#7: The BIG 3.......and let's see

Power Rankings job has never been more difficult. I don't know how you're doing. I don't know what to do. I did the entire on Monday. When I was putting together the Power Rankings this week, I had one hand typing on the keyboard, the other blowing into a brown paper bag to keep from hyperventilating because this is hard. Yeah, it doesn't make sense. Nothing really makes sense. I'm not really sure, like who what teams are good. I don't know what teams are actually bad. I don't really know

what direction is up, what's down? Like it's it's crazy, and I'm just happy I don't have to do the ranking. I'm glad that's your job and you know, Judge, and it is. And we're going to get to the top eight to start here. So let's take a look at it. Um. We have the Bills coming off they went over. The Chiefs stay at number one. The Eagles, the NFL's loan undefeated team, take out Dallason and football. They stay at two. I hope that's okay with you. It's probably not. The

Chiefs stay at three, okay. And those are the three teams that I feel safe saying are great football teams. Great even though the Chiefs have a couple of losses, they're a great team and they are cut above. Then there's a huge gap. And then we start with the bottom of five teams in the first quadrant, Vikings at four, which I'm not sold that that doesn't make sense to me.

But then who do you put above them? I have the Bengals at three and three at five up four spots, the Dallas Cowboys coming off a loss on Sunday night, but a noble one. On some level, I thought up four those Geri Men all the way up from thirteen to seven, which feels strong with their five and one. It's not the power standings, but it's where we are now I don't know what to kind of do with them. And then the Ravens let me down. They dropped three

spots to number eight. And that's part of the issue here, Connie. Where the teams that I had in the top ten last week, a lot of them kind of messed up. They played poorly, like the Ravens are a perfect example. The Ravens go to the meadow Lands to face the four and one Giants. Nobody's really taking the Giants seriously yet entering week six, Giants fans were, and then they

let a lead get away. So the Ravens made total senses a number four team, but instead I have to drop them, and it's the Vikings that I have at number four. So let's start with them there five and one. But again power rankings not power standings. I'm not blown away by them. What did you think about them against the Dolphins? So here, here's where I want to start, because you talk about the top three teams being like that is that's the top tier, no question about agree?

Right now? Yeah? And then a huge gap I'm talking like, that's what I want to know. Okay, So that's six thousand mile gap, Like if you didn't have to put teams slot them in at certain numbers. Where would you start the rankings with the vikings, like would you let's say there's like an unlimited amount of spots here, you can put in some some voids, like would you start

them at ten? Would you start them? I mean, they feel like in a normal season, And I don't know if this is answering your question, but your question kind of confuses me. In a normal season, that is what I'm getting at. There. They feel like a right now with their good start at ten to twelve type team.

Because of the completely uncertain nature of the league right now, I had to slot them higher then I feel like they are because typically in this exercise, and I hope as the season goes on we get a little more clarity on the situation. Any team that I have in like the top seven or so, but especially the team that comes in at number four, like I see them as a credible super Bowl contender, but I'm not. I'm

not there with the vikings. I mean, I'll say like what Kirk Cousins said after the game, and it'd be good. You know, I want you to listen to it very much. The inverse of of one. I would walk off the field after we had lost and said, we're playing so well, we're playing so well, and somehow, some way we lost. But we're playing at very high level this year. I'm saying, gosh, we can play better, but we want And it's just kind of an inverse and uh, I'll take you know

this any day. So he's invoking those salty ghosts of the Mike Zimmer era. They're getting up, they're getting a bump here because they're they're closing, but they're not dominant. And Kirk Cousins he is after the game just like drenched in diamond chains on the plane, like he's having a great time. But it's hard for me to picture the Vikings as the fourth best team in the NFL when their offense is just like an on and off switch, like it just goes in these waves. And it was

just so many three and outs. I mean they're during a certain point in this game, Minnesota had as many furts downs as they had three and outs. They had seven, Like this was ten of their fifteen drives ended in a three and out. Like I just am not totally sold there. Of course, you know they have a two game lead in the division. They are one of the few teams that have five wins. It feels like the entire league right now is three and three or under

five hundred. But the defense looked good. It's just I can't I didn't really think that the Vikings were going to put it all together. And I still feel like it's almost week three in my mind, like it's too early to say that they are going to be able to really put in a push here for the division with the Packers looking in the way that they are. But Kevin O'Connell and his first year as a head coach,

is that going to happen? I don't know what's going on UM with the Vikings in terms of trust level, UM it part of me does feel the same way you do, and I think, not to put words in your mouth, but like that there's probably like a the inconsistencies probably will lead to that classic Minnesota lose three in a row or four out of six, and it kind of brings their record back to where you think it probably should be. UM, because that's what I think of them. I think they're good but not great team.

But that's just where we are right now as we look also elsewhere in Tier one. You know, the Bengals at five is another example, like, yeah, I really like Cincinnati. I've been higher. I know there are other off brand power rankings throughout the media sphere, uh that you don't really have to pay attention to this power rankings. But I'm sure if you were to, for I guess just because you're wasting time, maybe you're in prison and you

have time to kill. I don't know, um you would you look at my rankings and then look at these other rankings. My love of the Bengals, or what seems like love, is probably going to shine above other power rankings. I've kind of stuck with them through thick and thin through the start of the season. And what gets him into the top five is two things. One again winning, just winning in week six is going to give you a bump in a very unsettled landscape in the top

half of this league. And two, I thought it was really good to see two things Joe Mixing looking like Joe Mixing again, but most importantly Jamaar Chase and Joe Burrow unlocking that magic, especially in the second half. And I said with Steve Wich last week Connie that one of Zach Taylor's jobs heading into New Orleans popped the hood on this offense and figure out why Jamar Chase isn't an explosive playmaker, and that's exactly what he was. My biggest issue is whether or not their offense is

going to be okay now going forward? Have they figured it out? Is this now the the equation? Is this what they're going to use going forward? But when you have one good game and you win by four, like that's now all of a sudden they're a top five team. But like you can even say this with the Vikings because the Vikings outside of like they're only lost the Vikings was against the Eagles, and they're only dominant win

was Week one against the Packers. So you have just this like weird water down middle, huge soft underbelly of the league. And just like with the Vikings, what in a normal season quote unquote normal season, Cincinnati feels like a team they would live in that like twelve to fifteen range, maybe closer to twelve, maybe even eleven. But the way things are now, they get the W And I think what kind of drove me to really give

him the bump? Here up for spots is Joe. Joe Burrow is just so special and I watched I watched these games and when he's getting better and better, they were so out of sinc to start the season. The offensive line was a mess. That's gotten better and better and it's allowing Burrow to be comfortable and be the dude that he is. So with t Higgins and Tyler Boyd and now Jamar Chase unlocked, I could see this

team going off on a bit of a rampage. They absolutely good, especially when you consider that all three losses were on game ending field goals. They needed to come from behind win again this time, but their run defense is an issue. The Saints ran all over them for over two hundred rushing yards. Their next game, though, is against the Falcons, and they got one of the most surprising wins two of the week. That was just like another team, right, So that could be an issue coming

up on Sunday, Yes it could and the Falcons. That's the other thing here, Conny, I was talking about our friend Dave Damaschek on his podcast on Dave, the teams that we thought were gonna stink in our league are better than we thought. And the teams that we thought were gonna be good or kind of the middle of the pack. Most of them have come down and that's created this bizarre situation where you would usually say, oh, Cincinnati gets to go to Atlanta now, and that's a

good spot for No. The Falcons are certified frisky. They just beat the Niners, another team that I would have loved to put up at number four this week. But then they let me down the Cowboys And this is probably unprecedented in in uh in the history of the power rankings since I've been doing it. To move hot like a big move in the top ten off a loss. Again, does it feel quite right? No, But at the same time, you got to look at the landscape of the league.

I thought it was noble. The way they were able to battle back. The Eagles incredible. You know, they wake up the well the second quarter. The Eagles have scored more points through six games in the second quarter than any team in the history of the NFL. So they put up twenty in the second quarter that you know, took a twenty three lead I believe it was into the second half, and they got the running game going Dallas, they got some stops on defense, made it an interesting game.

Now Cooper Rush, it's time for Cooper Rush to step step aside. Good job, a great story, great story, but you finally saw what would happen when Cooper Rush gets put in a negative game script and a tough road environment. Three interceptions. But now Dak Prescott is there are reports that he is ready to return against the line, so Dak back to stabilize the offense with one of the best defenses in football. I felt like you had to move them up after a good showing against one of

the big three of the Eagles. Well, yeah, and obviously Cooper Rush has done a great job. He's kept Dallas's season alive. He's done better than I think most people expected him to do. He's a good backup quarterback. But you know they want like a little bit. I feel like if you watch these Cooper games and I know you're you're just like I mean, I feel like he did,

he did his job. But also in each of the last three games, I think he got away with passes and until the Eagles game, I think if we would have continued down this path, or if Da God forbid for Cowboys fans had a setback, it probably wouldn't be good news. But you're right on balance. He did his job. I'm sorry, I don't want to be negative. You want to talk negative about the Cowboys. UM, I am definitely not here for it. What um? But I think too uh?

Speaking of run defenses that have had some issues. When the Eagles took over in the fourth for that game ceiling drive that they had, I mean they ran ten times on that drive. Every third down was more than manageable for them. Like four out of the last six games, the Cowboys defense have allowed over a hundred and twenty rushing yards. So they have the Lions and the Bears up next, and both of those teams have top ten

rushing offenses. That could be a major problem. But they are playing their next four games against the NFC North, so you know that pretty in an uncertain league, that's a pretty soft landing space right now. The team right behind the Cowboys is the Giants, who have lost one game this season to the Cowboys. Giants, what are the time for power moves? Presented by Energizer, They're up six spots uh two, number seven if you look at the

season rank trajectory. Great work by Drew Christensen. Our editor who who does does incredible work. They started at twenty eight. I'm just gonna go through week by week as the old susor has been trying to figure out the Giants being really good for some reason five and one. They went from to start the season one nineteen down to twenty two. After the Cowboys lost in week four nineteen

thirteen seven, they just hang around, Connie. You really didn't want to take them out of that like ground that they were in, that like late teens, early twenties. Yeah, quote unquote normal year. Yeah, they're like a twelve or thirteen mystery team for me. But in this year they keep winning. They keep beating teams that I like, like the Ravens. Another great performance, especially late forcing two turnovers of Lamar getting the go ahead touchdown of course from

se Kwon Barkley. And again every game ends Connie with Brian Dable shot from the camera coming off the sidelines, pumping his fist, pointing to his parents or whoever in the crowd, and everybody's slapping them on the back. I know you don't like the Giants either. Story here in the middle. I'm fair, I'm balanced. I will give people props when they deserve it, and it hard for you

even to say, no, I'm not. I'm serious. The Giants have been fun to watch, and I'm going to get like, you know, strike me down, like just the skeleton next to me of the studio. It's It's true, I am guilty of watching uh wink Martindale and the defense looking really good, especially against Lamar Jackson and his former team, and you know that he just wanted that win so bad. And somehow this offense is they're creatively making it work and they don't have any receivers. They just have se

Quan Like. I don't know how long they can go on with this formula, but they're doing it now and they have wins over the Packers and the Ravens. So then it's kind of like, well, should they be higher or are we not using the Packers as a measuring stick anymore? Where Where does that fall? I think it's fair to ask. I think again, as the season takes shape and we understand how unpredictable this whole thing is.

A team like the Giants, well coached, with a superstar running back, an improved offensive line, and a defensive coordinator who's getting the very most out of his defense. That's gonna win games in a league with a lot of teams that are kind of in the middle, They're gonna win a lot of close games this year. I don't think that's flukey. I'm kind of buying in now that this could be, you know, a ten eleven win Giants team. So that's why they are where they are. And the Ravens,

by the way, what are we doing Ravens? You know they are up to three losses in which they had led by at least ten points at some point in a game that matches a team record. It's Week six, it's it's not going well for the Ravens like this. This is an ugly, ugly loss, and Jackson has a lot to answer for it. I mean, this was one of his his worst Lamar show. Lamar blew that game. But John Harbo needs to get some heat too, because

blowing all these games not a good look. Let's check out Tier two, as we call it, I call a quadrant number two. I don't know if that makes sense. Buccaneers at nine down three, that's something off in the mix. Uh down in Tampa the Chargers, I don't know what to do with the charge charges another one, you know, beat up on Denver on Monday night football, and maybe even I'll slide you up at four and two to the number four spot, but not even close. The defense

was fine, but the offense. Niners down seven to eleven, which might seem like a big drop, but there's a lot of injuries to that defense that are now really affecting the bottom line. Rams up three with a win over the Panthers. The Jets, my Jets up four. I thought I showed some good like discipline here, not to go two nuts after beating the Packers and Lambeau all the way up to thirteen. Tightens down three to fourteen on a buy tough luck. But things are weird right now.

Packers down seven to fifteen, which is as low as they've ever been since I've done this in four years, and the Raiders also sitting on a bye. They just get shifted a little bit, uh due to I was wondering about the wondering machinations are match mashing it? I think it's machinations, I think, But anyway, the I was wondering how you approached bye weeks in your rankings now that we had the first first bye weeks last week

another one. Obviously we like what happens. This once again shows the instability of NFL right now that usually almost always with a bye week, I never move a team. I either lock them into their spot or they get dropped one or raised one um based on what's going

on around the team. But things are so strange now and fluid that bye weeks teams are moving around, which is an unintended after effect of a very strange I feel like you you kind of told me at the beginning of the season about your number thirteen slot and how that is just like a weird, kind of mystical place for teams to be. You don't really know what that team is, but I feel like just a full the full middle of your power rankings are team. There's a lot of miss I just I stuck the We'll

get to the Jets in a second. Let's start with the Bucks. The Bucks are at nine. There's a lot wrong um with the Bucks. Why just don't they don't seem to have a lot of juice right now. The offense, it's so hard offense to gain yards and score points, which nobody predicted. They just keep imploding in the red zone. Like nothing about this offense is tapped in, like their their pepper, spraying themselves with penalties and mistakes, like they can't get out of their own way. Brady can't even

get a yard on a sneak anymore. Like it is. That was kind of like the moment it is going on here, and it's just it's kind of weird and sad to watch. And then we saw Tom Brady freaking out on the sideline. I mean, we've seen that before, but now it just seems a little different, knowing what we know about what's going on in his personal life and then seeing his professional life with the way that

the Bucks are performing. I don't know what's wrong with the Bucks offense, but him, him and Godwin are not

on the same page at all. There's just so many miscommunications. Yeah, and of course everything now is being examined with Brady, who goes to Robert Kraft's birthday party turned wedding surprise wedding surprise wedding on Friday, misses a team walked through on Saturday as a result, which and then is uncharacteristically inaccurate and Sunday's game, uh, leading to Todd Bowles having to answer questions about whether Brady's treated different, Well, of

course he's treated different. He's Tom Brady. But that's never a good look. UM. So we have a situation Brady, and I was sending out tweets about gotta be better, We'll be ready to go Sunday with It's not just him, it's other players on the team. In the photo, Um, I think his frustration is palpable. You see it, You see the pressure on and we can't get in his head and figure out what else is going on behind

the scenes. But I think you could connect some dots that this has been a very difficult a few months for Mr Brady, and think about what this Tampa often struggled against Pittsburgh defense without t J. Watt, the reigning defensive player of the Year, and without three of its starting cornerbacks, and they couldn't get it done. It makes me wonder if Pittsburgh has figured out how to get pressure without t J. Watt. But also it makes me even more concerned about this Bucks team and the fact

that their old line is having major issues. We knew that's been a storyline since training camp. Their rookie guard is having major growing pains and that's messing them up. With Leonard Fournett in the backfield not having any time like he's getting swarmed. I think they'll grind it out. And I think because their defense is still very good. The defense overall, with the one blip of the Kansas City primetime game a couple of weeks ago, has been

as good as advertised. I think they'll be okay, but I think it's a little to a grind and surprising also a grind the Niners um and as I said, they dropped look further than I would have usually because you at a certain point you can't look the other way. On how many injuries. Um, they were down to four of eleven of their eleven projected starters on their defense

by the end of the loss of the Falcons. And I saw, and I know, uh, Greg Rosenthal on around the NFL pointed to Marcus Mario or excuse me, Jimmy Garoppolo in this offense not being built to play from behind. I I see that. But they also had a couple of big misses on players that could have put them back in the game, on catching run balls, which is what they're all about there. The act bros. The real thing is this defense, which is you're seeing the cracks

now because they've simply lost too many key players. That's they're they're just way too wounded right now and the team is not built to accommodate that whatsoever. None this is at the end, like you said, there was only four healthy defensive starters to end game. Eleven of twenty two starters were missing, like this was. This was a mess for them. And when you don't have guys like Nick Bosa and Eric Armstead coming in, like you're going to give up a season high twenty eight points to

fon Galanta who hadn't been doing anything offensively. No, they looked very competent, the Falcons. Uh. In fact, there a team to keep an eye on in a wide open league. The Packers, as we talked about the Packers are kind of a mess. They're kind of sloppy. Uh. Speaking around the NFL, we have a new trope where we tracked the teams that when things are going bad, either offensive or defensively, go to the media and say, well, it's time to simplify things in their play calling or their scheme.

And it's usually kind of a indirect shot, a transparent indirect shot at the coaching staff's ability to lead. I'm not saying there's a you know, uprising a foot in frustration is real. So keep an eye on what's going on with the Packers. They have all the way down to fifteen, and they just looked non competitive against Yes, the Jets, who I have at fourteen, and I again, I try to have some at thirteen. Yes, I try

to have discipline. Uh with my favorite team one way or the other, whether they're really bad or really good. Not to be too emotional about it. Uh, but the Jets with this young team, and I love the new Moniker of the baby Jets, they expect to win. Now those winds that seem like Lucky Flukey wins against Cleveland and then Pittsburgh, that kind of that was the base. And then they blew out the Dolphins in the fourth quarter in a game that got really tight and you

could see the switch flip. So by the time they got to Green Bay, they expected to win. Sauce Gardner expects to win, Breeze Hall expects to go over a hundred yards rushing, They expect to get to the quarterback, and they destroyed Aaron Rodgers and that offensive line. Quentin Williams is playing like an All Pro and leading a really strong UH front for front seven. It's it's all there Connie for the Jets, while they need Connie because I'm again I'm trying to quarter. I need to see

more from the quarterback. If Zach Wilson matures and develops, they could be the Bengals. They really could. But that's a big gasque because he's not Joe Burrow right now, not even close. But they're they're getting get done. Three straight wins and the Packers and Dolphins wins like this was they beat them by a combined score of sixty seven to seven, like and I just want to say a lot of Jets fans in my mentions, they're not

happy that I haven't picked the Jets. I apologize this is not a personal thing, but I think now I have to start picking the Jets because I'm starting to believe in them. And Sauces is the one that's that's making me do it. Like I love the energy, the swag of wearing the cheese head, throwing his arms up like he's in Rome at the Colosseum. That came after Reese Hall jumped into the Lambeau leap after his touchdown

run that basically sealed the game. That's swag. That's stuff that we haven't seen as Jet sans since Bart Scott was interviewed by Sal Pal at Foxboro in the two thousand ten playoffs and said, can't wait, Like the Jets believe look out this is. There were so many aspects of their game that shined, Like the running game came up huge, as you just mentioned with Breecee Hall. They had two rushing touchdowns, the defense was swarming, four total sacks.

Special teams even got in there with the block punt and a field goal like this was. This was a fun, fun watch, And I feel like a lot of times these teams, you know, people make a little too much about like, oh, they have that swag, but honestly, that's a lot of times what the sea, especially with a young team, and they get the Broncos next, who are a disaster on offense and in past protection, and Russ isn't seeing the field? Am I gonna lock up the Jets?

Something around the NFL pock just just my all right, let's take a break and hit the back half of the thirty two teams of our league. You're right back, all right, Welcome back to the power ranking is presented by Energized. So let's go through seventeen through the third quadrant. Patriots up four spots and looking frisky as seventeen. Falcons up four spots, up to eighteen after taking out the forty nine. Isn't really out playing them while they did it.

The Saints down three spots to nineteen, Seahawks up four spots, the twenty, the Cults up seven spots to one, the Steelers up five after Mitch Drabinsky saved the day. Uh to number twenty two, the Dolphins down five to three, and the brown goes after another grim prime time performance by their offense, clock in down one spot. Uh. Let's start here with the Patriots. I am um, I'll take a little victory lap on this one. Connie Zappy Fever. I have a lot of respect for what Bailey Zappy

has done here. But there was so much talk entering the season about the Patriots losing the plot in terms of their philosophy and their understanding of what scheme and and continuity and and the idea of installing a new offensive game plan without Josh McDaniels. And you know, having Matt, Patricia and Joe Judge in the building, what did you like? My god? Bill Belichick is doing it all because he

is the greatest coach of all time. He tied George Allis for career wins with a dominating showing against the Browns. And yes, Bailey z Appy he gets a ton of credit the fourth round pick in place of Mac Jones. Connie. Belichick has a huge role in that as well, with of course Patricia and Judge. To a certain extent, he's playing like a veteran in his third start, like a good veteran. Yeah. And you know who didn't go to

Robert Croft's wedding surprise wedding. It wasn't Bailey Zappy. It wasn't Bill Belichick either, because he had to prepare for this game, and Zappy was prepared. Kind of fascinating, right, Like Buill didn't go, Bill was like I got work, Tom went, Buill didn't go. Bill still is with the Patriots. Bill didn't go. Yeah, he had he had the Browns to prepare for. That's not a great look for I know it's not. But the Patriots, Hey, they look good and I like the fact that they've they have simplified

things for Bailey z Appy and it has worked. There's like a lot of short throws. You're not hearing any of the players saying. It's very different between that eternally being the case and players being like, we need to simple five. Ucially a quarterback to to Rogers caliber like that is no good. So the Patriots, obviously Zappi looked good. And then the defense they forced Brissette into three turnovers, They limited the Browns rushing offense like that was a

full effort by them. I mean, are they are the Packers better than the Patriots? I don't know. I don't really know what imagine. Imagine me telling you that we would be having this conversation back in August. No, that's why, I don't know why we even have conversations in August. I don't know why. Yeah, August exists at this office. Um. Speaking of quarterbacks that are surprising us this year, Gino Smith and the Seahawks. They come in at number twenty,

up four spots from twenty four. And yes, I tease it with Gino, but what was interesting about the latest Seahawks win. It was it wasn't about Gino that that that defense actually stepped up. I think a lot of that connects Connie to how bad the Cardinals in and that horrendous scheme with Cliff King's barry. It's good, but credit where credit is due. The Seahawks getting stops In quarterback Threek Woolen is a Rookie of the Year candidate.

Four interceptions in four games, including the clincher uh against Hollywood Brown, who got hurt on that play as well. He recovered the fumble to Tyreek Woolen like this was their rookies first of all are really standing out like they had a great draft. But the defense, I've been waiting the entire season, the all all five games I've been waiting and then games six that showed up. It's like, Connie, where are you, like you were supposed to meet me today? No, no, no,

I'm still waiting for the Seattle Seahawks defense. They haven't showed up yet. So um yeah, I was just like stranded for a while waiting for them to pick me up. And finally he said you'd meet me at the dog Park. No, Seattle Seahawks defense hasn't arrived. It's all their fault. I blame them for everything, but they won Seattle. The game like that was, they allowed zero touchdowns to the card offense. The only touchdown that game was on special teams, like

they sacked Kyler six times. This was. This was every time that Arizona went for it on fourth down, which I don't know why they kept doing because like, nope, yeah, I don't know if I'm not I'm holding on the Seattle uprising on defense and more opinning it on the Cardinals stink um right now. Um. But at the same time, I'm sure Pete slept well. This is the grand plan which we were all like, I don't know what the Seahawks are doing, and the grand plan in Indianapolis that

matt Ryan would come and stabilize that offense. And it hasn't really been the case until I was waiting, all Dan, come on your son, he's it's his graduation. No, no, I'm waiting for the Colts offense to hit its stride. It did happen on Sunday with a three hundred eighty nine yard performance of three touchdowns and forty fifty eight

passing for Mattie Ice. But the most important thing, I thought, fifty eight dropbacks, no sacks against the Jaguars, which says a lot about Jacksonville and you know, Trayvon Walker and what was supposed to be a better defense. But it does tell you that maybe Frank Reich has something starting to fall into place for the Cults because it looks so bad. I was really starting to worry about Frank Reich and I was even and you love yourself from

some Frank Reich. Yeah, I was thinking to myself after the game or before the game on Sunday, all right, if they lose this game, like, are we going down a path where Frank Reich he's going to get fired and then ultimately next season he's going to join Doug Peterson in Jacksonville and go to like the enemy. I had this whole thing in my head. But what's it like inside your head? So busy? There's just so much stuff always happening, disorganized up there is something you can do,

like to Rex, like in general? Is there anything you do like the past time? I don't know. It could help you just sleeping, I think, but even that's difficult. Um, So I have started figure skating again and that works. How is it physically awesome? Is your is your body able to return to that? It has been so amazing. Seems hard. I thought so too, and that's why I kind of avoided skating for a while because I was

worried and afraid to see where I was. And I've gone like three times now and I'm almost back to exactly where I was. Like, um, I'm working on my doubles already. I'm doing like spins all of it. So it's great anyway. The cults, yeah, they look great with no Jonathan Taylor or Nahem Hines too, so like you know, you can always they'll be okay, they'll be in that race in December. Uh. Finally it's stuck with the Broncos. Uh, you know the thing that was so disappointing, and God,

all these island games with Denver. It's absurd how many times America has been forced to sit down and watch it. How much longer will we have to go through this? It starts with Russell Wilson completing his first ten passes is including that thirty nine yard touchdown pass to Greg del Chitz, and it was like, okay, alright, finally, and I am not saying this is all at all? Is a Russell Wilson, fantasy owner. That's not where any of this is coming from. And then snap your fingers and

I was it. That was another dispiriting, gruesome displayoff offense for Russell Wilson, the highly paid trade import and Nathaniel Hackett, the head coach who was the quarterback guru under Aaron Rodgers. That feels like a long time ago. You want to talk about who is a head coach and a ton of danger right now? It is Nathaniel Hackett. I know it's his first year, but look out with new ownership

there and this team completely lost. This was another Broncos tragedy that we had to watch and it's just becoming too much. But it is so weird to see Russell Wilson look the way that he does like this is I thought this was an m v P caliber quarterback who every year we're like, oh, he's never gone an m v P vote, And you know, look at all the things he can do. He's still in his peak. He's still in his prime. He can make things happen. He's fourth quarter come back you know, come back king

all the time. I don't know I was gonna say come backing all of the time and then yeah, come back, king, I told you there's a lot going on in the brain. Um it's Wilson. Everyone wants to put everything on Wilson. A lot of it's on Wilson, and you could even you know, Troy was calling him out on the ESPN crew for missing some reads that he should have made. But god, the scheme is really rough to the there's

just right, you know. Aigman also called out some of the routes that were being run is just being subpar. And those third downs? How many third downs? Third in medium's third and longs where Wilson takes the snap and maybe for people that are more like strategically inclined than I, uh, you could point out that's on the quarterback too. He should have been recognizing certain things. But as soon as the ball snapped, there's four guys darting at Wilson and

the plays over before it starts. It's just a broken offense. The defense is great, but the offense is the worst. They were They were just blowing up Wilson like play after play. And not only that, but they haven't committed to the run, so they're not really putting Wilson. They don't have anyone, I mean, and Gordon looking so sad

on the sideline, wishing for a revenge game. Never gotten anyone, Williams out for the year, You're you're using Latavius Murray, who, let's be honest, is just not an impact player at this stage of his career. And yeah, Melvin Gordon didn't feel bad for him. He said after the game, it really hurt to a kind of be benched and not kindo be be benched essentially. And then the bad job by the Chargers who were putting them up in the screen with that's awful. Let's cleaning up the game day operation.

They don't like that at all. But also he wasn't given any type of heads up either, like at halftime, so he was just kind of sitting there waiting for this. I hate that for him. The second half and overtime for Denver fifteen yards passing, twenty four yards lost on sacks alone. Tier four, let's start with the Browns at down five spots. They're not very good, the Browns, and it's the defense that's the reason why the Cardinals down

seven to twenty six. A very tough why. There's some real tough watches in this group, this whole group is just like down. Yeah, the Jaguars down to to Trevor Lawrence got off the mat a little bit there, but the defense took a step back. As I said, with the Colts, the Lions on the by down two to the Bears commit enders, Texans, and Panthers round out the list. They don't move at all. The Browns yeah, like I said, um, Joe Woods, an events coordinator, could be in trouble here

because the scheme is not working. They're not getting stops. The Patriots with with a third string quarterback. Let's keep let's remember that it was Brian Hoyer replacing Mac Jones and then Bailey's Appy just shredded them. Uh and they they're bad against the run. And then you've got Nick Chub getting twelve carries in that game, which just like the whole thing, it feels a little off with Cleveland,

a little off. It's a lot off. The Browns. The fact that they are two and four after facing as you mentioned, Bailey's Appy, Marcus Mariota, Mitchell Trobiskie, Joe Flacco, and Baker Mayfield, Like this is not okay. And when you look at their schedule they're getting ready to go up against Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow to a Josh Allen and Tom Brady. So things are bad now, but they

could get a lot worse. They could get a lot worse. But, like you know the theme that we were talking about the beginning of this episode, he also don't know, like all these teams are kind of pretty close. Could they put it together and make some changes. Maybe they need to simplify the playbook on defense and the scheme and that could get them better. They still have Nick Chubb,

who is arguably the best running back in football. Give him the rock, don't put Jake Brisket and at a place where he could be exposed like he was against Bill Belichick, which was his you know something you could see coming from a million miles away right behind the Browns. Excuse me, let's finished by talking about the Cardinals, who, um,

I don't know what they're gonna do now. Marky's Hollywood Brown As we saw on that interception that that ice the game for Seattle, suffers a foot injury that's gonna knock him out for multiple weeks. They pivot and trade for Robbie Anderson, and I just gotta be honest with you. I this is not I don't want to get on Robbie Anderson, but I don't know if this is a

good spot for Robbie Anderson. Who's a guy who's known to show his frustration both on the sideline and with a coaching staff when the ball is not coming his way, and now he's going to an offense where they have no idea how to get the ball to their wide receivers. He is a streaker. He's a guy that not he doesn't get nude and run on the field or maybe he has, yeah, but he's a guy who can beat you deep, and that's what they need in their offense.

You have DeAndre Hopkins. He's coming back this week, but losing Hollywood is a big thing. He was like the only good story on this offense this year. Yeah, well, they at first feared it was season ending for Hollywood and he'll be hopefully he'll be back six weeks. It looks like four to six weeks um. And then when they have DeAndre Hopkins back, I think that that will

change things because he's such a game changer. But how much. Honestly, at this point, I don't know how much the return of DeAndre Hopkins is going to matter if it's going to save them that much. Like there's just too much wrong with this team and there's not enough talent, I think to make a difference. That's well said, Connie, And that is a look at the League of thirty two. And as I said, check it out on NFL dot com slash Power Rankings for the full rundown that I

put together. Uh, it is the Big three and a whole lot of let's see pretty much. That's where we are. Thank you for everybody for listening and watching. And remember we're here every Tuesday trying to figure this thing out. Cutty, come on, we'll be back, maybe with more answers, maybe probably more questions. Till next week later. 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.