#6: Why aren't the Eagles #1? Buying into Giants? Cowboys hot streak; Broncos turmoil

feeling better. Um. Execondly, you're gonna have to go behind my ears and do the inspection just to make sure I've got no uh no, rather to scuff up the ball. You might have some hot back there to keep you focused on the show, which is one of the weirdest baseball things I ever learned for a sport I've watched my whole life. Um, but this is not about baseball. This is about the NFL Power League and the Power Rankings one through thirty two. Uh. They went up on

the website on Tuesday morning. People are fired up. Stephen. Before we get into we're gonna kind of break it into four quadrants. Before we get into the first eight teams, I want to say, like I'm more of a broad thing as I'm putting together power rankings, who do I trust? Right now? Who do you trust? Because I I can name three teams and we're gonna get to some of them, but I have trust issues with the league right now?

Are you in the same boat? Yeah, I mean, look, there's a couple of teams, and again, those are the three teams that are probably at the top that you feel comfortable with. But then some of the teams, you know, you're looking at their quarterback situations. You know, the Patriots to play their hearts up, but right is Bailey's happy gonna be the guy who can do it for a long time? What's going on with the quarterback situation in Miami?

I mean, so it's gonna be interesting to see. You know when you when you look at your rankings, how much maybe you factored that into it, because a lot of times, you know, when you say, well, this team might have a better record, but if they met head to head, this team is better. Well, I kind of like somebole some of the ways you looked at it. We're gonna have some good conversations. But the trust, I mean, there there's a certain team we're gonna get to that

played on Monday night. That is just the the the Kings of sprinting into a parked car that they just can't get it out of their own way. That should be close to close to undefeated. But you know, continue to go and you bite that rear bump. And you have a new title here at the company, NFL Senior correspond What is it? What does mean? It's it's it's chief reporter, not chiefs not chief reporter, chief reporter, very confusing, but chief reporters. So you have responsibility and you're guiding

conscience of the newsrooms. I've said many times, but now you understand the cross that I bear. I've done. I've done these rankings because again sometimes it's like, okay, this team's got a better record, but if these teams met head to head, right, you know, the team with the lesser record would smoke them. So but again, the quarterback situation, the injury situation, My god, the forts are back. You

know where the half the teams on? I r again, No, I don't know what to do with them, but all right, I'm here with the chief correspondence. So let's get to number one through eight. Right, let's start right where we're at the top here, and I put a new team at number one, the Buffalo Bills, followed by the Eagles, Chiefs at three, Niners for Ravens, five, Bucks, six, Vikings seven, Packers eight. And yes, I do have trust issues about most of these teams, but I don't have any trust

issues about the Bills. So let's start there, Steve, I haven't had a chance to check my mentions yet. Um, it's still early on the West coast, but I'm sure Eagles fans are not happy. But this is the thing, Steve. I couldn't do it. I couldn't in good conscience sit in front of my laptop on Monday and say the Bills aren't the best team in football. And and it's not just because they pants the Steelers. It's because what they've been doing all season long. To the Rams in

Week one, to the Titans in Week two. Uh, they had to come back when on the Ravens in Week four. Yes, a bump in the road against the Dolphins in weird, hot, humid conditions came down to the wire. But then again, the Steelers, they're just the best. They're the best team. So I had to put them at number one. But but here's where I'll say, you know, to push back a little bit, what what did the Eagles do to make you think that they're not? Again, when it comes

to style points, when the Bills win, they win. I mean, their defense dominates, their offense, take to lead, they look clean. But what did the Eagles do? Okay, they had a tough game at Arizona, but they showed that they have They have shown they can win with a big play, that they can grind it out on the ground, that they can take the ball away, they can come up with defensive stops like they have shown, they can win

in every style possible. And again, if these two teams met head to head, are you certain that Buffalo gets the dub here? Again, that that's the question. But if if you're asking me that question on a neutral field, yes, I think the Bills are the best team in football right now and the Eagles, the point you're making is absolutely on point because they've done it all. They've won, they've answered the bells in different ways. They've won in to shootout, they've blown a team off the field, They've

rallied from multiple scores down. They want a close one on Sunday in a hostile environment in Arizona. So it wasn't easy, Steve. But again, the difference between one and two, it's very tight. But I just think the Bills get the edge. I get it, though. Well you're saying, basically, is Dan, you're an idiot. This is just I know, no, I mean, it's it's not disrespectful. I'm just saying, you say the Bills. He didn't say, no, you're not an idiot, Dan.

Now he just said no, you're not disrespectful. I'll know that. No, but just but just to take away, just to take away from the Eagles when they did it again and they won in a in a different way this time. Again, I get what you're saying. It would be hard for me to say that Bills aren't the best team. But when I look at the unbeaten record and the team that right now looks like the best team in the NFC, I don't know if I would have demoted them, so to speak, it would have been it's been a one

A one B type. So are you on the camp? And I've been this guy before, but as my power rankings era has moved on, I've shifted a little bit. My philosophy. The Eagles should be number one until they lose. Correct, correct, until they lose, until they lose. I disagree, and I respect. Um. Let's let's check in with the number three team and the final team I trust, like, wholeheartedly trust. It's the Kansas City Chiefs. They hold at number three, four and one. Um,

and I have to say, I can't. I can't say Steve that I was totally on board with the Raiders don't cover Kelsey strategy at the goal line of My god, isn't it an amazing like him and Mark Andrews. Look, they're that's just a late coverage right there. Ran a package is tough to cover. But there was one touchdown. I forget he ran in front of three guys. It was the fourth one. I think. It was just like what are we doing here? For three? It was like no where seven is no where eight? Seven is right?

And they just couldn't get it. Look, the candid the Chiefs are are absolutely right. Look they were, they were down seventeen nothing. The Raiders came out and popped him and they and they went here here it is right here, like oh hey, come on them, here but they came back and they played physical. I mean, I thought that the big plays by Valdesc Gantling and Jet McKinnon and some of those guys sparked some of the place and they got the Raiders on their heels again. And the

Raiders had a little doubt, you know, they came back. Um, I don't really like Andy Reid going for two when he did it, but I just the way now that the Chiefs are playing, they diversified their offense. Their defense still has some things to work through, right, but they've played a brutal schedule to this point, giving up a lot of points to this point. But again, Kelsey got

the touchdowns. But when you get Jet McKinnon, Edward Hilaire Judson, Miss Schuster, Valdisc Gantling, hardmen, they look very very very good. Got some issues on the offensive line a little bit, but um, three is three is a perfect spot for them. You're right there with your your your trust issues are are are good right here, Dan, and they have thank you, and they have Tyreek Hill out the door. And yet this offense still feels like when it starts cooking where

it gets warmed up. It is a freight train rolling downhill and nobody could deal with. That's why, especially in the NFL today, Stephen, you've been covering the league for years and years seventeen, nothing leads not what it used to say, especially against Mahomes and read Well. And that's the thing. Okay, Patrick Mahomes got it going and it once.

Once they got rolling, they're kind of at the end of the of the first half right again, Valdis scantling as a couple of big catches, Mahomes moving around a little bit. They're like, okay, let's go. So then they go in the halftime, they get the ball, come out of halftime, they come right back down boom. I mean,

Holmes is just that guy. That's why when we came into the season, everybody was like, oh, you know, the Broncos got rouss, the Charger's got all this, you know, and you still have to say to yourself, yeah, but the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and they've got Andy Reid. To me, that keeps them on top until the Chargers don't charge her, you know, until Brandon's Daley decides to actually maybe punt or you know, kick it all that by the way, Oh my god, from home two scoops,

what are we doing? Um? And finally in the in the last spot of the first quadrant, we have the Green Bay Packers, a team that drops four spots, and UM, I don't know what it is here, Steve, because on paper, the Packers look like they should have a great defense, and yet we see it now throughout this season when they need a big stop, they don't get it, and they're not getting against a third string quarterback in New for New England. In your building, you don't get stops.

And then this week happens Sae Kwan Bartley's missing swaths of the second half. They're Giants are middling offense at best. You can't get a stop there, and this time Aaron Rodger's gonna bail you out. It's you know, it's amazing when you look at all this defensive talent. You know, Rare Shawn Gary's is turning into a superstar. But the points you make are are so valid. I mean, I almost gotta stop, Steve, almost think eight is too high.

I mean, I know the record is what it is, but it I don't like some of the mistakes they're they're making. Um, they to me, they still don't have a true offensive footprint there. They're counting on twelve to just improvise and make things happen. As you said, he couldn't bail them out this time. Um. But defensively to some of the mistakes, they're making some of the big play I mean they made the giant wide receivers who have struggled all season long, you know, look like the

fun Bunch or something. Those guys are out there making plays and it's like when was I mean Daniel Jones made the Pro Bowl in that game? And so it's like, what is going on here? You have talent galore on this defense. How come they are not making plays? And they have to make play and and this I don't think this is on Aaron Rodgers in the offense. But also this is a team that's searching where the Chiefs

moved right along post Tirade Hill. You know, Rogers finished over six on deep attempts of at least twenty yards in this game on Sunday. Um, they nearly hit one two dobbs the week before, but they didn't. And they're just this offense. You do sense that that Adam's size hole is missing when they need a big play they're not able to get it to to stop the momentum building on the other side. That's a part of this

too for me. So maybe I do have them a little too high, but that almost speaks more to how the middle of this league is. I mean, it's so hard to figure out who's in the back end of the top ten because nobody's really earned it. So the Packers get some points from me and and and some respect points, but you could absolutely make a case they should be further down because because here's my question, and this is where I think the quarterback conundrum factors into

your thinking. Okay, if I'm reading your mind, we're here. I would have the Cowboys there, Okay, I mean and I and I just don't know if if you're you know, is this something where you're just like a Cooper Rush. This has all smoking mirrors right now with the defense that you know, even though they're player four and one, they're playing exceptional quad complimentary football. You just can't do it because it's Cooper Rush and not Aaron Rodgers. Am

I there with you? Dan? No, You're You're in the ballpark. Let's look at nine through sixteen. Now, as we moved to the second quadrant. I got Cincinnati at nine, coming off the loss at two and three. I guess I just still believe in them. Uh the Cowboys at ten. Uh, Titans eleven up one spot, Chargers up two spots to twelve, and up six spots to thirteen, Raiders up one to fourteen, Rams dipping for to fifteen, and the Saints up two spots to sixteen. So yeah, the Cowboys. I love Mia Culpa.

I said it this morning and a good morning football. I'm not gonna hide from it, but nobody else should either. Like I buried them after week one. I put him in the mid twenties of the power rankings. I said, if they get out of five weeks without dak at two and three, it should be considered a huge win. Uh.

And and meanwhile, they've won every game. Um, maybe the reason why they're not higher than ten, why they're not ahead of the Packers, is yes, I think the defense is carrying a little too much of the weight and I don't quite see the balance. And if they get punched in the mouth. Um, would a Cooper rush let off offense be able to uh lift them? I'm not there yet. And I think he got away with some bad throws in week four. Uh Rush, I think I threw for about a hundred and twenty yards in Week five.

So I think they're vulnerable on offense until Dak returns. But I love the stat that's that they've given up exactly one touchdown in each of the five weeks and each of the five games. It's the real deal. And you set it on around the NFL before the season started, Steve, when we did um around the NFC and forty eight minutes exactly that this defense wasn't good, it's great, and

that's certainly what's happened here. Well, I mean, look, you know when we talk a lot about Michael Parsons, but here's here's the brilliant of dan Quinn and what they've done with their personnel in Dallas on defense. Michael Parsons unicorn right, could play inside, outside, can do a lot of things them. Donovan Wilson a safety right, he's playing free, he's playing strong, he's playing a spy in the middle,

and Taron Curse's doing the same thing. So now they've got three queens on a chessboard on their defense, and this is how they're really making it hard for opposing quarterbacks on who the key who to read and if you're some team with a weakness on their offensive line, it's over those guys up front with with Tank Lawrence and Micah Parsons. You know, so those d tackles, they're

really aggressive. So here here a little question. So you talked about Okay, here's Cooper rush Hunter ten yards five yards. Isn't that how Jimmy Garoppolo the Niners got to the Super Bowl? It's fair. I mean, you know, when you when I do bury them after the back injury, they have a lot of ground to make up. So I think they've gone to ten in four weeks. But you're right, and this is that consolation. Here's a great test. Here

we go. Here we go because if they if they go on Sunday night against Philly, if they win that game, I will be on this show with Colleen next week. Um, unless you Wally Pip Colleen, and it's just a Dan and Steve joint going forward. And I'll say, man, they should have been at in the top five before that game,

but now here they are in the top three. But maybe it's a bit of a for Dan to show me game on Sunday Night for the Cowboys that you could take out a big time team, and you will because you know why, after they win that game, they're gonna put Dak Prescott in the next week and you'll be okay, like everything could be settled for it right right? How about the Bengals at nine? So I have him ahead? Is us? I got him drying spots. I kind of liked a lot of what I saw on Sunday Night.

They get beat by Tucker hitting a fifty eight yarder and then hitting one at the gun to win it. Um. But there was something with Burrow, who again without Tee Higgins, that took away the best parts of their offense and their ability to attack down field. I just started showed that they do have that metal in them to to rise up when it counts, to go on that long

drive to take the lead late. It didn't work out for them and I and I understand if you're gonna come back with me and say this is too generous, But I still believe the Bengals is one of the top teams in the a f C. So I'm not

willing to bail at this point. And I get that because you know, I'm bullish on the Bengals to what disappointed me because they should have won this game if not for their head coach slash play caller driving all the way downfield with a beautiful mix of power runs, short passed with great catching runs, getting down close to the goal line, and then all of a sudden playing Candy Land with the play called Okay, let's go wide, let's do this, let's try this trick play on fourth down.

I mean, dude, you drove the joke, you drove the Tonka dump truck down there, you play power football against this right, and then all of a sudden you get cute. Let's get cute. You know, they should have won that ball game, you know, not saying that that would have been the end all, but that would have put the Ravens in a situation where Okay, I think I think the Bengals go up right there. Um, I just I think there are there are a football team that's still

finding itself and they're still on the come up. I think they need to give us more Joe Mixon. I mean, when he started rolling this offense, that was the first time that happened all the year. But they decided to like kind of commit to him, even if it was in the short passing game, and to both running backs. To p Ryan was fantastic as well. Continue to mix those guys in there and balance the offense amore. It's

not just the big shots. I think they're a team that again is gonna find itself as it goes along.

You know. For the rankings again, I think both of our projected feeling about this team, you can look at it and say this is too high again ahead of ahead of the you know, the Cowboys and Giants right now that you can say, but again, that's the feeling like if those two teams met head to head of the Giants played the Bengals head the head of the Cowboys with the Bengals head the head, you might want to see the Bank was probably have a better team.

There's some projection in here as well, because um, we haven't seen it yet this year. But you know, I kind of waiting for Jamaar Chase to take over games and win games single handedly the way he was doing in December last year. In January. That hasn't happened yet either, So maybe once you know, Higgins hopefully gets healthy and mixing builds on this and then you unlock Chase. But I'm a little surprised he's not. He's not like a Justin Jefferson type where it doesn't matter what else is

going on off the offense. I'm gonna get mine. That hasn't been the case, but Sincin had his offense. But but they have again I said they haven't found their identity. I mean with Justin Jefferson, it is clear the Vikings are gonna find ways to scheme him open and do things the same way the Ram scheme open Cooper Cup. Right, They're not doing that so much to Cincinnati because they have so many weapons and they're still trying to figure stuff out. I mean, that offensive line is not what

we thought it's gonna be. Is it a talent issue? Is it a scheme issue. They've got to figure that part out first, because I mean, Burrow is not getting sacked as much, but he saw Lel Collins gonna get shoot up by Zach Taylor on that little cute Shouble play that you know that they try to copy from the Chief that just did not work. And you mentioned the Giants, Steve, do you want to go to the twilight zone? Of the power rankings. Let's go the twilight

zone of the power rankings. Uh, it should be sponsored, it's not. Let's work on that, uh, Shaun Kelly behind the glass and get some money in our pockets. Because the twilight zone is the thirteen spot. It's the team I don't know what to do with. Okay, they are a team that you can make a case should be in the top ten. Some could make a case they

could be in the back end of the teens. Um. I feel good about having the Giants at four and one at thirteen, but I also I also understand the doubters out there who might say, this is a classic situation where team gets out to a fast start. Check back within January when there's seven and ten. You're buying in on the Giants or no, I'm buying it on exactly what you said. I am still very much of I love how they're putting it together. This music to

get you into the the music. This is almost I wish somebody would have made the White's theme song with this be behind it, a little reggae guitar through it. Don't tempt me. There you go. But you know, look, the one thing I do like about the Brian Dayball has got them believing right, you know you saw that game. At least get one right here. He has got them believing that they're a good football team. You know how the New York media is though, and it's a national

thing too. They were saying the same stuff about Joe Judge two years ago. I know, it's different, different, it's different. It's different to say that sometimes I get ahead of our skis a little bit in the New York and I'm in New York. But I mean, look at how they're playing. I mean, they're physical, You're seeing both sides of the ball. You know they're they're they're playing well.

I still want to see it for a little bit more, like I'm just not there yet, Like I'm there with the Eagles and it's there to put them in this spot. You've done what they've done and you got them a plus six. I mean, are they are they the biggest riser? Yeah, there's another New York team that has made a big up this week out of the nether world as as

they should. As they should. We'll get to that and one more thing before we take a break here, Steve, I got the Raiders hanging tough one in four and yet I got him at number four teen because I believe. I believe that they will win at some point. It just hasn't really happened yet this season. That was a tough one against the Chiefs. I mean the tough one against every team, and they've been one possession games every game. I was in a game in Tennessee where the Titans

are just crushing them in the first half. They come out, they put it together in the second half, and had they made a two point conversion at the end of the game, it's going overtime. But that's their whole season, right, you know, they come down. We're gonna talk to you so much about Chris Jones roughing the quarterback penalty is the big penalty. No, the big penalty is when um coots Malcolm Coots on the defensive hold on the missfield goal.

How is that a thing? How is he playing the game? Steve? How does that happen? You are coached to move the guys to some audience. I mean, it's never called. So they call it on miss field goal. Four plays later the chief going score touchdown and that's kind of difference. Oh yeah, Well, Josh m. Janiels could have tied it up. Um, you know if he kicks the extra point with like one of the best kickers to model NFL. Yeah, I don't. I mean, is so cute with this stuff? Yeah, that

the two point love? I mean I get, Hey, we got momentum, we got this and that. Hey, you know, the Chiefs are pretty good team. And you know, I I get. And if that's your play called Josh Jacobs is rolling but on a condensed field, I don't know, but it's it's just these things you the Raiders do

every week. They are so close, so close, so close, but not close in I know, And that that game specifically was really and you saw it boil over at the unfortunate incident with Davante Adams show and the cameraman down. But Jacobs comes up what six inches short, maybe closer to taking the lead with four seven to play. Davante Adams on that ensuing possession after they get they get

the stop and good on them for it. In the stop has the ball in field goal range with an automatic kicker ready to go win the game, and a little bobble. It was the right call and review, but so painful and then a bad route where Renfro and Adams collide and the game it's just like, you can't make it up. I don't know if I put it so much on coaching. Like Zach Taylor. We can talk about Cincinnati, whether he's helping or hurting McDaniels. That just seems to be a team. It's a little bit snake

bid right now, and their schedule softens up. That's the thing I'm buying. I'm holding on the Raiders more than buying in or buying out because I think in a very milk toast a FC right now, they have it in them to make a rise and make me look good or make me look terrible. Next the next six games, they seriously should go five and one, you know, if not sick, so they could be right in the mix

at the end of that stretch. All right, So we're just we're about halfway through here now in the power rankings. We're gonna take a break, and when we return, we dig into the back end where there are some intriguing teams and some depressing teams. We'll be right back, all right, Welcome back this time now for Power Moves presented by Energizer and here we go the biggest Week six jumps. We've got the Jets. My Jets up nine spots UH

to seventeen. You have the Giants as we discussed, up six to thirteen, the Pats up four spots UH and Dallas of three spots to number ten. So let's start with my Jets, Steve. You know we've been working together a long time now, Steve, as long as I've been here. Basically, the Jets been one of the worst teams in the league. There's no way to sugarcoat it. There was the fith magic year and fifteen even that went sideways at the end. Um So I try to be objective as possible U

with with this our rankings exercise. Am I a little too excited to get the Jets up to seventeen based off these three wins in the first You know they're they're playing very good football right now, Zach Wilson's come back. The offense has got a little bit of an identity. The defense is playing well, and Robert Sala has got receipts. He's got receipts. But look the way this defensive front is starting to play Dan again. The way the offense is functioning. Bruce Hall kind of came into his own

a little bit this week. I like the way they're playing. They are believing. We talked about how the Giants are believing, the Jets are believing, and that look that is that is a very healthy drug belief because talent is pretty much equal across the board with most of the teams in the NFL. And now you're starting to understand why

you're doing things and what can be the result. There is something interesting going on here with this draft class, and there was a lot of hype and talk about it when it happened that Joe Douglas had leveraged all these draft assets into potential immediate impact guys. And that's what's happening here. I love this quote. Sauce Gardner his immediately stepped up a big time cornerback. Uh and Garrett Wilson is a hit the ground, running playmaker at wide receiver.

And then you have Braece Hall, who they moved up to grab in the second round. And I love this quote. UM. At some point during the Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Hall, Gardner and Wilson looked at each other and laughed. This is from the Associated Press. We were just talking about it during the game, like, bro, we're so good. What that is This that's a team that's starting to believe

in itself. And you could say, and I know Dolphins fans will say it, we were playing our third string quarterback toront Armstead went out, we were on the road in a bad situation. And that's all true, but that that is independent from a Jets team that knows nothing

but losing for years. Having these new guys Like I remember at the draft in Vegas interviewing Sauce Gardener, uh, you know, twenty minutes after he selected, and as like as the Jets guy like, oh, you know, the Jets have had a lot of losing, He's like, I don't care about that because that had nothing to do with me or any of the guys that are coming in. And you feel that now that these guys they're not

tied to the losing like the fans are. They're young and hungry and maybe even younger Rahee Morris style well, and keep in mind Robert sal and Michael Floor the Floor, the offensive coordinator. They came from a Niners team that went through this. When they started with the Niners, back in the day when Shanahan took over, the Niners were terrible. They were coming off that great Jim Tom Seula Chip Kelly run right, and so they were horrible. They didn't

have the personnel. Took some years to build a personnel, took some years to develop that talent, and got took some years for those guys to believe. I mean the Jets by name me get ahead of the curve and termed of that belief factor. So you have these young guys who are playing the good in the quarterback situation is still gonna continue to get better. We still got to see more from Zack Wilson, but he looks like the real guy. And so if they nail that, that

solves a lot of their problems. I mean, they haven't had a playoff quarterback really since Mark Sanchez. And so I mean, if Wilson turns out to be a player, look out correct, look out correct. I get too excited to see and and and I also think that la Floor and sal are starting to kind of figure out who they are as coaches as well. So to see this learning curve. Dan receipts and we talked about the Packers, who are number eight in the power ringings but can't

seem to get a stop on defense. The Jets go to Lambeau in Week five, and if the Packers aren't ready, that offense is going to score points and it's gonna be an interesting situation. Uh in Green Bay. Let's move, No, let's move. Check out the rest of seventeen through twenty four. We talked about the Jets. Let's talk about the here it is Jets seventeen, Dolphins eighteen down, eight spots. Uh, they got all sorts of issues at quarterback and that

explains that situation. Cardinals nineteen down to Browns, Patriots, Falcons, Broncos, Seattle round out. So let's talk to Browns a little bit here, Steve, because there that's a frustrating team. Then the Raiders, they they have the top spot in terms of this this season is annoying at one and four, playing all these close games. But the Browns, and you hate to say this because this is also annoying. Oh they could be five and oh, but Steve, they could be five and oh, and yet here they are two

and three and in the middle of the pack. Last week the Ravens lost, you know when they blew it their defensive issues, they're just they're they're just now it's it's no longer a blip. I mean, you come up here, it's a tire fire. You play, you play the worst rushing team in the NFL and they hit you for almost three hundred on the ground. What is that? I don't know. I mean you play in a division that is a rushing division for the most part, right then,

clowney back. You expect better results, but it's not happening getting gashed and then you know this is after you know, you're letting all these balls go over your head. Uh for communication on the back end, they are a frustrating team. Offensively, they are playing good football. I mean Kobe percent had to pick right, he had he had the he had the bad lay pick. But they're playing good football there. That's a team, like you said, you just want to

bang your head. But you know, probably in their big picture of things, they're staying afloat just enough. This is kind of the pattern. They got to get back on the plus side and the wind laws column. So when DeShawn Watson comes back in week eleven, um, it's week eleven, a week two, I'm sorry when we come back leave. I think whenever he comes back that they will be

in position to possibly make a run. And the division continues to set itself up for him to possibly come in to make it or even just get in the door of the playoffs. And and then if Watson can build a no matter of your opinion of that situation, he's gonna make that team a lot better. Joe Woods is the defensive coordinator over there. I would keep your head on a swivel, Joe, because if they need to make a change to jump start the team and might be at DC UM. All right, let's move on. Let's

talk about the Broncos. Let's talk about talk Steve. Let's talk about the Bronco. Let's talk about I than games and maybe a blind spot you could call it, maybe for the power rankings. For me, when a team really either stinks out the joint in prime time or delivers a dominating performance in prime time, I am susceptible to a little extra drop or a little extra jump. It's

just who I am. I like football unto the lights with when you when everyone's watching and the Bronco is playing one of the worst prime time games on offense, that you'll ever see on Thursday against the cults. I'm just out right now, tell me I'm wrong, telling me I'm right. Now, you're right, And look the only reason, and I'm looking at your list, I think the only reason why they're not lower is just because the teams behind them are just like almost non competitive for the

most part. I mean, there's some teams here that you can give some some hope to, but they're a mess right now. I mean we can sit here and say, oh, you know, they're they're they're taking some time to get the offense together. No, they are. You know now they've got their best offensive lineman, Garrett Bowls is out for the season. Russ just can't seem to figure out what's

going on offensively. Maybe it's just him and Nathaniel Hackett not getting it together, but just some things that you're hearing. I mean, you know, Russ having his own office in the building like he's a coach and spending time there with his entourage as opposed to some of these younger guys in the locker room who he was supposed to be building all this chemistry with, like some of the stuff like that. That's not healthy. It is not healthy. Um,

and there's new ownership there. I mean, I'm sure there are some assistant coaches and some people in that building whose heads on a swivel like this could go south real quick for all of us in here, right up to the big chair Hackett. They didn't hire Hackett, they didn't hire Hackey, and you could go right up to him. They're getting rid of Russ because they're too commute to it financially. But and that just excused the power dynamic anymore,

even more potentially because Hacket is a smart guy. He didn't get to this job by accident. He knows he needs to make things work with Russ uh to keep him happy because Russ isn't going anywhere. But so far it has not worked out. And then there's the not so small issue a Steve that after that game on Friday morning, he's getting an injection nearest shoulder Russell Wilson, so he's not physically right either. On top of everything else, there's just a lot of bad vibes. It's there's a

lot of bad mojo. There's a lot of badmo with the Chiefs playing the way that they're playing, Um, it's gonna be tough to catch up. They're just lucky that the a f C West is in this dynamic as we thought it was gonna be. Through thirty two, we got the Jags down five spots to twenty five. That's annoying. Let's get to that in a second. Lions down two spots. That's annoying. Let's also hit that UH Steelers hold at

twenty seven. Colts despite the win, I wasn't buying in at all, they hold at twenty eight, Bears up one to twenty nine, the Justin fields doing something. Finally, they're UH Commanders down one to thirty. They're a tough watch. The Texans get out of the seller for the first time in a couple of weeks by getting into the wind column, and the Panthers drop to the final spot. And we're gonna get to their situation in a second.

But let's start with the Jags. Steve uh they were the team in the beginning of the season when we kind and I were talking about, oh, who's the Bengals this year? Because infamously um I had Cincinnati about twenty nine or so at the beginning of last season. They end up playing at so far in February. Who could be the team that shocks people and makes a run into the class I said, the Jacks. It's all there and yet, and I don't want to make this a

total referendum on the quarterback. They're not making that leap, especially in the last two weeks, and Lawrence does have a lot to do with it. Yeah, I mean, he's turning the ball over and you know, they've they've got to figure that. I'm I'm not completely out on them because they've got a ton of talent, but he is making some bad mistakes. Some defenses are finding some things, some tendencies um and and making him second guests double clutch a little bit. But the Jacks, I mean, look

at that, Look at the division. I mean, the Titans are starting to, you know, find a little traction, but they still have an opportunity to Trevor. Lawrence has got to settle down. He's got to kind of Doug Peterson's got to get him to settle down a little bit. Uh to trust his players a little bit like he was earlier in the season. Because defensively, they're gonna be able to do some things. You have them in the

right spot. I mean, they've earned that that number twenty five power ranking, but you know they're they're gonna be better as the season goes along. But these last two weeks they have just they've looked like the Jaguars that we're used to seeing. Do you, I mean, entering the league, did you see Lawrence is that type of guy who could be a star And has anything changed for you based on what we've seen in a year on the quarter? No, I mean last year is a re shirt. You can't.

I absolutely thought he was gonna be a star. Still think he's gonna be a star. People I talk to coaches think he's going to be a star. He's just going through it right now. Doug Peterson, we'll get him right, Okay, that d C they have down there, We'll get that defense, right, Mike Caldwell. So again, this is just kind of the growing pains he's having to go through. This is his rookie year, so to speak. So I still think he's

gonna be really good. I think the Jaguars are gonna end up a lot higher on this list by the end of the season. And then there's the Lions right behind him at twenty six, and that this is just kind of a bummer because I think we all want the Lions to be fun. We all want to look forward to like a cool Thanksgiving game for instance. Uh, that would be nice between two quality teams, and yet it's not there. They have the best offense in the

league statistically through the first four weeks. Then they go up to New England and get shut out, shut out and taken apart. So then and you take that out of it, and you know their defense has all sorts of issues that you have to be concerned about this team. You have to be concerned. I mean because now you know,

ownership will probably be patient with Dan Campbell. But now is usually when that that that ownership group up there starts looking at other candidates outside, you know, the building, because they're just not putting it together. Now this is let's just say this at the operation game and they get it back. That's fine. Still, defensively, they are a hot mess um on what they're doing. And they've got players on defense. I mean, that's what's got to be frustrating.

They have got some talented players on defense. They've got to figure out what the heck they're doing right, And I love Aaron Glenn. I think he's He's a guy you saw in Hard Knocks. He's a great community secondary coach, is a great coach, coaching staff. You there, easy to root for, and yet you understand that there are questions behind the scenes right now, like why isn't this working?

Why aren't we taking the leap that we all expected? Uh, grit and grit alone does not get the job done, unfortunately, and and Campbell said after the game on Sunday, to me, this is about as bad as it gets. I believe we hit rock bottom. So now the only place to go is back up. Okay, that's the curse. Be careful that that's a curse, Dan, because the one thing I have found in life and especially in the business that we do, it can always get worse. Man, be careful there, Dan.

It is week five. Uh. Finally, let's talk about the number thirty two team, which usually we kind of steer clear of because there are all sorts of issues, and certainly that is the case with the Panthers right now. But they were in the news this week because they fired Matt Rule and eleven and twenty seven and two plus seasons they all forty million bucks, some of that is offset when he when inevitably he's coaching some big twelve team and they're the top twelve team in UH

next fall. But whatever rules future, we don't have to worry about him. But the Panther's future you should worry about because what are they? Where are they right now? Is an organization? In your mind? This is bad because they couldn't fix their quarter right. They tried all the band aid quarterback options. They traded away picks to get Sam Donald. That didn't work. So now are they in the situation where they just finish out the season, get

the number one pick, and go quarterback. I think that's the route everyone's probably hoping they take. Let's just tear this whole thing down at the trade deadline. Let's fire sale some players. You've got a good young defensive nucleus. If you gotta get rid of Christian McCaffrey, maybe you trade him to contender. Here's some of those reports out there. Yeah, what Buffalo was calling about it. So we'll we'll, we'll see. I think they'll wait and try and get see if

there's some leverage to play there. But I've just covered too many teams where this has happened, right, And so now all the assistant coaches are calling their agents like, all right, you know, hey, we're gonna play this out. We're gonna be professionals. We've gotta have a good face to the lot room. Um, but we're gone. Steve Wilkes, wonderful human being, is gonna take over. He's gonna coaches hard out. But we know that they're they're not gonna

give him a shot. You know, interim coaches just don't get held over. Um. And so I think this is gonna be bad. And here's something that you know, really hasn't been mentioned that with his fire, and it has to be taken into account. You don't think David Tepper, the only other Carolina Panthers, is looking at what's happening in Atlanta and saying, we have more talent than the Falcons.

And there in every game that coaching staff is coaching those guys up, they are making those guys, they're putting them in position to almost win, and we're getting smoked week after week. We can't figure it out. I think that had a little something to do with as well, you know, including the far part of his team just seemed to really just kind of lay down at the

end of that Niner scan. Yeah, and he said that, he came out and said there was not enough competitiveness on the field and there are too many, too much, too much read in the crowd, referring to to the forty Niners fans. So yeah, they're going through right now, but maybe brighter days are ahead. Steve, you've said it all. Thank you the list, good job, thank you buddy, Thank you for jumping in. Colleen will be back with me

next week. Uh, make sure you check out the Power Rankings NFL dot com slash Power Rankings and uh, watch around the NFL. Yeah, watch her on the NFL and listen to it. There's this plug and check out Steveh in NFL now and all the great stuff he does as well. Until next week, need the call. NFL Power Rankings as a production of the NFL in partnership with I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.