Latest / NFL Power Rankings / #13: Teams Tumbling!

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#13: Teams Tumbling! · 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: Well, welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power
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  Speaker 2: Rankings along with Eric at home Mike am with you.
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  Speaker 2: A complete list of all thirty two teams and where
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  Speaker 2: they sit according to Eric, available on NFL dot com.
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  Speaker 2: Before we jump into these rankings, Eric, I gotta tell you, like,
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  Speaker 2: heading into week number twelve, you almost felt like it
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  Speaker 2: was must win scenario for a few teams that got
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  Speaker 2: it done and are still alive in the playoff lines.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's really about twenty teams that are still in
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  Speaker 3: this mix. I think we're going to sort a lot
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  Speaker 3: out this week, obviously starting with a great Thanksgiving lineup,
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  Speaker 3: but I love the fact that we've got a deep
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  Speaker 3: field and only one team I think has been eliminated.
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  Speaker 3: Sorry about your Giants, Mike.
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  Speaker 2: We don't need to go there, Although I try to say,
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  Speaker 2: do we need to talk about the lions of what transpired?
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  Speaker 4: We will do that.
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  Speaker 2: Coming up in just a couple of minutes. But let's
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  Speaker 2: take a closer look at the rankings. Team number one
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  Speaker 2: and the Rams are showing they might be the class
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  Speaker 2: of the NFL. Sitting at number one of the power rankings.
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  Speaker 2: The Seahawks ree rebounded off that loss to the Rams
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  Speaker 2: with a win against the Titans. They sit at number two.
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  Speaker 2: The Broncos were idle. They sit at three, the Colts
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  Speaker 2: at four, the Patriots at five. Will discuss them in
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  Speaker 2: just a few moments. Philadelphia has some concerns. I feel
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  Speaker 2: like there's always been concerns all year, even when they've
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  Speaker 2: been winning games.
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  Speaker 4: But they've dropped three spots to six.
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  Speaker 2: They got the Packers and those lines sitting at seven
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  Speaker 2: and eight respectively. All right, let's focus in at number one.
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  Speaker 2: We got a Rams team that once again handles business.
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  Speaker 2: Are you ready to say, I know the rankings you
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  Speaker 2: have in one. It's a fluid situation every single week here,
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  Speaker 2: But are the Rams the best team in the NFL.
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  Speaker 3: That's why they're top to my list. I mean, look,
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  Speaker 3: I know it's been one of these seasons where we've
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  Speaker 3: had a rotating cast the characters up there, but right now,
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  Speaker 3: at this point, it certainly feels like if there is
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  Speaker 3: no such thing as a perfect team, right and we
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  Speaker 3: have seen some higher end defenses kind of sink their
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  Speaker 3: teeth have a little success against the Rams Texans, Eagles, Seahawks,
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  Speaker 3: even the Ravens a couple weeks ago. But there's a
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  Speaker 3: reason Matthew Stafford is an MVP candidate. He's playing terrific.
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  Speaker 3: The interceptions are low, the touchdowns are high. That is
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  Speaker 3: always a good thing to elite receivers, all those tight ends.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we'll see if the old line can handle
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  Speaker 3: a great D line. That's gonna be maybe a litmus
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  Speaker 3: test for them. But they seem to have a kicker too.
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  Speaker 3: Harrison Nebs makes a fifty two yard or Sean McVay
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  Speaker 3: starts smiling. I mean, that's one of the things that
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  Speaker 3: had been their achilles heel up to this point. So
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  Speaker 3: if they've solved the kicking issue, Mike, we might be
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  Speaker 3: talking about the best all around team in terms of
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  Speaker 3: fewest weaknesses and most strengths.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and all of a sudden, you know, you get
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  Speaker 2: some shrewd moves, and I think there were some questions
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  Speaker 2: about this team secondary and yet the reality as a
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  Speaker 2: couple of those guys are now balling out, not necessarily
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  Speaker 2: worried about the pressure that they can get on quarterbacks
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  Speaker 2: holistically speaking, but right now as complete as you could
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  Speaker 2: look at this point, of the season. Hopefully they stay
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  Speaker 2: healthy the rest of the way. Now, the culture a
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  Speaker 2: team that sit four on your power rankings. I know
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  Speaker 2: they lost to the Chiefs here, but are you concerned
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  Speaker 2: about what this team can be?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's hard not to notice the trend recently of
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  Speaker 3: the offense kind of sagging. Right, this is still the
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  Speaker 3: top scoring off in the league, but they're kind of
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  Speaker 3: still living off their laurels what they did the first
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  Speaker 3: eight or so weeks of the season. If you take
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  Speaker 3: Jonathan Taylor out of the game like the Chiefs did Sunday,
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  Speaker 3: had that one twenty seven yard run, did virtually nothing
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  Speaker 3: else the rest of the day, you can have some
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  Speaker 3: success at least the last few games a period to
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  Speaker 3: have shown that. So you know, defensively, they tried their
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  Speaker 3: best to slow Mahomes down, kept the score in their
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  Speaker 3: favor most of the game, but late in the game
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  Speaker 3: they hit those big pass plays and it really started
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  Speaker 3: to kind of unravel from there. I think settling for
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  Speaker 3: a couple of field goals early in the second half
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  Speaker 3: ended up being the difference. They were up twenty to nine,
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  Speaker 3: but that wasn't enough. They needed to score at least
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  Speaker 3: one touchdown. If not to there, So Yeah, it's just
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  Speaker 3: been this lack of deep shots. They got real conservative
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  Speaker 3: late in the game. My twelve plays in the fourth
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  Speaker 3: quarter in overtime thirteen yards, no first downs, no points.
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  Speaker 3: And that's really the story of that game. Sunday, will
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  Speaker 3: it carry over? They got a big game this week
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  Speaker 3: against Houston and the divisions all of a sudden up
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  Speaker 3: for grabs.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and a Houston team that is starting to surge
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  Speaker 2: all of a sudden, with yeah, Davis Mills as their quarterback.
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  Speaker 2: That defense is really scary. The Colts are going to
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  Speaker 2: have a significant challenge. Hopefully Jonathan Taylor gets it going.
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  Speaker 2: For those Colts fans that are out there.
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  Speaker 4: Let's take a.
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  Speaker 2: Closer look at the AFC East, Eric, I look at
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  Speaker 2: the odds to go and win this thing. The Patriots
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  Speaker 2: the favorite at minus six hundred, the Bills at plus
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  Speaker 2: four to eighty at plus thirty thousand, the Miami Dolphins.
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  Speaker 2: The Jets don't even have odds because they can't go
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  Speaker 2: and win this division. But from a Patriots perspective, this
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  Speaker 2: is a team that's won nine straight.
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  Speaker 4: It didn't necessarily look the way that it has looked.
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  Speaker 2: I think there were some questions really about how proficient
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  Speaker 2: this offense was, and I think that's a fair assessment
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  Speaker 2: after what we witnessed there. Take me through why you
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  Speaker 2: have the Patriots still is one of the better teams
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  Speaker 2: in the NFL and arguably a team that could make
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  Speaker 2: a run to the Super Bowl.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I like the Colts. I have some worries here,
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  Speaker 3: right And the two big things that just happen on
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  Speaker 3: Sunday injuries to Will Campbell Jared Wilson, two rookie offensive
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  Speaker 3: linemen we're playing great, could miss multiple games. We'll have
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  Speaker 3: to see on that. Of course, giants bring the pass rush.
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  Speaker 3: We'll see them on Money Night Football. But yeah, those
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  Speaker 3: are the two biggest things right now. Drake May didn't
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  Speaker 3: have a great first quarter against the Bengals. They moved
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  Speaker 3: the ball consistently all game after that. However, two stalls,
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  Speaker 3: if you will, at the goal line. One was a
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  Speaker 3: turnover on downs, one a field goal. Really kind of
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  Speaker 3: kept this game a lot closer than it should have been,
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  Speaker 3: so they could have blown them out a little bit early.
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  Speaker 3: Defense did pretty good work against Joe Flacco. Kind of
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  Speaker 3: lucky they didn't get Jamar Chase and T Higgins also
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  Speaker 3: got hurt, but yeah, some little signs of worry kind
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  Speaker 3: of kicking in a little bit here. They haven't played
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  Speaker 3: the toughest of schedules either, so there are still some
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  Speaker 3: doubters out there. Is this a super Bowl caliber team
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  Speaker 3: right now? Their record says it is, and a lot
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  Speaker 3: of the numbers suggest they are. But I'm still kind
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  Speaker 3: of holding back slightly until I see this how this
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  Speaker 3: group fares without two starters up front.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think from a Cincinnati perspective, Joe Burrow
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  Speaker 2: making his return, we'll get that on Thanksgivin. We'll talk
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  Speaker 2: about the Bengals a little bit later. There's some juice
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  Speaker 2: now all of a sudden around that team. I'm really
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  Speaker 2: looking forward to seeing, though, how a ball club that
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  Speaker 2: is maybe not as experienced as some of those other
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  Speaker 2: teams in the Patriots that is, how they're able to
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  Speaker 2: navigate the next couple weeks of the season, because they
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  Speaker 2: are still in the driver's seat not only for the division,
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  Speaker 2: but to make a deep run in the postseason.
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  Speaker 4: The Eagles, it's almost like we're waiting for.
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  Speaker 2: The other shoot to fall off with this squad, right,
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  Speaker 2: I Mean, it seems like even when they win, there's
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  Speaker 2: negative vibes around this team.
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  Speaker 4: They go and lose.
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  Speaker 2: They had a twenty one point lead against the Dallas Cowboys,
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  Speaker 2: biggest comeback that Deck Prescott has had in his career.
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  Speaker 2: They go on and win this thing. Late panic button
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  Speaker 2: for you, Like, are we stomping on it? Are we
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  Speaker 2: saying hey, it's okay, Like we'll be okay? From an
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  Speaker 2: Eagles fans.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, On the one head, obviously the numbers suggest they are.
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  Speaker 3: They're the major, major, major favor to win the NFCS.
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  Speaker 3: Getting in the playoffs should not be a problem. But
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  Speaker 3: what kind of shape are they going to be in,
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  Speaker 3: especially offensively when they do get there? And you know,
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  Speaker 3: Sunday was an encapsulation of it. They seem determined to
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  Speaker 3: come out wanting to prove people they can throw the
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  Speaker 3: football in the intermediate part of the field, you know,
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  Speaker 3: exploring parts of the field they haven't really thrown to
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  Speaker 3: a lot, had success, three touchdowns and three drives, and
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  Speaker 3: then everything really fell apart. And I've just seen a
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  Speaker 3: bad habit of and whether it's Nick Sirianni or somebody
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  Speaker 3: else on staff there, but they've been a little bit
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  Speaker 3: conservative at the ends of first half. Strangely, they've been
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  Speaker 3: very aggressive at the ends of games with leads, but
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  Speaker 3: you know, not going for points with two timeouts still
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  Speaker 3: had twenty seconds on the clock. I don't know if
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  Speaker 3: they felt like that lead was good with their defense,
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  Speaker 3: but you know, in recent games, everything's been so tight,
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  Speaker 3: offensively so limited, you'd think they'd want to take some chances.
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  Speaker 3: Look Lane Johnson's out. I mean, there are reasons why
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  Speaker 3: they can't run the football. There are reasons why Saquon
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  Speaker 3: Barkley is having trouble getting going hits. Such a high
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  Speaker 3: workload last year, they can't lean on them the way
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  Speaker 3: they used to. But they should be able to move
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  Speaker 3: the ball more consistently and avoid a meltdown like that.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't think this team was capable of blowing a
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  Speaker 3: twenty one point lead, even against the arrival on the road.
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  Speaker 2: Especially because the way the defense has played. Eric Like,
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  Speaker 2: if you tell me, hey, you give them twenty one.
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  Speaker 2: This defense has been kind of their calling card this year.
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  Speaker 2: For as much as we talk about Jalen Hertz and
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  Speaker 2: Saquon Barkley and AJ Brown and the drama, it always
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  Speaker 2: seems to center around their offense. But the reality is
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  Speaker 2: this defense is ridiculously good. It's surprising to see a
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  Speaker 2: Dallas comeback the way that it all had transpired. But look,
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  Speaker 2: we get them on Black Friday, we'll get an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to see them. Packers sitting at number seven right now.
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  Speaker 2: This is a team that has been sort of like
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  Speaker 2: this a wave all season long.
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  Speaker 4: Here.
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  Speaker 2: I thought it was impressive, even without Josh Jacobs, still
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  Speaker 2: finding a way to go get it done. But to me,
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  Speaker 2: are speaking a defense five sacks, ten quarterback hits. Green
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  Speaker 2: Bay's defense. They showed up in a meaningful way against Minnesota.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and it seems strange to say people aren't really
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  Speaker 3: talking about Micah Parsons, but he had a big imprint
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  Speaker 3: on this game. He's had as an imprint on several
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  Speaker 3: other games as well. And look, outside of the Dallas game,
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  Speaker 3: maybe one or two other contests. They've been terrific defensively.
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  Speaker 3: Eight of their eleven opponents have been held to twenty
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  Speaker 3: points or fewer. When they score twenty three or more.
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  Speaker 3: They have not lost the game this year, just a
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  Speaker 3: one tie against Dallas. So that's the formula. That's really
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  Speaker 3: what's born out of this stand that you know Tucker
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  Speaker 3: Craft's out for the year, you can't get him back.
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  Speaker 3: There's only so much you can get from the receiver
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  Speaker 3: position until Matthew Golden and you know Reid come back
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  Speaker 3: and people like that. So you know, Jacobs will find
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  Speaker 3: his place eventually. Wilson stepped in, like you said, and
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  Speaker 3: had a great game. But I think we have to
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  Speaker 3: temper our expectations offensively and understand that. You know, twenty
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  Speaker 3: three points is kind of the mark. Now. If you
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  Speaker 3: do that, you should be able to win football games.
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  Speaker 3: But they fallen short of that against the Eagles and
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  Speaker 3: other tough teams. So you know, again, it's it's gonna
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  Speaker 3: be a litmus test on Thursday and going forward to
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  Speaker 3: see if they can produce scoring drives more than once
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  Speaker 3: or twice a game.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, we'll see what they can do on
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  Speaker 2: Thanksgiving against the Lion's team that sits eighth right now
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  Speaker 2: in the power rankings. I think the one thing for
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  Speaker 2: me is you sort of assess this matchup Detroit. You know,
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  Speaker 2: two weeks ago we're sitting there going, hey, what happens
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  Speaker 2: to this offense? Three weeks ago we're saying, oh, Dan
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  Speaker 2: Campbell play calling, look at look at the explosion here.
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  Speaker 4: Now, all of a sudden from a defensive perspective.
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  Speaker 2: Look, it's it's my giant, So I can se New
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  Speaker 2: York played well offensively against this team. Are we just
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  Speaker 2: at a point now with Detroit where getting a complete
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  Speaker 2: game might be a little bit much to ask for.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's it's been a minute now since
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  Speaker 3: you've had that three phase game where everything's kind of
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  Speaker 3: been locked in. And look, I don't know if they
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  Speaker 3: let up early or if they were kind of victims
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  Speaker 3: to some of those trick plays that they called. And
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  Speaker 3: jamis obviously a fearless guy, is gonna let it rip
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  Speaker 3: at every opportunity. But you know, with the number of
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  Speaker 3: pieces of the Giants are missing, this is a little
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  Speaker 3: bit concerning. They will get Marcus Davenport back. They you know,
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  Speaker 3: they will get Josh Pascal back at some point. The
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  Speaker 3: secondary is getting better. Eventually Kirby Joseph and Terry Arnold
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  Speaker 3: will be back. But you know, DJ Reid's still working
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  Speaker 3: his way back into a full workload and all that.
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  Speaker 3: But you know, the low percentage throws that were being
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  Speaker 3: completed on Thursday on Sunday, excuse me, that's the kind
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  Speaker 3: of thing you have to worry about. That's you know,
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  Speaker 3: against better quarterbacks and better teams. You know that that's
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  Speaker 3: the kind of play that they haven't really been able
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  Speaker 3: to stop. So you know it starts Thursday. As you mentioned,
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  Speaker 3: this game I think means more to Detroit than it
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  Speaker 3: does to Green Bay. Not that it doesn't mean something
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  Speaker 3: to the Packers, but Detroit's in that stocking position. They're
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  Speaker 3: outside of the playoffs looking in right now, and they
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  Speaker 3: need every single victory they can get against this brutal
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  Speaker 3: schedule they face this season.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, that guy, Jimior Gibbs is really good. To see
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  Speaker 4: how fast he is.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you got NFL DB's chasing him and they
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  Speaker 2: can't catch.
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  Speaker 4: Up to him. It really is remarkable. Goes back to
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  Speaker 4: like positional value in the draft. And I know you're
• 11:29
  Speaker 4: going to be in the weeks. I think, Eric, you're
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: heading into the Senior Bowl.
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  Speaker 2: But I remember when they drafted him in the first round,
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  Speaker 2: people like, oh, you can't take a running back that high.
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  Speaker 2: If he's a baller, you can because he's helping you
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  Speaker 2: win some football games. Premieer Gibbs an absolute monster. Just
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: getting started here on NFL Power Rankings, we'll focus in
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: on a Kansas City Chiefs team that might have saved
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: their season. We still have some other questions on some
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: other talented squads as well, including the Buffalo Bills. Where
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: they sit in the rankings is still to come. Welcome
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: back to Power Rankings. Getting ready for Thanksgiving the fourth
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: annual John Madden Thanksgiving soe Lebration. It starts off at
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  Speaker 2: one Eastern time. We got the Packers in lines, a
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: very meaningful game between the Chiefs and the Cowboys at
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  Speaker 2: four thirty eastern. We will talk about both of those
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: teams coming up in just a bit. Joe Burrow making
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: his return, Bengals and Ravens. Let's get you to teams
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: nine through sixteen right now. The Niners figure out a
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: way on Monday Night football. You don't win too many
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: games from your quarterback throws three interceptions. They did, though,
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: the Bills sitting at ten at the Chicago Bears eaten three.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: At number eleven, the Chiefs saved their season. They are
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: at twelve. That Raven squad, they keep winning games, it
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: just doesn't look great at times. We'll see what they
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: look like on Thanksgiving. The Jags at fourteen, the Texans
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: and Steelers rounding it out at fifteen, and sixteen. All right,
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: postgame Monday Night Football, We're sitting there and I'm watching
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: Kyle Shanahan kind of say, hey, it's not that big
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: of a deal, right, He kind of like downplayed those
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: interceptions from Brock Purty. Brock even said, hey, I felt
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  Speaker 2: good about the ree. It's just where the ball was
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  Speaker 2: thrown in place a little late. That was a problem.
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  Speaker 4: Should I be concerned about three picks?
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  Speaker 3: I think you should, right. I under the reasoning behind it.
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  Speaker 3: I understand the thinking. But and credits to Brock, I
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  Speaker 3: mean he dialed into the second half, didn't miss a throw.
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  Speaker 3: I think it was nine for nine off the top
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  Speaker 3: of my head, so you know he figured it out.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, J C. Horn wasn't out there for much
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  Speaker 3: of it, so you know the fact that the guy
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  Speaker 3: who picked him off twice wasn't involved may have had
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  Speaker 3: something to do with it. But he got figured out.
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  Speaker 1: Now.
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  Speaker 3: I know mac Jones' interception total has been much lower,
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  Speaker 3: but you know, Christian McCaffrey, they're going to ride him
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  Speaker 3: till the wheels come off. It was great to see
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  Speaker 3: George Kittle back in the kind of the driver's seat
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  Speaker 3: as a huge player. The script is way different than
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  Speaker 3: we thought it would be in August. But there's still
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: finding ways to win games. And boy, I don't know
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  Speaker 3: if they can do it against the elite offenses. But
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: this defense turned into performance. And you know, the next
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: few games aren't against the most terrifying offenses, so we'll
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  Speaker 3: have to see till they face the Colts and the
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: Bears and the Seahawks the final time whether they can
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  Speaker 3: slow down those elite groups. But credits to that defense
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  Speaker 3: missing three big players up front, they really made a
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  Speaker 3: difference on Sunday or Monday night. Excuse me, only.
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  Speaker 2: Other thing I'll add to this conversation. He's been so
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: great this season. I have to say this, Christian McCaffrey.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: He is on pace for four hundred and twenty two touches.
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: He leads the NFL in receptions with eighty one. Not
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: running backs, he leads the NFL in receptions. The guy
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: has been masterful so far this season. At number ten,
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: we got a Bills team that has dropped three spots.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: Eric Josh Allen was under constant darrest. I know Houston's
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: defense is really good, though how good is this Bills team?
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: Because now I'm starting to question how far this squad
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: can really go.
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: We can't say they're in the playoffs definitively. It feels
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: like the AFC East is out of reach. I mean
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: this season, you know, the trajectory has changed completely. There
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: have been a lot of issues. The pass protection was
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: never a problem in the pass very rarely, I should say.
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: If it was, it was on Josh. I think some
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: of these were obviously on Allen holding onto the ball,
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: trying to get receivers to uncover. It wasn't happening. That
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: lack of a true separator at receiver, especially beyond the
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: you know, the sticks, that's really what I think they're
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: lacking offensively. You know, the way that the forty nine
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: ers using McCaffrey is the way that the Bills are
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: not using James Cook too. If they're going to try to,
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: you know, justify making this guy a high paid running back,
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: why not use him like that kind of a weapon.
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: Give him more than three catches, give him more than
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: seventeen touches out of the backfield. So you know that
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: there's still that that offensive identity question, and then all
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: the defensive you know, sort of limitations. I guess you
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: would say some games they're pretty good, but kind of
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: like we were saying with the Niners too, against the
• 15:31
  Speaker 3: elite offenses, you're not going to see them play that
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: outstanding level of ball, I don't think on the defensive side.
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: So yeah, those questions all exist. Firepower is there, but
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: it comes out way too infrequently for my liking.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: Now they get the Steelers this coming week. At number eleven.
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: It's the Chicago Bears, who moved up three spots on
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: your rankings. I'm actually really excited about this Black Friday
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: game against Philadelphia because I think the Eagles are in
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: desperation mode and maybe we get some clarity on this question.
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: Are the Bears a good football team?
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: I think they are right obviously, look at the point
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: differential and you look at you know who they've played
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: in some of the metrics and doesn't quite add up.
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: And that's, you know, part of the reason why I've
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: kind of held back. Record wise, they should be higher
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: on this list, but you know, until they have some
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: of these signature victories and there you know, they missed
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, still had a you know, Mason
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: Rudolph had the ball in his hand with a chance
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: to either win or tie the game late, so they
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: do sort of leave you questioning their their their strength
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: just a little bit. But Ben Johnson has made this
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: offense a whole lot better. They have an identity now
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: Caleb Williams misfire but also made some great plays as well.
• 16:38
  Speaker 3: Want to see a little more consistency catching the football
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: too from Dj Moore and Roman Dunes and those guys
• 16:43
  Speaker 3: Luthor Burden, et cetera. But you know, if their secondary
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: is getting healthier and some of these games will provide
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: a little bit better tests. So yeah, I'm with you.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: I think this game is going to be an outstanding it.
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: Their strengths and weaknesses and the Eagles kind of kind
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: of oil and vinegar situation setting up, So it's gonna
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: tell us a lot about both the Eagles and the Bears.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: I think, yeah, six and one in one score games,
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: they're battle tested right now. Yep, they once again move
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: up three spots on your rankings.
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: There's another team that moved up three spots. That's the
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: Kansas City Chiefs.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: Is it as simple as me saying Eric, they saved
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: their season with that win against the Colts.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: I think you're right. I think if they lose that
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: game at home, where they've been very good this year,
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: only the one lost previously to the Eagles, So you know,
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: I think if that had happened at twenty to nine
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: down in the fourth quarter, it looked to entirely possible.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: You know, we're probably talking about them not only on
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: the outside looking in, but what is the future of
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: this team, What do they look like next year? We're
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: not there yet. Patrick Mahomes had some great moments late,
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: the receivers stepped up. You know, the offensive line with
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: Trey Smith out, did its best job. I think secondary
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: defense played really great down the stretch, and those are
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: all positive things, but they did put themselves in a
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: little bit of a hole, and you know, kind of
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: like last year, we're always questioning their level of dominance
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: because they're in close games. But at least they got
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: the one score victory that was so common in twenty
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: twenty four and so absent this season. That was their
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: first of the year. That tells a lot about where
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: they are right now in the standings. But still on
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: the whole, I think this is a team most opponents
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: will fear, given that their history has proven that they
• 18:16
  Speaker 3: can hang with it. Virtually anybody at any time in
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: any field.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: I actually think this is going to be a great
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: game on Thanksgiving because Cowboys, all of a sudden look
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: like a very complete team. And I can't believe I'm
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: speaking those words after what I saw just a few
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: weeks ago.
• 18:31
  Speaker 4: This season, they've really turned it around. More on them
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: in just a moment.
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: But the Houston Texans, explain to me what's gone on
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: with this team?
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: They couldn't figure out ways to win now all of
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: a sudden.
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: It's the defense that's been pretty good all season long,
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: but my god, what they did against Josh Allen was impressive.
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: And David they don't even have the quarterback. Davis Mills
• 18:48
  Speaker 4: is three and I was a starter.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and this third game was probably his weakest game,
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: but he did settle down after a really slow start.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: He's likely heading back to the bench. We're probably going
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: to see CJ. Stroud, assuming he's healthy, down the stretch.
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: But I think the pressure in the bar has been
• 19:01
  Speaker 3: kind of raised for CJ. Here. I mean, Davis Mills
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: played better than what you would expect out of a
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: replacement level backup, so he did his job very well. CJ.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: Stroud now has to kind of answer and kind of
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: raise the bar a little bit for this offense. So
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: not all on him, but got to get the ball
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: to the Higgins and those young receivers. Nico Collins has
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: to be a playmaker as well, and that old line
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: has to obviously hold up. But you know, like you said,
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: when you have a defense of this caliber that can
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: rush the passer, you know, fast flow linebackers stopping the run,
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: and also secondary members who can change the game. Cayden
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Bullock had an outstanding game on Thursday night. That is
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: the indicator of a team that nobody wants to face,
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: even with some of their offensive limitations.
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they got a big game against the Colts. This
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: division still up for grabs. Another thing that I didn't
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: think i'd say just a few weeks ago, considering how
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: Indianapolis has been able to play.
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: We got more to come.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: Here on Power Rankings Team seventeen through thirty two, the
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Dallas Cowboys might be the scariest of the rest of
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: the teams that we haven't even named. Checks where they
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: could potentially finish this season.
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: Answer to that is coming up next.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: Back here on Power Rankings, Eric's team seventeen through twenty four,
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: The Chargers right now sitting in that seventeen spot. We'll
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: talk Cowboys in just a moment. The Panthers at nineteen.
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: The Bucks are free falling right now at twenty. More
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: on them in just a moment. The Falcons at twenty one,
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: the Dolphins at twenty two, and then it's the Vikings
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: and Arizona Cardinals checking in at twenty three and twenty four.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: So you got a Cowboys squad that sits eighteenth right
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: now in your rankings. Dare I say they're one of
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: the more complete teams in the NFL. Offensively, they look
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: really strong running the football. Dak has got two of
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: the better weapons in the NFL, and now the defense
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: is healthy with some new additions, and they have special
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: teams like Eric.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: Like, am I crazy to think that they can make
• 20:49
  Speaker 4: a run here?
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah? They still made lots of mistakes in this game,
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: even after they were chipping their way back from twenty
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: one down. But when Dak was on like he was,
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: you know, pretty much after the first quarter, and Brandon
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: Aubrey kind of shook off that miss to make the
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: game winner, you know, all of a sudden, you say, hey,
• 21:04
  Speaker 3: look look at this defense. Look what Quinn Williams has
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: added and he was banged up in that game too.
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: He was all over the place, incredible pressure, Sam Williams,
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: Osa dig Azua. You know the guys up front, you
• 21:15
  Speaker 3: have overshown back in the lineup. I love the way
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: this defense played on Sunday and I thought they were,
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: you know, much better than we've seen pretty much all seasons.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: So if they can play to that level defensively, all
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: of a sudden, very scary team. You don't want to
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: be facing Pickens and Lamb and Prescott and have to
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: soow those guys down.
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: You know, you and I earlier this season were pretty
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: high on Tampa Bay. We were believing in Baker Mayfield.
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: At one point they were number one in your power rankings.
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: That was week number seven. They drop eight spots. They
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: are twentieth right now, What in the world is going
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: on with this team?
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: Health is a big issue. Obviously, Bicker's trying to do
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: too much and he got banged up in that game.
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: It sounds like that injury is not nearly as bad.
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: It's his left a non throwing shoulders, so a little
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: bit of relief there, but they're not able to generate
• 21:59
  Speaker 3: those big plays offensively and they're not able to stop
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: those big plays defensively. I mean, I think the latter
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: is really the bigger issue. But at least you could
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: see the Bucks kind of win shootouts before. I don't
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: think they're that team anymore. They're gonna get Bucky Irving
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: back at some point. They're still the favorites in this division.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: Carolina losing Monday obviously helped quite a bit, but you know,
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: you have to question whether this is a team capble
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: of making a Super Bowl run like I thought they
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: were when they were at full strength, you know, six seven,
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: eight weeks ago.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they were able to navigate for a good stretch.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: There's some of these injuries, but they are piling up
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: and that that didn't look, I think the way some
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: had thought this past weekend against the Rams. Let's get
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: to teams twenty five through thirty two, right now, Cincinnati,
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: Joe Burrow, let's go back in the saddle on Thanksgiving.
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: We'll see him the Commanders at twenty six, the Browns
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: at twenty seven. We got the Giants at twenty eight,
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: followed by the Jets, the Saints, the Titans, and then
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: the Raiders, who also made a change. Chip Kelly was
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: relieved of his duties, but we knew know from a
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: Browns perspective at twenty seven here, Sador Sanders is their guy.
• 23:01
  Speaker 4: We saw a couple explosive plays here. You like this move?
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: Well, look, I mean it's interesting because Kevin Stefanski is
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: a guy who wants to play within structure. You see
• 23:10
  Speaker 3: a little check down here, that's exactly what he wants
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: from his quarterback. But the play before the long touchdown throw,
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: that was a play out of structure, and that's really
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: where I think sher creates the most magic. That's the
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: question I have. Is he compatible with Kevin Stefanski as
• 23:24
  Speaker 3: the head coach. It looked decent the first game, even
• 23:26
  Speaker 3: with an interception where he got fooled little bit. But
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: there're three biggest plays of the year happened in this game,
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: so you can't say he didn't add a little something
• 23:34
  Speaker 3: to the offense there. We'll see if you can keep
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: it up. But fairly promising, even with plenty of work
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: to do. I'm looking forward to the next effort.
• 23:41
  Speaker 4: I had ten sacks of the game as well. That'll help.
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: Thanks for watching, Happy thanksgiving everyone out there.
• 23:58
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• 24:01
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• 24:05
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