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It's week twelve. Everybody, Welcome to the NFL Power Ranking Show, presented by Energizer from our studio in Los Angeles. My name is Andrews Sciliano. This is Thanksgiving, so let's give thanks to the man on the other side of the screen, the man with a thank blessed job, the man who takes your slings and arrows every week for putting together these rankings. We are thankful to you.
Eric at a Hey, just keep a seat open at the Thanksgiving dinner table for me, and that's all the payback I need.
We will not call you a turkey this week. We will be nice. Okay, we will not carve up your rankings, I promise, Eric. Put them on the screen. Stand the QR code right now and find not a turkey but an Eagle at number one. They were number one last week, and we knew that whomever won on Monday night in Kansas City would be one. Here's a hint. It's the
Eagles after them. The Ravens, the Lions, the Niners and the Chiefs who lost to the Eagles are down three the number five Dolphins, Cowboys Jacksonville routing out the top eight those bottom three, six, seven, and eight. Eric, do not move. I was watching the game Monday night with Steve Whitch we did NFL Game Day Final on NFL Network, and you're sitting there going, wait a minute, the Eagle is going to find a way to win this game? Are they really? Are they really going to do this?
Three of thirteen on third down, like two hundred and thirty eight yards of offense? But Day found away, Eric somehow.
Yeah.
Without much from aj Brown, right, he had one catch, she had the route there that probably was responsible for Jalen Hurts interception.
Not much was going right in the first half.
They did have the one touchdown drivet, but it felt like something changed at halftime andrew different team.
The defense really picked.
It up after that, didn't allow a single point in the second half, and the offense, look, it wasn't perfect, but they got those two big drives and field position was important too. Britain Covey's return, special teams just in general were better for the Eagles in the second half, So you know, you think about all those things, and Philadelphia really outplayed them after halftime.
In all three phases.
I would argue, yeah, and definitely the Philadelphia defense of the first half was probably the best unit on the field, or rather the Chiefs defense, but the Eagles defense did enough to give the offense a chance at Philadelphia goes to nine and one and brought a little history lesson kids in these six previous times. This is number seven. In these six previous times that the Eagles have opened up a season nine and one, they have gone on to either the super Bowl or the NFL Championship game.
So there's that they are on a championship trajectory. Here in a brutal, eric middle part of their schedule, they just check off another difficult win. Yeah.
I mean, obviously, you know you love division wins, you love beating conference pos. But if you could beat a team that beat you in the playoffs, they obviously have some history together and a team that plays very well at Arrowhead with one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, that's a big win for me. Whether it had style points or not. So Philly took care of business. This is the kind of win they've been kind of used to. They kept talking after the game, we still haven't played
our best game yet. So at nine to one, I think they're doing okay for themselves.
But yet it would not surprise me if the Eagles lose to the Bills in week twelve or the Niners in week thirteen. Let's get to the Chiefs because they do drop, and I guess drop is the team of the night. They drop those three big passes on the final drive, they dropped a five in the power rankings and eric also they dropped the number two in the AFC standings behind the Ravens, which is also pretty big.
Absolutely, look this Ravens team. I know they've had a few hiccups this year, but the Chiefs have to be very weary. I mean, they can't play the way they did Monday night. The drops were obviously a huge storyline, whether it was Mark Wes Valdez scantling the big one, Justin Watson had at least two, if not three, Travis Kelsey drop one on the late in the game, had the fumble as well, so all kinds of self inflicted airs. The second half offense has been an issue now for
three weeks running, so you know it's the Chiefs team that. Look, they're great at scoring right before the half. You know, we know Mahomes has the ability to make some terrific plays, you know, he and Pacheco I think did enough. The defense really held Serve early, but just wore down a little bit too late. And you know that's gonna be tough against teams like the Eagles, and tough it against teams like the Ravens.
So you know, you get a little worried.
They lost opening week to the Lions, some of these playoff type tests they barely put away Jacksonville week two. You know, is this a problem for Kansas City against these better teams?
I think it is yet. To look at the schedule and I see at Vegas, at Green Bay, Buffalo, at New England, those are all very winnable games. And if they go fourteen and three, if they go thirteen and four, I don't think anyone's going to be surprised. But they have gone three consecutive games without a second half point. This is now officially a trend. And I know everyone on Twitter from Chicago where you live, wants to point the finger of Matt Naggy and say we told you so.
It has to go deeper than just Matt Naggy they're down three spots to number five. Let's go up to number two of the team now that is ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC standings. They lose Mark Andrews, but the Baltimore Ravens bounce back on a short week after losing to the Browns, and in your eyes, they are not only the best team in the AFC, they're the best team not named the Eagles.
Yeah, I mean, I could certainly make a case for the forty nine ers. Snow, we're obviously going to think about them quite a bit down the stretch, you know, maybe Detroit. You know, this last week sort of skewed our view of them a little bit, but they're certainly capable. I just think there's a lot like about this team, even with some of the hiccup games that they've had.
I mean, you know, you saw with even losing Mark Andrews and the seventh play of the game, Obj steps up with the career day, Agalore has a touchdown, Bateman has a touchdown. The run game Keithon Mitchell's been a great little compliment to what they have with Gus Edward zan Lamar for that matter. So you know, they take these hits and they kind of keep rolling. I'm not
trying to dismiss the Andrews injury. Probably their most reliable guy this season along was A Flowers offensively, but at the same time, you know, I do think they have some of the horses we identified them in that game. Those three receivers really stepped up, and they still have guys that.
Can throw to And as we take this show here on Tuesday, our Mike Garrofolo at this very minute is reporting that Mark Andrews is going to undergo surgery on that ankle. But as John Harbaugh said on Monday, Garofolo says, there is a chance. It is an outside chance, but the chance exists that if the Ravens make a deep run like maybe one that goes into February, then potentially Mark Andrews could return, potentially, And for that, everybody in
Baltimore is thankful. Speaking of being thankful, talk about some of those teams on your Thanksgiving schedule. With the Detroit Lions, Eric Atolme got a scare, but somehow the Bears, the Bears in your backyard, just gave them a holiday gift and took a deep shot on third and nine. Tyler Scott somehow slowed down and somehow the Lions despite Jared Goff making five I believe turnover worthy plays one somehow, which is a good thing, right because it speaks to the resilience of this team.
That's kind of how I see it, Andrew.
I mean, look, obviously you're hoping that Goff doesn't have this kind of a game going forward. I think he entered the game with five interceptions, had the three and like you said, two that were arguably just as bad, one that could have been run back for a touchdown. So you know, the first three quarters did not go
according to play. Offensively, Goff did settle down, had the big fourth quarter, led those drives and you know, scoring seventeen points or whatever you know in the last three minutes of the game certainly is gonna be a good formula for victory if you're down two possessions, So that that worked out really well. The defense really struggled at times, but had the two big lay possessions, the third down of the three and out and then also the safety
at the end of the game. So another development, Andrew, It's kind of exciting. I guess Jamison Williams had the touchdown, had a few key catches. I mean, look, we keep saying this guy can help him, so it's it's good to see him involved in the game plan and make them key plays, you know within the fourth quarter.
Yeah, huge play there for Jamison Williams touchdown to even get them within sniffing distance late there in the fourth quarter, and give give him another weapon and Jared Goff is gonna hurt you. And that's what he did eventually that hung around and why along face there on justin fields because they blew a double digit lead in the fourth quarter. Again, the Lions get the Packers on Thanksgiving. Forty nine Ers are the late game. They get the Seahawks, who are
coming off a loss here in La to the Rams. Eric, you have the forty nine ers up one spot to number.
Four, I do, yeah, And again I could make a case for them being even higher. The three game losing streaks certainly, you know, marred their season raised a lot of questions. But so far in the two games since then, they've come out of the by and put most of those questions to bed for now. Right the defense is pressuring. They had four sacks, had two turnovers, did lose talanoa
Hufanga can't over you know, gloss that over. That is a big loss that happened on kind of a fluky play too, so kind of like with the Ravens and Mark Andrews just one of those players. He thought we can survive. But it's a really big blow here. I just think obviously offensively, the big difference having the big four Kittle, McCaffrey, Samuel Ayyuk all together makes them so dangerous. And now that's why you see brock Purty last two games, six touchdowns, no.
Interceptions, eleven eight complete passes.
He was at least by the passer rating standpoint perfect to this game and looked really good the one before, so top five team arguably right up there with some of the very best.
Ah. Yes, the passer rating standpoint one fifty eight point three is a perfect passer rating. Rock Party has the perfect passer rating. Walk into Eddie Bar in America and ask the average football fan what does passer rating mean to them? Or for that matter, qbr and can you explain how we calculate passer rating and how one fifty eight point three is considered perfect? And nobody could give you an answer, but Rock pretty. I'm happy he played
well and they're good yep. And he has a perfect passer rating, so he can hang that on his wall. The team they beat up the week before, right, is our team of the Week, which is presented by Truest. That team the Jacksonville Jaguars. They check in at number eight. They did the job, they won, and I guess, no movement. I mean they just checked the box. I mean, they're fine. How do you view them?
It's tough when almost everybody above them wins, So it wasn't a.
Lot of room for improvement there.
I did switch some teams around, but it was also measuring the fact that they looked so bad in Week ten that I thought. This reminded me a little bit of the Vikings getting absolutely blasted at home last year by the Cowboys. It was the first time that we said, is this Vikings team for real? They ended up posting a playoff game, losing it. That's kind of the question that was swirling around in my mind.
This week as I pondered the Jaguars.
Yeah, it was this the most impressive opponent they faced this year. Of course, not Titans are struggling butt. They took care of business. They dominated the game early. Trevor Lawrence down the field. That's all we've been wanting to see, right, Calvin Ridley, hook up with your guy, what's been going on? They did twice Sunday. Lawrence had two rushing touchdowns. Very good offensive day, and the Titans didn't get anything going until it was up to twenty seven. Nothing so impressive
showing by the defense. This is the kind of bounce back game that you want to see from a team that got pummeled the week before at home.
And a huge game coming up here. Week twelve, the Jaguars and the Texans, the rematch. Houston beat him the first time in Jacksonville. This game now in Houston, This game for control of the AFC South. That's right. Week twelve, Jaguars and Texans, a playoff game for control of the AFC South coming up next year. How about those Texans? How about the Bills for that matter? And where are the Browns? We have eight teams down, We got twenty four to go. You are watching the NFL Power Rankings Show,
Week number twelve, presented by Energizer. You are watching the Thanksgiving an issue of the Week twelve edition to the NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer. The Cleveland Browns are number nine with DTR They win, but don't go anywhere in these rankings. The Houston Texans stay at ten as well, followed by the Bills up three behind Joe Brady and the Seahawks. The Steelers are somehow thirteen. Oh, they are six and four. They fired Matt Canada. The Vikings, the Saints,
and the Indianapolis Colts round out the top sixteen. Remember fourteen teams make the playoffs.
Eric.
The Cleveland Browns are seven and three for the first time in franchise history. They beat the Ravens and the Steelers in consecutive weeks, yet they don't move up in your power ranking.
Why Yeah, similar as before.
It's you know, it's tough when most of the teams ahead of them win, but you know they have to be considered the one of the more improbable seven and three teams. No Nick Chubb, no Deshaun Wattson other injuries as well.
You know, they've had to bring in running backs off the street at CELA.
I mean, it's been an impressive road to this point, albeit a strange one, I will say. You know, Dorian Thompson. Robinson has now faced two good defenses at his two starts. I thought Sunday went a lot better than the first one against the Ravens, so you know, credit to him.
Even though it was clear they had a leash.
On him, they weren't going to let him make too many self inflicted mistakes, and he really didn't make that many, right, the one interception off of Marii Cooper's hands.
So pretty good early, pretty good late, had.
That one nice throat of more to get things started, and you know, it just it ends up defaulting, I think, to leaning on this excellent defense that might give up a player two, but for the most part is really good, and the running backs are doing their job too. It's just a really good team effort all the way around.
It's a defense that is forcing three and outs fifty two percent of the time, which is the best this century. That is just absurd, and that defense will be needed when the Browns go on the road Week twelve and the late four pm Eastern time window against a Broncos team that is now one four in a row. So the Browns don't go anywhere. They're sitting there at ten the Houston Texans don't go anywhere. They are sitting there at I'm sorry. The Browns are nine, the Texans are ten.
If the playoffs were to start today, the Houston Texans Eric Edholme would be in as a wild card.
Think about that.
What a season it's been, right, I think early on we measured our expectations. Rookie quarterback, first year head coach, you know, newest GM. They're still putting this thing together. Everything's in the draft next year. Forget all that.
CJ.
Stroud has come out and played great, But Sunday was an important test for me, kind of like we were talking about earlier with the Lions.
You want to see him win without their best stuff. Did we think the.
Houston Texans could win a game like this against a very plucky Arizona team?
When CJ.
Stroud threw two bad picks three for the game, two in the second half, all of them in Arizona's end of the field, so they were missing out on scoring opportunities. They came back to back possessions, opening the door for Arizona, and we saw Houston's defense.
Kind of take care of business. I'm not worried about Stroud, but I have answered a question. Now, this isn't just a one man operation.
I mean, he in tank Delaware great in the first half, but then the defense kind of took over in the second half.
Run games done its job. Devin Singletary has been a revelation lately. Just something about this team is very plucky, even though Sunday was struggled.
Yeah, CJ Striders the truth. We said that one hundred times. Right now, there the sixth seed in the AFC. The Jaguars are the four. But that flips if Houston beats Jacksonville this week and then Houston has the sweep, and then the upper hand win the division, and then I know it's still November, potentially host a playoff game, the Houston Texans potentially hosting a playoff game, which is just bonkers. Also, the playoffs were to start today, the Bills would not
be in it. But Buffalo got a much, much, much needed victory over the Jets this past week. Timed out for Future Champions presented by pandueled. The odds to win the AFC East still the Dolphins the front rudder, but Buffalo it's got a lurk in there. At plus four eighty listen. The Bills did not fix all their problems, but Joe Brady said he wanted to see Josh Allen have fun again. We saw that they scored thirty points and they move up three spots in your power rankings.
They're not dead, No, not at all, right, I mean everything.
Every all week we feared the possibility of, hey, they fire their offensive coordinator.
What happens if.
They lay an egg against a really good Jets defense. Thankfully for them, that didn't happen. It took some patience, right, It was a little bit slow starting, but they were forcing Alan to take stuff underneath, to be patient.
And when he had the opportunity to.
Rip that throw to Khalil Shakir, you know, kind of guessing. I think if it would sauce take a chance on it.
He did.
The pass gets completed, eighty one yard touchdown, longest place since what Week five last year. I want to say, that's the kind of play that look in a vacuum. It's one touchdown, but I think it helps kind of give them a little mojo back. Right, there is a path to the playoffs. I know they still have plenty of work to do. Some tough games left but some very winnable ones too that can look back at all
their mistakes before. But they took care of businesses had their best offensive showing since probably the Miami game in Week four, and it's a step in the right direction, which is what they needed.
And the turnover was on a hail Mary Listen. I know I alluded to this earlier. It would not stun me. If the Bills beat the Eagles this week. Philly coming off an emotional win obviously the Super Bowl rematch a short week, the Bill's feeling good about themselves. I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm not saying this is a lock or anything like that. But if that happens and then Buffalo gets to seven and five, this is a very very different conversation. You got, Josh Allen. All
you gotta do is get in. Buffalo is sitting here at number eleven, followed by the Seahawks at twelve, the Steelers at thirteen, and the Minnesota Vikings who get the Bears on Monday Night football at home, are sitting here at number fourteen. Now they lost. They went into Denver. I kind of sort of thought that was going to happen. But you still like the vikings because fourteen teams make the playoffs. Eric, you have them right there at the line.
I had to move them up right.
Again, it's sort of a function of what happened above them and the Bengals losing and losing their quarterback. But yeah, I mean they did sort of control this game and lead for.
Most of it.
The formula was there, everything except for the turnover ratio. I mean, that was the biggest thing minus three, you know, I mean, you know, it was some sloppy BALLI they had a turnover on the first play of the game, Dobbs got away with a couple of throws and obviously giving up that.
You know, the defense did a.
Great job for the most part, but did give up the late touchdown drive. And you know, there's some positives here. The run games seemed to wake up. Madison and Chandler were really good together. We know Dobbs can make some plays as well. Jefferson, we still think he's on the
track to coming back. Didn't make it back this past week, though, So there's again they've they've done enough this season at this point to put themselves in a position to get in the postseason miraculously, but this is a game that reminded them. I think that you know they can't play so fast and loose on the road.
And another reminder, when Justin Jefferson does come back, he's coming back to the Vikings. He's not coming back for your fantasy football team. Okay, write that down. Stop messaging him, please the team They lost to the Denver Broncos. Where are they longest active winning streak in the NFL? Does Eric at Hoolme liked them up to put him at a good spot of the power rankings that's coming up? Then you're watching the NFL Power Ranking Show presented to
you buy Energizer. The Denver Broncos have the longest active winning streak in the NFL. They've won four in a row. They're up three to seventeen. The Bengals plummet without Joe Burrow down six to eighteen. Then the Chargers and the Bucks at number twenty at twenty one, the Packers, the Falcons, and the Los Angeles Rams. Eric at Holme, what do
you think of the Broncos. I mean, they're not really doing much offensively, but Russ when needed, has made big throws down the stretch in that defense has forced twelve turnovers the last three weeks.
I mean, look, I think I've already done my Mia Koppa on vance Joseph. Obviously, early in the season things weren't looking great. They've made huge strides in that department.
Not perfect.
Run game defense should be a little run defense should be a little better, but still impressive on that side.
And as you pointed out, you know they're still inconsistencies offensively.
But they have I would argue with superpower now Russ finding Courtland Sutton. Five straight games they've hit for a touchdown pass and two straight where it's been in.
The spectacular fashion.
So after a game where Sutton's had some drops and fumbles and stuff, Russ has them been perfect. They seem to find a way to come together when it's most needed.
Okay, and they won in primetime, and yeah, the Broncos right now are a thing. The Bengals, however, lost in primetime, but they also lost their quarterback for the season. You have Cincinnati at eighteen with Jake Browning now at quarterback. I mean, they're kind of toast, aren't they.
I think? So look at their schedule.
First of all, right, I mean, they have an equal number of home games and away games haven't been great on the road.
We don't know much about Browning.
He looked all right at times in relief, but still expecting him to be anywhere close to Burrows level is going to be very, very tough. So I think they were on the outside looking in even.
With Burrow had he not gotten hurt.
And like I said, with Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, even a plucky Indianapolis team coming up next, they've got to be near perfect and still hope for t Higgins and Jamar Chase to be healthy down the stretch.
To me, yes, too much.
Plucky is your favorite word of the day for this show. I wonder if opplies to the Green Bay Packers because they have won a couple of games against the two LA teams. They are making power moves presented by Energizer. Look at the Packers at home. You've got them at twenty two.
Plucky, that's what they are.
I guess right, Jordan Love. I mean, this is the game we've been waiting for for a long time. Again, you can say the Chargers haven't played great defense this year, but we wanted to see it, right, and especially with those young playmakers. They got Musgrave involved on Arrian Wicks and finally Christian Watson didn't have any catches early in that game, but came up with some big ones later on. So that's the connection we want to see happened. Worried about the Aaron Jones injury.
That's a problem, but they're.
Finding a way with AJ Dillon and Love sort of picking it up a little bit and the defense keeping scores low.
Andrew that's big part of it as well.
They are finding a way somehow. We haven't forgotten the bottom of the power rankings. Here for your dining and dancing and Thanksgiving table argument pleasure. The Jets at twenty five, followed by the Commanders, the Titans, the Bears, the Giants, the Cardinals, the Patriots, and the Carolina Panthers. That does it. Thanks for watching, Thanks for listening everybody. Eric, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and enjoy your football.
You too, Thank you, match, I appreciate that.
Hey, we're gonna try happy Thanksgiving out there. Everyone be sure to watch NFL Network. I'm making up all day on Thanksgiving because we're here for you. We're working hard just for you.
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