POWER RANKINGS
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Comment by Nate Davis
Scored fewest points of season (20) and still managed to win eighth in a row against arguably toughest foe on schedule. Super Bowl favorites? We think so ...
They’d never won consecutive division titles prior to arrival of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. They’re now three-time defending NFC South kings.
They’ve now worked their way into position for at least a first-round bye, a potentially deadly development for the rest of the NFC given Seattle’s playoff track record of success at CenturyLink Field. Schedule doesn’t let up with trip to New Orleans next on schedule. Might be a holiday blessing as Niners could well be returning to Big Easy in January.
They’ve never reached AFC Championship Game in franchise’s 18season history, but this Houston team looks like it might be ready for that type of breakthrough.
Hyper focus remains on stalled offense. But did you notice vaunted defense surrendered four TD passes in Houston, doubling season total entering game?
Happy 36th birthday, Aaron Rodgers. When Brett Favre was 36, he suffered through only 12-loss campaign of his career ... so you’re doing just fine.
Promising sign with defense rounding into what could be winning form after generating seven takeaways and surrendering just 26 points last two games.
Could they actually win AFC East for first time since 1995? Buffalo must go through Ravens, Steelers first before next shot at Patriots. Gave a solid account of themselves in a brutal venue even without a big chunk of their offensive firepower. Still, margin for error over closing Rams is dwindling dangerously.
How about the sophomore season OLB Harold Landry is having? Last year’s second-round pick has nine sacks, including one in five consecutive games.
Nice to see rookie RB Benny Snell still sporting that spinner in his mouthguard as he cruised into end zone for his first NFL touchdown. Followed worst performance of season with their best. Seems their stars are finally healthy, but they must remain aligned for playoff return.
On the bright side, Jason Witten joined Tony Gonzalez as only tight ends with 1,200 career receptions ... but JW still trails TG by 125 grabs. Kicking woes continue to kill them. It’s not all Adam Vinatieri’s fault, as evidenced by Sunday’s two blocks, but they’ve now left 30 points on board over course of season.
Too-little-too-late mode. Only realistic objective remaining is stretching Mitchell Trubisky in order to find out if he’s still the starter in 2020. Tough year for defense but nice to see rookie Devin White assert himself with monster game (TD, INT, fumble recovery) at Jacksonville. Welp, Freddie, whether or not “Pittsburgh Started It,” you can definitely print up some shirts that read “Pittsburgh Finished It.”
If Carson Wentz merely had Aaron Rodgers’ ability to complete Hail Marys, this team would be on its way to the NFC East title. Alas ... Why wouldn’t Carolina look at rookie Will Grier now and continue gathering information before setting its QB direction for next year? Seems they’re kind of team that plays to level of competition ... but that would be insult to Bengals, who were clearly superior in Week 13. They limp into final Oakland homestand to face surging Titans squad that could officially stake Silver & Black’s sagging playoff hopes. Nice debut, kid. Now all Drew Lock must do is roll into Houston, then Kansas City, trying to prove John Elway need not draft another quarterback.
Despite being 4-8, they’ve outscored opposition by three collective points this season. That’s what happens when every loss for a loaded roster is gut-wrenching.
With Panthers, Jags, Bucs still ahead, Atlanta can’t even be legitimate spoilers. Scant incentive to further jeopardize Julio Jones, Matt Ryan. They’ve racked up 13 sacks during two-game winning streak even though Ryan Kerrigan missed first game of his career Sunday at Carolina.
“Mountaineer shot” — swaggy name for one of the sweetest trick plays you’ll ever see. When did it suddenly become fun to watch the Fins?
Can’t wait to see where Danny Amendola plays next. No other wide receiver has 50 or more catches plus at least 500 yards past three years all while playing for different teams.
Inevitable “Air Raid” offense would eventually kill Air Raided defense, now ranked dead last after surrendering nearly 500 ypg over past five outings.
They’ve lost four straight by an average of 20.5 points ... can Gardner Minshew or benched Nick Foles really overcome those kind of deficits? They finally get off schneid and remain in position to pick atop 2020 draft. Worth noting Zac Taylor has kept them competitive most weeks. As injuries mount and drama around embattled Pat Shurmur builds, would you pick them over Cincinnati? Eight-game skid now league’s longest.