
9:40
Speaker 1: of the second half. They're Giants are middling offense at best.
9:44
Speaker 1: You can't get a stop there, and this time Aaron
9:46
Speaker 1: Rodger's gonna bail you out. It's you know, it's amazing
9:50
Speaker 1: when you look at all this defensive talent. You know,
9:52
Speaker 1: Rare Shawn Gary's is turning into a superstar. But the
9:56
Speaker 1: points you make are are so valid. I mean, I
9:58
Speaker 1: almost gotta stop, Steve, almost think eight is too high.
10:02
Speaker 1: I mean, I know the record is what it is,
10:04
Speaker 1: but it I don't like some of the mistakes they're
10:06
Speaker 1: they're making. Um, they to me, they still don't have
10:10
Speaker 1: a true offensive footprint there. They're counting on twelve to
10:12
Speaker 1: just improvise and make things happen. As you said, he
10:14
Speaker 1: couldn't bail them out this time. Um. But defensively to
10:18
Speaker 1: some of the mistakes, they're making some of the big
10:19
Speaker 1: play I mean they made the giant wide receivers who
10:23
Speaker 1: have struggled all season long, you know, look like the
10:26
Speaker 1: fun Bunch or something. Those guys are out there making
10:29
Speaker 1: plays and it's like when was I mean Daniel Jones
10:32
Speaker 1: made the Pro Bowl in that game? And so it's like,
10:35
Speaker 1: what is going on here? You have talent galore on
10:38
Speaker 1: this defense. How come they are not making plays? And
10:41
Speaker 1: they have to make play and and this I don't
10:43
Speaker 1: think this is on Aaron Rodgers in the offense. But
10:45
Speaker 1: also this is a team that's searching where the Chiefs
10:48
Speaker 1: moved right along post Tirade Hill. You know, Rogers finished
10:52
Speaker 1: over six on deep attempts of at least twenty yards
10:54
Speaker 1: in this game on Sunday. Um, they nearly hit one
10:57
Speaker 1: two dobbs the week before, but they didn't. And they're
11:01
Speaker 1: just this offense. You do sense that that Adam's size
11:04
Speaker 1: hole is missing when they need a big play they're
11:07
Speaker 1: not able to get it to to stop the momentum
11:09
Speaker 1: building on the other side. That's a part of this
11:12
Speaker 1: too for me. So maybe I do have them a
11:14
Speaker 1: little too high, but that almost speaks more to how
11:17
Speaker 1: the middle of this league is. I mean, it's so
11:19
Speaker 1: hard to figure out who's in the back end of
11:21
Speaker 1: the top ten because nobody's really earned it. So the
11:23
Speaker 1: Packers get some points from me and and and some
11:26
Speaker 1: respect points, but you could absolutely make a case they
11:28
Speaker 1: should be further down because because here's my question, and
11:31
Speaker 1: this is where I think the quarterback conundrum factors into
11:34
Speaker 1: your thinking. Okay, if I'm reading your mind, we're here.
11:37
Speaker 1: I would have the Cowboys there, Okay, I mean and
11:40
Speaker 1: I and I just don't know if if you're you know,
11:44
Speaker 1: is this something where you're just like a Cooper Rush.
11:46
Speaker 1: This has all smoking mirrors right now with the defense
11:48
Speaker 1: that you know, even though they're player four and one,
11:50
Speaker 1: they're playing exceptional quad complimentary football. You just can't do
11:55
Speaker 1: it because it's Cooper Rush and not Aaron Rodgers. Am
11:58
Speaker 1: I there with you? Dan? No, You're You're in the ballpark.
12:01
Speaker 1: Let's look at nine through sixteen. Now, as we moved
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Speaker 1: to the second quadrant. I got Cincinnati at nine, coming
12:05
Speaker 1: off the loss at two and three. I guess I
12:08
Speaker 1: just still believe in them. Uh the Cowboys at ten. Uh,
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Speaker 1: Titans eleven up one spot, Chargers up two spots to twelve,
12:17
Speaker 1: and up six spots to thirteen, Raiders up one to fourteen,
12:22
Speaker 1: Rams dipping for to fifteen, and the Saints up two
12:25
Speaker 1: spots to sixteen. So yeah, the Cowboys. I love Mia Culpa.
12:32
Speaker 1: I said it this morning and a good morning football.
12:34
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna hide from it, but nobody else should either.
12:36
Speaker 1: Like I buried them after week one. I put him
12:39
Speaker 1: in the mid twenties of the power rankings. I said,
12:42
Speaker 1: if they get out of five weeks without dak at
12:44
Speaker 1: two and three, it should be considered a huge win. Uh.
12:48
Speaker 1: And and meanwhile, they've won every game. Um, maybe the
12:51
Speaker 1: reason why they're not higher than ten, why they're not
12:54
Speaker 1: ahead of the Packers, is yes, I think the defense
12:57
Speaker 1: is carrying a little too much of the weight and
12:59
Speaker 1: I don't quite see the balance. And if they get
13:01
Speaker 1: punched in the mouth. Um, would a Cooper rush let
13:04
Speaker 1: off offense be able to uh lift them? I'm not
13:08
Speaker 1: there yet. And I think he got away with some
13:09
Speaker 1: bad throws in week four. Uh Rush, I think I
13:12
Speaker 1: threw for about a hundred and twenty yards in Week five.
13:15
Speaker 1: So I think they're vulnerable on offense until Dak returns.
13:18
Speaker 1: But I love the stat that's that they've given up
13:21
Speaker 1: exactly one touchdown in each of the five weeks and
13:24
Speaker 1: each of the five games. It's the real deal. And
13:25
Speaker 1: you set it on around the NFL before the season started, Steve,
13:28
Speaker 1: when we did um around the NFC and forty eight
13:30
Speaker 1: minutes exactly that this defense wasn't good, it's great, and
13:34
Speaker 1: that's certainly what's happened here. Well, I mean, look, you
13:36
Speaker 1: know when we talk a lot about Michael Parsons, but
13:38
Speaker 1: here's here's the brilliant of dan Quinn and what they've
13:40
Speaker 1: done with their personnel in Dallas on defense. Michael Parsons
13:44
Speaker 1: unicorn right, could play inside, outside, can do a lot
13:46
Speaker 1: of things them. Donovan Wilson a safety right, he's playing free,
13:49
Speaker 1: he's playing strong, he's playing a spy in the middle,
13:52
Speaker 1: and Taron Curse's doing the same thing. So now they've
13:54
Speaker 1: got three queens on a chessboard on their defense, and
13:58
Speaker 1: this is how they're really making it hard for opposing
14:01
Speaker 1: quarterbacks on who the key who to read and if
14:05
Speaker 1: you're some team with a weakness on their offensive line,
14:07
Speaker 1: it's over those guys up front with with Tank Lawrence
14:11
Speaker 1: and Micah Parsons. You know, so those d tackles, they're
14:15
Speaker 1: really aggressive. So here here a little question. So you
14:18
Speaker 1: talked about Okay, here's Cooper rush Hunter ten yards five yards.
14:22
Speaker 1: Isn't that how Jimmy Garoppolo the Niners got to the
14:26
Speaker 1: Super Bowl? It's fair. I mean, you know, when you
14:31
Speaker 1: when I do bury them after the back injury, they
14:34
Speaker 1: have a lot of ground to make up. So I
14:36
Speaker 1: think they've gone to ten in four weeks. But you're right,
14:40
Speaker 1: and this is that consolation. Here's a great test. Here
14:43
Speaker 1: we go. Here we go because if they if they
14:45
Speaker 1: go on Sunday night against Philly, if they win that game,
14:49
Speaker 1: I will be on this show with Colleen next week. Um,
14:53
Speaker 1: unless you Wally Pip Colleen, and it's just a Dan
14:55
Speaker 1: and Steve joint going forward. And I'll say, man, they
14:58
Speaker 1: should have been at in the top five before that game,
15:01
Speaker 1: but now here they are in the top three. But
15:04
Speaker 1: maybe it's a bit of a for Dan to show
15:07
Speaker 1: me game on Sunday Night for the Cowboys that you
15:09
Speaker 1: could take out a big time team, and you will
15:11
Speaker 1: because you know why, after they win that game, they're
15:13
Speaker 1: gonna put Dak Prescott in the next week and you'll
15:14
Speaker 1: be okay, like everything could be settled for it right right?
15:18
Speaker 1: How about the Bengals at nine? So I have him ahead?
15:22
Speaker 1: Is us? I got him drying spots. I kind of
15:26
Speaker 1: liked a lot of what I saw on Sunday Night.
15:29
Speaker 1: They get beat by Tucker hitting a fifty eight yarder
15:32
Speaker 1: and then hitting one at the gun to win it. Um.
15:35
Speaker 1: But there was something with Burrow, who again without Tee Higgins,
15:40
Speaker 1: that took away the best parts of their offense and
15:42
Speaker 1: their ability to attack down field. I just started showed
15:45
Speaker 1: that they do have that metal in them to to
15:48
Speaker 1: rise up when it counts, to go on that long
15:50
Speaker 1: drive to take the lead late. It didn't work out
15:53
Speaker 1: for them and I and I understand if you're gonna
15:55
Speaker 1: come back with me and say this is too generous,
15:57
Speaker 1: But I still believe the Bengals is one of the
15:59
Speaker 1: top teams in the a f C. So I'm not
16:00
Speaker 1: willing to bail at this point. And I get that
16:03
Speaker 1: because you know, I'm bullish on the Bengals to what
16:06
Speaker 1: disappointed me because they should have won this game if
16:09
Speaker 1: not for their head coach slash play caller driving all
16:12
Speaker 1: the way downfield with a beautiful mix of power runs,
16:16
Speaker 1: short passed with great catching runs, getting down close to
16:20
Speaker 1: the goal line, and then all of a sudden playing
16:22
Speaker 1: Candy Land with the play called Okay, let's go wide,
16:24
Speaker 1: let's do this, let's try this trick play on fourth down.
16:29
Speaker 1: I mean, dude, you drove the joke, you drove the
16:31
Speaker 1: Tonka dump truck down there, you play power football against
16:35
Speaker 1: this right, and then all of a sudden you get cute.
16:37
Speaker 1: Let's get cute. You know, they should have won that
16:40
Speaker 1: ball game, you know, not saying that that would have
16:42
Speaker 1: been the end all, but that would have put the
16:44
Speaker 1: Ravens in a situation where Okay, I think I think
16:47
Speaker 1: the Bengals go up right there. Um, I just I
16:52
Speaker 1: think there are there are a football team that's still
16:54
Speaker 1: finding itself and they're still on the come up. I
16:57
Speaker 1: think they need to give us more Joe Mixon. I mean,
17:01
Speaker 1: when he started rolling this offense, that was the first
17:05
Speaker 1: time that happened all the year. But they decided to
17:07
Speaker 1: like kind of commit to him, even if it was
17:08
Speaker 1: in the short passing game, and to both running backs.
17:11
Speaker 1: To p Ryan was fantastic as well. Continue to mix
17:15
Speaker 1: those guys in there and balance the offense amore. It's
17:18
Speaker 1: not just the big shots. I think they're a team
17:21
Speaker 1: that again is gonna find itself as it goes along.
17:25
Speaker 1: You know. For the rankings again, I think both of
17:27
Speaker 1: our projected feeling about this team, you can look at
17:31
Speaker 1: it and say this is too high again ahead of
17:34
Speaker 1: ahead of the you know, the Cowboys and Giants right
17:38
Speaker 1: now that you can say, but again, that's the feeling
17:42
Speaker 1: like if those two teams met head to head of
17:44
Speaker 1: the Giants played the Bengals head the head of the
17:46
Speaker 1: Cowboys with the Bengals head the head, you might want
17:48
Speaker 1: to see the Bank was probably have a better team.
17:50
Speaker 1: There's some projection in here as well, because um, we
17:53
Speaker 1: haven't seen it yet this year. But you know, I
17:56
Speaker 1: kind of waiting for Jamaar Chase to take over games
17:58
Speaker 1: and win games single handedly the way he was doing
18:00
Speaker 1: in December last year. In January. That hasn't happened yet either,
18:04
Speaker 1: So maybe once you know, Higgins hopefully gets healthy and
18:07
Speaker 1: mixing builds on this and then you unlock Chase. But
18:10
Speaker 1: I'm a little surprised he's not. He's not like a
18:13
Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson type where it doesn't matter what else is
18:15
Speaker 1: going on off the offense. I'm gonna get mine. That
18:17
Speaker 1: hasn't been the case, but Sincin had his offense. But
18:19
Speaker 1: but they have again I said they haven't found their identity.
18:22
Speaker 1: I mean with Justin Jefferson, it is clear the Vikings
18:24
Speaker 1: are gonna find ways to scheme him open and do
18:26
Speaker 1: things the same way the Ram scheme open Cooper Cup. Right,
18:30
Speaker 1: They're not doing that so much to Cincinnati because they
18:32
Speaker 1: have so many weapons and they're still trying to figure
18:34
Speaker 1: stuff out. I mean, that offensive line is not what
18:37
Speaker 1: we thought it's gonna be. Is it a talent issue?
18:39
Speaker 1: Is it a scheme issue. They've got to figure that
18:42
Speaker 1: part out first, because I mean, Burrow is not getting
18:43
Speaker 1: sacked as much, but he saw Lel Collins gonna get
18:46
Speaker 1: shoot up by Zach Taylor on that little cute Shouble
18:50
Speaker 1: play that you know that they try to copy from
18:51
Speaker 1: the Chief that just did not work. And you mentioned
19:11
Speaker 1: the Giants, Steve, do you want to go to the
19:13
Speaker 1: twilight zone? Of the power rankings. Let's go the twilight
19:16
Speaker 1: zone of the power rankings. Uh, it should be sponsored,
19:19
Speaker 1: it's not. Let's work on that, uh, Shaun Kelly behind
19:23
Speaker 1: the glass and get some money in our pockets. Because
19:25
Speaker 1: the twilight zone is the thirteen spot. It's the team
19:28
Speaker 1: I don't know what to do with. Okay, they are
19:30
Speaker 1: a team that you can make a case should be
19:32
Speaker 1: in the top ten. Some could make a case they
19:34
Speaker 1: could be in the back end of the teens. Um.
19:36
Speaker 1: I feel good about having the Giants at four and
19:38
Speaker 1: one at thirteen, but I also I also understand the
19:44
Speaker 1: doubters out there who might say, this is a classic
19:48
Speaker 1: situation where team gets out to a fast start. Check
19:52
Speaker 1: back within January when there's seven and ten. You're buying
19:56
Speaker 1: in on the Giants or no, I'm buying it on
19:57
Speaker 1: exactly what you said. I am still very much of
20:01
Speaker 1: I love how they're putting it together. This music to
20:03
Speaker 1: get you into the the music. This is almost I
20:06
Speaker 1: wish somebody would have made the White's theme song with
20:09
Speaker 1: this be behind it, a little reggae guitar through it.
20:12
Speaker 1: Don't tempt me. There you go. But you know, look,
20:15
Speaker 1: the one thing I do like about the Brian Dayball
20:17
Speaker 1: has got them believing right, you know you saw that game.
20:21
Speaker 1: At least get one right here. He has got them
20:23
Speaker 1: believing that they're a good football team. You know how
20:25
Speaker 1: the New York media is though, and it's a national
20:27
Speaker 1: thing too. They were saying the same stuff about Joe
20:29
Speaker 1: Judge two years ago. I know, it's different, different, it's different.
20:34
Speaker 1: It's different to say that sometimes I get ahead of
20:37
Speaker 1: our skis a little bit in the New York and
20:39
Speaker 1: I'm in New York. But I mean, look at how
20:41
Speaker 1: they're playing. I mean, they're physical, You're seeing both sides
20:43
Speaker 1: of the ball. You know they're they're they're playing well.
20:46
Speaker 1: I still want to see it for a little bit more,
20:49
Speaker 1: like I'm just not there yet, Like I'm there with
20:52
Speaker 1: the Eagles and it's there to put them in this spot.
20:57
Speaker 1: You've done what they've done and you got them a
20:59
Speaker 1: plus six. I mean, are they are they the biggest riser? Yeah,
21:02
Speaker 1: there's another New York team that has made a big
21:04
Speaker 1: up this week out of the nether world as as
21:07
Speaker 1: they should. As they should. We'll get to that and
21:11
Speaker 1: one more thing before we take a break here, Steve,
21:14
Speaker 1: I got the Raiders hanging tough one in four and
21:17
Speaker 1: yet I got him at number four teen because I believe.
21:21
Speaker 1: I believe that they will win at some point. It
21:24
Speaker 1: just hasn't really happened yet this season. That was a
21:26
Speaker 1: tough one against the Chiefs. I mean the tough one
21:28
Speaker 1: against every team, and they've been one possession games every game.
21:31
Speaker 1: I was in a game in Tennessee where the Titans
21:34
Speaker 1: are just crushing them in the first half. They come out,
21:36
Speaker 1: they put it together in the second half, and had
21:38
Speaker 1: they made a two point conversion at the end of
21:40
Speaker 1: the game, it's going overtime. But that's their whole season, right,
21:45
Speaker 1: you know, they come down. We're gonna talk to you
21:47
Speaker 1: so much about Chris Jones roughing the quarterback penalty is
21:50
Speaker 1: the big penalty. No, the big penalty is when um
21:55
Speaker 1: coots Malcolm Coots on the defensive hold on the missfield goal.
21:59
Speaker 1: How is that a thing? How is he playing the game? Steve?
22:01
Speaker 1: How does that happen? You are coached to move the
22:03
Speaker 1: guys to some audience. I mean, it's never called. So
22:07
Speaker 1: they call it on miss field goal. Four plays later
22:11
Speaker 1: the chief going score touchdown and that's kind of difference.
22:14
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, Well, Josh m. Janiels could have tied it up. Um,
22:18
Speaker 1: you know if he kicks the extra point with like
22:20
Speaker 1: one of the best kickers to model NFL. Yeah, I don't.
22:24
Speaker 1: I mean, is so cute with this stuff? Yeah, that
22:26
Speaker 1: the two point love? I mean I get, Hey, we
22:28
Speaker 1: got momentum, we got this and that. Hey, you know,
22:30
Speaker 1: the Chiefs are pretty good team. And you know, I
22:34
Speaker 1: I get. And if that's your play called Josh Jacobs
22:36
Speaker 1: is rolling but on a condensed field, I don't know,
22:38
Speaker 1: but it's it's just these things you the Raiders do
22:41
Speaker 1: every week. They are so close, so close, so close,
22:44
Speaker 1: but not close in I know, And that that game
22:47
Speaker 1: specifically was really and you saw it boil over at
22:50
Speaker 1: the unfortunate incident with Davante Adams show and the cameraman down.
22:53
Speaker 1: But Jacobs comes up what six inches short, maybe closer
22:57
Speaker 1: to taking the lead with four seven to play. Davante
23:00
Speaker 1: Adams on that ensuing possession after they get they get
23:03
Speaker 1: the stop and good on them for it. In the
23:04
Speaker 1: stop has the ball in field goal range with an
23:07
Speaker 1: automatic kicker ready to go win the game, and a
23:11
Speaker 1: little bobble. It was the right call and review, but
23:13
Speaker 1: so painful and then a bad route where Renfro and
23:17
Speaker 1: Adams collide and the game it's just like, you can't
23:19
Speaker 1: make it up. I don't know if I put it
23:20
Speaker 1: so much on coaching. Like Zach Taylor. We can talk
23:23
Speaker 1: about Cincinnati, whether he's helping or hurting McDaniels. That just
23:26
Speaker 1: seems to be a team. It's a little bit snake
23:28
Speaker 1: bid right now, and their schedule softens up. That's the
23:31
Speaker 1: thing I'm buying. I'm holding on the Raiders more than
23:34
Speaker 1: buying in or buying out because I think in a
23:37
Speaker 1: very milk toast a FC right now, they have it
23:40
Speaker 1: in them to make a rise and make me look
23:42
Speaker 1: good or make me look terrible. Next the next six games,
23:45
Speaker 1: they seriously should go five and one, you know, if
23:49
Speaker 1: not sick, so they could be right in the mix
23:51
Speaker 1: at the end of that stretch. All right, So we're
23:53
Speaker 1: just we're about halfway through here now in the power rankings.
23:55
Speaker 1: We're gonna take a break, and when we return, we
23:58
Speaker 1: dig into the back end where there are some intriguing
24:01
Speaker 1: teams and some depressing teams. We'll be right back, all right,
24:23
Speaker 1: Welcome back this time now for Power Moves presented by
24:26
Speaker 1: Energizer and here we go the biggest Week six jumps.
24:30
Speaker 1: We've got the Jets. My Jets up nine spots UH
24:35
Speaker 1: to seventeen. You have the Giants as we discussed, up
24:38
Speaker 1: six to thirteen, the Pats up four spots UH and
24:43
Speaker 1: Dallas of three spots to number ten. So let's start
24:46
Speaker 1: with my Jets, Steve. You know we've been working together
24:48
Speaker 1: a long time now, Steve, as long as I've been here. Basically,
24:52
Speaker 1: the Jets been one of the worst teams in the league.
24:54
Speaker 1: There's no way to sugarcoat it. There was the fith
24:56
Speaker 1: magic year and fifteen even that went sideways at the end.
24:59
Speaker 1: Um So I try to be objective as possible U
25:03
Speaker 1: with with this our rankings exercise. Am I a little
25:06
Speaker 1: too excited to get the Jets up to seventeen based
25:09
Speaker 1: off these three wins in the first You know they're
25:11
Speaker 1: they're playing very good football right now, Zach Wilson's come back.
25:14
Speaker 1: The offense has got a little bit of an identity.
25:16
Speaker 1: The defense is playing well, and Robert Sala has got receipts.
25:21
Speaker 1: He's got receipts. But look the way this defensive front
25:24
Speaker 1: is starting to play Dan again. The way the offense
25:27
Speaker 1: is functioning. Bruce Hall kind of came into his own
25:30
Speaker 1: a little bit this week. I like the way they're playing.
25:34
Speaker 1: They are believing. We talked about how the Giants are believing,
25:38
Speaker 1: the Jets are believing, and that look that is that
25:41
Speaker 1: is a very healthy drug belief because talent is pretty
25:45
Speaker 1: much equal across the board with most of the teams
25:48
Speaker 1: in the NFL. And now you're starting to understand why
25:51
Speaker 1: you're doing things and what can be the result. There
25:54
Speaker 1: is something interesting going on here with this draft class,
25:57
Speaker 1: and there was a lot of hype and talk about
26:00
Speaker 1: it when it happened that Joe Douglas had leveraged all
26:02
Speaker 1: these draft assets into potential immediate impact guys. And that's
26:06
Speaker 1: what's happening here. I love this quote. Sauce Gardner his
26:09
Speaker 1: immediately stepped up a big time cornerback. Uh and Garrett
26:14
Speaker 1: Wilson is a hit the ground, running playmaker at wide receiver.
26:19
Speaker 1: And then you have Braece Hall, who they moved up
26:21
Speaker 1: to grab in the second round. And I love this quote. UM.
26:26
Speaker 1: At some point during the Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Hall,
26:29
Speaker 1: Gardner and Wilson looked at each other and laughed. This
26:31
Speaker 1: is from the Associated Press. We were just talking about
26:35
Speaker 1: it during the game, like, bro, we're so good. What
26:38
Speaker 1: that is This that's a team that's starting to believe
26:41
Speaker 1: in itself. And you could say, and I know Dolphins
26:43
Speaker 1: fans will say it, we were playing our third string
26:45
Speaker 1: quarterback toront Armstead went out, we were on the road
26:48
Speaker 1: in a bad situation. And that's all true, but that
26:51
Speaker 1: that is independent from a Jets team that knows nothing
26:54
Speaker 1: but losing for years. Having these new guys Like I
26:56
Speaker 1: remember at the draft in Vegas interviewing Sauce Gardener, uh,
27:00
Speaker 1: you know, twenty minutes after he selected, and as like
27:03
Speaker 1: as the Jets guy like, oh, you know, the Jets
27:05
Speaker 1: have had a lot of losing, He's like, I don't
27:07
Speaker 1: care about that because that had nothing to do with
27:09
Speaker 1: me or any of the guys that are coming in.
27:11
Speaker 1: And you feel that now that these guys they're not
27:13
Speaker 1: tied to the losing like the fans are. They're young
27:16
Speaker 1: and hungry and maybe even younger Rahee Morris style well,
27:18
Speaker 1: and keep in mind Robert sal and Michael Floor the Floor,
27:21
Speaker 1: the offensive coordinator. They came from a Niners team that
27:24
Speaker 1: went through this. When they started with the Niners, back
27:26
Speaker 1: in the day when Shanahan took over, the Niners were terrible.
27:28
Speaker 1: They were coming off that great Jim Tom Seula Chip
27:30
Speaker 1: Kelly run right, and so they were horrible. They didn't
27:34
Speaker 1: have the personnel. Took some years to build a personnel,
27:36
Speaker 1: took some years to develop that talent, and got took
27:39
Speaker 1: some years for those guys to believe. I mean the
27:41
Speaker 1: Jets by name me get ahead of the curve and
27:43
Speaker 1: termed of that belief factor. So you have these young
27:45
Speaker 1: guys who are playing the good in the quarterback situation
27:48
Speaker 1: is still gonna continue to get better. We still got
27:50
Speaker 1: to see more from Zack Wilson, but he looks like
27:52
Speaker 1: the real guy. And so if they nail that, that
27:56
Speaker 1: solves a lot of their problems. I mean, they haven't
27:59
Speaker 1: had a playoff quarterback really since Mark Sanchez. And so
28:03
Speaker 1: I mean, if Wilson turns out to be a player,
28:05
Speaker 1: look out correct, look out correct. I get too excited
28:09
Speaker 1: to see and and and I also think that la
28:11
Speaker 1: Floor and sal are starting to kind of figure out
28:13
Speaker 1: who they are as coaches as well. So to see
28:16
Speaker 1: this learning curve. Dan receipts and we talked about the Packers,
28:20
Speaker 1: who are number eight in the power ringings but can't
28:22
Speaker 1: seem to get a stop on defense. The Jets go
28:24
Speaker 1: to Lambeau in Week five, and if the Packers aren't ready,
28:28
Speaker 1: that offense is going to score points and it's gonna
28:30
Speaker 1: be an interesting situation. Uh in Green Bay. Let's move, No,
28:36
Speaker 1: let's move. Check out the rest of seventeen through twenty four.
28:39
Speaker 1: We talked about the Jets. Let's talk about the here
28:41
Speaker 1: it is Jets seventeen, Dolphins eighteen down, eight spots. Uh,
28:46
Speaker 1: they got all sorts of issues at quarterback and that
28:48
Speaker 1: explains that situation. Cardinals nineteen down to Browns, Patriots, Falcons, Broncos,
28:55
Speaker 1: Seattle round out. So let's talk to Browns a little
29:00
Speaker 1: bit here, Steve, because there that's a frustrating team. Then
29:04
Speaker 1: the Raiders, they they have the top spot in terms
29:07
Speaker 1: of this this season is annoying at one and four,
29:10
Speaker 1: playing all these close games. But the Browns, and you
29:14
Speaker 1: hate to say this because this is also annoying. Oh
29:16
Speaker 1: they could be five and oh, but Steve, they could
29:18
Speaker 1: be five and oh, and yet here they are two
29:20
Speaker 1: and three and in the middle of the pack. Last
29:22
Speaker 1: week the Ravens lost, you know when they blew it
29:25
Speaker 1: their defensive issues, they're just they're they're just now it's
29:28
Speaker 1: it's no longer a blip. I mean, you come up here,
29:32
Speaker 1: it's a tire fire. You play, you play the worst
29:34
Speaker 1: rushing team in the NFL and they hit you for
29:36
Speaker 1: almost three hundred on the ground. What is that? I
29:39
Speaker 1: don't know. I mean you play in a division that
29:41
Speaker 1: is a rushing division for the most part, right then,
29:45
Speaker 1: clowney back. You expect better results, but it's not happening
29:49
Speaker 1: getting gashed and then you know this is after you know,
29:51
Speaker 1: you're letting all these balls go over your head. Uh
29:53
Speaker 1: for communication on the back end, they are a frustrating team. Offensively,
29:57
Speaker 1: they are playing good football. I mean Kobe percent had
30:00
Speaker 1: to pick right, he had he had the he had
30:02
Speaker 1: the bad lay pick. But they're playing good football there.
30:05
Speaker 1: That's a team, like you said, you just want to
30:07
Speaker 1: bang your head. But you know, probably in their big
30:11
Speaker 1: picture of things, they're staying afloat just enough. This is
30:14
Speaker 1: kind of the pattern. They got to get back on
30:16
Speaker 1: the plus side and the wind laws column. So when
30:18
Speaker 1: DeShawn Watson comes back in week eleven, um, it's week eleven,
30:23
Speaker 1: a week two, I'm sorry when we come back leave.
30:25
Speaker 1: I think whenever he comes back that they will be
30:30
Speaker 1: in position to possibly make a run. And the division
30:32
Speaker 1: continues to set itself up for him to possibly come
30:35
Speaker 1: in to make it or even just get in the
30:36
Speaker 1: door of the playoffs. And and then if Watson can
30:39
Speaker 1: build a no matter of your opinion of that situation,
30:42
Speaker 1: he's gonna make that team a lot better. Joe Woods
30:45
Speaker 1: is the defensive coordinator over there. I would keep your
30:46
Speaker 1: head on a swivel, Joe, because if they need to
30:49
Speaker 1: make a change to jump start the team and might
30:51
Speaker 1: be at DC UM. All right, let's move on. Let's
30:57
Speaker 1: talk about the Broncos. Let's talk about talk Steve. Let's
31:03
Speaker 1: talk about the Bronco. Let's talk about I than games
31:05
Speaker 1: and maybe a blind spot you could call it, maybe
31:08
Speaker 1: for the power rankings. For me, when a team really
31:11
Speaker 1: either stinks out the joint in prime time or delivers
31:14
Speaker 1: a dominating performance in prime time, I am susceptible to
31:17
Speaker 1: a little extra drop or a little extra jump. It's
31:20
Speaker 1: just who I am. I like football unto the lights
31:22
Speaker 1: with when you when everyone's watching and the Bronco is
31:25
Speaker 1: playing one of the worst prime time games on offense,
31:27
Speaker 1: that you'll ever see on Thursday against the cults. I'm
31:30
Speaker 1: just out right now, tell me I'm wrong, telling me
31:33
Speaker 1: I'm right. Now, you're right, And look the only reason,
31:35
Speaker 1: and I'm looking at your list, I think the only
31:37
Speaker 1: reason why they're not lower is just because the teams
31:40
Speaker 1: behind them are just like almost non competitive for the
31:43
Speaker 1: most part. I mean, there's some teams here that you
31:45
Speaker 1: can give some some hope to, but they're a mess
31:48
Speaker 1: right now. I mean we can sit here and say, oh,
31:50
Speaker 1: you know, they're they're they're taking some time to get
31:52
Speaker 1: the offense together. No, they are. You know now they've
31:55
Speaker 1: got their best offensive lineman, Garrett Bowls is out for
31:58
Speaker 1: the season. Russ just can't seem to figure out what's
32:01
Speaker 1: going on offensively. Maybe it's just him and Nathaniel Hackett
32:03
Speaker 1: not getting it together, but just some things that you're hearing.
32:06
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, Russ having his own office in
32:09
Speaker 1: the building like he's a coach and spending time there
32:12
Speaker 1: with his entourage as opposed to some of these younger
32:15
Speaker 1: guys in the locker room who he was supposed to
32:17
Speaker 1: be building all this chemistry with, like some of the
32:19
Speaker 1: stuff like that. That's not healthy. It is not healthy. Um,
32:24
Speaker 1: and there's new ownership there. I mean, I'm sure there
32:27
Speaker 1: are some assistant coaches and some people in that building
32:30
Speaker 1: whose heads on a swivel like this could go south
32:33
Speaker 1: real quick for all of us in here, right up
32:35
Speaker 1: to the big chair Hackett. They didn't hire Hackett, they
32:37
Speaker 1: didn't hire Hackey, and you could go right up to him.
32:39
Speaker 1: They're getting rid of Russ because they're too commute to
32:41
Speaker 1: it financially. But and that just excused the power dynamic anymore,
32:46
Speaker 1: even more potentially because Hacket is a smart guy. He
32:48
Speaker 1: didn't get to this job by accident. He knows he
32:51
Speaker 1: needs to make things work with Russ uh to keep
32:54
Speaker 1: him happy because Russ isn't going anywhere. But so far
32:57
Speaker 1: it has not worked out. And then there's the not
32:59
Speaker 1: so small issue a Steve that after that game on
33:02
Speaker 1: Friday morning, he's getting an injection nearest shoulder Russell Wilson,
33:07
Speaker 1: so he's not physically right either. On top of everything else,
33:10
Speaker 1: there's just a lot of bad vibes. It's there's a
33:13
Speaker 1: lot of bad mojo. There's a lot of badmo with
33:15
Speaker 1: the Chiefs playing the way that they're playing, Um, it's
33:18
Speaker 1: gonna be tough to catch up. They're just lucky that
33:19
Speaker 1: the a f C West is in this dynamic as
33:21
Speaker 1: we thought it was gonna be. Through thirty two, we
33:24
Speaker 1: got the Jags down five spots to twenty five. That's annoying.
33:28
Speaker 1: Let's get to that in a second. Lions down two spots.
33:31
Speaker 1: That's annoying. Let's also hit that UH Steelers hold at
33:35
Speaker 1: twenty seven. Colts despite the win, I wasn't buying in
33:38
Speaker 1: at all, they hold at twenty eight, Bears up one
33:41
Speaker 1: to twenty nine, the Justin fields doing something. Finally, they're
33:45
Speaker 1: UH Commanders down one to thirty. They're a tough watch.
33:48
Speaker 1: The Texans get out of the seller for the first
33:50
Speaker 1: time in a couple of weeks by getting into the
33:52
Speaker 1: wind column, and the Panthers drop to the final spot.
33:57
Speaker 1: And we're gonna get to their situation in a second.
33:59
Speaker 1: But let's start with the Jags. Steve uh they were
34:01
Speaker 1: the team in the beginning of the season when we
34:04
Speaker 1: kind and I were talking about, oh, who's the Bengals
34:07
Speaker 1: this year? Because infamously um I had Cincinnati about twenty
34:11
Speaker 1: nine or so at the beginning of last season. They
34:13
Speaker 1: end up playing at so far in February. Who could
34:15
Speaker 1: be the team that shocks people and makes a run
34:17
Speaker 1: into the class I said, the Jacks. It's all there
34:20
Speaker 1: and yet, and I don't want to make this a
34:21
Speaker 1: total referendum on the quarterback. They're not making that leap,
34:25
Speaker 1: especially in the last two weeks, and Lawrence does have
34:28
Speaker 1: a lot to do with it. Yeah, I mean, he's
34:30
Speaker 1: turning the ball over and you know, they've they've got
34:32
Speaker 1: to figure that. I'm I'm not completely out on them
34:35
Speaker 1: because they've got a ton of talent, but he is
34:38
Speaker 1: making some bad mistakes. Some defenses are finding some things,
34:42
Speaker 1: some tendencies um and and making him second guests double
34:47
Speaker 1: clutch a little bit. But the Jacks, I mean, look
34:49
Speaker 1: at that, Look at the division. I mean, the Titans
34:52
Speaker 1: are starting to, you know, find a little traction, but
34:54
Speaker 1: they still have an opportunity to Trevor. Lawrence has got
34:56
Speaker 1: to settle down. He's got to kind of Doug Peterson's
35:00
Speaker 1: got to get him to settle down a little bit.
35:02
Speaker 1: Uh to trust his players a little bit like he
35:04
Speaker 1: was earlier in the season. Because defensively, they're gonna be
35:07
Speaker 1: able to do some things. You have them in the
35:08
Speaker 1: right spot. I mean, they've earned that that number twenty
35:11
Speaker 1: five power ranking, but you know they're they're gonna be
35:15
Speaker 1: better as the season goes along. But these last two
35:18
Speaker 1: weeks they have just they've looked like the Jaguars that
35:21
Speaker 1: we're used to seeing. Do you, I mean, entering the league,
35:24
Speaker 1: did you see Lawrence is that type of guy who
35:26
Speaker 1: could be a star And has anything changed for you
35:28
Speaker 1: based on what we've seen in a year on the quarter? No,
35:30
Speaker 1: I mean last year is a re shirt. You can't.
35:32
Speaker 1: I absolutely thought he was gonna be a star. Still
35:34
Speaker 1: think he's gonna be a star. People I talk to
35:36
Speaker 1: coaches think he's going to be a star. He's just
35:39
Speaker 1: going through it right now. Doug Peterson, we'll get him right, Okay,
35:42
Speaker 1: that d C they have down there, We'll get that defense, right,
35:45
Speaker 1: Mike Caldwell. So again, this is just kind of the
35:47
Speaker 1: growing pains he's having to go through. This is his
35:50
Speaker 1: rookie year, so to speak. So I still think he's
35:53
Speaker 1: gonna be really good. I think the Jaguars are gonna
35:55
Speaker 1: end up a lot higher on this list by the
35:57
Speaker 1: end of the season. And then there's the Lions right
35:58
Speaker 1: behind him at twenty six, and that this is just
36:01
Speaker 1: kind of a bummer because I think we all want
36:03
Speaker 1: the Lions to be fun. We all want to look
36:05
Speaker 1: forward to like a cool Thanksgiving game for instance. Uh,
36:09
Speaker 1: that would be nice between two quality teams, and yet
36:11
Speaker 1: it's not there. They have the best offense in the
36:13
Speaker 1: league statistically through the first four weeks. Then they go
36:16
Speaker 1: up to New England and get shut out, shut out
36:18
Speaker 1: and taken apart. So then and you take that out
36:20
Speaker 1: of it, and you know their defense has all sorts
36:22
Speaker 1: of issues that you have to be concerned about this team.
36:25
Speaker 1: You have to be concerned. I mean because now you know,
36:28
Speaker 1: ownership will probably be patient with Dan Campbell. But now
36:31
Speaker 1: is usually when that that that ownership group up there
36:33
Speaker 1: starts looking at other candidates outside, you know, the building,
36:36
Speaker 1: because they're just not putting it together. Now this is
36:39
Speaker 1: let's just say this at the operation game and they
36:42
Speaker 1: get it back. That's fine. Still, defensively, they are a
36:44
Speaker 1: hot mess um on what they're doing. And they've got
36:47
Speaker 1: players on defense. I mean, that's what's got to be frustrating.
36:50
Speaker 1: They have got some talented players on defense. They've got
36:53
Speaker 1: to figure out what the heck they're doing right, And
36:56
Speaker 1: I love Aaron Glenn. I think he's He's a guy
36:58
Speaker 1: you saw in Hard Knocks. He's a great community secondary coach,
37:02
Speaker 1: is a great coach, coaching staff. You there, easy to
37:05
Speaker 1: root for, and yet you understand that there are questions
37:08
Speaker 1: behind the scenes right now, like why isn't this working?
37:10
Speaker 1: Why aren't we taking the leap that we all expected? Uh,
37:13
Speaker 1: grit and grit alone does not get the job done, unfortunately,
37:17
Speaker 1: and and Campbell said after the game on Sunday, to me,
37:21
Speaker 1: this is about as bad as it gets. I believe
37:23
Speaker 1: we hit rock bottom. So now the only place to
37:25
Speaker 1: go is back up. Okay, that's the curse. Be careful
37:28
Speaker 1: that that's a curse, Dan, because the one thing I
37:30
Speaker 1: have found in life and especially in the business that
37:32
Speaker 1: we do, it can always get worse. Man, be careful there, Dan.
37:39
Speaker 1: It is week five. Uh. Finally, let's talk about the
37:44
Speaker 1: number thirty two team, which usually we kind of steer
37:47
Speaker 1: clear of because there are all sorts of issues, and
37:49
Speaker 1: certainly that is the case with the Panthers right now.
37:51
Speaker 1: But they were in the news this week because they
37:54
Speaker 1: fired Matt Rule and eleven and twenty seven and two
37:57
Speaker 1: plus seasons they all forty million bucks, some of that
37:59
Speaker 1: is offset when he when inevitably he's coaching some big
38:02
Speaker 1: twelve team and they're the top twelve team in UH
38:05
Speaker 1: next fall. But whatever rules future, we don't have to
38:09
Speaker 1: worry about him. But the Panther's future you should worry
38:12
Speaker 1: about because what are they? Where are they right now?
38:15
Speaker 1: Is an organization? In your mind? This is bad because
38:18
Speaker 1: they couldn't fix their quarter right. They tried all the
38:20
Speaker 1: band aid quarterback options. They traded away picks to get
38:22
Speaker 1: Sam Donald. That didn't work. So now are they in
38:26
Speaker 1: the situation where they just finish out the season, get
38:29
Speaker 1: the number one pick, and go quarterback. I think that's
38:31
Speaker 1: the route everyone's probably hoping they take. Let's just tear
38:34
Speaker 1: this whole thing down at the trade deadline. Let's fire
38:37
Speaker 1: sale some players. You've got a good young defensive nucleus.
38:40
Speaker 1: If you gotta get rid of Christian McCaffrey, maybe you
38:42
Speaker 1: trade him to contender. Here's some of those reports out there. Yeah,
38:46
Speaker 1: what Buffalo was calling about it. So we'll we'll, we'll see.
38:48
Speaker 1: I think they'll wait and try and get see if
38:50
Speaker 1: there's some leverage to play there. But I've just covered
38:53
Speaker 1: too many teams where this has happened, right, And so
38:56
Speaker 1: now all the assistant coaches are calling their agents like,
38:59
Speaker 1: all right, you know, hey, we're gonna play this out.
39:02
Speaker 1: We're gonna be professionals. We've gotta have a good face
39:04
Speaker 1: to the lot room. Um, but we're gone. Steve Wilkes,
39:08
Speaker 1: wonderful human being, is gonna take over. He's gonna coaches
39:11
Speaker 1: hard out. But we know that they're they're not gonna
39:13
Speaker 1: give him a shot. You know, interim coaches just don't
39:15
Speaker 1: get held over. Um. And so I think this is
39:19
Speaker 1: gonna be bad. And here's something that you know, really
39:22
Speaker 1: hasn't been mentioned that with his fire, and it has
39:24
Speaker 1: to be taken into account. You don't think David Tepper,
39:26
Speaker 1: the only other Carolina Panthers, is looking at what's happening
39:30
Speaker 1: in Atlanta and saying, we have more talent than the Falcons.
39:34
Speaker 1: And there in every game that coaching staff is coaching
39:38
Speaker 1: those guys up, they are making those guys, they're putting
39:42
Speaker 1: them in position to almost win, and we're getting smoked
39:47
Speaker 1: week after week. We can't figure it out. I think
39:50
Speaker 1: that had a little something to do with as well,
39:52
Speaker 1: you know, including the far part of his team just
39:55
Speaker 1: seemed to really just kind of lay down at the
39:56
Speaker 1: end of that Niner scan. Yeah, and he said that,
39:59
Speaker 1: he came out and said there was not enough competitiveness
40:02
Speaker 1: on the field and there are too many, too much,
40:05
Speaker 1: too much read in the crowd, referring to to the
40:08
Speaker 1: forty Niners fans. So yeah, they're going through right now,
40:11
Speaker 1: but maybe brighter days are ahead. Steve, you've said it all.
40:17
Speaker 1: Thank you the list, good job, thank you buddy, Thank
40:21
Speaker 1: you for jumping in. Colleen will be back with me
40:23
Speaker 1: next week. Uh, make sure you check out the Power
40:26
Speaker 1: Rankings NFL dot com slash Power Rankings and uh, watch
40:30
Speaker 1: around the NFL. Yeah, watch her on the NFL and
40:33
Speaker 1: listen to it. There's this plug and check out Steveh
40:35
Speaker 1: in NFL now and all the great stuff he does
40:37
Speaker 1: as well. Until next week, need the call. NFL Power
40:54
Speaker 1: Rankings as a production of the NFL in partnership with
40:57
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41:00
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41:03
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