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#10: Eagles, Chargers & Cardinals surging · NFL Power Rankings

0:04
Speaker 1: Reinforcements are on the way. Welcome to NFL Power Rankings.
0:08
Speaker 1: And yes, the trade deadline has officially coming gone, and
0:10
Speaker 1: we got deals across the board. We will dissect all
0:13
Speaker 1: of them. But as we do every single week, we
0:15
Speaker 1: rank all of the teams and you can head to
0:18
Speaker 1: NFL dot com for analysis on each and every one
0:21
Speaker 1: of them. Mike him and Eric at home with you
0:24
Speaker 1: all right, Eric, at the end of the day, not
0:26
Speaker 1: a huge change from last week's rankings across the board.
0:29
Speaker 1: I got to imagine, with the deals that we saw
0:31
Speaker 1: on Tuesday, we're going to see some movement for some
0:34
Speaker 1: of these teams and an upward trajectory for the buyers.
0:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll see if there are any kind of franchise
0:40
Speaker 2: altering trades that were made Tuesday. Certain with some players
0:43
Speaker 2: moving that I think can help their new clubs, and
0:46
Speaker 2: down the road we'll see what helps the teams that
0:48
Speaker 2: traded those players away. But yeah, as we kind of
0:51
Speaker 2: get to the home stretch of the season a little bit,
0:54
Speaker 2: you know, we'll find out what these acquisitions can do
0:56
Speaker 2: and how quickly they'll assimilate to their new teams.
0:59
Speaker 3: Eric, Well, let's jump into the rankings.
1:01
Speaker 1: Some of those top teams and really no change at
1:03
Speaker 1: the top for you. The Detroit Lions just continue to
1:07
Speaker 1: win seven to one, their best starts since nineteen fifty six.
1:10
Speaker 1: At number two the Chiefs another win for them, the
1:13
Speaker 1: league's only unbeaten team. The third ranked team, the Bills,
1:16
Speaker 1: a sixty one yard field goal from Tyler Bass for
1:18
Speaker 1: the divisional win the Ravens. They'd be tienvered by thirty one.
1:22
Speaker 1: At five, it's the Commander's still leading the NFC East.
1:25
Speaker 1: The Vikings get back in the win column. They're ranked
1:28
Speaker 1: six at seven saquon the backwards hurdle. That's all you
1:32
Speaker 1: need to know, and that's all I continue to watch
1:34
Speaker 1: on social media. At number eight, it is the Green
1:37
Speaker 1: Bay Packers, but it is time for the team of
1:39
Speaker 1: the week, the Lions. Scanning Zadarius Smith, I think that's
1:43
Speaker 1: the best place to start because we had some questions
1:45
Speaker 1: maybe about Aiden Hutchinson getting pressure on the quarterback hasn't
1:48
Speaker 1: really been affected since he's been down, but you get
1:52
Speaker 1: one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and
1:54
Speaker 1: Eric I got to imagine the Lions might be able
1:56
Speaker 1: to hold on to that number one spot for a
1:58
Speaker 1: long time.
1:59
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean, part of the reason why I love
2:02
Speaker 2: the Lions this year is that they've sort of faced
2:04
Speaker 2: all takers. They've taken on all competition, no matter where
2:08
Speaker 2: the game is Sunday, obviously in the rain, in the Lambeau,
2:11
Speaker 2: They've dealt with Theden Hutchins injury, They've dealt with the
2:14
Speaker 2: Jamison Williams suspension, all these things thrown at them. No problem.
2:17
Speaker 2: They just go out and win. They can win games
2:19
Speaker 2: in totally different ways. But you bring in kind of
2:21
Speaker 2: a higher gun pass rusher like Zadarius Smith. Fourth team
2:25
Speaker 2: and I think four seasons now, I want to say,
2:27
Speaker 2: you know, he's done some work for these different systems
2:30
Speaker 2: in these different clubs and just adding one more pass
2:33
Speaker 2: rush source I think is a fantastic move, a great idea.
2:37
Speaker 2: He's sort of viewed as a pros progue guy who
2:39
Speaker 2: I think, who can jump right into the Lions. I mean,
2:42
Speaker 2: so much of their success is based on culture. He's
2:45
Speaker 2: been on some winning teams like the Browns last year
2:47
Speaker 2: to the Packers before that. Love the move, love the addition,
2:51
Speaker 2: and love where this team is headed.
2:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, and a big test for the Lions and once
2:55
Speaker 1: again on their schedule feels like there's a whole lot
2:57
Speaker 1: of them. But they'll hit the road against the Houston Texans,
2:59
Speaker 1: who will talk about in just a bit. And number
3:02
Speaker 1: two it's the Kansas City Chiefs. They score a win
3:04
Speaker 1: on Monday Night football. It needed overtime to get it done.
3:08
Speaker 1: I think the entirely, well really Kansas City fans just
3:11
Speaker 1: to sigh relief when Patrick Mahomes goes down, need some
3:13
Speaker 1: help going across the sideline.
3:15
Speaker 3: He's AOK.
3:16
Speaker 1: But what do we make of what we're seeing from
3:18
Speaker 1: Kansas City once again gets tested. I give Baker Mayfield
3:21
Speaker 1: and this Bucks team a lot of credit, but it's
3:23
Speaker 1: not like they're blowing teams out.
3:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean the close game
3:27
Speaker 2: theme has worked for them to this point as to
3:29
Speaker 2: make you a little nervous watching him at times, of course,
3:32
Speaker 2: but when you have Patrick Mahomes and a guy who
3:34
Speaker 2: could come back, I mean, hecky played a whole season
3:36
Speaker 2: with a turf toe injury, so I think on some
3:39
Speaker 2: level all of us expected himself to him to peel
3:41
Speaker 2: himself out there, get out there, play and win the game.
3:45
Speaker 2: And of course that's what he did, had to fight
3:47
Speaker 2: off a valiant effort like you said from Baker, and
3:49
Speaker 2: the Bucks thought they were really great, especially on that
3:52
Speaker 2: last drive. But you know you've got Mahomes and the
3:55
Speaker 2: Chiefs defense needed help, right. I mean that last drive,
3:57
Speaker 2: I think they looked a little gassed out there in
3:59
Speaker 2: the bad weather, and Mahomes and the Chiefs drive down
4:02
Speaker 2: the field scored the touchdown win in overtime for them.
4:05
Speaker 2: I mean, they were like the early voters, right, they
4:07
Speaker 2: got there. DeAndre Hopkins trade done early. They got josh
4:10
Speaker 2: Hugh Chase, so their moves are already kind of in
4:11
Speaker 2: the tank a little bit. And Hopkins was a big
4:14
Speaker 2: addition last night. Two touchdowns of several clutch catches. Still
4:18
Speaker 2: working that chemistry out a little bit. They weren't always
4:21
Speaker 2: on the same page, but boy, by the end of
4:23
Speaker 2: the season, that move could really end up paying off
4:25
Speaker 2: in a big way.
4:26
Speaker 3: Huge fourteen receptions for Travis Kelcey.
4:28
Speaker 1: That was a career high for him, season highs across
4:31
Speaker 1: the board for d hop especially with those two touchdowns.
4:34
Speaker 1: I gotta be honest with you, I think Commanders fans
4:36
Speaker 1: are probably over me just saying, oh, you know, on
4:39
Speaker 1: top of the NFC, e's a little bit of surprise
4:41
Speaker 1: here this last time.
4:42
Speaker 3: I'm going to say this.
4:43
Speaker 1: If you would have told me at this point of
4:44
Speaker 1: the season, before the trade deadline they would be buyers,
4:46
Speaker 1: I would be like, no, not, probably not going to happen.
4:49
Speaker 1: But they are, and for good reason. Marshall Lttimore gets
4:51
Speaker 1: inserted into this lineup. What's the overall effect that you
4:55
Speaker 1: think he can have for the Commanders.
4:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm with you. I would have projected if they
4:59
Speaker 2: were going to be buyers, it was going to be
5:01
Speaker 2: something like what the Chicago Bears did when they got
5:03
Speaker 2: Montes sweat Oka, thinking ahead of free agency, trying to
5:06
Speaker 2: get someone on an expiring deal, hopefully re signing them.
5:09
Speaker 2: But no, they went out and got Marshaun Lattimore, who's,
5:12
Speaker 2: you know, towards the end of his career, closer to
5:14
Speaker 2: the end than the beginning, certainly, but an established, feisty,
5:18
Speaker 2: hard nose corner and I think Dan Quinn obviously knows
5:21
Speaker 2: what he's getting here, and in terms of their biggest
5:24
Speaker 2: positional need probably and maybe one of the best players
5:27
Speaker 2: of that at that position that was actually available. So
5:30
Speaker 2: they did give up a premium three draft picks. One.
5:32
Speaker 2: Coming back to the Commanders, you know, we know how
5:34
Speaker 2: well they did in the draft last year, but I
5:37
Speaker 2: think this says, look, we see an opportunity here not
5:40
Speaker 2: only to win the division, but perhaps make some noise
5:42
Speaker 2: in the playoffs. We've got this precocious rookie quarterback who
5:45
Speaker 2: can deliver hail Mary's and beat teams consistently and luster
5:50
Speaker 2: them with his legs and his throwing ability. So they're
5:53
Speaker 2: going for it. And I think Commanders fans, after all
5:56
Speaker 2: they've been through and now this new regime, this new
5:58
Speaker 2: ownership change, this new head coach, new quarterback, knew everything.
6:02
Speaker 2: They have to be over the moon and how this
6:03
Speaker 2: season has gone, and have to love Adam Peters aggressiveness
6:06
Speaker 2: and getting a cover guy that can really help that secondary.
6:10
Speaker 3: Eric.
6:11
Speaker 1: We're a long ways away from talking about the NFL draft,
6:13
Speaker 1: but this is the exact reason why everyone clamors over quarterbacks,
6:17
Speaker 1: because one player on the field potentially changes the entire
6:21
Speaker 1: trajectory of your franchise, and Jamie Daniels has been able
6:24
Speaker 1: to do that. The other thing I'll throw out there
6:26
Speaker 1: another tough test for the squad matching up against the
6:28
Speaker 1: Steelers team, who we will discuss. They were also buyers
6:31
Speaker 1: before the trade deadline. But I want to focus our
6:33
Speaker 1: attention on the Minnesota Vikings, who sit sixth in your rankings.
6:37
Speaker 3: I think there's a big relief here.
6:39
Speaker 1: Two consecutive losses now officially in the rearview mirror, and
6:42
Speaker 1: they get it done against the Cults. How big of
6:44
Speaker 1: a relief should this be from Minnesota?
6:47
Speaker 2: Yeah? I think a pretty big one, right. I mean, obviously,
6:50
Speaker 2: you give up a defensive touchdown that maybe some people
6:52
Speaker 2: felt like they shouldn't have the Colts shouldn't have gotten,
6:55
Speaker 2: and you know, really had to fight through it. Sam
6:57
Speaker 2: Darnold had a good second half after some shaky moments.
7:00
Speaker 2: There wasn't perfect, but I think the biggest development was
7:03
Speaker 2: seeing that defense dominate again. That was something that I
7:06
Speaker 2: think they had to have as part of their winning equation.
7:09
Speaker 2: You know, we'd seen Brian Flores as unit be a
7:11
Speaker 2: really good group all season long up until the last
7:14
Speaker 2: couple of games, and I felt like they had a
7:16
Speaker 2: real bounce back effort in that game against Indy. And
7:19
Speaker 2: you know in the run game is going to be
7:21
Speaker 2: there to a certain degree. Donald's going to have his moments.
7:23
Speaker 2: We know the receivers can shine. They've gotten Hockinson back so,
7:27
Speaker 2: you know, even with Darris Alt, I'm not as worried
7:30
Speaker 2: about the offense, and Donald is a wild card, sure,
7:32
Speaker 2: but I felt like that defense had to get back
7:35
Speaker 2: to that top five, top ten type of unit that
7:38
Speaker 2: they'd established themselves as being the first part of the season.
7:41
Speaker 2: I think they did that Sunday. We'll see if it
7:43
Speaker 2: keeps going though.
7:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll see the Vikings on the road against the
7:46
Speaker 1: Jacksonville Jaguars that just figure out ways to rack up losses.
7:51
Speaker 1: Time for future champions. I know we just touched on
7:54
Speaker 1: the Washington Commanders winning that division, but they're not the favorite.
7:57
Speaker 1: According to Fandel, No, it's the Philadelphia Eagles. Sakwon Barkley
8:01
Speaker 1: gave us one of the best wow moments that we
8:03
Speaker 1: have seen. Dallas Cowbo will be the Eagles next opponent.
8:06
Speaker 1: They sit in that third position. And then it's the
8:08
Speaker 1: New York Giants, who also can't seem to get out
8:10
Speaker 1: of their own way. But let's focus on the seventh
8:13
Speaker 1: ranked team in those Eagles look dominant at times in
8:17
Speaker 1: this game.
8:18
Speaker 3: Second half daylea Jacksonville make a run here.
8:20
Speaker 1: What do you make of the type of season that
8:23
Speaker 1: the Eagles are having, because quite Honestly, this roster is good,
8:27
Speaker 1: and I think most.
8:28
Speaker 3: Of us would have felt like they were the favorite
8:30
Speaker 3: to win this division.
8:32
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think going into the season, Philly Dallas had
8:34
Speaker 2: established themselves as the most consistent contenders. Now maybe the Commanders,
8:38
Speaker 2: you know, had this thing going that the Eagles and
8:41
Speaker 2: other teams should have seen coming. But you know, they've
8:43
Speaker 2: worked through some inconsistencies. Bad defense one week, good the next.
8:47
Speaker 2: I thought Sunday was pretty good, even though geez, they
8:50
Speaker 2: did give up a you know, make it a twenty
8:52
Speaker 2: two point game and then a twenty two point lead
8:54
Speaker 2: and then almost blow it. Got to work on those
8:56
Speaker 2: two point conversions, boys. But I'll tell you what, Jalen Hurts,
9:00
Speaker 2: Saquon Barkley, they have really been special. I think the
9:03
Speaker 2: last four games, no interceptions for Hurts over that period.
9:06
Speaker 2: Twelve total touchdowns, six of them running, six of them
9:09
Speaker 2: passing that great catch by Devonte Smith. He's been so steady,
9:13
Speaker 2: you know, even when aj Brown was out. So really
9:16
Speaker 2: like the direction the offense has taken. And you know,
9:18
Speaker 2: I don't know how much you could put on the
9:20
Speaker 2: defense for making it a close game. Obviously there was
9:22
Speaker 2: a defensive score that helped get the Jaguars back in
9:25
Speaker 2: it a little bit. So if Barkley can keep making
9:28
Speaker 2: the impact he did, it'll continue justifying. Yes, this was
9:32
Speaker 2: a great signing at the time, despite the thirteen plus
9:35
Speaker 2: million dollar tag, and I think that could help them
9:37
Speaker 2: really push the Commanders for that division title.
9:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, slim reaper in Smith, you made reference to it.
9:43
Speaker 1: Had it not been for the Garrett Wilson touchdown on TNF,
9:46
Speaker 1: I think Smith would have had the best touchdown in
9:48
Speaker 1: the entire week.
9:49
Speaker 3: Certainly fantastic. By the way.
9:51
Speaker 1: The Eagles just a fifthteam in NFL history to fail
9:53
Speaker 1: three two point conversions and win.
9:57
Speaker 3: They got to figure that aspect out.
10:00
Speaker 1: Meanwhile, they'll match up against the Dallas Cowboys and their
10:02
Speaker 1: season looking not too We'll touch on them a little
10:05
Speaker 1: bit later here on power rankings at number eight, it's
10:08
Speaker 1: the Green Bay Packers. They drop a couple spots here.
10:11
Speaker 3: I don't know. I'm not overly concerned about that.
10:14
Speaker 1: What does raise some attention for me is Jordan Love
10:18
Speaker 1: and some of the turnovers here. We talk about him
10:19
Speaker 1: as an elite quarterback, and yet it seems like every
10:21
Speaker 1: single week there's another interception.
10:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, obviously the injury kind of changed his season a
10:27
Speaker 2: little bit, but there are some parallels to last year
10:29
Speaker 2: his first real time as a starting quarterback. Had ten
10:32
Speaker 2: interceptions the first half of the season, one in the
10:35
Speaker 2: second half prior to the playoffs, So we have seen
10:38
Speaker 2: this pattern before. The question is are we going to
10:40
Speaker 2: get better ball security from Love? And that pick six
10:44
Speaker 2: was a gutter right before the half. I mean, that
10:46
Speaker 2: was a tough one. Obviously, the conditions were bad. Should
10:49
Speaker 2: never make this throw in the first place. He knows that,
10:52
Speaker 2: you know, Lafleur knows that everybody else does too. There
10:55
Speaker 2: are some mistakes you got to live with with this guy,
10:57
Speaker 2: but he's a special playmaker. I think he's starting to
11:00
Speaker 2: get healthy again. And you're right. I mean, they played
11:03
Speaker 2: the best team in football, one that is shown it
11:05
Speaker 2: can play in a lot of different conditions if they
11:07
Speaker 2: can get that sort of ball security, ball handling, the
11:10
Speaker 2: snaps and all that figure those things out. The Packers
11:12
Speaker 2: are a good team. They just had a bad Sunday and.
11:16
Speaker 1: That happens, and you can't have another bad Sunday in
11:18
Speaker 1: the division on the road against the Chicago Bears this
11:21
Speaker 1: coming week. Meanwhile, we got the Pittsburgh Steelers buyers at
11:24
Speaker 1: the trade deadline will hit on them. Don't look now,
11:26
Speaker 1: but the Cardinals are flying high and Eric there is
11:29
Speaker 1: one team we don't talk nearly enough about that continues
11:32
Speaker 1: to win.
11:33
Speaker 3: That changes.
11:34
Speaker 1: Coming up next on NFL Power Rankings. Back here on
11:41
Speaker 1: power rankings, teams ranked nine through sixteen.
11:44
Speaker 3: The Steelers, they're buyers. We will get to them in
11:47
Speaker 3: just a moment. Here at number ten, the Texans little
11:50
Speaker 3: bit of a drop two spot. CJ.
11:52
Speaker 1: Stroudsacked eight times on TNF Falcons, winners of five of
11:55
Speaker 1: the last six. The Chargers at number twelve, they've won
11:58
Speaker 1: three out of four niners on a buy their thirteenth
12:01
Speaker 1: the fourteenth ranked team is also the first place team
12:04
Speaker 1: in the NFC WES. That's the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos
12:07
Speaker 1: they got throttled by Baltimore. They dropped four spots to fifteenth,
12:11
Speaker 1: and Tampa Bay still hanging tough here. I know they
12:14
Speaker 1: lost on Monday night, but they are the sixteenth ranked squad.
12:17
Speaker 1: Mike Williams and then on the defensive side, Preston Smith
12:20
Speaker 1: now Pittsburgh bound. How dangerous does the Steelers now become
12:25
Speaker 1: the rest of the way.
12:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, just another deep threat for Russell Wilson. I think
12:30
Speaker 2: had Justin Fields continue to be the quarterback. I don't
12:33
Speaker 2: know that they make a move like this, and maybe
12:35
Speaker 2: they do. It's not that Williams can't do other things,
12:37
Speaker 2: but he's a go up and get it kind of receiver,
12:40
Speaker 2: I think. And it wasn't quite working with the Jets. Obviously.
12:42
Speaker 2: They had hoped he would be a big target for
12:45
Speaker 2: Aaron Rodgers. Those two couldn't quite get on the same page.
12:47
Speaker 2: A few moments here and there. Adds to a Steelers
12:50
Speaker 2: receiver room that I think everybody pictured. They would do
12:53
Speaker 2: something at the deadline and then Preston Smith on defense,
12:56
Speaker 2: just another veteran edge guy to help kind of spell
12:58
Speaker 2: Watt and high Smith and those guys. He can play
13:00
Speaker 2: off the ball, too, so you know, how he fits
13:03
Speaker 2: in will be interesting to see. With Russ there, I
13:05
Speaker 2: think Williams can kind of unlock his town a little
13:08
Speaker 2: bit more.
13:09
Speaker 1: You know, Eric, I'm actually in love with where you
13:11
Speaker 1: have the Texans. I think they're the one of the
13:12
Speaker 1: premier teams in the NFL. Tenth feels right to me
13:15
Speaker 1: based off of what we saw against the Jets on
13:18
Speaker 1: Thursday Night Football I'm actually cautiously worried about this team,
13:23
Speaker 1: considering all the pressure that CJ was under.
13:25
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I mean even before the season, I thought, are
13:28
Speaker 2: they quite ready for primetime? That was the big debate
13:30
Speaker 2: I had with myself. But now that we've seen the
13:32
Speaker 2: pass protection break down completely, and this was in the
13:36
Speaker 2: first game it happened, but Thursday night against the Jets
13:38
Speaker 2: should have been pretty eye opening, and I hope they've
13:40
Speaker 2: spent the last several days trying to figure out ways
13:43
Speaker 2: to improve the protection. What can they do schematically? Are
13:46
Speaker 2: there any personnel changes we can make? There are not
13:48
Speaker 2: a lot of in house candidates who are obvious. How
13:51
Speaker 2: do you get the ball out of CJ's hand a
13:53
Speaker 2: little quicker? And oh, by the way, Stefan Diggs great
13:56
Speaker 2: underneath receiver guy, can catch short passes, take them a
13:59
Speaker 2: long way. He's out for the year, so they might
14:01
Speaker 2: get Nico Collins back. How much more can they can
14:04
Speaker 2: keep asking Joe Mixon to kind of be the you know,
14:07
Speaker 2: the load bearer for this offense? I guess, And that's
14:11
Speaker 2: I guess comes down a little bit of an offensive
14:13
Speaker 2: identity question when you have these pass production breakdowns.
14:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I know I mentioned this earlier when
14:18
Speaker 1: we discussed the lines. That's the matchup between these two
14:21
Speaker 1: teams this upcoming week, So certainly a lot on the
14:24
Speaker 1: line for both of these squads. This is not breaking news,
14:27
Speaker 1: and I don't feel like I'm going out on a limb.
14:29
Speaker 3: The Falcons are going to win the division.
14:30
Speaker 1: They've got the two matchups already in the bag with
14:33
Speaker 1: Tampa Bay after beating that squad twice. The league continues
14:37
Speaker 1: to balloon here and Kirk Cousins continues.
14:38
Speaker 2: The ball absolutely. I mean, look, Cousins has been a
14:42
Speaker 2: big part of what they've done, and you know, continuing
14:45
Speaker 2: to kind of put their foot down against Dallas. Maybe
14:47
Speaker 2: let up a little bit late, but I thought looked
14:49
Speaker 2: pretty impressive overall. Bejon Robinson is really kind of settled
14:52
Speaker 2: in as the guy in the run game. You know,
14:54
Speaker 2: they can have a game where one of those receivers
14:57
Speaker 2: doesn't have a big outing. Now we'll see what Drake Lennon.
15:00
Speaker 2: Is he banged up, Is he gonna miss some time?
15:02
Speaker 2: I'm not sure about that yet, but this is sort
15:05
Speaker 2: of steadily making progress throughout the season. I think, like
15:09
Speaker 2: you said, there's open road in front of them to
15:11
Speaker 2: win this NFC South Division that has really become kind
15:15
Speaker 2: of a two horse race, and that's giving the Bucks
15:18
Speaker 2: a lot of credit too because of the sweep and
15:20
Speaker 2: also their loss and Monday night putting in below five hundred,
15:22
Speaker 2: So you're right, Can they avoid blowing it? Can they
15:25
Speaker 2: just win games consistently down the stretch and get ready
15:28
Speaker 2: for the playoffs. That's the big question for this Atlanta group.
15:31
Speaker 2: Find a pass rush, get more consistent on defense as well. Eric.
15:34
Speaker 1: The team that I teased before the break that we
15:37
Speaker 1: don't talk enough about and continues to win is the Chargers,
15:41
Speaker 1: and they sit twelfth in your rankings. They move up
15:43
Speaker 1: three spots here justin Herbert hasn't thrown an interception in
15:46
Speaker 1: his last six starts. They had six sacks and three
15:48
Speaker 1: picks against Cleveland.
15:50
Speaker 3: This is the way, candidly I.
15:53
Speaker 1: Thought that we're gonna win some football games. Don't turn
15:54
Speaker 1: the ball over. Defense has taken a step up, and
15:56
Speaker 1: they're running effectively.
15:58
Speaker 2: Amen. I mean, they haven't allowed twenty points all year.
16:01
Speaker 2: It's kind of wild, even with a little bit of
16:04
Speaker 2: a soft schedule. I mean, look, it includes the Chiefs,
16:07
Speaker 2: it includes the Steelers. They faced some other good teams too,
16:10
Speaker 2: So it's not like they're facing nobody's and Sunday was
16:14
Speaker 2: just a dismantling of a team that looked really good
16:17
Speaker 2: the week prior against the Ravens. And you're right defensively,
16:20
Speaker 2: just the improvements they've made from one year to the next.
16:23
Speaker 2: Jesse min Or Jim Harbaugh done an excellent job on
16:26
Speaker 2: that side of the ball and on the other side,
16:28
Speaker 2: figuring out that balance, that fine line between having Justin
16:31
Speaker 2: Herbert throw, making sure they have this franchise quarterback get
16:34
Speaker 2: his looks, his touches, and also be that run dominant
16:38
Speaker 2: team they are. They've kind of settled in nicely here.
16:41
Speaker 2: They're winning games in a very predictable but very tough
16:44
Speaker 2: to stop fashion if you don't have the right personnel.
16:47
Speaker 2: So yeah, they're gonna be a handful to deal with it.
16:48
Speaker 2: If they have to go on the road in the playoffs.
16:51
Speaker 2: I think they would embrace that challenge. They've got nothing
16:53
Speaker 2: to lose at this point, and I love the direction
16:55
Speaker 2: of this team and what they've been able to do
16:57
Speaker 2: so far.
16:57
Speaker 1: Yeah, they get the Titans next time out, so I
16:59
Speaker 1: got to imagine probably get another victory here.
17:02
Speaker 3: Tennessee hasn't been necessarily a juggernaut this year. Time for
17:06
Speaker 3: power moves. Eric. The team that is leading the NFC West, the.
17:10
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals, they just they're figuring this thing out here.
17:14
Speaker 1: They're the fourteenth ranked team for you defense season high
17:17
Speaker 1: six sacks for them. James, speaking of formulas to win,
17:20
Speaker 1: I mean, Connor's been an absolute monster here. I don't
17:23
Speaker 1: know if it's going to end up where they're going
17:25
Speaker 1: to win this division, but my lord had tip to
17:27
Speaker 1: Arizona absolutely.
17:30
Speaker 2: I mean Jonathan Gannon, I'll be honest. At the time
17:32
Speaker 2: of his hiring, I had my questions. But even last year,
17:34
Speaker 2: even in a you know, a four win season, you
17:36
Speaker 2: could see the progress. You could see the aggressiveness on offense,
17:40
Speaker 2: you could see the direction they were heading. And Sunday
17:43
Speaker 2: it all kind of came to a head. I thought
17:44
Speaker 2: it was one of their best games we've seen from
17:46
Speaker 2: them all season. Had a couple bad, tough losses earlier
17:48
Speaker 2: in the year, but made life really tough on Caleb Williams.
17:51
Speaker 2: You know, you lose Dennis Gardak and pass rush. The
17:54
Speaker 2: way they did I thought was very, very impressive, even
17:56
Speaker 2: against the Bears team that's had their share of issues
17:58
Speaker 2: there love the Backs. You know, they're getting their playmakers
18:02
Speaker 2: the ball defensively, they're making strides and they're having fun
18:06
Speaker 2: out there too.
18:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, it feels that way.
18:09
Speaker 1: And to be fair, I don't even think we've seen
18:11
Speaker 1: Kyler Murray at the peak of his powers just yet
18:14
Speaker 1: so far this season.
18:15
Speaker 3: So there's actually another gear here.
18:17
Speaker 1: I just look at the Niners and that roster Christian
18:19
Speaker 1: McCaffrey on the men's and the Rams are also a
18:22
Speaker 1: team that would scare me. By the way, speaking of
18:24
Speaker 1: the Rams, another trade to get to involving LA and Baltimore. Meanwhile,
18:29
Speaker 1: the Saints they lost to Carolina, they got a new coach.
18:33
Speaker 1: What Eric makes of what's happening in New Orleans that's
18:35
Speaker 1: still become on power rankings. Back here on power rankings,
18:45
Speaker 1: the squad drank seventeen through twenty four. The Bears scored
18:48
Speaker 1: a season hoh nine points. That's not good the Rams,
18:52
Speaker 1: by the way, at eighteen, they're training two time Pro
18:54
Speaker 1: bowler Jadarius White to the Ravens, so the corner gonna
18:58
Speaker 1: help bolster a Baltimore defense that's had some issues this season.
19:01
Speaker 1: At nineteen, it's the Seahawks, twentieth, the Cincinnati Bengals.
19:05
Speaker 3: At twenty one.
19:05
Speaker 1: We saw the Colts lose another game with Joe Flacco,
19:08
Speaker 1: this time as their starter. They're the twenty first ranked team,
19:10
Speaker 1: the Jets, they snapped a five game slide. Sit at
19:12
Speaker 1: twenty two.
19:13
Speaker 3: No Dak for a while.
19:15
Speaker 1: You got the Cowboys at twenty three, the Dolphins losing
19:18
Speaker 1: a nail bier against Buffalo, the twenty fourth ranked team.
19:22
Speaker 1: Let's get to this Rams squad here needed overtime, get
19:24
Speaker 1: a win here. I still look at this team. Eric
19:27
Speaker 1: is one of the more dangerous ones, and I wouldn't
19:29
Speaker 1: be surprised if they win the division by season zen
19:31
Speaker 1: as this team continues to get healthy. Although getting rid
19:34
Speaker 1: of White is a little bit of a head scratcher
19:35
Speaker 1: right now.
19:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, it seems like he kind of fallen out of
19:37
Speaker 2: the rotation. Some of the young guys like Cameron Kinchin
19:40
Speaker 2: steps up obviously. The two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
19:43
Speaker 2: You know it's funny too. We talk about the Lions
19:45
Speaker 2: being able to win in a lot of different ways.
19:46
Speaker 2: The Rams have due in different passions. You lose Pukinakua,
19:51
Speaker 2: he gets kicked out of the game throwing a punch,
19:53
Speaker 2: and they still win without him. Credit to Matthew Stafford
19:56
Speaker 2: those other receivers. I thought Cup had a big game.
19:59
Speaker 2: You know, they did what they had to do to
20:01
Speaker 2: fight back in this one and get the overtime three
20:04
Speaker 2: riller against the division rival when you know they could
20:07
Speaker 2: have lost this game very, very easily. So a lot
20:10
Speaker 2: of praise for Sean McVay and what he's done there
20:12
Speaker 2: and he's how he's gotten his team back from the
20:15
Speaker 2: bad start.
20:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, Jets get a victory on Thursday Night football. Aaron
20:19
Speaker 1: Rodgers season high three touchdowns for him and the defense
20:22
Speaker 1: had eight sacks. That's the formula that I would have
20:25
Speaker 1: thought equaled wins throughout the course of the entire season.
20:28
Speaker 3: Are things heading in the right direction.
20:31
Speaker 2: We'll see, right the first half did go so well, Right,
20:33
Speaker 2: so there's still this kind of jeckal and the high
20:35
Speaker 2: nature to the Jets. And until we see it, you know,
20:39
Speaker 2: in kind of a regular Sunday situation, you know, Texans
20:41
Speaker 2: come in in a short week on the road. Maybe
20:44
Speaker 2: that hurt them a little bit. I'm gonna be a
20:46
Speaker 2: little bit hesitant on the Jets, but it starts with
20:49
Speaker 2: the defense, Mike. They have to be more consistent on
20:52
Speaker 2: that side of the ball as well as Rogers in
20:54
Speaker 2: the passing game. Humming.
20:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, look, they're on the road against Arizona next time out.
20:59
Speaker 1: At twenty three, it was, yeah, it's going to be
21:01
Speaker 1: a tough game the Dallas Cowboys. They dropped two spots
21:03
Speaker 1: in your rankings. No Dak Prescott hamstring injury now for
21:06
Speaker 1: the foreseeable future. Is this the last time I bring
21:09
Speaker 1: up the Cowboys on the show.
21:12
Speaker 2: It could be we'll see. I mean, unless they just
21:13
Speaker 2: lose a colossal fashion, But they're in a real tough
21:16
Speaker 2: spot three and five. Like you said, no, Dak could
21:19
Speaker 2: be on the ir soon. Am I gonna have to
21:21
Speaker 2: turn it over to Cooper Rush? Yeah? He won four
21:23
Speaker 2: games for him a couple of years ago, but probably
21:26
Speaker 2: not the same situation. I know they traded for Jonathan Mingo.
21:29
Speaker 2: Felt like a bit of a strange move. Maybe has
21:31
Speaker 2: more of an effect next year, But yeah, this is
21:33
Speaker 2: gonna be really tricky for them to kind of pull
21:36
Speaker 2: out of this tailspin and remain a contending club. With
21:39
Speaker 2: Washington Philly ahead of them in the division standings, Giants
21:42
Speaker 2: are playing some competitive football too, so yeah, swimming upstream
21:46
Speaker 2: is the way I would describe it.
21:47
Speaker 3: Look I don't want to be that dude. If you know,
21:49
Speaker 3: you know.
21:50
Speaker 1: But there's been that little video gif on social media
21:53
Speaker 1: regarding Dak Prescott when he was on the sideline mouthing
21:56
Speaker 1: something admitting that the team wasn't good. That's probably the
22:00
Speaker 1: most politically correct way I can describe. I'm not necessarily
22:03
Speaker 1: the lip reader, but it was pretty obvious he was.
22:05
Speaker 3: Going with it. Teams ranked twenty five through thirty two.
22:08
Speaker 3: Oh boy. At number twenty five, it's the Giants. I
22:10
Speaker 3: say this every single week.
22:11
Speaker 1: Yes, I'm a Giants fan, and this is probably the
22:13
Speaker 1: only time I'm going to say this.
22:14
Speaker 3: It's not Daniel Jones's fault.
22:16
Speaker 1: Just saying at twenty six a coaching change will get
22:18
Speaker 1: to in just a moment. Twenty seven it's the Browns
22:21
Speaker 1: at twenty eight, another loss for the Jags. The Titans
22:24
Speaker 1: get a win against the Patriots. They're twenty ninth at
22:27
Speaker 1: Patriots squad by the way, all the way at number
22:29
Speaker 1: thirty two. I'm going out of order here, but the
22:31
Speaker 1: Panthers give.
22:32
Speaker 3: Them their flowers. They gotta win. Okay, here we go.
22:34
Speaker 3: They're at thirty. At thirty one, it's the Raiders.
22:36
Speaker 1: A lot of changes Lukeetzie, their offensive coordinator out in
22:39
Speaker 1: the r Turner is now in. So let's focus in
22:42
Speaker 1: on the Saints. It's a lot of losses that continue.
22:45
Speaker 3: To pile up here.
22:46
Speaker 1: What do we make of the squad who earlier this
22:48
Speaker 1: season we thought was one of the best in the NFL.
22:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, two and oho start. Ninety one points scored in
22:54
Speaker 2: those first two huge win at Dallas, you just thought, Wow, okay,
22:57
Speaker 2: here we go, right, this is going to be the
22:59
Speaker 2: new fangled Saints. And after a slew of closed losses,
23:02
Speaker 2: the blowouts started happening, the injuries piled up. You had
23:05
Speaker 2: questions swirling around Dennis Allen now Dennis Rizzy taking over
23:09
Speaker 2: a really, really tough situation. I think who dat Nation's
23:12
Speaker 2: kind of checked out a little bit. They've got to
23:14
Speaker 2: find solutions in all three phases. Carr coming back Sunday
23:17
Speaker 2: didn't really help them against the Panthers. Good luck, sir.
23:20
Speaker 2: There's a lot going on there.
23:22
Speaker 3: I get it.
23:22
Speaker 1: You lose to Carolina, my lord, though, like Spencer Rattler
23:27
Speaker 1: was their quarterback for a little bit. Here, you throw
23:29
Speaker 1: a rookie out into the mix here. You don't have
23:31
Speaker 1: Derek Carr out for a good stretch of the season.
23:33
Speaker 1: Once again a little bit of a surprise because they
23:35
Speaker 1: were a team up to your point that was just
23:37
Speaker 1: looking like an absolute juggernaut as we started off this
23:40
Speaker 1: NFL season.
23:41
Speaker 3: Hopefully they can fix it. Dude, you're the best man.
23:44
Speaker 2: I know.
23:44
Speaker 1: This is always a tough little slending here to rank
23:46
Speaker 1: these teams, but appreciate everyone watching