#20: No. Right. Ranking.

This one even better. I was showered with gifts and food, homemade cannolis. There was this one group that was doing a high end tailgate next to us, and they had lobsters and lamb skewers and camus with wine glasses. It was very classy. So, I mean, you can really go every end of the spectrum there. Yeah, I'm very happy for the people of Cincinnati, but you do feel for

those fans in Buffalo. I think they were expecting a party and a coronation and got anything but And by the way, um, if now you're getting homemade cannoli's, by the way, it's like at some point, you're gonna have to finish the film The Godfather, which has one of the most famous lines in cinema. Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god. I have an update for you. I haven't finished it yet. That's not the ever. Guess what on my flight from Buffalo to JFK where I

was connecting, who was I sitting next to? Please say Apaco? I wish no, But have you watched the offer yet, which is about the making The Godfather? Well this is not going to be as great then, um next to the guy who played Mario Puzzo, who wrote The Godfather, and he was an irishman and he could not have been nicer. So, like, you know what, everything really came full circle. Well, now you gotta finish the movie. I uh. And the line is leave the gun. You got it?

Got it? So let's get back to Power Rankings because this is the Power Rankings podcast presented by Energizer. I think it's a little unfair that I'm doing this still, I feel I am under contract with the NFL. Part of my contract is you will do Power Rankings throughout the season. You dragged me into this too, dragged you into this, and I apologize what god um or what NFL commissioner asks a man to rank these four teams.

There's no right ranking, no idea, all four of these teams, and this is this is a reason to be one of the reasons to be excited for Championship weekend. Usually there's, you know, one team that's a little like you're not like the others, which sometimes adds a lore in its own right. But then you have a year like this that doesn't happen often. We're all four, the four kind of best teams all season. And check my power rankings. All these teams were hovering around the top for most

of the season. Let's check out the final eight. That's all it is. Now, how about that? How about that? Up three spots to number one? I don't understand. Not the only team to jump three spots, your Philadelphia Eagles up three spots to number two. San Francisco forty Niners. They won twelve games in a row. This isn't right. I know it's in my contract, but there's a human rights of violation here. I have to drop the Niners on a twelve game winning streak. Two number three the Chiefs.

They got out to win against the Jags. They dropped two spots to four, So that is my one through four, and you could guess based on that who I think is playing in the super Bowl. Number five, the Bills down to We talked about that a little bit off the top, kind of a bummer, but that's where they are right now. The Cowboys, who were like the ultimate number six team all year, like, they were never quite as good as the big Boys, and then that's exactly

how things ended. They weren't quite as good as the nice job Dak hit a big spot number six, they stay there, Jags up one to seven, and the gim in your Eagles brought them down to earth. And I'm sure that was great a Saturday night party at the Gonzales Wolfhouse. So let's start with the Bengals, though, am I crazy? Explain how you got to this point? Well, first of all, let's get right out of the way.

This is the power moves presented by energy. There the Bengals at number one because they're not gonna lose again. And this is the this is why even though I had the Niners at number one for weeks and weeks I think it was at least five weeks, maybe six, when old Zeuser sat down on his laptop and tug Boat looked at the Excel spreadsheet and the new old Blue Eyes had to make a decision like ten minutes

before you had to file. Daddy Rich said, I cannot look past the point that of all the four teams that won this past weekend, the Bengals were the one that I was most impressed by, the one that seemed most destined for glory. Even after the Eagles mopped the floor with the Giant. You could say it's a little unfair again, Yes, what that I'm pissed off Angelo, You should be, but I gave him pop. I mean, look at it this way. I put the Eagles ahead of

the Niners, who were number one. They both won. But let's stick to the Bengals for a second here, Cincinnati. This is what they did against Buffalo. And you were there in person. I know it. It was said after the game by Joe Burrow. It really was never close. It never felt like the Bills were going to come back. It felt like this game was over in the first And that's why you disappoint me. Why because you were there. You were there, you saw the party that was supposed

to be the celebration that was supposed to be. And Cincinnati went there and said, we don't care about anything that's going on up here, like this special little team in this community of football fans, we like Tommy Lee Jones in the future, I don't care. And they went up there and they just beat their butts. And here's the thing. The defense. People have been sleeping on this defense. I've been sleeping on this defense that it's it's very, very good. Now they are coached up very well, and

they're playing excellent. The offensive line, all those questions we had coming in, they played excellent. And then Burrow, you're telling me Joe Burrow is gonna lose again this season. Can you honestly take off the green giggle shades? You could tell me Joe Burrow is gonna walk off the field a loser in the next three weeks. I don't see it. These teams are all so good, so talented, They all do different things well, but they all can win.

Like these are four squads that can all really realistically win a Super Bowl. I don't know if the goals are going to pull it off, because you know where I am in my heart of hearts but watching the way that the Bengals played that game, it kind of felt the same way. Uh. And that Monday night game when we were watching the Bills and the Bengals, the game that was never finished to suspended and then canceled, That's exactly how the Bengals looked. And this time they

got to see it all the way through. And let me just tell you the party that was happening after the game, the music in the locker room, the cigar smoke, I mean, better get the refunds. Everything They're playing into this whole like underdog mentality. And I feel like every year a different team does this, or I guess they all do, usually not the reigning conference champion, but they've found their way to do it, tried to do it, and that was lame. We don't need to talk about

the Patriots and where that's great, isn't it anyway? Um? But I think that going into this game, the offensive line was one thing that everyone could kind of use as an example of why the Bills were going to win, and it was us. Too much stock was put into that. It was something that kind of we saw obviously saw Joe Burrow deal with this in the past with an

offensive line that didn't give him time. And if I didn't know that this offensive line was down three starters, I would have had no idea watching the game because it didn't look like an issue at all. Joe Burrow got the ball out so fast too stend the plays. It's just such a good team that that the Borrow getting the ball out quickly. I think on one of his key completions he got it out and a little over a second. It was just like kind of that that that will make up for a lot of things.

And that's why a quarterback. I think a lot of times when people talk about if an offensive line is good or bad, not enough is put into well, what's the quarterback doing back there? What decisions is he making? How aware is he of what the time he has and how he adjusts? And that's another reason why Burrow is an assassin. So I feel really good about where the Bengals are. I think that one thing about the

game was a little bit annoying from my perspective. You were in the press box, so I don't know if you heard the call on TV, but they were like pointing out that, oh, this is so bad for Buffalo's defense. The footing on the field with the snow and it's slick. They can't play the defense they want to play. Well. I guess what. Cincinnati had the same field conditions on their side of the ball, and it didn't matter. They put that in that Buffalo attack in a phone box.

So awesome job. I love the Bengals. I will not pick against the Bengals again. I'm good for you. So the Eagles, let's let's talk about three Eagles. I know what you're saying. So you're saying the Eagle, all right, let me tell me if I'm right about this. This is the Connie Fox logic. Eagles were the best team in football for much of the season. They were undefeated into what November, They won the number one seed in

the NFC, They had the buy to get rested. The quarterback Jalen Hurts and Lane Johnson came back and they just blew out a giant team that people thought were actually good or maybe getting better than good. And after we see that, that's enough to give them the number one spot back and they should be number one this week. Yeah, they should be number one this week. Again, the logic checks out because you can make up case for any of these days beautiful night with an even more glorious

outcome in this game. But Jalen hurts the shoulder. That was the thing that everyone was wondering about. He needed that time, He needed that by week, and he looked just fine, uncorking a beautiful pass to Davante. Corking is a funny word, you know, I like it unleashing uncorking. Corking is kind of silly, and I like where it comes from because I only think about a cork with wine, so and it's not like you know you when you uncork wine, you don't really uncork wine. What else, what

do your champagne? Champagne? Drew um, But his shoulder looked just fine and they kept him clean. The tall fed line is so good. Jason Kelsey straight up put in his armpit and then took him for a ride. Brian Baldinger was gushing about this team. Is Brian Baldinger Baldy's dream that there they are trench monsters on both sides of the ball. They not only that they block like maniacs on offense, they get after you on the defensive line and the ball so well too. Yeah, they do

it all two hixty eight rushing yards. Here's the thing, the only thing that maybe stop me again, it's just I think it's a barrow thing more than anything for me. And that's just that he's the guy, he's the dude. I think he's gonna rule the NFL and we're gonna that's what we're gonna be talking about at the end of this year. But the Eagles certainly, certainly, and by having it at number two, I can tell you I think they're going to the Super Bowl. Um Uh, they

will be a great test if those two teams ever meet. Now, first they have to get past the forty Niners, and I have them at number three, Connie, and god, they're so good too, They're really good and and and I think home field matters in this because you're going to the link obviously for this game. Um did you, as a Eagles fan, take anything positive out of that? Niners went over the Cowboys and how their offense with brock Purty looked much more down to earth against a big

time defense. Well, especially in that first half, brock Purty did not look comfortable at all. But then Kyle Shanahan did what he always does, and he goes in and helps make brock Purty comfortable in everything that he does with Christian McCaffrey, with Deebo Samuel. But now Christian McCaffrey, he's got the calf contusion. He's going to play um. And you have Elijah Mitchell too, who has a groin issue at this point, so a little bank, I know,

put him in carbonite and just restore their bodies somehow. Yeah, well that'd be weird too. But I think with these two teams, both of their defenses are really good, and both have so much depth so they can rotate guys in and out, and they both have really good running games as well. But I think the Eagles, you have to give them the edge because of the quarterback position, and they have home field here, so that is those two things I think will really dictate the outcome of

the game. And that's why Connie I dropped the Niners that extra spot to three. I agree with everything you said. I I just I think it's it's probably gonna be another you know, two teams may be scoring under twenty affair here unless unless and this is where if you're an Eagles fan, you've got to be pumped and why I'm not going to second guess myself because that would be second guessing Joe Burrow. And I do not second guess Joe Burrow at this point unless the Eagles when

they are healthy on both sides of the ball. And that's what we saw in the first you know, three months of the season are just better than everyone else and they just mall you. And come draft season and free agency, all the teams are gonna be like, oh my god, this is how you build a champion in the trenches. And we always hear that, but when a team is doing it at the level of the Eagles, don't be surprised when offensive linemen and big defensive tackles

are flying off the draft board early. Very fun County, good times to be an Eagles fan, it is, and I will be traveling there in two days time. Look at you. Yeah, I'm all over the place again. It's great. That is beautiful living life around the NFL podcast. We go nowhere, mean you guys like to you know, we hold it down at the old home fans always. You're going places. That podcast I think has a future. And you get on your private jet, you eat your wings.

What's what's it like hanging out with Kyle brand by the way, in Buffalo? Does he have a following in Buffalo? At this point? He seems like he's really part of that community. Everybody knows Kyle, Everybody wants a picture with Kyle. Everyone is giving Kyle gifts. Like I was just like it was nice for me to kind of get like the secondary the overflow and stuff, because like he had so many things, and I was like, take that if you don't want it, Like what do we what are

we talking like blankets? Or there was a woman who gave me her head warmer off of her head because I had complimented it and she had gotten it as a president from her sister. And I was like, I don't want to take your your sister's Christmas present to you, please no, And she insisted and then her sister came over and she was like, no, we want you to have They were Her name was Debbie, and I love her and I love that head warmer out to Debbie, sweatshirts, everything,

the whole family. Um, I have the chiefs at four this would have been Here's the question, Patrick Mahomes if he does not suffer that gnarly high ankle spraining against the Jags. Do I have them higher? No, I think I still would have had him at four. It would have been a tougher call. That's again, that's why this is gonna be a great weekend of football that the I think the Chiefs, you could end people on Twitter

are not happy with me. Um, No one's going to be happy with You could literally flip these, You could flip these. You could have cheap one nine Ers, two Eagles, three in Bengals for it, and nobody's gonna say it's wrong or right because you can make a case for it. But I really I think the Chiefs um are going to be in a little bit of trouble obviously, because what part of what makes Mahomes brilliant and one of the best to ever play is what he can do

off platform and rolling out of the pocket. And you're just not gonna have that. It sounds like unless there's some type of active god or medicine that allows it to happen. But other parts of the team reminded us that they're not just Mahomes and that's why they're even still playing right now. Right, I think the formula forward is just quick passes, get the ball out as fast as you can and then run Isaiah Pacheco. I mean, but check and that one angry run it was beautiful,

So you could you can do that. And then you have Travis Kelsey who is absolutely automatic. He is always open under is that right? I think he had yards and two touchdowns. Yeah, seventeen targets, fourteen catches, yards, two touchdowns. I mean, had the first touchdown of the and it didn't even matter with Chad Henny in there. He got a chat. That was Chad Henny's first postseason touchdown, was it? Yeah?

He saved their butts against the Browns a couple of years ago too, like this when every time in the postseason, Steve Spagnolo gets his due, and I think that happens again. Like Chris Jones was in the zone in this game. He looked incredible. The secondary they leveled up one thorn Hill was roman all over the place. Their rookie Jalen Watson, he had that one handed interception. So they have a

lot of playmakers. Yeah. One thing that's gonna be interesting to watch and we'll see in terms of Cincinnati's line is guys get another week to heal, maybe they get some of their starters back, But one of the things that hurt the Bills was that didn't they didn't have Von Miller, and their pass rush just wasn't up to snuff in the last six weeks of the season. Um, Chris Jones the type of guy that the Bills really needed in that game, and now here he is for

the Chiefs. Can you turn Joe Burrow into a rag doll um by just blowing through that line, which again is helped by Burrow's ability to get the ball out quickly. But this is the highest level of football. Now, it's gonna be it's gonna be more difficult for Burrow to find open receivers, you would think, or maybe not. Maybe Burrow just won't be stopped. I don't think for a reason. I think that he will absolutely win this week. Absolutely, Yeah.

I almost want to lock it up. So you all right, let's as we talk about the Bills, do we have to we did kind? Do you have anything to go ahead? You were there? No, It's just like I just it's sad. It's sad. At this point they need to figure out an offense that you know, doesn't just say Josh Allen go win that that was what jumped out to me a little bit. It seemed to be more and more like that, and especially when you get at this level

of the season, that's not gonna work. When the teams are at this level and you know, it's no surprise they still couldn't run the ball, and you have to be able to run the ball in the postseason and you have to be able to do it in the snow. Yeah, I hear you on that. O Um, you want to talk about the Cowboys. I think the Cowboys are the most number six team is number six team has ever been. I think Dak Prescott has a lot to answer to for this performance. I think you're loving it. I think

the final play was really just chef's kiss. Yeah that was I I wrote actually in the power rankings, which everyone could check out at NFL dot com slash Power Rankings, that last year's last January is the playoff exit against the Niners. It was at Jaral World. Was super frustrating where they you know, he ran the QB draw slid down, they ran out of time, they were blaming the rafts. It was an ugly ending, very frustrating for the Cowboys.

This ending was just sad. It's just kind of depressing, like that was the last play of this year that once again, you know, all the hype and let me just read a deck Twitter account went after him. What do you think about that? I don't know. Listen, we work for the NFL two and we'll we're we'll criticize, and we often do when when necessary. But when you're the team Twitter account and you're kind of hanging the

quarterback out to dry, that's interesting. Here is a quote from Dak Prescott after Sunday's game, and he had accountability and that's a good dude by all counts. So this isn't an attack of the man's character. He said, if I had the answers, then we would have won tonight. Too early, too soon, And I promise you we will though in my time playing on this team for this organization will and one of these years, Connie, the Cowboys, whether it's Stack or whomever else, are gonna have to

back up the words words, but not enough action. Yeah, that's the issue. And now Ezekiel Elliott, what's his future look like with the team now that Tony Pollard is such a big part of the offense finally, and you just have to wonder, like what what goes on? Because the pressure And we've talked about that. I don't know if we talked about it today, but maybe you guys talked about it on the recap around the NFL pod.

But the pressure on these quarterbacks now as they get close and then they don't deliver like Josh Allen, like Dak Prescott, especially for a team like the Cowboys and an owner like Jerry Jones, It's only going to get more difficult. And I would imagine they would they only get more inside their own heads about it. Oh you mean the Jerry Jones who went out on the field during pregame warm ups to talk to his kicker after you missed a couple of attempts. Is more monst Oh

my god? Do you know you think that jere might be living with this team every snap, every second? You think I've never seen that before, And we talked about it on a ten dak before this game last week. Watched his press conference from after last year's playoff loss, just to remind himself that he never wanted to be

there again, and then he has that game. Is it possible that maybe part of the problem in Dallas is the pressure that they put upon themselves in addition to all the outside And I know you love it, Connie, all right, give me your number one through four. So you're saying I got it wrong, what's right? Okay? I think the four through one. Let's build up the drum four through one. So Chiefs would absolutely put at four

and they'll probably win the Super Bowl. Now I know exactly, but the mahomes ankle and just the way that he plays like that has me very concerned about them. Then I think three is still the Niners. I'm rocking with you there. It's really just the top two that just flip that I would flip. Yeah, So I would go to for the Bengals, one for the Eagles, so we both have the same super Bowl pick. Speaking the super Bowl. After the Super Bowl, this is the last written Power

Rankings article you'll get from zeus Er. After the Super Bowl, you and I will be back for one more show. Well, we'll bring back the entire list of thirty two uh including Kyle Brand said on Good Morning Football this this morning that he thinks my magnum opus should be and maybe it would be my last Power rankings. Ever, is the after Super Bowl power rankings? The number one team isn't the team that won the Wow, you just go out and maybe this is it. Maybe this will be

the episode. You don't know what the future is. I don't know. Everyone's like, it's gonna go. We gotta get out. It's a good strategy because as anyway, so look for that and um we we might be back before then the video side of things, but that, yeah, fun. What are we gonna talk about? I don't know. We'll rank some stuff. I have a few ideas of things we can rank. Two thousands hip hop. We're just listening to it before the show. A lot of great songs best

hip hop. This is more your purview than mine, But I do have an answer. Can best hip hop song two thousand to two thousand four? What that is like? I can't just I can't. I cannot just rank number one right now. They have to wait to wait until next week. Hated or love it? No? Good man him, that's the correct answer. I should know. I'm the rap expert, all right till next week? He'd the call. How do you not like that one? It's a banger? Absolutely not NFL Power rankings as a production of the NFL in

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