No intro today. Just this photo of a prediction that aged poorly.
Now for the rankings!
32. Raiders. Jared Cook looked like he was younger than 31 today and the Raiders gave a shorthanded Chiefs their best shot at home on Sunday. Unfortunately they still lost so they are still last in the rankings.
31. 49ers. I was impressed with how hard the Niners played again! At the end of the first half they were down 20-0 and could have just folded and gone into half time. Instead, they put together a good drive and finished the half with a field goal. A meaningless score at the time, but an impressive display of their effort and shows how hard they are willing to play for Coach Shanahan.
30. Jets. They gave away this game about as many times as they could yesterday. Also, I don't understand why Darnold isn't playing more. He needs to take his lumps and it won't help him develop when he's sitting on the sideline.
29. Bills. I can't believe Josh Allen under threw the football on the game winning touchdown attempt. I never thought I would have seen something like that with Allen's cannon arm.
28. Bengals. I said it last week, and I'll say it again. The Bengals have perhaps the worst defense in the history of the NFL. It was on full display this week as they had the misfortune of facing the greatest undrafted runningback in the history of football (maybe Lindsay is...I don't know). In addition to their defensive struggles, they also lost AJ Green and have no weapons for backup Jeff Driskel. The end of the season can't come soon enough for the Bengals.
27. Cardinals. The Cardinals showed incredible resilience on the road this weekend at Green Bay. Rosen threw for a mere 149 yards with zero touchdowns, but he made the most important completion of the game which was a 3rd and 23 pass to Larry the Legend Fitzgerald. They killed the Packers and were able to slay Aaron Rodgers at home. They also won for the first time in Green Bay since 1949! What a way to do it.
26. Buccaneers. If I was the Bucs I'd be worried. Your defense played just good enough and Jameis Winston played just good enough so that your management can talk themselves in to running this all back next year...
25. Dolphins. I have nothing to say about the Dolphins this week. They play the Pats at home next week. That game will be for the division title. The Dolphins aren't a good team, but they can still beat the Pats at home like they have in the past.
24. Falcons. Atlanta consistently shot themselves in the foot Sunday because of their holding and pass interference penalties in their secondary. Their inability to score in the redzone also hurt them again. They are showing characteristics of a bad team every week now which means they officially are.
23. Giants.
Takeaways from this game. Saquon Barkley could hurdle that giant bull this week if he wanted to, OBJ is good at football, and the Giants are ruining their draft pick.
22. Lions. The Lions are a tough team at home and they hung around for a while against the Rams on Sunday. Also the Lions have updated their receiver depth chart:
1. Kenny Golladay
2. Golden Tate (yes, still)
3. Taylor Decker
21. Packers. McCarthy deserved to be fired after that game Sunday, but not immediately after in my opinion. He sort of felt like a dead man walking at this point, but I felt like maybe management would just try to wait out this season and then address it. One thing is for sure though, Aaron Rodgers needs to step up this week because all of the blame that has been put on McCarthy will now shift to Aaron.
20. Browns. Yes I have the Browns ahead of the Packers. Despite their horrible loss this week to the Texans, the fact that they didn't fire their head coach this week gives them the edge.
19. Jaguars. Jalen Ramsey made an incredible game saving tackle as time expired and that was the only highlight of the game. If you only watched that play then you watched everything you needed to that game.
18. Redskins. The Redskins aren't a horrible team and they aren't that poorly coached. They are just getting depleted by injuries. They're on their 3rd string QB and Adrian Peterson is their number one runningback. Their defense looks hurt and they are limping to the finish line here to end the season. However, they are still fighting for a playoff spot and with two more division games on their schedule, they have an outside shot at the playoffs.
17. Titans. Mariota couldn't make any plays all game until it mattered most. I officially think the Titans are not good, but I am fully willing to change my mind again next week. The only good game I've seen from them this season was against the Pats several weeks ago. Since then I haven't seen anything that shows me they are a good team.
16. Eagles. Carson Wentz looked pretty good on Monday night. He made some big throws on the run and (in my opinion) the Eagles played their best game of the year. It helps that the Redskins lost their starting QB to a broken leg. But if you're the Eagles you take the wins where you can get them.
15. Panthers. Remember when I had them top 10 a few weeks ago? Yeah, me neither. I don't think I did that. On a serious note, Cam looks like he has an injury bothering him. He just doesn't seem like the same QB as he was to start the year. I wouldn't be surprised that if the losing continues, the Panthers announce he has an injury which is why they have played poorly here.
14. Broncos. Phillip Lindsay is legitimately a good runningback and has helped the Broncos control the ball which means that they do not need to score as much to compete with other teams they're playing. They also are allowing their defense to rest more which allows them to be more dominant. The Broncos are making a legit push for a playoff spot and I believe that if they keep playing well then they will earn a Wild Card spot.
13. Colts. Nope, not talking about this team.
12. Vikings. Adam Theilen had a bad day Sunday. He had the worst celebration in NFL history and he was cussed out by Bill Belichick in the 4th quarter. The Patriots were just begging the Vikings to win this game for 4 and a half quarters yesterday and they couldn't manage to do it.
11. Ravens. Lamar Jackson, despite his concussion scare on Sunday, is getting better with each game he plays. He is picking his running spots better. He is doing a better job of following blockers on designed runs and is being smart with how and when he escapes the pocket. He seems like he is under control, especially in comparison to Baker Mayfield who looked like a mess on Sunday.
10. Steelers. You can blame the refs all you want, but if you consistently put linebackers on Keenan Allen then you will lose that game every time. You were consistently torched and lost as a result. Fix your defensive schemes and then you can complain about the referees.
9. Bears. Despite the "Fridge Part 2", Allen Robinson putting on a highlight reel, and Tarik Cohen having the game of his life, the Bears still lost a tough OT game to the feisty Giants and their starting QB Odell Beckham Jr.
8. Seahawks. The main reason the Seahawks are this high on the rankings is because so many other top teams lost this week. They also had a dominant game at home against the 49ers. On top of that, Russell Wilson is playing like an MVP candidate. He won't win it, but I think it's important that we continue to recognize how well he has played his season.
7. Cowboys. They took down the former Number 1 team and they have the best defensive rookie in the NFL! (you know - the 8-man football linebacker from Riggin, Idaho). Dallas did everything perfectly on Thursday and they put pressure on Brees exactly how they wanted to.
6. Chargers. The false start touchdown was perhaps the most Chargers' play of all time. This was a phenomenal win on the road for the Charges. Especially considering the fact that they won on a field goal. The Chargers of old would have missed all three of those attempts that they got. Not this year though. With the Bengals coming up next week and the Chiefs shorthanded for the rest of the year, I think the Chargers have a real shot at the AFC West division title over the next few weeks.
5. Patriots. The Patriots ran away with the game in the 4th quarter, but for most of the game, I felt like (as I mentioned above) that the Pats were trying as hard as they could to give this game away.Rob Gronkowski looked like he was basically a lineman this week both because he blocked most of the game and didn't run very many routes. And when he did run, he looked slow and lumbering. I am a little worried about this team because I see signs each week that indicate they are not good, but until I see them collapse before my very eyes then I won't give up on them yet.
4. Chiefs. The Kareem Hunt news from this week was disappointing and very upsetting to both see and hear about. The news and loss of their teammate (rightly so) definitely affected their play as the Chiefs running game looked weak and the team overall looked very vulnerable against an abysmal Raiders team. The Chiefs had a bad week because they had to find a new runningback so soon, but I think they will bounce back and be okay next week after this can have more time to figure out their situation on offense.
3. Texans. They just keep winning and winning and winning and winning. With a schedule blessed by the gods, the Texans have only played two teams above .500 so far this season and do not play a single one for the rest of the year. The best team they play is the Colts, but after watching the Colts this week against the Jags I wouldn't be worried at all if I was a Texans fan.
2. Saints. This was a tough loss, but if I am a Saints fan, I credit this win more to the great play of the Cowboys than overreact to the poor play of the Saints. They were on a ten game win streak and were down for a letdown eventually. Better that it came on Thursday on the road than at home during the playoffs.
1. Rams. Toddy Gurley screwed fantasy owners and bettors again. I hope that Gurley has some vendetta against fantasy owners that causes him to do this. It would be awesome if he had some dark part/hold the door moment that causes him to not score when he could.