#15: Crossroads & Poconos

to Buffalo. I'm so excited about it. I've never been to Buffalo to see a game, and it's gonna be freezing. They're expecting lake effects snow. I don't even really know what that means, but it sounds great. I love snow more than anything. I don't know if you know this about me, Like snow makes me really really happy. Philly

girl from New York. I miss it. I haven't seen it in so long, and so I'm a little concerned though, just about the cold, because it's like fifty degrees here and I had, you know, a puffer jacket on and freezing. I have the heat on in my car, so I ordered rechargeable heated pants it's like it's like long underwear essentially, um, And so I'm really hoping that it comes through and it gets here in time and and socks to rechargeable heat.

It sucks. And I just I was wondering if you're gonna be walking around high Mark Field or whatever it's called now just with like a long orange extension cord from your butt. Honestly, if they could make that happen, that'd be great because then I wouldn't have to worry about it recharging. Yeah, you don't have to charge it. Hey, let's patent that in that. Welcome to the Power Rankings. Enough of that, have fun college in Buffalo. I will send me your rex. Send your rex to college, and

don't be basic about it. No, No, I've already gotten a couple like get some cherry fry kicks from Paula's Donuts, so more like that place. There you go. And yes, this is the Power Rankings podcast. I promise you it is based on the old zuser. That's me his NFL. His is me. I don't know. I'm stroking out right now person NFL dot com slash Power Rankings. You can see the full thirty two we're gonna talk about it now, and Connie, it's gotten weird again. The top ten's weird again.

It's a weird year in the Power rankings, just because what's left is right, what's up is down, and where things stand now is we're about to check out the first quadrant. What's interesting to me is we're back in this place again. There are six teams at the top of the Power rankings that I know are the six best teams in the league right now, and they deserve the top six spots. Seven through fifteen is madness. Let's

stick this in the top ten seven through ten. I have to have four teams there, but I don't think any of those teams are really top ten teams. But somebody's got to be a top ten tea. And I was thinking about, Kenny, why is this happening? And I'll tell you why. Teams like the Bucks, the Packers, the Rams, and the Titans, teams that we used to trust to be in the top ten have fallen off this year. But no other teams have truly stepped up to take

their spot. There's been teams that have had moments and then in and out, but we haven't had any real powerhouse step into those spots, creating this revolving door, and it's getting to be damn annoying. Yeah, there hasn't been anyone to like do it and sustain it, like do it existently. Like it's just like a little pop here and there from a couple of teams, but then they fall back to earth. So I don't know. Let's check out this first quadrant in the power rankings, the League

of thirty two. So Eagles, your Eagles feel very good about them staying at number one. They can just do it all right now the Niners, and we're gonna get to the Niners. Um, they move up five spots, the number two Bengals, Bills, Chiefs hold their spots three through five, Cowboys on a winning streak. Down four, we'll get to that two. Number six the Vikings. The Vikings had a chance to tell everybody to shut up, and everybody instead just got to talk louder. The Vikings down the spot seven.

They should fall further, but there was no one to come and take that spot. Number eight. The Ravens, who might start a third string quarterback on Saturday, So how good could I feel about them? Put their up three to number eight because there's no teams that button those spots. I know it makes sense to me, but let's start with the Niners. Kind of surprised that I have them at number two. Well, I feel like every time you drop them, they come right back and stick it to you.

That's what happens. Like you have to you have to respect brock Purty. You maybe didn't believe as much as others named Colleen, and so here we are now. They are a take that I miss. I'm sure it is, but they've been grim reaping their way through the season and they just keep coming back. But I think that you know this game obviously, Deebo Samuel that is that's a big miss, but hopefully back by the end of the year. Exactly. I'm cl sprain and the ankle sprain um.

So thank god that they traded for Christian McCaffrey because he can at least help out and kind of less than the blow of losing Debo in the short term. It's just a bummer because it's been really fun to watch Kyle Shanahan used the two of them together in the offense. But they're gonna need Juwan Jennings to step up and get more involved at the receiver position. I mean, I saw do you see what Jerry Rice? Uh? Do you see him tweet? It's like, stop running our skill

position players up the middle with Deebo. So I don't know j he was. Zebo is one of one. He's a little different. And that's just things happened. He was not happy. Jerry was not happy, but brock Bertie was, yes, And I take issue with that. Connie, take issue with you.

Take issue with them behind the glass who had the gall two in our our instant messenger client right next to the rundown Dan f himself by dropping them last week, and it's like, not, na, Bra, this was exactly the way you had to play the From a power rankings perspective, I dropped them down to set even. I kept them in the top ten because I liked the team so much. But at the same time, you had to go into wait and see mode with Purdy and see how he

played against the Bucks on Sunday. And I'm not saying like I think a lot has been made about Party being unbelievable on Sunday. I think he was fine. Like he did, he did what he was asked to do. He the moment wasn't too big for him. He basically was kind of like what Garoppolo was doing before he got hurt. So now I see it. You have to see it sometimes, so I slide him back up because everything else is so great, even Debo out. Now, let's see if they could stay in the top three Countie

because next there's another test. Now for Purdy. It's going to Seattle in a difficult road environment. Seahawks kind of need that game as they've they've been sliding lately. It's gonna be hostile, and if Purdy passes that test, look out the Niners might just keep it. Also, it's a short week for him, and he popped up on the injury report the estimated because he must, because every Niners

quarterback must pop up in an injury report. But this what this short week and then going up to Seattle, I mean, this would this would not be great if the Niners had to roll out Josh Johnson, their fourth string quarterback at this point. But I mean, I don't know. Maybe Kyle Shanahan could make him look good too. Yeah, I want to talk about the Cowboys. I would love to talk about the Cowboys. Now this is this is

where I'll take a bit of a ding. I moved the Cowboys up to two um last week a few spots. It wasn't like they were like twelve. I think I moved like five to two based on I think I got sucked in a little bit by their thirty three zero fourth quarter against the Colts do it and kind of missed the bigger picture of that game, which was the Colts had a chance to even take the lead in that game late in the third quarter. This is the miserable Colts number thirty one of the Power rankings.

But I didn't. I was like, I just was like, oh, seventeen or whatever, that was a great win. Not so much. And then you see the next week against the Texans, they got to get bailed out by a goal line stop and then the lovey Smith defense not getting it done. Credit to of course Dock and company for leading him down the field, but they just played the number thirty one and thirty two teams in the Power rankings, and seven of the eight quarters weren't overly impressive or at

all dominating. So I'm not worried about the Cowboys. I think in a long season, you sometimes will play down to the levelier opponent, and they did get ws in both those weeks, but they're gonna have to clean it up because the schedule now tightens up. Let me just say that watching the Cowboys almost lose to the one win Texans while the Eagles basically blew out the Giants

was just such a beautiful thing. They could not afford, obviously, to to lose that game for a variety of reasons, the division race and pride, and I almost feel like they're equal weight at this point too if you lose. If the Cowboys lose to the Texans, like of course, people are gonna be like, oh, it's one week, but that is really bad. It feels like they came into this game and did not take the Texans seriously at all,

because why would you there a one win team? But they they were doing some stuff that they looked pretty good out there. And now I think that an issue for the Cowboys is the fact that they lost another starter this week at a crucial position. So when right tackle Terrence Steele went down, he tours mcl and his a c L. They also lost their cornerback Anthony Brown last week. Um, this is bad for a variety of reasons.

On the offensive line, they had to play Jason Peters eventually at right tackle, who hasn't played right tackle in years and years, because they had put Josh Ball in there and that was a disaster. So I don't know what they're going to do this week if they're going to split time between the two of them. But bad mouth Jason Peters. No, Josh ballad mouth him, not Peters. I mean, listen, it's uh. I got a respect of Jason Peters, seven year old. Yeah, elders, all right, yeah, okay,

but we're see, here are the power rankings. These are not the power standing. So I did not I kind of ding them in the in the same way I would have if they lost, because they just weren't impressive. So they're in number six, Um where else you want to go? Here? Kind well, in watching the Vikings, the Kirk Cousins, he had a great game, justin Jefferson, and he played out of his mind two and twenty three

receiving yards. I thought that that was a mistake and it should have been to sixty and another touchdown, But the officials blew a sideline at a bounds call. You know, it's wild Jefferson has three of the top five wide receiver performances this entire season. Like the NFL, He's he's so good. They're going to win the division. They just need to beat the Colts this week. Um, what could go wrong? And playing the Colts? What could go wrong for the Vikings. But there's just so many things that

go wrong for them. They can't generate a pass rush anymore at all. I don't know what's going on with their defense. I think maybe they missed Dalvin Tomlinson. But there's just we knew that the Lions were going to come in and do this because we love the Lions. It's like, I feel like we are proud parents after doing the Hard Knocks podcast just watching them kind of come into their own. But this was a bad week

to be a Vikings fan. It was uh. And yet you're right, because their record is what it is, They're gonna win that division. They'll have a home game. Um. The chances of catching the Eagles now are very remote, but I don't think anybody expected that to happen in

the first place. Um. It will be interesting to see, um how the Vikings finished this season because there is this idea a lot of people that there's some regression that could be in play here, But either way, they're gonna They're gonna get to the playoffs and be able to reset. And I think as as disappointing as that game was, Cousins playing excellent football, like you said, was something that hasn't really happened much this season, so that

was at least encouraging. And we'll see them on Saturday on NFL Network. It's a look at that Saturday. Wait are you talking about Saturday Showdown? I am, I am? You've heard of it? Yeah, Cults Vikings followed by Ravens Browns followed by Dolphin Bills, a triple header, and Connie will be in Western New York dealing with that lake effects. No, with heated legs. It's not weird. It's not weird at all. All right, let's move to quad to all right, things

are funky again. The Chargers are up to nine, nine spots up? Is it because I'm all of a sudden it loved with the Chargers? No? But who am I gonna put ahead of them? I got the Lions up seven, the team around the NFL, the team of Dan and Connie's heart up to Who would have thought that they could go from thirty one to ten in the matter of a month and half. But that's this season. Dolphins down three spots to eleven, Jets down two spots to twelve,

the Pat's up sick to thirteen. And guess what now all those AFC these teams are all together and I all kind of think they're in the same, um kind of level right now, and they're all looking to get a wild card spot. The Commanders on a buy there at fourteen, Titans down six to fifteen, Seahawks down four to sixteen. Um, let me just start here with the Titans. What about the Chargers? I mean, they're like moving up nine.

We let's get to I just because say, I just wanted to talk about the Titans for a second year, because as you know, Connie, when I um do the power rankings, I send like a preliminary list to you and Drew and uh, just so you guys have a general idea of what I'll be working off. But that list changes once I watched the games, and when I

watched Titans Jags, I had to take the Titans. Who I think I'd still we're hanging around the top ten in my initial list and drop them all the way down to fifteen because this is a team that's in a lot of trouble right now, I think. And they obviously have lost three straight games, and they fired their GM last week, and the Jaguar is a team that

they owned, came to Nashville and really embarrassed him. A week after, the head coach Mike Rabel said this is a crossroads moment, which is obviously a motivational play because he thought they would get right against the Jags. Now it seems like God, is this the vision potentially in play for other teams? Yes, like the Jags. Yes, I mean, like I still I want to trust the Titans, but watching them sort of crumble at this point, it's getting harder and harder. And the fact that they've lost these

three games. They turned the ball over four times against the Jags, and the Jags immediately capitalized all of those turnovers. It's sorry to step on your twenty point, NU, there can we take it out of the show. We're going to need saying, no, clean it up. They're saying they need the powering this guy to have the take first. So if this, if this was not the crossroads. I guess, like I don't know where they are at this point,

and it can't be. It feels like it might be getting toxic in that building, especially with Robinson getting fired last week. Like this is not helping at all against the Jacks. Yeah, when you when you pull that lever Connie or Lever. I like Lever better, but Lever is funnier. When you pull that crossroads move and then another bad thing happens. That means, right that you went down the bad road and they are like a dark You ever been down like an actual I've driven a car before,

so yes, I know. But you're a you're an urban lady. I mean, have you ever like really been out there and like the Poconos sticks or something. I've a little creeping in like Pocono's. Part of my family is from the Pocono There you go, You ever like be driving on one of those uh kind of maybe it's not dirt, but there's just a lot of trees and there's not a lot of had a lot of lights and a lot of a lot of eyes looking at you from them. Whether it's dear or I don't know what, Yeah, you

hope it's dear. Yeah, that's where the Titans are right now. They're in the Poconos. You get divide. That's something something's watching you. Yeah, always, But I don't I don't know. I don't feel good about the Titans at all. You know any good golf courses in the Poconos by boy, Um, I used to know quite a few. Actually, I can get back to you on that. Um britsh history out there. Let's let's move. Yeah, let's talk about your Chargers, because

they are the power moves presented by Energizer. Up nine spots. So I'm gonna I'm gonna get out of the way here. I've already said my piece that I don't really feel like number nine is the right spot for him, but that's what they are because they had a big win on Sunday. Yeah, like, this is what the Chargers look like when they have everyone healthy, and what a difference it makes happen. That's the thing that they didn't have him,

But I just mean on both shits have it well. Yeah, they have a lot of guys that are allout, like Sebastian Joseph day Um, he's still home with They're waiting for him to come back. But having Keenan Allen and having Mike Williams out there for Justin Herbert. I mean Williams. He had three catches and fifty two yards and a touchdown in the second quarter, like he had such a good game, and Justin Herbert was just making beautiful throws in this game. He looked good in the pocket, he

was good on the run. He just looked confident. He was making making moves that power moves. He was making power moves so the Chargers wouldn't charge. And that's what we needed from him. That's what we needed to see. So I I like the Chargers in the top ten after that game, I do too, and I just hope because I do. I like the Chargers. They're an underdog

type team to me. I hope they don't do what they always do, which is yeah Charger And just when things seem like like they're on the right road, they turn around and go to the Poconos, Like we don't need to go to the Poconos, Bolts. And I'm glad you brought up Mike Williams first patient house there. They go there all the time. He was like, go there during the day and then when the when come nightfall.

You go inside, and I'm glad you brought up Mike Williams because you know the old Dave damascheck is um. Mike Williams is the janga piece for that team. Justin Herbert is obviously the the sun which everything revolves around for Los Angeles. But it's Williams who makes that offense elite. It's Williams that allows Justin Herbert to do stuff like that drop back where he goes to the opposite hash and then throws across the field. Uh throw that? Basically

no one else in the league can do. You need Mike Williams there as that big play wide out who perfectly compliments Keenan Allen. So all right, I feel a little better. The Titans, see, that would be a very

Chargers thing. This is this is such a Chargers thing to be being on on the right road of the crossroads and and start to feel bad for the Titans, and and walk around owned back to the intersection, go to the other road, the dark Pocono's road, and then say point out to the Titans, Hey, you gotta head this way. And the Titans to the old thing where they push you and then put their leg behind you and trip you, and the Chargers fall in the mud and they're stuck in across the road. All the Titans

heads of the playoffs. That's that's just stepping on someone else to get ahead. That could happen, and it probably will happen. When you're talking about today, Uh, one more team. Oh look at this, let's look at the biggest risers here, Connie, I would love that. You know, I don't like this when there's a lot of big risers, a big fallers. Why don't you like it? Do you feel like it's an indictment on your rankings for the previous week? In fact,

I know what I yeah, it kind of is. It means that I'm not sure what's going on with these teams, which in general, I'm not sure what's going on in life. But by this point of this season, I want to be able to see the power rankings that you don't see big jumps and falls because teams have solidified themselves. But that's not happening this year. So you've got the Chargers up nine to nine. As they said, we talked about the Lions up seven. We have to talk about them, Yeah,

up seven to ten. The Jags up seven to seventeen, and look out for the Jaguars. By the way, the Cowboys go to Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence is playing as as good as any quarterback right now. That's a tough game, but the Cowboys don't clean it up. The Panthers up seven to twenty and the Pats up six to thirteen. Where do you want to start? Lions? Okay, Lions, Lions, Lions. They've won five of their last six. They are rolling. Jared Golfwood. He's like on a heater right now. Back

to back weeks with three passing yards. He hasn't had a pick in the last five games. That touchdown pass to Jamison Williams and a touchdown pass to d J. Chark, I mean they were both over forty yards. This was the first time since that a Lions quarterback has thrown multiple plus yard touchdown passes in the same game. Yeah,

so Jared getting it done. He you know, he's owned an apology from almost everybody that covers the sport, and I'm including myself in this that he was viewed as just a throw in in that trade when the Stafford deal went down to make the money work, and he was a guy that had some years, but he was exposed when when the Sean McVeigh offense wasn't his um locked in and loaded as it was earlier in his tenure.

That all turned out to be garbage. Like, he is a very good quarterback and he's had a really nice career. He might not be a Hall of Fame quarterback, but not everybody has to be a quote ugoo generational talent. Sometimes you just want a guy that's dependable, that runs an offense with confidence and manufacturers points and positive drives. And they've been doing that all year and he's been behind center every single game. It's just so nice to see Jared Golf in this position. Like, and then you

have to think down the road. Now, Okay, the Lions, they have two first round picks coming up in the draft, Like, I'm sure they're going to end up getting a quarterback. But Jared Golf has definitely proven that when put in this position Shion, with the players that he has around him, he can maximize his opportunities, which he's done. And Jamison Williams his second career start, first career catch for his

career touchdown. That's amazing. I love it. I think this is viewed as like the season James and Williams kind of getting his feet wet after the a c L surgery, But if he could just give them a little bit and be a big play threaten his own right, look out for the Lions going. I think we were first on the Hard Knocks podcast saying people pay attention to Ben Johnson. Yeah, Hey, Ben Johnson. I think we told the Hard Knocks producers to pay attention and I think

they did. And I think Ben Johnson, I think we gave him a little bit of like, hey, advocate for yourself, buddy, don't let don't let do Staley and all these other guys like pretend like they're running your offense. Nobody's saying that anymore. I want to talk about the Jaguar Zoe real quick before we take a break, because they are interesting. Unless the Chargers make the mistake of going down the

other dirt road to help the Titan. I think it's certainly plausible that Tennessee kind of falls off a cliff right now. They seem like a team that's teetering, and I have a lot of respect for Rabel tannehill Um obviously Derrick Henry and their track record to kind of figure things out and right the ship here and then win that division. But it's not. It's no longer like, oh, there's literally no one that could steal this division. It

is the Jags. If they beat the Cowboys in their building to get to six and eight, uh, and the Titans lose again, it gets very interesting in that division. And I think Trevor Lawrence his rise this year is one of the big storylines that's in the league now because I think if this is who he is, and I don't think this is just a heater for him. I think he's finding himself in this league. Now. The Jacks are gonna be very good and in fact, we'll

probably take over that division going forward. Doug Peterson, what a perfect landing spot it is for him, and just for Trevor Lawrence in a big divisional road game when there was nothing from the running game whatsoever, to step up put it all on his own shoulders. He counted for all four of those touchdowns, like this was such a big moment for him to shine, and he did.

I just don't know if they're going to lose to the Cowboys, Like I don't know if they're going to beat the Cowboys after Dallas kind of came that close to losing against the Texans last week, I think that the Cowboys are going to come in. Listen, you know that cowboys. Cowboys always gonna cowboy in their own right, and you could see them, um going into that environment and struggling. Um. It's the defensive Dallas obviously is a

lot better than it's been in past years. But like we said, they lost Anthony Brown, one of their starting cornerbacks, and the Jaguars have a lot of weapons. Even looked so good and you know how annoying that is for Giants fans. Yeah, he is so talented, but it was always an enigma for the Giants when it came to missing time with injury or he had some some drops

and key spots. But he's so talented. Going eleven for one, sixty two and two makes me think the tight end position, which has been pretty barren in recent years, he might become a big guy in that offense. We shall see. Keeping on these Jaguars now that now that the Raiders have faltered, I need a new pet team down in these in this like mid cheer, I think it might be the Jacks. I think I think that's a good one.

The Raiders that they blew it. They did they let's take a break and we will hit the rest of the rankings of power Hey previously on power Rankings Panthers. Uh I listened, Sam Donald, he might I wish I could quit you. He might end up taking this team to the playoffs because it's such a bad division. Let's take a look at the schedule right now. Okay, so Carolina, are you actually are you? Do you believe what you're about to say? Connie or is is content for a program?

They'm not? Just give a answer. I'm just trying to stay ahead of this because if it happens, I will look so great, and if not, I'll just, you know whatever, doubting me anyway, So it doesn't matter. Their defense is better than people realize, but they're going to struggle to score points, and for instance, you know Gina Smith and the Seahawks, they're gonna put up a lot of points. The Lions, I imagine, are gonna put up a lot of points. And I feel like the Pittsburgh and Tampa

defenses will be able to really neutralize Sam Donald. I'm not buying on this. This division is so bad, Like you have the Bucks and the Falcons that lead the division with five wins each, like that's it. They could win just because someone has to from the division. Merry Christmas, very early Christmas gift to yourself. I got ahead of it, and here I am and I still believe it. Well, it certainly makes more sense that you know what a

really really sold. It was if the Saints then to blow that game to the Bucks, we would be talking about an NFC South that would have four teams tied to play. But that's not how it played out. However, your Panthers love is recognized by me, and you know, I respect that they do go to Seattle and they do score enough points and their defense makes plays and they beat the Seahawks and all of a sudden they are a game out. That's right, and they're up seven

spots in the rankings at twenty. Now, but let's start at the top of this tier. The Jacks, who were just talked about up seven spots as well at seventeen, The Raiders who blew it against the down three at eighteen, the Giants who, oh it was embarrassing five at nineteen Panthers at twenty then the Bucks at one down five wolf that was a terrible game for them. The Packers also down to twenty one or twenty two, they're down

a spot. You got the Browns at three down three spots, and then the Steelers down to so But the Panthers. I got a feeling still about these Panthers, Dory and Dorings here. Yes, this is a this is a thing now, and it's being made possible by the Bucks being terrible. They are not They are not a good team. They've had every opportunity here to put this division away, and now here the Panthers with a real opportunity. You gotta

give Steve Wolkes a lot of credit because Matt Rule. Um, things just did not work out with Matt Rule, obviously, and when Wilkes took over, who previously lorded over the Cardinals for one deeply unsuccessful season before his dismissal, I don't think anybody thought this is gonna be a team that was going to put things together, especially after Christian McCaffrey gets traded. So all that to happen and now

them to be in the mix. Uh. The credited coach and the players were sticking together, and they had that whole dust up with Robbie Anderson and the coaches on the sideline, and then he got traded to before Christian McCaffrey got traded. Now look at them now, a game behind Tampa. If they win out, they're in because they have tiebreakers over both the Bucks and the Falcons. I got it right here. So they're at Seattle, Um, you know, got it? There we go. Uh you remember that they

were Actually that's the only one I have. I thought I had the whole schedule keeping all right, you were doing well and now you've faltered. But there we go. Last four games home versus Pittsburgh and Kenny Pickett might need not be playing, so you might get Mitch Trabinsky in that game. Then you home versus Detroit. That's gonna be a toughie. You're at Tampa, obviously you need to have a game. And you're right, they already won again against Tampa earlier this season. Uh, they sweep the Bucks

there they have the tiebreaker. And then at New Orleans. I think, Connie, what's their record here, there's six five and eight. I think they can win this division if they split. Um, especially you know, if they beat Tampa, they could split and I think win the NFC South at seven and nine. And they've been pretty good at home with Wilks if I think going back, they've won their last three home games with him, and these next two are at home as well, So against the Steelers,

like you said, that's definitely a possibility. The Lions might be tough. And it's interesting that, like we said, they traded CMC and if you watch a Seattle game, and this is an indictment of the Seahawks as well, they just ran which was not I would love to say, because I'm a Sam Donald apologist to the end that it was Donald who is leading this offense. But they just ran all over Seattle in crunch time with Cuba Hubbard, doctor Foreman, Raheem black Shear. We have a black Shear

end zone sighting here, folks. And they are um an interesting thing. I don't think they're again not a great team, but in the NFC South, you don't have to be great. They run forty six times for two hundred and twenty three yards like with a Christian McCaffrey. Who else I want to talk about? We mentioned the Raiders. That was my My my erstwhile PET team I have now moved on to the Jags, and I think you can claim the Panthers Panthers teams that PET teams, the gim and

the Giants. I know you're taking some pot shots in there in the set up to this segment, but you gotta I gotta say we could. We could get on Big Blue for cratering and having one win in these last six weeks. But it doesn't help that a roster that was really overachieving and making the most of what

they had has really been hit hard by injuries. I'm watching that game against the Eagles, and obviously they're not in the same weight class as the Eagles, as we saw in that blowout, but some of the guys that were, you know, prominently involved that just guys I didn't even It was like watching a preseason game at a certain

point and was Sacan Barkley having a neck injury. You take him out of the workhorse horse roll, and it's kind of a it's a rap, yeah, and you have I mean, they pulled Daniel Jones at the end, put in Tyrod Taylor. Like this was a team from the beginning of the season that you, I think, and and me we both talked about it, how we couldn't really believe in them, yet they were tough by and even when they were seven and two exactly. And so now you're kind of seeing some of those flaws that that

we saw earlier in the year. But the fact that they have Sunday Night football coming up against Washington that is such a big game. I'm so excited about it. I feel like it's going to be just such a sloppy classic NFC East game. Yeah, that is That's a nice uh flex by NBC there. I'm looking forward to that game. We mentioned the Bucks and there continued struggles

get blown out by the Niners. Very embarrassing, I imagined for Tom Brady after all the buddled up about playing near his hometown and had or whatever, and then it's, you know, thirty five nothing with three minutes playing the third quarter. Um, they have lost two of three. That the miracle win against the Saints on Monday Night in Week thirteen. Their schedule though, sets up pretty well. It's gonna be very tough obviously this upcoming against the Bengals.

But you get past that game, you have Arizona at Arizona with Colt McCoy at quarterback, you have the big Carolina game, and then you're at Atlanta, most likely against the rookie and Desmond ritter Um. So they I think they have a path again, they look like probably a two and two path down the stretch. So if they do that, they win the division. The Pathers need to either I guess in that case would go three and one,

or we need to the Bucks to falter. But it's certainly within the realm of reason that they can lose games. We expect them to win because they've been doing it all years. I just have no confidence in them anymore. Like they and we talked about this last week, how they drew me in with the win over the Seahawks and Munich and then just to disappoint me after that, And it's just kind of been do not disappoint because then, like,

I'm gonna be disappointed in you forever. The point me one, you're out of the trust tree, and once you disappoint her, you're out of the trust tree. Like what is going on with Donovan Smith? Why does this keep happening? He's out, he's out. Why does it keep happening? Maybe he's not

very good. He's struggled all season long with penalties. Killer penalty touchdown for a second week, yeah, and these are They were able to make up for it on Monday Night against the Saints, but getting the Mike Evans bomb touchdown wiped away when the major storyline lying around this team is Brady and Mike Evans struggled to get together and get on the same page. So you could have had an early score to get yourself in a good position.

You could have got that monkey off your back. That was one of the more painful holding penalties all season. Let's check out Quad four where the Buck's gonna they'll probably win the division, but I don't know if they should. I don't know if they deserve it, but no one does at this point. Don't tell Tom Brady that he doesn't deserve it. Well, maybe he should stop throwing picks. We've got him, got his ass to thirty two Falcons with Desmond Ritter starting quarterback. We'll see how that goes.

The Rams get a Baker bump up three spots, but we'll see how he looks in on Monday night, uh in sub zero temperatures, the Saints are who they are not very good, Dennis Sale, I better watch out the Bears holding twenty eight off thereby the Cardinals down six another.

You know, so many bad things about that Monday Night gave him against the Pats obviously first and foremost Kyler Murray and we don't know officially right now, but it looks like a torn a c l and you know, really tough rehab ahead for him, but that seems so lost with its leadership to down six spots twenty nine, Broncos, Cults and Texans all round out the thirty two. We don't need to that's a little to pray. Yeah, a lot of these teams just like really need the season

to end. So where where are we at? It's December, Christmas a couple of weeks away. Uh, Connie, why don't you get us in the spirit and share your your power rankings top five Christmas songs and then I'm going to have my own rankings, okay in the inverse. Listen, I need you to know how much I love this time of year. I loves I think that's why we get along. So you know, it's people, yep, Christmas. People. In results for the same region of the ranking, that's right.

That's that's really the and I have heated pants as well. I just thin sparing them now. I thought you were I thought you had them on My buttocks is sweating profusely right now. But all right, So I mean, like in terms of the rankings, like the coaches, you know what I'm saying. You said it said anyway, these are so it's not definitive right now, but this is like a working power rankings. Um so I'm gonna I'm gonna start with my should do five to one. This is

really a right before your chest. Okay, here we here we go. I'm gonna say number five. How about a little Are you doing this in real time? I am Last Christmas by Wham? All right, it's a class a week for this. This was just this just happened. I could have done it yesterday, but I didn't know if we were going to do it or not. Walling out, Drew, can we do something about this? Yes, Wham, Last Christmas?

Love that song, George Michael. Let's go to four, Melani, I see you belly Killicky Maka is at the bing Crosby, Bing Crosby all the way, good number four, number three all I want for Christmas is you Mariah? Carry absolutely a little on that song because it's played too much. But every Christmas standard gets played too much. That's why it's a Christmas standard. Back on. You can't start Christmas until you hear Mariah. That's the rule. I didn't make

it right. That's how it goes, all right. Number two, that's where we are right now, right Number two, rocking around the Christmas Tree, perfect, everyone loves that. I love it and who could forget and Home alone Kevin McAllister with all the mannequins tricking and the wet bandits thinking someone. That was seven million Dollar House. And my number one song it's Baby Please Come Home by Darley Love. You

know that one, So I love that. I'm partial to the YouTube remake, but the Darlene loved Motown version is beautiful. I love Motown. Baby Please Come Home. Yeah, that's a wonderful song. Good one, all right now, I must I love Christmas, but I don't love all the songs. Here are the five worst Christmas songs. There's a theme here, but not with the first one. The first one is Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney, and while it does put me in the in the spirit of the holidays.

When I hear it, it is a it is a downer, objectively bad song. And when it's a Beatle that's performing it, you just expect more. John Lennon Happy Aximus, which would be in my top five. War is Over. That's a good Beatles Christmas song, wonderful Christmas time. I don't even know the instrument. Are those instruments that are played in I don't know? Number four. Now we're gonna get into a theme. This is about happiness and family and to me,

wholesomeness Christmas music. Grandma got ran over by a reindeer, bad song, annoying, not funny, and your grandmother being killed by you know, Donner and Blitzen or whatever. Don't break for Grandma. Number three Baby, it's called Outside the two thousand twenties remixed verymatic. No, I'm going with the one that's that was corrected quote unquote by John Lynch and uh, I don't know who it was, but it's like to make it less dangerous. Can we just relax a little bit?

It's a Christmas song. There's there was nothing the farious going around. I mean, it's um, it's not great, it doesn't really do does it really still like it? Does it really need to be corrected? I don't want even because you now you're putting me in a corner and making me see like I'm that guy. I'm not that guy. I'm not saying it. This is like, oh, it's way too woke. No, I'm just saying we don't need to change everything to save society. Just let it live in

the world that it lived. A number two again, I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus. Don't need it, don't need anything Jacks in five, doesn't matter who it is, it's the theme, the lyrical matter. I don't need Santa um, you know, French kissing anyone, alright, so he just don't mom cheating on data. I don't even need Santa getting it on with Mrs Claus. I just need Santa to be in his own little world of wholesomeness. And finally, number one, Santa Baby. I don't like anything that sexualizes Santa.

So it's Eartha Kit or Madonna or whoever else does it. It's not about you. Do not sexualize Santa Claus. All right, that is a take. I didn't expect you to go that direct use that in the pull quote for social media. That's right, trick to you. They don't do any social media for this show. Yes, is anyone still listening? All right, thank you everybody for you did stick the landing. By the way, I have to say, well, I was I was very curious about whether you're even gonna be able

to get five names. I had Christmas and Hollis run DMC on the list, that King Cole. There were a few. I just like, wasn't. I mean, I think the Christmas song when that King Cole is undoubtedly number one, number one, number one wholesome. We'll be back next week. I'll have my new Christmas rankings coming out next week. NFL Power Rankings as a production of the NFL in partnership with

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