Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
Speaker 1: partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2: Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings,
Speaker 2: a holiday edition, and of course we'll get a little
Speaker 2: bit of chaos at the top. Mike am Eric at
Speaker 2: home with you, and of course to get the complete
Speaker 2: analysis of all thirty two teams, all you have to
Speaker 2: do is head to NFL dot com.
Speaker 3: But I made reference to it.
Speaker 2: Maybe the Christmas treat Eric, for all of us is
Speaker 2: a change at the top with the rankings.
Speaker 4: Yeah, ended up right where back where we started at
Speaker 4: the beginning of the year at Kansas City, kind of
Speaker 4: reshuffling their way to the top.
Speaker 5: That's what happens with one loss.
Speaker 2: It is all right, let's go through it, Teams one
Speaker 2: through eight right now. You made reference to it. Casey
Speaker 2: sitting in the one spot. The Buffalo Bills at number
Speaker 2: two still haven't earned just yet the AFC's number one seed,
Speaker 2: which if they could and they do, it'll be the
Speaker 2: first time since ninety three. The Lions setting a franchise
Speaker 2: record with their thirteenth win. At number four, it's the Eagles,
Speaker 2: tough loss for them. We'll discuss that squad in just
Speaker 2: a minute. The Vikings have now won eight games. There
Speaker 2: in the fifth spot, the Packers at six, the Ravens
Speaker 2: still alive in the AFC North the seventeam, and the
Speaker 2: Commanders sitting at number eight. All right, let's circle back
Speaker 2: on this number one squad, and that is the Kansas
Speaker 2: City Chiefs. We keep talking about these one possession games
Speaker 2: they keep on winning, Eric.
Speaker 3: Is it still a thing?
Speaker 5: It is still a thing.
Speaker 4: They've got it down to a science at this point.
Speaker 4: I mean, I think at some point, you know, we
Speaker 4: realized the suspicions should fade away. And I think the
Speaker 4: trust in this team, everything they've built up over the
Speaker 4: last five years, certainly, but even this season too. The
Speaker 4: ability to close out games. They know how to do it.
Speaker 4: First drive, though, for me, set a big statement. We
Speaker 4: all came in with questions about Patrick Mahomes's ankle. I
Speaker 4: felt like those are answers. He had the big scramble
Speaker 4: there on third and thirteen. They convert the fourth and
Speaker 4: then all of a sudden, Patrick Mahomes is running fifteen
Speaker 4: yards under the end zone. I mean you almost could
Speaker 4: hear Arrowhead kind of collectively holding their breath when that started.
Speaker 4: But by the end of the drive, I think a
Speaker 4: lot of people, myself included, felt like Mahomes is in
Speaker 4: decent shape. This team keeps winning, the defense takes care
Speaker 4: of business. They've got some people back from injury. I
Speaker 4: think the Chiefs are in pretty good shape. We can
Speaker 4: respect them now again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, at the end of the day, I know we
Speaker 2: were talking about that ankle injury.
Speaker 3: You know, pretty quickly into the game.
Speaker 2: We just sit there and go, No, he's fifteen, he's
Speaker 2: the magician, he's aoh okay. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions sitting
Speaker 2: into number two spots, or excuse me, the lines sitting
Speaker 2: like at the number three spot.
Speaker 3: I say, the Bills are at number two.
Speaker 2: When you look at this Detroit squad, is there a
Speaker 2: team that's mentally tougher than them in the league.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I obviously coming off the first loss in three
Speaker 4: months and dealing with the spate of injuries on both
Speaker 4: sides of the ball, not just that defense.
Speaker 5: David Montgomery as well.
Speaker 4: Look, you're still going on the road, You're still facing
Speaker 4: a divisional opponent. The Bears gave them a ton of
Speaker 4: trouble on Thanksgiving. They get off to a fast start
Speaker 4: answer a bunch of questions right away. Yeah, Look, Gibbs
Speaker 4: was great and in kind of a lead role. That
Speaker 4: wasn't a big shock. But the trick play, how about that?
Speaker 4: The latest sorcery from Ben Johnson, that that fake stumble,
Speaker 4: fake fumble, whatever you want to call it. Gibbs played
Speaker 4: his part, Jared Goff did his thing, and Sam Laporta
Speaker 4: caught it. I almost wonder if Ben Johnson wasn't maybe
Speaker 4: showing off a little for the Bears. They've got a
Speaker 4: head coaching search in the offseason. That's a story for
Speaker 4: down the road, But for the Lions and their quest
Speaker 4: for a Super Bowl, this is a great way to get.
Speaker 5: Back on tracks.
Speaker 4: Still have two tough games San Francisco Minnesota, and they've
Speaker 4: got to beat the Vikings to ensure they win the division,
Speaker 4: assuming both teams win next week. But there's still a
Speaker 4: lot to like about this team, Mike, the mental toughness
Speaker 4: being I think close to the top of the list,
Speaker 4: that fearless factor they bring into most games.
Speaker 2: You know, I think it was Ian rapaport, our colleague
Speaker 2: at NFL Network, who reported that Ben Johnson was intrigued
Speaker 2: by the opportunity of the Chicago Bears just throwing.
Speaker 3: That out there.
Speaker 2: Something tells me I kind of would have thought they
Speaker 2: would have pocketed that play for the postseason, because it
Speaker 2: would have been crazy in a playoff game to see
Speaker 2: something like that, but nonetheless an impressive play call Number four.
Speaker 2: It's the Eagles. We just give them a pass. I mean,
Speaker 2: Jalen wasn't out there for most of that game.
Speaker 4: You could do that, but you could also say, hey, look,
Speaker 4: Hurts is in concussion. You've got Kenny Pickett his backup,
Speaker 4: who you know was up and down in his place.
Speaker 4: Have an X phrase on his ribs. You know, are
Speaker 4: we looking at tit or McKee playing football down the
Speaker 4: stretch in pivotal moments for the Eagles. I don't know
Speaker 4: that we're at that point yet, but there are some concerns.
Speaker 4: It puts a lot more of the onus on Saquon Barkley.
Speaker 4: He's got to keep being super hero every week, assuming
Speaker 4: there's some concern at the quarterback spot, and then defensively
Speaker 4: allowing five touchdown drives and you know, some coverage bus there,
Speaker 4: some late breakdowns. Kind of feels like they may have
Speaker 4: let the chance to get the number one seed slip away.
Speaker 5: But it's still there.
Speaker 4: They still have that opportunity and I'm not ready to
Speaker 4: bury this team, but they did drop out of the
Speaker 4: top spot. We had just graduated him to the top
Speaker 4: of the heap and a little bit of humble pie on,
Speaker 4: you know, before Christmas.
Speaker 3: Here it's wow, what's an NFL season?
Speaker 2: What's another edition of power rankings with not a little
Speaker 2: chaos at the top there. I got sort of shocked,
Speaker 2: to be honest with you, that it did play out
Speaker 2: the way that it did. And speaking of that Eagle squad,
Speaker 2: they lose to a Commander's team where Jaden Daniels looks like,
Speaker 2: you know, maybe he I have cemented himself as the
Speaker 2: offensive rookie of the year. I know it's been an
Speaker 2: up and down campaign for Washington. How much are you
Speaker 2: buying this team?
Speaker 5: I think I'm buying stock again.
Speaker 4: I was ready to kind of unload a little bit ter,
Speaker 4: you know, sort of softly get rid of what I
Speaker 4: bought up all in the preseason. You know, I was
Speaker 4: high on this team early in the year, but they
Speaker 4: found their way again, and I think Daniels is obviously
Speaker 4: a huge part of it. I mean, you know, to
Speaker 4: give them a spark with two receivers who hadn't really
Speaker 4: done much off season, at least as far as touchdown production.
Speaker 4: Jamison Crowder catches the first one, also the game winner.
Speaker 4: Olamide's a kias. They don't win without those two touchdowns
Speaker 4: in the fourth quarter from him. So some big plays
Speaker 4: from unexpected sources. But Daniels now, even as a rookie,
Speaker 4: he is the expected source. He is expected to carry
Speaker 4: this offense to him. That's just okay. I think everybody
Speaker 4: has kind of fallen in line. They'd grabbed onto his cape,
Speaker 4: and I want to see how far it takes him. Right,
Speaker 4: Is he going to go on a Jordan Love like
Speaker 4: run in the playoffs this year or something?
Speaker 5: I could see it.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, they're building so much confidence in Washington, even after
Speaker 4: some stumbles earlier this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, really looking forward to the matchup against Atlanta a
Speaker 2: Sunday night football, A lot on the line for both
Speaker 2: of these teams, and a great rookie quarterback matchup. We'll
Speaker 2: talk about the Falcons in just a moment. The Vikings.
Speaker 2: Can't we just say hey, why not us? I mean,
Speaker 2: if you're a Minnesota fan, this is a complete balanced team.
Speaker 4: I went on a radio show the other day and
Speaker 4: somebody said, where did you move the Vikings up to?
Speaker 4: And I said, I got them stuck at five. I
Speaker 4: can't find a spot for Maybe they're better than the Eagles,
Speaker 4: maybe they're better than some of those other teams in
Speaker 4: the top four, but they are terrific and I do
Speaker 4: believe they sort of have found a way into that
Speaker 4: elite tier of the NFL right now.
Speaker 5: Defense offense.
Speaker 4: How about Sam Donald throwing that ball after taking a
Speaker 4: massive hit the play before threading it into Justin Jefferson.
Speaker 4: Those are plays that, yes, we've always known Sam Darnold
Speaker 4: is capable of, but now he's making them on the regular.
Speaker 4: You know, this team, like we said with Washington, is
Speaker 4: just brimming with confidence. But they've been doing it now
Speaker 4: over the course of a few months. Still get their
Speaker 4: chance to get a little payback against the or fight
Speaker 4: off a Packers team that's looking for payback, I should say,
Speaker 4: and again, I just I feel like this is a
Speaker 4: different model than we saw two years ago when they
Speaker 4: had an equally impressive record thirteen and four. But the
Speaker 4: negative point differential this season feels different to me. I
Speaker 4: don't have those same doubts. I think they're really on
Speaker 4: a roll right now.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sitting there going, you know what, relatively healthy
Speaker 2: heading into the postseason playing some really great football. Darnald's
Speaker 2: confidence is probably as high as it was in his
Speaker 2: last campaign in Southern California playing for SC. I mean,
Speaker 2: this is a team that should make some noise in
Speaker 2: the postseason. Now they get an opportunity to sort of
Speaker 2: prove it here against a Green Bay squad.
Speaker 3: That matchup gets.
Speaker 2: Flex to that four to twenty five Eastern time window.
Speaker 2: The Packers they pitch shut out. Speaking of balanced teams,
Speaker 2: I gotta be honest with you, Eric, They're kind of
Speaker 2: like right there with them. Defensively, they look great against
Speaker 2: the Saints, and I know a lot of issues offensively
Speaker 2: that they have, but the reality is there's a lot
Speaker 2: of talented pieces for Lafleur.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 4: The questions about the Packers, at least for me, are
Speaker 4: not about what they can do against middling teams like
Speaker 4: the Saints. Obviously they're very beat up, and you know,
Speaker 4: they took care of business Monday night, no doubt, got
Speaker 4: off to the top fast start, put it in cruise
Speaker 4: control after that. It's what there the Packers rather can
Speaker 4: do against the elite teams in the NFL. We've seen
Speaker 4: them come up just short against the Lions, just short
Speaker 4: against the Vikings, other teams in that same echelon. And
Speaker 4: this next matchup, the rematch against Minnesota, this is their
Speaker 4: opportunity not only to you know, change the calculus in
Speaker 4: the NFC, in the NFC North for that matter, but
Speaker 4: also to send a statement, hey, we can win these
Speaker 4: types of games. I love when Josh Jacobs says the
Speaker 4: tone early. I love that they have five or six
Speaker 4: playmakers they trust. They just got Luke Musgrave back off
Speaker 4: the ir They're getting healthy too, and that defense has
Speaker 4: responded after some tough outings this year, including the one
Speaker 4: at Detroit.
Speaker 2: You know, we had the Monday night football postgame show
Speaker 2: on NFL Network when it was done, and you hear Lafleura,
Speaker 2: you hear Jordan Love. These guys are just being asked
Speaker 2: about this next matchup that wasn't one. They get an
Speaker 2: opportunity to redeem themselves.
Speaker 3: It was a close.
Speaker 2: Defeat for him career haus in terms of yardage and
Speaker 2: passing touchdowns for Jordan Love, but he threw three interceptions
Speaker 2: in that game. It was his return after missing two
Speaker 2: with the MCL so this game also feels a little
Speaker 2: bit different than the one that we witnessed back in
Speaker 2: week number four. All right, take a closer look at
Speaker 2: the odds in the AFC North. Yeah, and then there
Speaker 2: were two to go and win this division. The Baltimore Ravens,
Speaker 2: according to FanDuel, the favorite right now, followed by the Steelers.
Speaker 2: All right, let's focus in on the seventh ranked team,
Speaker 2: and that is the Ravens. They get Houston on Christmas Day.
Speaker 2: Lamar just continues to ball out. I think there's a
Speaker 2: lot of different ways that we go with this team.
Speaker 2: We can have the MVP conversation, but to me, maybe
Speaker 2: the best storyline is a resurgence on the defensive side
Speaker 2: by Zach Orr's unit.
Speaker 4: You're right, Lamar, Henry, Rashad Bateman, they're all crucial pieces
Speaker 4: of that offense. But I've said, like, you know, this
Speaker 4: team last year that was even better on the defensive side.
Speaker 4: They didn't win with it, so they had to get better.
Speaker 4: We've seen the stripe. It's not just in this last
Speaker 4: game against Pittsburgh with the big plays the fumble and
Speaker 4: the interception, the pick six, but also over recent weeks two.
Speaker 4: So there's a body of work there. I feel like
Speaker 4: Mike that we can kind of start to embrace I
Speaker 4: don't think they're going to be as dominant. The pass
Speaker 4: rush isn't quite as good, the coverage has been a
Speaker 4: little bit disappointing over the course of the season, but
Speaker 4: still a tough team, and it just feels like they're
Speaker 4: on a crash course with the Chiefs at some point.
Speaker 4: They met in Week one to kick off the season.
Speaker 4: We're gonna see these teams meet again. I'm calling my
Speaker 4: shot right now.
Speaker 2: There's something about a potential rematch that's got me intrigued here. Baltimore.
Speaker 2: They were the team that was dominant all season long.
Speaker 2: Now all of a sudden, I think they go from
Speaker 2: the hunted to now the hunters this season with five losses.
Speaker 2: I think this is a different vibe heading into the postseason,
Speaker 2: which might be a good thing for Harbaugh's squad. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I made reference to it Christmas Day. Yes, we will
Speaker 2: see this Baltimore Ravens squad. We got two games on
Speaker 2: Netflix December twenty fifth. Let's roll, you got the gifts,
Speaker 2: you got some football. At one Eastern it's Kansas City
Speaker 2: taking on Pittsburgh, and then it's Yes, that Ravens Texans
Speaker 2: matchup at four thirty Eastern time. Now we talked a
Speaker 2: little bit about the Baltimore Ravens. I think the biggest
Speaker 2: question is where does that leave Pittsburgh. The answer to
Speaker 2: that is coming up next on power rankings. Back here
Speaker 2: on power rankings Teams nine through sixteen. Oh, the Steelers
Speaker 2: still controlling their own destiny in the AFC North after
Speaker 2: that loss to the Ravens, which we just talked about.
Speaker 3: At number ten, it's the Chargers.
Speaker 2: An impressive win for Justin Herbert and company against the Broncos,
Speaker 2: who are at eleven. At twelve, it's the Rams cross
Speaker 2: country in the cold in New Jersey. Doesn't matter for
Speaker 2: that so Cal team. Thirteen, the Texans tank, Elton Tank.
Speaker 2: Dell's injury could loom large. We got the Buccaneers at
Speaker 2: four game winning streak it is snapped. The Falcons at fifteen,
Speaker 2: we'll talk about them in just a moment. And the Bengals,
Speaker 2: Yeah they're still alive.
Speaker 3: But it is time for power moves. All right.
Speaker 2: Let's circle back on that tenth ranked team in the Chargers.
Speaker 2: I think they're a good stretch of this season. Arc
Speaker 2: We felt like, hey, this is it's really dangerous because
Speaker 2: of their defense, because of justin Herbert he is.
Speaker 3: He's it feels like.
Speaker 2: At times, especially late in the season with some of
Speaker 2: these injuries, he's a one man band on offense.
Speaker 5: Absolutely. We've seen Lad McConkey miss time.
Speaker 4: We've obviously seen some of the receivers struggle with drops too,
Speaker 4: so there's been a lot working against him. His favorite
Speaker 4: tight end, at least early in the season, will Disley
Speaker 4: out too, but Herbert keeps coming back, fighting through that
Speaker 4: left ankle injury. We saw him even make a couple
Speaker 4: of big scrambles, but really it was finding some of
Speaker 4: these receivers Joshua Palmer, who had a terrific one handed
Speaker 4: catch in the back of the end zone for the
Speaker 4: two pointer, and then also getting some unexpected sources from
Speaker 4: guys like Haskins too. And you know, Herbert really has
Speaker 4: had a terrific season. And maybe we put too much
Speaker 4: stock in that second half against the Bucks. They got
Speaker 4: blown out. It happened a couple times this year they've
Speaker 4: been They've had a few really bad has Arizona, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati,
Speaker 4: et cetera. But when they're at their best, they have
Speaker 4: a path to kind of come back and Herbert's got
Speaker 4: the ball in his hands.
Speaker 5: Good things usual happened.
Speaker 4: So I'm still pretty encouraged about their chances to maybe
Speaker 4: pull a first round upset in the playoffs that they
Speaker 4: get there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, on look, once again, you play defense the way
Speaker 2: that they do, it's definitely going to be give you
Speaker 2: an opportunity.
Speaker 3: Once the postseason rolls around.
Speaker 2: We do get to see them on a Saturday, and yes,
Speaker 2: we have an exclusive triple header on NFL Network. The
Speaker 2: Chargers will be matching up against the New England Patriots.
Speaker 2: Coverage of that game, by the way, one Eastern time.
Speaker 2: Do not want to miss it. Broncos and Bengals at four,
Speaker 2: and then it's the Cardinals and Rams at eight Eastern
Speaker 2: once again, this Saturday, only on NFL Network and streaming
Speaker 2: on NFL Plus. Subscription required for NFL Plus. I do
Speaker 2: love the story around this Atlanta Falcons team who sit
Speaker 2: at number fifteen. For you, Michael Pennix, we weren't sure
Speaker 2: how they were going to handle Kirk Cousins. The rookie
Speaker 2: comes in there signs a life for this team's offense.
Speaker 2: I think the arrow might be pointing up for this
Speaker 2: team heading into the playoffs potentially.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, you talked about kind of the Eagles
Speaker 4: mentality or sorry of the Ravens bentality being the hunted here,
Speaker 4: and I think it applies to the Falcons too. They've
Speaker 4: put themselves in this position obviously, and maybe they waited
Speaker 4: too long to make a quarterback switch, but they got
Speaker 4: it done, Penni Scott. You know, if we're using baseball
Speaker 4: terms here, like a starting pitcher, great run support, his
Speaker 4: receivers made plays, Bijon Robinson was a huge part of
Speaker 4: the run game that opened up play action. And oh,
Speaker 4: by the way, two defensive touchdowns. That's pretty good support
Speaker 4: right there. So every you know, perfect situation, everything you
Speaker 4: could ask for for a rookie quarterback making his first start,
Speaker 4: an experienced guy in college but still got to be
Speaker 4: some butterflies. And I thought he handled himself really well,
Speaker 4: especially after starting the game two for six. He really
Speaker 4: found a rhythm there and took a part a.
Speaker 5: Good Giants defense.
Speaker 4: You can say what you want about them, they're not
Speaker 4: a good football team, but the defense has played well
Speaker 4: times this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, thirty four answered points for the Falcons once again,
Speaker 2: they will match up. I know I made reference to
Speaker 2: it earlier against Washington on Sunday Night Football at sixteen Cincinnati.
Speaker 2: They are maybe the most interesting team on power rankings
Speaker 2: single week. I feel like I'm on the on the
Speaker 2: bus and they lose, and I'm off the bus. I keep
Speaker 2: going back and forth. For what it's worth. Next Gen
Speaker 2: stats put their's chances of making the postseason at seven percent.
Speaker 3: So I'm going to say it, there's still a chance.
Speaker 4: You're saying there's a chance, right, Yes, they're like the
Speaker 4: the undead team right now. Nobody can actually kill them off.
Speaker 4: We'll see if Denver can take care of business this week.
Speaker 4: But you know, to go on the road and get
Speaker 4: two road wins and then come back home against Cleveland
Speaker 4: and have their you know, probably their best defensive showing
Speaker 4: of the season. Granted it came against a third string quarterback,
Speaker 4: but still that's the kind of confidence I think you
Speaker 4: need from a unit that has been called out and
Speaker 4: you still got Joe Burrow, you still have Jamar Chase
Speaker 4: t Higgins, and you know, the offense has had plenty
Speaker 4: to do this these last several games.
Speaker 5: They've been in this bow where they.
Speaker 4: Feel like they have to beat people via shootout and
Speaker 4: that really wasn't the case.
Speaker 5: Sunday.
Speaker 4: They got off to a hot start, kind of put
Speaker 4: the game in control and took care of business from there.
Speaker 4: So anything could happen down the stretch. Right, They've got Denver,
Speaker 4: They've got Pittsburgh.
Speaker 5: I give them.
Speaker 4: A decent shot, a competitive shot to win either game,
Speaker 4: and who knows, it would be a crazy story in
Speaker 4: a year where there haven't been a lot of playoff
Speaker 4: mystery teams sort of coming out of nowhere so far.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, not to give away where you have
Speaker 2: the Colts because we'll do that coming up in just
Speaker 2: a minute. Here they sit at number twenty two. It's
Speaker 2: amazing to me just in terms of where the rankings are.
Speaker 2: I think we're probably on the same page. Colts probably
Speaker 2: are going to be the playoff team. And yet I
Speaker 2: think both of us like Cincinnati and their chances if
Speaker 2: they were able to make it, to make some noise.
Speaker 5: Yeah, the more dangerous of the two teams.
Speaker 4: Look even when Jonathan Taylor or somebody like that, I mean,
Speaker 4: I think the quarterback position and some defensive improvement those receivers,
Speaker 4: that's what makes them so scary to a lot of people.
Speaker 5: They got nothing to lose at this point too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, winners are three straight games, And once again, I
Speaker 2: think there's a lot of fans around the NFL who
Speaker 2: might not have a team that it's going to be
Speaker 2: in the playoffs.
Speaker 3: Me that's I'm a Giants fan.
Speaker 2: I kind of just want to see Joe burrowball out
Speaker 2: and see what happens when the playoffs roll around.
Speaker 3: One division.
Speaker 2: We've been trying to figure out NFC West Seattle.
Speaker 3: We've been going back and forth.
Speaker 2: We've started to buy their stock, and right now it
Speaker 2: feels like it's not worth a whole lot. Eric will
Speaker 2: tell us where they sit and the power rankings coming
Speaker 2: up next. Back here on power rankings, Mike ham and
Speaker 2: Eric at Home with You, Team seventeen through twenty four.
Speaker 2: The Seahawks. I really don't know what to make of
Speaker 2: the squad. Eric, you're going to be giving that task
Speaker 2: to explain it to me in just a moment.
Speaker 3: Here.
Speaker 2: The Dolphins, they roll the Niners. They're at eighteen at nineteen.
Speaker 2: The Cardinals, oh boy, there was a time where I
Speaker 2: thought they were the team to beat in the NFC West.
Speaker 2: That is not the case. Panthers handle them in overtime.
Speaker 2: The Cowboys all of a sudden, they're winning some football games.
Speaker 2: At twenty the Niners not the season that I had
Speaker 2: expected for them, The Colts at twenty two, the Saints
Speaker 2: they got shut out. Remember those first few weeks of
Speaker 2: the season, we were talking about that offense just rolling.
Speaker 2: They were scoring like forty plus every single week. No,
Speaker 2: Derek Carr, that's going to be a problem. And the
Speaker 2: Bears at twenty four continue to spiral out of control.
Speaker 2: All right, Seattle, lay it on me, man, Like, what
Speaker 2: is this football team?
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's really hard to sort of categorize a team
Speaker 4: that opens the season with three straight wins, then follows
Speaker 4: it up with five out of six games that are losses,
Speaker 4: and then three more wins and then two.
Speaker 5: Losses in a row.
Speaker 4: It has been a roller coaster, at least as far
Speaker 4: as the wins and losses go. In Mike McDonald's first season,
Speaker 4: they've dealt with a lot of stuff. Kenneth Walker hurt
Speaker 4: again this season. That really has hindered the run game.
Speaker 4: It's put a lot on Gino Smith's shoulders mic and look,
Speaker 4: they have those receivers, but the protection hasn't always been there.
Speaker 4: Gino's throw throwing some red zone picks. He's kind of
Speaker 4: inching closer to his rookie year, I int total. You know,
Speaker 4: he's also completing seventy percent of his passes and on
Speaker 4: pace for a career high in passing yard.
Speaker 5: So there's been some good.
Speaker 4: There's been a reason why they're still in the race,
Speaker 4: and they're going to have to beat Chicago the wild
Speaker 4: card is out, and then hope for Arizona to beat
Speaker 4: the Rams.
Speaker 5: That would set up a take it all.
Speaker 4: Or nothing kind of game in Week eighteen for the division.
Speaker 4: But again, they're really swimming upstream at this point. Defensively,
Speaker 4: hasn't been the season they hoped, especially with McDonald, but
Speaker 4: they got a chance. I don't know what I expected
Speaker 4: my coming into the year. I think something around this.
Speaker 4: I don't think this is terribly out of a character
Speaker 4: for them, at least as far as what I thought
Speaker 4: they were going to be coming into the year.
Speaker 2: So in the race with the potential to go and
Speaker 2: win the division, you thought was fair, and I guess
Speaker 2: in hindsight that is, But I don't know, look to
Speaker 2: reality is I don't think there's any team that's better
Speaker 2: than the Rams right now in the division.
Speaker 3: They should be the team that goes to the postseason.
Speaker 5: I think so, right.
Speaker 4: I mean they you know, from the one and four start,
Speaker 4: they've obviously turned things completely around. And you know, you
Speaker 4: could say the same about Seattle after they're tough stretch
Speaker 4: right after that. But still, you know, whatever team's been
Speaker 4: in the first place, the pole position that see West
Speaker 4: the last month or so hasn't had the best of luck. Arizona,
Speaker 4: Seattle and now LA's there. Can they hang on? Can
Speaker 4: they play some of their best football which they have
Speaker 4: and continue their hot streak?
Speaker 2: Yeah, one in four to start the season since the
Speaker 2: by eight and two. And I made this point yesterday
Speaker 2: on the post game show on Monday Night Football. The
Speaker 2: Rams to me if they were healthy at the start
Speaker 2: of the season, I think it's a different narrative around
Speaker 2: this team. Remember that offensive line was decimated, which is
Speaker 2: the reason why they started one to four on the year.
Speaker 2: Speaking of teams that can't, I can't figure out the Cowboys.
Speaker 2: Where are these wins coming from? I mean this was
Speaker 2: tough sledding for a good stretch of this season. I
Speaker 2: think we're a question about Mike McCarthy if he's going
Speaker 2: to be the coach, Like they're signs to life right
Speaker 2: now inside that locker room.
Speaker 4: Whatever McCarthy is telling his players in meetings, in practices
Speaker 4: prior to games at halftime, it's working, right. I mean,
Speaker 4: he's got this team back on track, starting quarterback out,
Speaker 4: injuries all over the place, you know, losing pieces on
Speaker 4: defense as well, and boy, they found a spirit that
Speaker 4: I didn't know they would have. This was a team
Speaker 4: that was sort of caught in the malaise for a while.
Speaker 5: But you know, you saw.
Speaker 4: Them finish off that dramatic game Monday night against a
Speaker 4: good Bucks team, a desperate Bucks team, a Bucks team
Speaker 4: that was also sort of controlling its fate to a degree.
Speaker 4: So does this mean McCarthy back. You know, you're seeing
Speaker 4: Cooper Rush perform in an effective level. I mean, he
Speaker 4: looked pretty darn good the last month or so. And
Speaker 4: you know, Mike McCarthy's expertise is on the offensive side
Speaker 4: of the ball. Steedee Lamb is engaged. You've got Rico
Speaker 4: Dowdell going late in the season, even with a bad
Speaker 4: game Monday, I mean, all the signs.
Speaker 5: Are in a positive direction. I think that bodes well
Speaker 5: for McCarthy.
Speaker 4: I don't know if it means he's going to have
Speaker 4: his job, But good for them for staying in the
Speaker 4: race with everybody had kind of thrown some dirt on him,
Speaker 4: and you know, they just got eliminated, but.
Speaker 5: Still competitive football throughout. You got to tip your hat
Speaker 5: to that. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think if he doesn't have a job in Dallas,
Speaker 2: I'm not saying that he won't. If he doesn't, I
Speaker 2: think there's a lot of teams that are going to
Speaker 2: look at the second half of the season and go,
Speaker 2: you know what, We'll take them on our squad. All right,
Speaker 2: let's get to the to the rest of the teams
Speaker 2: twenty five through thirty two. The Panthers I cannot believe
Speaker 2: we're talking about them at twenty five. Let's roll in
Speaker 2: front of the Jets, no less at twenty six. Got
Speaker 2: do you think about some preseason high at the Browns
Speaker 2: at twenty seven hanging up and another loss for them.
Speaker 2: The Patriots at twenty eight, twenty nine, it's the Raiders.
Speaker 2: I had so many text messages from friends and family
Speaker 2: that are Giants fans that were written so hard for
Speaker 2: the Raiders to pull off a win, and they got
Speaker 2: it done. The Jacks at thirty, the Titans at thirty one,
Speaker 2: and yes, the Giants who should maybe possibly get the
Speaker 2: number one overall pick who We'll see how it plays
Speaker 2: out the rest of the season and if they pick
Speaker 2: up a win to make things interesting. But I think
Speaker 2: there's a fan base that would love for them to
Speaker 2: get the number one selection in this year's coming draft.
Speaker 3: But the Panthers at twenty five.
Speaker 2: Be honest, I mean, if I would have told you
Speaker 2: that at week you know this at this point, we
Speaker 2: kenned at a week seventeen that this team would be
Speaker 2: twenty fifth, you would have said, now you're lying.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't know that I would have expected them
Speaker 4: to land there, especially not after the first two weeks
Speaker 4: of the season things were looking so bad. Bryce Young
Speaker 4: was benched, his backup goes and wins their first game
Speaker 4: for him. But you got to give Young a ton
Speaker 4: of credit for taking the demotion, figuring out what did
Speaker 4: he needed to work on, putting it to work behind
Speaker 4: the scene, and then when he got his second opportunity
Speaker 4: after Dalton got hurt, really made the most of it.
Speaker 4: And now people are not talking about what a giant
Speaker 4: draft bust he is. He is now all of a
Speaker 4: sudden back in that same position it was in the offseason.
Speaker 4: As the leader of this team, there's some young pieces
Speaker 4: to get excited about. The offensive line we get and
Speaker 4: also Cuba Hubbard. Boy, he had that overtime fumble a
Speaker 4: couple of weeks ago, ended up being the overtime hero
Speaker 4: on Sunday.
Speaker 5: So the arrow's.
Speaker 4: Trending back up for this team. They got a lot
Speaker 4: of work to do in the offseason, but I like
Speaker 4: the direction they're heading in right now.
Speaker 5: Mike.
Speaker 4: You know, there's that.
Speaker 2: Old adage in the college football world, right when a
Speaker 2: new coach takes over. You know, you probably lose big
Speaker 2: in year number one, you lose a little smaller in
Speaker 2: year number two, you start winning small in year three,
Speaker 2: and then you start winning big in year four. That's
Speaker 2: obviously the path here. I think we're starting to see
Speaker 2: that within one season. Some close losses down the stretch
Speaker 2: for Carolina here, but then they go and pick up
Speaker 2: a win. So maybe, as to your point, arrow is
Speaker 2: pointing up for Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers. Who
Speaker 2: would have thunk it after making that quarterback change.
Speaker 3: Eric, you're the best man.
Speaker 2: Merry Christmas to you and your family, Merry Christmas to
Speaker 2: everyone that's out there. Enjoy the Christmas Day games, enjoy
Speaker 2: the Saturday and Sunday games, and we'll see you next
Speaker 2: week for another edition of Power Rankings.
Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
Speaker 1: partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.