NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.
And then there were four. We are out of the final four in the National Football League.
Welcome to another edition of the NFL Power Ranking Show, presented to you by Energizer, officially on the behind the curtain parlance.
This is week twenty one of our season.
My name is Andrew Siciliano at our studios in Los Angeles.
The other side of the screen, the man who.
This week only had to rank eight teams. What a bargain, What an easy week of work?
How are you air A get.
Home feeling relaxed, feeling refreshed, ready to go.
I'm it feels like August all over.
Again, except it doesn't. It is still January. The Super Bowl will be played in February. There are four teams remaining. Obviously we're going to rank eight. Let's start with you right there scanning the QR code on your screen, and here are the eight. Let's just unveil them all at once. The Ravens and the Niners stay at one and two. They both won the one seeds.
They're at the top.
The Lions and the Chiefs the two teams that won deface the Ravens and the Niners move up to three and four, and then the teams that lost on Divisional weekend.
The Bills, the Packers, the Texans.
And you had the Buccaneers as the worst team in that group.
Of eight to make it the divisional weekend. We'll get to them at a second.
Let's start, however, at the top at home, and let's start here with the Baltimore Ravens. I've said, no one is going to beat them at home. The Browns and the Steelers were the only ones to do it in the regular season. Really, the Steelers didn't count Week eighteen,
it was raining, Lamar didn't play. That game was close for a while, I mean ten ten at the half thanks to the Stevens Simms punt return, but then eric in the second half, the Ravens not only in my eyes, proved they're the best team in football, but they almost made it feel like a high school game, like the big kids and the little kids, where you knew that the Texans simply wouldn't do it.
Yeah, you just could see how it was going and see how banged up the Texans were on defense, and you know, once they kind of figured out the Texans blitzes, you know, I mean they were coming at Lamar full steam, it seemed like, especially in the first half, but throughout the game. Once they figure that out, you know, I and credit Todd Monkin for really adjusting on the fly.
It was all downhill from there.
And you think about it, right from week one when they faced the Texans and then the Texans last game of the season last round. You know, four field goals, zero offensive touchdowns. That Baltimore defense did its job too, especially against CJ. Stroud and all the confidence he had coming into that game.
Yeah, that defense kept the Texans and again the first game of the year for Demiko Ryans and the last game of the year, kept the Texans out of the end zone in the two times they played at least offensively held them to old field goals. That defense, I think if you had to rank all the un it's remaining here, right, So offense defense, these four teams left, I think the Ravens defense is the best of the eight remaining.
I think you can make that case, right. We have some questions.
Obviously the Baltimore offense could certainly be also very good. But yes, but I think you're right, if you had to pick one team to kind of hang your hat on. Not to say that, you know, they can't give up some yards to Patrick Mahomes. Patrick's averaged about what three hundred and sixty seventy yards against them passing every single time he plays him. But that's in the past. It hasn't been a couple of years since there. It's been a couple of years since they've played, So you're right.
I mean, the pass rushes come on. The coverage has been plus. I mean it's been really strong. Their linebackers are kind of an underrated strength of that team. They got pressure from the inside and the out too, which is a nice thing to have, especially this time of year.
Well, it also shows, and the Niners show this as well.
Certainly with green Law and with Warner in no particular order, that there is value to that position. With Queen and with Roquan. A lot of people were shaking their heads when Eric Tacosta gave up a two to the Bears to get Roquan Smith and then had to pay Roquand one thing to trade him or trade for him another thing to write him that big check. The Bears wouldn't right those two guys are a huge reason, especially with what they have up front that clogs all the lanes
that allows them to go run. It had a huge reason they're here, and a huge reason really. Now Mike McDonald is in the conversation for all these head coaching jobs.
Yeah right, I mean groomed by both Harbaugh's right, spend time with John as an assistant, and came has worked his way up and then went to Michigan with Jim for a few years. So he has been well versed in the Harbaugh universe. But he's done things on his own too. I mean, I think Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh rather made a point of saying like this is his defense. He's put the work in on this group. They've they've leveled up this season. You're right, I think
that linebacker position, I agree with you. I mean, I saw Roquan Smith up close here in Chicago quite a bit. Thought he was a terrific player, was playing great at the time of the trade. But I didn't know that that would be worth the value, and especially after paying them twenty million.
I'm here to say that I was wrong. It has been, and especially in.
A game where you're going against Pacheco and Kelsey and their flexibility.
I mean that really gives you an edge.
I think, huge difference in what the Ravens had at linebacker and what the Bills had at linebacker, right, and coverage possibilities and opportunities against Travis Kelsey. Granted, the Bills are all kind of banged up and Matt Mlana was out and aj Klein has to be in there, Trail Bernard couldn't go, So, you know, two vastly different conversations here, But it's going to be the Ravens and the Chiefs. We'll get to the Chiefs coming up at a second.
Let's get to the forty nine ers, because while the Ravens and Texans were tied of a half ten to ten, the Ravens kicked.
It into gear.
Conversely, the story Saturday night in San Francisco is Eric, the Niners are going to blow this, and they almost blew this. We could be sitting here today if not for that final drive. Half of the conversation is it's time to move on from brock perty and does Kyle have to hit reset again to go find his championship quarterback?
Yeah?
All right, I thought that that fourth quarter was obviously huge for Perdy and Shanahan being able to overcome the deficit. I mean, how many times did you know they talk on the broadcast about the oh win thirty record when trailing by seven or more points entering the fourth or in the fourth quarter.
So yeah, I mean I thought that was really big for them to be able.
To kind of get over the hump, especially after Perdy had struggled the weather was causing issues with his grip. You know, you and I were talking off the air about that one play where he wipes his hand mid drop back. I don't think either of us had ever seen anything like that before. Yeah, so you know, clearly it was struggling with the conditions. They lost Ebo Samuel early in the game. It just felt like their mojo
was a little off. But big plays on defense from Drey Greenlaw, who you talked about earlier, and also Perdy in.
The final drive, and we'll see.
I mean, I still think this game is going to have a lot to say about the future of rock Perty. I mean, we've seen Kyle Shanahan firmly back on the quarterbacks before, and then that little uh that crush right wears off over time, so I don't know where we're at with Perdy right now, but trying to make this thing work and I'll have a shot against the Detroit defense.
And as we tape this full disclosure, we're recording this Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, Kyle said, the update on Deebo is the shoulder isn't broken.
That's the good news.
But it's really up in the air as to whether or not Debo is going to play on Sunday. So that factors greatly in all of this, because without him, they're one to three this year. They fell apart in the second alf of offensively. Also similar to the division around in Cleveland. Because of the rain, it should be sunny for the most part, we think on Sunday in San Francisco. But no Debo, they are a different team.
Now.
When you have all week to prepare knowing you're not going to have him, does that factor in all of this?
Clearly it does.
But what you said there about we could still be having this pretty conversation next week is dead on, especially after did you see the Nick Wagoner article in the espan dot com last week that suggested, and it was right out of Pretty's mouth that Kyle told him they were going after Tom Brady last year in the offseason.
Yeah, I mean, you know, everything's up in the air with Kyle, right, I feel like he's always got you know, multiple balls juggling in the air at quarterback, right, He's always you know, the Sam Darnold signing right after he was benched against the Ravens, a lot of people.
Thought, boys, is it possible that Sam could take over down to the stretch. Didn't happen that way, obviously, But you know I didn't blink at that one. I mean I really felt like that was one of those those signings where this one has a little more deeper meaning. But focusing here on the game, obviously, if they can if they can exploit the exploitable weaknesses of this Lion's defense, they can win this game. There's no doubt about it.
I Mean, I think there are some holes in this in this Detroit d but you know who knows, right, especially if Deebo is out. I do think to your point, though, if they come into this game feeling like.
He's just not going to play, I mean, we're gonna have to have a Hail Mary.
And they have a plan for it. Find their best stuff without him, you know, use a little misdirection they can get by.
All right, all right, we'll pull back the TV curtain. That was a nine minute a block talking only two teams coming up, the other two teams playing this weekend our thoughts on the three and the four in this week's rankings, the Lions and the Chiefs. As we continue on the NFL Power Ranking Show presented by Energizing, It's the NFL Power Ranking Show. We're presented by Energizer, Andrew Ciciliano and Eric at home right over there, who puts
these together. Obviously, we got the Ravens and the Niners at one and two. That means we have America's team, seemingly now the Lions. Eric at number three, Bucks gave him a run here. I feel like we could do an entire show on Todd Bowles clock mismanagement.
On the knees at the end of the game.
We're not going to do that, though, We're gonna celebrate these Detroit Lions, who I think have a heck of a show in Santa Clara on Sunday.
Absolutely they do. I know, I probably I am talking out of both sides by mouth.
They're already in the first segment, I said, hey, look, this Detroit defense has holes in it. They do, but they've also found ways to make plays when they absolutely have to. And you know Derek Barnes's first interception.
Clinching the game.
I wouldn't have put money on that one, but hey, you know they're they're finding sources on that side of the ball. You know, Melafon Wu in the secondary, Bryan branch is a rookie, you know, Alie McNeil, what have you. I mean, they've they've gotten other guys besides Aiden Hutchinson to step up, but you'd like to see it a
little more consistently still. I think with that offense and what Jamiir gives, especially once he got into the game game flow a little bit more, you know, it completely changed the game.
Tampa Bay did a great.
Job plugging up all the gaps, especially when Montgomery's in there. But I don't know that San Francisco is going to have that same game plan or that same success level. They've been really good against the run statistically this year, but it has changed in the last several games as they've injuries up front.
I just love the storyline here, not only the Lions, right, obviously trying to make it to the Super Bowl here and trying to win a third playoff game on their road to Vegas. But Jared Goff, as we see Baker Mayfield on the screen, Jared Goff going back home to the Bay Area, going back home to face a team that when he was with the Rams he had trouble against. But so de Teun mcvahn. The rest of the unit collectively, other than in the NFC Championship came with Matthew Safferty
at the point. But the Jared Goff Redemption Tour is such a great storyline. Honestly, I know it's gotten a lot of attention. I think it deserves more.
I think so too, right, I mean, I think people are still in the mindset of, well, whenever Detroit can replace them, they will.
He's been good, you know.
I hear that a lot as I go on radio shows and talk to people out and about, and they say, yeah, Jared Goff's good. Right, Well, he's played at a really high level. He didn't come out hot the way he did against the Rams in this game, so he had to kind of find his rhythm a little bit. Seemed a little offerly in the game, but boy, that fourth quarter he was he was firing away. I think he hit eleven or twelve passes in a row to start
the quarter. You know, really got Laporta involved there, had some big throws to Jamison and obviously Saint Brown as well, so you know, they're still tough to defend. I mean they have four, you know, past catchers. I think they feel like they really trust and that doesn't even count Josh Reynolds who stepped up too, so maybe five.
I mean, it's it's been a collective effort.
Jared believes in those guys, and yeah, I mean, first of all, the guts of a team to hand it to Craig Reynolds on.
Fourth and goal.
It just supports the whole idea of that, like anything could happen with this team. Dared Goff, I'm sure has just as much faith in Reynolds as he does and all those other guys. It's a fun story all around. And you're right, if he wins this, I think people's minds are changed on him a little bit.
I mean people called him a stop gap even after last season's great second right, which they almost got in. I had conversations with people like which is gm type of people at the league meeting where they were already projecting where Jared would go other than Detroit this coming twenty twenty four season, that ain't happening anymore, right, Jared Goff is on the verge of taking the Detroit Lions to the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are
in this position yet again, sixth consecutive year. Here as we get to the team making a power move presented by energizer Eric, the Chiefs are back in the AFC Championship game. And I think there is some similarity here with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, right, or Tom Brady with his great run for twenty years in New England that if you were in that conference, you simply weren't going to get past them because they were that good.
And Mahomes is Brady or Mahomes is Jordan in the end, he will steal your soul.
I mean, this could end up being an Indiana Pacers kind of series where it was sort of a flawed Bulls team, right that was able to beat a really, really good team. And I think that's what Baltimore is, right. I mean, if Lamar is Reggie Miller. He has a surrounding cast that goes very deep. We've talked about the defense, we know about the offensive line, we know about the you know those receivers, et cetera. So, but you're right, they still have Jordan, they still have Patrick Mahomes, and
he's had success against the Ravens. Again, different personnel, different coordinator, all that. But you know, I don't think he's going to come in there, especially after going on the road last week and doing what he did against the Bills, that there is not going to be any fear in
this man. So yeah, look, if Mark west Valdez Scantling can do what he did last week, if she Rice can do what he did last week, all of a sudden, this is a completely different offense, I think than what we were talking about for what fifteen of the eighteen weeks this year.
Listen, I hesitate to compare anyone to Michael Jordan. Okay, but Jordan and Brady both had a quality where you will those around you to win, where the teammates were almost in fear of being known as the teammates that let the great one down, right, like you're gonna hit that shot from the corner because I'm not going to be the guy that misses the shot and Michael Jordan
doesn't win. And those that we've criticized all year for the Chiefs, like MBS and Rashi Rice, all of a sudden now when it matters most make the huge plays.
Absolutely they stepped up.
And whether it was that fear factor or not, I think they're gonna need that same kind of performance against this Ravens defense that we've you know, I think thrown our flowers at because they have been that good. So yeah, I still think there's gonna be a way for Mahomes to have some success against this group though, as you pointed out, and like you said, it's the synergy that he brings out of everybody to hey, it's win or go home, And you know how I'm gonna feel about going home at this point.
Yeah, I mean, listen, we could we can do the x's and o's of this one for days. The Jerry as Snead against a Flowers or Odell. If you put them on Odell, does Mark Andrews come back here?
Do they get Cadarius, Tony Backsky More?
Then there's the what happens next year, like is this Chris Jones' final game is a Chief If they don't win, is Kelsey on the screen here going to retire. There are so many great storylines for this game, we'll have to save them for next week coming up on the Power Ranking Show presented by Energizer.
But wait, there's four more. What happened to the Bills, the.
Packers, the Texans and the Buccaneers. We'll do an exit interview of sorts for those four, the bottom four at our Power Ranking Show presented by Energizer. All right, it's the NFL Power Ranking Show, presented to you by Energizer, Andrew Siciliano, Eric at home, who puts these rankings together on your screen and also available on NFL dot Com. The Bills, here we go again. Eric, We've seen this movie so many times. They have a very good team.
They get here, they have their hearts ripped out, usually by the Chiefs.
Third straight year it is the divisional round.
But as we move forward here, they have twenty two soon to be free agents. They have a huge cap hit coming up on Josh Allen's contract, Steph Digg's Big Number, Von miller Age and Big Number. It's not a tear down, but it is going to be a massive remodel.
I agree, right.
I mean they got to this point and were able to build their roster in such a way, including signing guys like von Miller to massive deals. Because of Josh Allen's contract, his cap hit, you know, until this season, had never been more than what like eighteen million forty seven plus million next year, So that's a different look. And as you pointed out, Digs two, I think is over twenty almost twenty eight million, so and really.
Wasn't very effective down the stretch.
He wasn't effective in the two games against the Chiefs nineteen targets then he had like seven catches for you know, fifty sixty yards. So boy, in those big moments, you really need your superstar number one receiver to be there for you.
And I know Brandon Bean has said.
On Tuesday that he views Diggs as that number one guy, but gave Davis entering free agency. I mean, you know, Trey White and Matt Malono, that age thirty range, coming off major injuries.
I mean, that's a lot to figure out.
And I know they get a little help with the compensatory draft, but man, I don't know. I just don't see a clear path back to the same level of dominance.
That they've had, and it looks as if, barring something really unforeseen, that Sean McDermott is back as head coach, endorsed obviously by Josh Allen, by Brandon Bean, and McDermott was on the podium for his end of season press conference. There are some who think, however, that this team has gone as far as it can with Sean, that sometimes change for the sake of change might be a good thing. I don't think that is going to happen. He pulled them back from six and six in mediocrity and got
them here. But again, it's the same end to a milliar movie for Bill's fans. Meantime, a much different movie than expected here for the Green Bay Packers how to invest in the future presented by Fidelity.
They're the exact opposite, Eric of what you have in Buffalo.
You have a young quarterback on still a reasonably cheap contract, and everyone he throws the ball to is either a rookie or a second year player.
I have never quite seen a team assembled like this, and I suspect that when you and I get to the combine and all the talking heads, gms and head coaches, they're going to get asked about what the Packers are doing. The Packers model, if you will, which is obviously the quarterback component. We know, right, you draft him, you let him sit for a couple of years. We know that
story very well. But also to draft all these young receivers in Aaron Rodgers last year, by the way, and then put them with the young quarterback and watch them grow up together. Early in the season. Results were incomplete. Second half of the year, terrific playoff game. More of what we saw of the incomplete variety, right, Some great throws early in the game, some questionable decisions, especially that
last reception given the down and distance. You can live with it, I guess, But man, that was a tough one to swallow at the time.
And I'm excited about the future.
Like you said, I mean, I've never quite seen a group compile like this. But you know, we still have a decision on the defensive coordinator and loves got to avoid those kind of mistakes.
Joe Barry the DC much malign during the season, but they unit came together down the stretch, a part of their winning Street it's a big part of that winning streak to get them in and to get them actually through Dallas and to San Francisco. I'm glad you mentioned the Senior BOWLT next week show will be done in Mobile and it's where Brian Goudakum's found most of these pieces for Jordan Love. Actually he found Jordan Love there as well in Mobile. But Musgrave, red Wis, Watson, Dobbs,
they are all former Senior Bowl players. The draft starts in Bull Melton, yep bow Melton as well obviously went to Seattle first, bounced around and Bo Melton's brother is going to be at the Senior Bowl this year. Shameless plug NFL plus NFL Network all next week. All right, let's move out of the Texans. Future is right for them as well. They have a lot of young pieces. And it isn't just CJ. Stroud, It's Tanked Dell Senior
Bowl guy, Christian Harris plan lights out as well. They have reason to be optimistic.
Yeah, Jonathan Gernard and Will Anderson junior and you know you saw a little more on of John Metchi down the stretch when he was forced into action. So very excited about the young core here, Nico Collins kind of became that number one receiver out of necessity, but hey, I mean I view him as at least a low end number one right now that given the way he played,
so a lot of excitement. Still have to find a way to fill out that defensive roster, still have to find a way to beef up the offensive line a little bit more. They've made it changes, they've made improvements, but more needed. And the expectations, I mean, Andrew, they're probably in the same kind of position that the Jacksonville Jaguars were one year ago. And we spent all off season extolling the virtues of Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence. And you know Calvin Ridley is gonna blow up in
this offense. Well it didn't happen, at least down the stretch.
You didn't.
So there's still a lot of pressure on this Texans team. I believe and is as good as an exciting season they had. I'm still gonna slightly pump the brakes a little bit because of what we've seen in the past.
Yeah, but look, they got the quarterback right and they got the coach right. No doubt those two are huge, huge, passage in Tampa. I think they got it right. I mean Todd Bowles game mismanagement aside and the final seconds in Detroit.
You gotta bring Baker back, right, I.
Think so, And this seems like there's mutual interest. Look, he bet on himself, he won the bet. I mean, I'm impressed with what Baker did this season. Is there a cap or a limit to what he can do with an NFL team over a longer period of time. Absolutely, But this buys you time if you don't think that Kyle Trask can can knock him off the firch one day to draft somebody else. And so he's gonna be that good one two three year bridge quarterback whatever he.
Ends up being.
And you know they have more decisions on defense to make too.
I thought they union really fell apart in the fourth quarter.
But I'm I have to say I discredited some of what the Bucks did this year, especially you know coming from four and seven, that that streak in the middle of the year where they were really struggling. Bulls did a nice job, just like John McDermott did in Buffalo. He got his team playing good football. They saw the reality of the division and they went and won the thing. And oh, by the way, he beat the Eagles and almost beat the Lions. So a lot of boxes check checked this offseason.
Yeah, and on the redemption Tour thing, I'm happy for Baker Mayfield as well.
Yeah, yeah, the.
Guy Baker Mayfield has has won a playoff game both times, and he's made it into the postseason twenty twenty with the Browns and then here with the Buccaneers. We are back next week. We're going to do this again after the conference championship games and rank them from mobile as we get ready for Vegas. Everyone enjoy Championship Sunday for Eric at home. My name is Andrews. Siliano and here we are again with another edition of the NFL Power Ranking Show, present of my Energisement.
NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.