The uncertainty of the NFL season continues to unfold before our eyes. Welcome to a brand new edition of NFL Power Rankings. Mike mp Eric get home with you. If you want to see complete analysis of all thirty two teams, just head to NFL.
Dot com a complete list of rankings.
Eric, Look, I've been thinking about you the last couple of days. We've seen some chaos NFC West. I don't know what to make of the division. I don't know who goes and wins it. The Houston Texans drop a game. I cannot wait to find out where they actually sit in your rankings. The reality is you got a tough job, but it's your time to try to figure out where these teams are supposed to be slotted.
It is my job, right, I mean, they're still in the playoff picture. But it's hard to rank some of these teams, especially after Week twelve. We had some funny results, even some wins, some expected wins ended in unexpected fashion.
Oh yeah, the Kansas City Chiefs, by the way, one of those teams that figured out a way to get it done. But boy, oh boy, I was like there might be a free fall in the rankings.
According to Eric.
But let's get right to it. Teams one through eight in the rankings. No surprise here. The Lions, off to their best starts since nineteen thirty four. At ten and one sit at the top spot. Are they the best team in the NFL? According to Eric and I think a lot of us, the answer is a resounding yes.
The Bills at too.
The Eagles flexing the seventh straight win for them. They are at three. The Kansas City Chiefs they fall just one spot, got all they could handle from Carolina. The Ravens check in at number five with a nice road win on Monday Night Football against the Chargers. Vikings are six, needed overtime to survive. The Bears, Packers easily a winner against the Niners at seven, and.
The Steelers fun game for everyone because of the snow, but maybe not fun for them.
Time for the team of the week, the Philadelphia Eagles sitting at that number three spot here, Eric, I gotta tell you there is a legit argument right now. I know the Lions and Buffalo are two teams that you really like. I don't know if there's a team outside of maybe Detroit that's playing better over these last few games.
Than Philadelphia.
Absolutely, and that's why I moved them up over the Chiefs in spite of the Chiefs winning Sunday because it wasn't that impressive. We'll get to that in a minute, but Philadelphia was impressive. They really put on a show Sunday night, flexing on both sides of the ball. Saquon Barklay, I mean, we debated the value thirteen million dollars per year plus you know the first the fumble against it Land early in the year, was it going to be
worth it? I think he's worth it. I think they've done pretty well for themselves ROI wise, and you know, you hit for two fifty five on the ground in a game, you're doing something right. Ninth best rushing game all time. And that doesn't even begin to mention the defense and what they've been able to do on that side of the ball. They targeted big areas of need another explosive offensive player, improving that secondary, the pass rush. They've done it all. Vic Fangio and Saquon Barkley have
been two massive additions. That's why they're rising up the charts right now.
Barkley the fourth running back in the Super Bowl era to have at least three hundred scrimmage yards in a game. For what it's worth, I didn't think the Rams played that bad. I just think Philadelphia was that much better, which is eye opening because I like the Rams for a few weeks here and now I'm questioning just because of the way the division shapes up for him. The Eagles, by the way, matching up against the Baltimore Ravens this week, that is going to be one of the best games
of the entire year. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs, you made reference to it. They drop a spot here. What am I supposed to make of this football team? Because it's again another one possession game for him. They figure out a way to get it done. But when you're coming off of a loss, your first loss since December of last year, you would imagine that they would absolutely put a thumpin on Carolina. Should I be worried right now if I'm a Chiefs fan?
Yeah?
I mean.
Look, I was reading a story by Nate Taylor or The Athletic, and he was describing the postgame scene in the locker room and Charlotte after a win, right after a dramatic victory with a new kicker, and they drive down the field for the game winning score. But the way Taylor described it, it felt more like a funeral, more like a sigh of relief than it was joy
in there. So look, I mean, Patrick Mahomes has ways of doing things as a great scramble at the game at the end of the game setting up the game winning score. They had no trouble really moving the ball day. They did bog down quite a few times. But defensively, Mike, this is where my concern lies. They've allowed these either game winning or game tying drives at the ends of games.
We saw the Panthers come down tie it at twenty seven, the Broncos the week you know before, or two couple weeks ago, we're about to win the game, Buffalo goes down, you know, Josh Allen on fourth and two. Even the Tampa Bay game, letting Baker Mayfield kind of move down the field there at games in I mean, this has been a repeated problem here, and you kind of wonder, Look, the defense had been kind of carrying this team for
a big stretch last year. In this year, are they able to do it again if the offense can't kind of pick up the slack. That's why I moved them down a slot. Still recognize they are able to beat almost anybody on any given day. I just don't know about their long term ability and whether they can repeat this year.
Well, look on Black Friday, they will get an Aidan O'Connell led Raiders squad, and look, we will talk Panthers a little bit later.
I know I'm not alone here.
I actually is pretty happy for Bryce Young because he gets benched. There's a lot of negativity around him. Played pretty well, and I think maybe we're turning the corner in terms of his career and maybe even that future in Carolina that looked really grim just a couple of weeks ago. All Right, take a closer look at the odds in the AFC North.
How about this.
Steelers just beat the Ravens a couple weeks ago, and it's Baltimore in pole position according to Fandle. Then it's the Steelers, then Cincinnati, followed by the Cleveland Browns. But let's circle up on this number five team and that's the Baltimore Ravens. They move up two spots for you, Eric, When you look at this squad, this was an impressive win for them. And I think the other aspect of this is they're going up against the number one scoring
defense in the Chargers. Light them up offensively, most points that the Chargers have given up so far this season. This is the Baltimore team that I thought we were going to get at the start of the year. When they're at their best, Eric, they can beat anyone.
Yeah, as I wrote, I think they can heat up as quickly as anybody Lamar in that offense, when they get cooking, there is no preheat time. They go from cold to nuclear, and that's what we saw at the end of the first quarter. They turned it over quickly, Lamar hitting this long deep pass to kind of get them spurred a little bit. And then also the fourth and one from their own sixteen. Boy, I remember how blue in the face we got talking about Belichick going
four years ago from his own twenty nine. Late in the game, here are the Ravens kind of rewriting the rule book, if you will, and getting it without two best players touching the ball. So they have ways of confounding people, even the best defenses like the Chargers. Maybe they were a little exposed against the Bengals, and certainly
on Monday Night against the Ravens. But I'll tell you what, if they play moderately well on defense, they can overcome some of these penalties, which are a problem every single week. They can overcome a slow start on offense because they have the chance to get nuclear hot all of a sudden, And that's what makes them so dangerous this year, even if last year's team was maybe the better model.
Yeah, three for three. By the way, on those fourth down conversions he highlighted one of them.
Was certainly huge here. And you can story what could have been an undefeated season for this team if you think about some of the losses.
Isaiah Likely in Week number.
One against the Kansas City Chiefs back of the end zone looked like it was good.
It obviously wasn't.
We saw them with a ten point advantage in the fourth quarter against the Raiders. They lose that one. Jamis Winston comes in for his first start. He goes and beats them. You know, the point is, they are these tight games, but Baltimore at their best as dangerous as anyone. To number six, we go Sam Donald in overtime, big drive leads to a game winning field goal. I don't know, I'm I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm buying on this Viking squad,
and it looks like you are too. With the six position on your rankings.
Yeah, I mean I dropped him down a spot because I thought, boy, they shouldn't have led it to get to overtime. But the best thing that came out of that game was the fact that it did go to overtime because Sam Darnald, I thought, had his best series of the season, six for six ninety yards passing to set up the game winning field goal. Hard to get ninety yards passing on a single drive, but Sam did it, overcoming a couple penalties to do so. Made decisive reads,
accurate throws, looked like he had command. You know, there have been times where it's been a little shaky this season. We know Donald's reputation from previous stops in Carolina New York, but this was arguably one of his best moments of the year. Again, I don't like the fact that they blew an eleven point lead with a little over ninety seconds left, but you know this, this Vikings team has
to feel a lot better about itself. Didn't get a whole lot from Justin Jefferson It was all Jordan Addison in this game pretty much. He had career high numbers. Jefferson had one seven yard catch until about halfway through overtime. So you know, it's on the one hand, good that they can win these games without Jefferson going off. They can have other people, you know, sort of carry the load,
if you will. But seeing Donald convert that drive after the Bears punted, I think was a big confidence statement for them, and knowing that at some point they're going to need a drive like that in a huge game.
No no question about that.
By the way, I like where you have the vikings because those teams that you slotted in front of them, it makes sense to him. The only pushback that I have for you from a Chicago perspective, they're playing some of the best ball that they've played this entire season.
Is just not equaling wins for them at this point.
But I think you're spot on from a Minnesota perspective the Steelers. I was telling people here in the building before this game, I go, I'm telling you, I think the Browns are gonna win this thing.
It feels like a leftown.
I wasn't overly impressed by the win against the Ravens because of how it looked on the field and how.
Baltimore played in this game.
But is there anything cooler than watching a game in the snow and seeing some of those high risk slow motion videos on social media?
Oh?
Man, I love it. I absolutely love it. I look, I live in a winter climate. I'm here in Chicago, so obviously the snow is sort of my friend, or I've learned to embrace it. But yes, there is nothing more cinematic, more exciting than to see a game in the snow.
Now.
Players may not like it, guys from the southern part of the country, and the Steelers may not like it because they didn't perform all that well. It started getting heavier and they were trailing. They found a way to get back in the game, but just couldn't hold on at game's end. So, you know, I'm worried about the
Steelers offense a little bit too hot and cold. I know they came in with a lot of points scored on average, but you know that dry, that streak of twenty two straight quarters with the points ended in this game, and by games end, you could see they were having trouble handling the ball, having trouble with communication up front, didn't hit enough big plays, and they lost a crucial division game. So yeah, I mean, it's it's hard to
know exactly what we have with the Steelers. Clearly better than a year ago, Clearly a team that could win a playoff game, but I think at this point their limitations are starting to become a little more outsized.
And they will match up in another divisional matchup in a game that one team is very desperate, and that is the Cincinnati Bengals. Still more to get to though. On NFL Power Rankings, one team in the NFC. They've been making a ton of headlines most of the season, but now they're dropping some games.
Or the Commanders pretenders.
Plus a stat about the Chargers that you gotta hear that's.
Coming up next.
Back here on power Rankings, as we go through Erics teams nine through sixteen, the Chargers lose a tough one at home on Monday Night Football. No change, though, still sitting in the top ten at number nine. At ten, it's the Broncos snap an eight game road losing streak to the Raiders. Don't look now, but bo Nix is really coming on strong here. The Commander's at eleven the Texans. What is going on with the squad We will discuss in just a moment. At number twelve, the Bucks dominate
the Giants. They are at thirteen. Don't look now, but Seattle all of a sudden making some noise and got a real chance to go and winning that division because they took out the Cardinals who sit at fifteen, and the Miami Dolphins might be the best second half story in the NFL at sixteen. At number nine, I want to get your take on this Charger squad because I like them. And let me preface this by saying, I think they are a dangerous team once the postseason comes
around because of style of play. But Eric, they've beaten one team this season with a winning record, and that's the Denver Broncos.
So what are the Chargers?
Yeah, I think you make a good point. You know, could they go on the road to the AFC South winner? Presumably Houston win that game. Sure, but as we've seen when they are stacked against some of the league's heavyweights, lost of the Chiefs, lost Monday night to the Ravens. There are a few more games like that. They just haven't weighed in the same class as those teams. Right, they take the early ten to Dozhering league kind of establish their their dominant force up front. Then they start
dropping passes, penalties. They had at least one penalty by every single starting offensive lineman, just mistakes on defense, blown coverages, couldn't tackle, bad angles to the ball. All the things that had made them a good team seemed to come on glued and for whatever reason, when the talent level rises, I think that's when you see their challenges kind of increase a little bit. So, yes, dangerous team style of play. I think all those things are right. Can we please
get Justin Herberts some better receivers. There are some more receivers, guys who can hang on to the football. Because until that happens, till they catch the ball consistently, I am a little worried about their potential.
Yeah, at one point in the second half, Quinton Johnson gets hit in the hand with the football, drops it. He had so much green grass that might be a touchdown And maybe we're talking about a different game. Lad mccauckey, by the way, has emerged as Justin Herbert's go to wide receiver. Yeap think he's a really, really good player, but you're right, they need some other pieces that are there.
And look, JK.
Dobbins going down did not help the cause. Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens at number eleven, here are look I teased it. I said that the Commanders are they contenders, pretenders. They've lost some tough games here the last couple of weeks. I still like the squad, do you.
I do.
I like the fight, but I also realized that, look, these types of games are the ones we kind of expected them to lose this season, right, I mean, it wouldn't have been a shock to suggest that the Cowboys beat the Commanders, and you know, everything we've seen up to this point has pretty much belied that. But you're starting to see the cracks in the armor a little bit. The offense has not been nearly explosive. I mean, prior to that long touchdown to Terry McLaurin, they stall, they
didn't have the same kind of juice. You know, Daniels was having trouble finding his receivers open. He had some scrambling room, but Brian Robinson in the run game not exactly humming as well. So issues on that side of the ball. Obviously some questions on defense, and then the way the game ended, the Special Team's disaster one of the worst sort of three or four play stretches that you'll ever see in a game. But even before that,
I think some of their troubles did come out. So I love the job they've done, but they're hitting the wall on both sides of the ball, and that is a problem heading into the home stretch.
I have four touchdowns scored in the final three thirty of the game. What a wild finish and the Commanders this close to pulling this thing out. I don't know what to do with the Texans. Legitimately concerned. I was fascinated they lose this matchup, and I think to myself, where is Eric gonna slot them?
I'll be honest, at twelve I thought it was going to be worse.
Yeah, I mean that says something about this group, though, doesn't it. Mike. I mean you kind of look and all these teams have a little bit of a question, a little something holding them back. Maybe it's their record, maybe it's their quarterback. That's not really the case with the Texans. They're in great position to win this division. They just have to win games and stop shooting themselves in the foot. Look, I got CJ. Stroud through two bad interceptions, two picks that were on him, and we
haven't said that very often. Doesn't have a lot of two interception games in a short career, but that one right there, staring down the linebacker, not able to float the ball to the second level. You know, we saw it in other games as well. Here's the safety at the end of the game. You know, just too many mistakes. Now, the pressure they're giving up is a problem. But Stroud's got to take some of this responsibility too, and that defense has to tighten up. Too many big plays.
Yeah, they've lost four out of their last six games at this point, a season low twelve points, three for thirteen on third down, not going to get it done. In fact, in the second half they were zero of six on third down. They had just four first downs in the second half. You don't expect that from this team. Expectations much higher. Get an opportunity to get back in the win column with a matchup against Jacksonville. All right,
the Seattle Seahawks. They're proving some doubters wrong here. I know it was a strong start, then they hit a little bit of a lull. Now all of a sudden, they're beating some good teams, right San Francisco. Well, I don't know how we feel about San Francisco being a good team, but they beat them in the Bay Area, and then they take out a Cardinals team where the arrow was pointing up. How much of the Seahawks stock would you be willing to buy at this point of the season.
Yeah, well, they've certainly won the most important games, right, the division games. They had to do it on the road at San Francisco and then coming back with no hot water in the facility for several days last week because of the power out it is, they toughed, threw it, and they found a way. It was a defensive battle. That's what you'd expect in a Mike McDonald Jonathan gannon game. But really credit the Seahawks defense, I think for keeping
Kyler Murray and that Cardinals run game under wraps. They could not get go and that's how they kind of kickstart their offense. Get James Connor and those guys, Benson going de Marcarro. But yeah, they couldn't find any rhythm offensively, Defensively, you know, it was just an impressive effort, and that's two weeks in a row, big NFC West victory with their defense kind of leading the way. You shout out to Jackson Smith and Jig but who got him going offensively?
And Gino made enough big plays. Buddy also threw a couple of light picks. So it's possible that McDonald's defense is now they're sort of their best hope at this point.
Yeah.
The calling card for a team that now hits the road and matches up against a Jet squad that has been reeling. Yeah, yeah, I'm talking about another three game winning streak for the Seahawks.
They certainly could use that win.
Time for power Moves at number sixteen, it is the Miami Dolphins, who I think are the best story of the second half of the season because they got healthy, they got their quarterback into it, and they are rolling right now.
They get Green Bay on Thanksgiving.
You think the world of the Packers, considering they're a top ten team on the power rankings.
This is a different offense.
This is the team that I thought we were going to see at the start of the year had they been healthy. I don't know if there's a sense of desperation around the squad, like there.
Is right now.
Yeah, and this is the ultimate test for him too, Mi President. Right down the stretch they struggle last year, what did they struggle with? Cold weather games? They're going up to Green Bay where expecting weather in the thirties, maybe some snow. This is the opportunity for them to kind of slay the demon, if you will. Yeah, those losses to Arizona and Buffalo still sting. Have they won those totally different picture. They'd be higher on this list
for sure. But Tua has played well since returning. That's the biggest thing. We went from talking about him retiring to him being a big reason why the Dolphins are still in this race. They've gotten their playmakers the ball, and defensively they have been much much, much better. So it's impressive to see. Now can they finish this thing off? Still a long way to go, but you go up to Green Bay and get a win on Turkey Day, you're doing all right for yourself.
Yeah, it's a really good point. Eric. I hadn't thought about it like that because TWOA has been bawling, But you're right. A couple weeks ago we were like Hey, should this dude be out there?
Should we be considering right him as a guy that maybe would be for the long term better off not playing.
But he's bawling right now with.
An over seventy percent completion percentage since his return, and once again that team continues to win. We got more to come here though. On NFL Power Rankings, they nine ers went from Super Bowl contender to maybe not even making the playoffs.
We'll give you the state of.
San Francisco coming up next, and we're loving up some of the bottom feeders and the power rankings for the last few weeks that are now winning some games.
Back here.
On power rankings, team seventeen through twenty four to the Atlanta Falcons. Leading off this list, the San Francisco forty nine ers drop two spots. They fall to eighteen. We'll talk about them in just a moment. The Rams do not deliver on Sunday Night football against the Eagles. I thought they played well, just the Eagles are monsters at this point of the season.
At twenty it's the.
Colts four out of their final five remaining games teams with three or fewer.
Wins, so maybe there's a run here.
Cincinnati at twenty one, the Dallas Cowboys, they find away at twenty two, the Bears five straight losses, another heartbreaker for them at twenty three, and it's the Saints at twenty four.
Meanwhile, the Niners. Let's circle up on this squad.
I thought heading into this past weekend it was a must win. There is not a whole lot of real estate in terms of games to be played here. They get a tough one against the Buffalo Bills this coming week Sunday Night Football.
They didn't have Rock Party.
Injuries have been the story for this team, but Eric, legitimately, I don't think they make the postseason.
Yeah, it's feeling more and more every day to me, at least like the twenty twenty season. Now that twenty twenty was its own sort of animal, but the forty nine ers were ravaged by injuries that year. You know, they kept kind of hanging in there, giving themselves a chance, but never really making that big burst. And you know, even with McCaffrey coming back, a rare fumble from him against the Packers, and you know, Kittle has the big game, but you know, other things kind of offset that. They
weren't able to stop him on defense. There have just been so many problems and so many, you know, giveaway losses, right the Cardinals game earlier in the year. The Rams have been plenty of those, but this one on Sunday was just being outclassed. Look, I didn't think Brandon Allen played that poorly, to be honest, but all the other aspects of the forty nine ers needed to be a lot lot better. So I'm with him, Mike. I just
don't see a realistic path. But then again, the NFC West is pretty loaded, and if all those teams struggled on the stretch, they're still in it.
Okay, I'm glad you bring that up, because in terms of wildcard spot, I don't know if I'm buying a game and a half back of the Commanders right now, who's sit in that seven seed, that final wildcard spot. I think the path for them is to go and win the division. The problem is they got losses against Seattle. They got a loss against Arizona as well, you know that. I just I don't know. Once again, just not a
whole lot of real estate for this squad. All right, let's move on to teams twenty five through thirty two. The Browns a twenty five, a win against top ten team a rick you gottam at twenty five, what gives there? At twenty six, it's the Jets twenty seven. The Panthers are twenty seven. They almost beat the two times Super Bowl champs. At twenty eighth, the Titans beat the twelfth ranked team on your list, the Houston Texans. At twenty nine, it's the Patriots, the Giants, I don't even want to
go there. At thirty, At thirty one, Gardner Minshew done for the year, it's the Raiders. And at number thirty two, good night Jacksonville. All right, I gotta go rapid fire because I highlighted the best of the rest. Here some teams that have performed well for the weekend, and one of them did lose. But the Browns at twenty five, the Panthers at twenty seven, and the Titans at twenty eight, give me the take.
Let's start here with the Browns. Love them up.
Yeah, they're like the best of the rest, right, And they were like, but you know, when my college basketball team would always be twenty sixth in the ranking, they would be ranked first, just outside the top twenty five. That's kind of where the Browns are right now, Jamis has given him some life. Could he be their bridge quarterback next year if he keeps playing this way? There are upset potentials, you know, throughout the rest of the season. So he pulls off one or two more of those,
absolutely gets that opportunity. So it's been fun to watch a little rebirth here.
Yeah, look, everyone in the NFL love Jamis. I'm just gonna throw that out there. At twenty seven, the Panthers they move up a spot. I gotta tell you, I'm smiling at ear to ear. I am very and I mentioned this at the top of the show. Happy for Bryce Young?
Is this team? Have they turned the corner?
Well? Bryce Young is turning the corner right every single week. It seems like he gets incremental games. And you saw, you know, Dave canallis kind of soft footed a little bit. He wasn't gonna throw always support towards Young, but now he said, look, Young's play has spoken for itself. That has been the best development the last couple of weeks.
Absolutely Tennessee Titans checking in at twenty eight and by the way, I get it, the Panthers did lose the game, but I'm just saying, just smiling for Bryce Titans.
Yeah, are we feeling good about the squad?
Too many turnovers, you know, too many big plays allowed, but they are explosive. I'll give Will Levis a little bit of an extension here, but he's gonna have some competition next year. The turnovers continue. They were a little bit lucky to win that game, but a big win for them.
Nonetheless, No, it's a huge win. It's against that defense too.
I absolutely we beat up on the teams at the end of the show that are at the bottom of this list, and finally we could talk about some wins for some of these squads.
Eric, you are the best man. Always appreciate you. Good and hanging out with you.
On another edition of NFL Power Rankings.