Graphics: Mali
Analysis 1-16: Jcclutch
Analysis 17-32: Arod
Giants (10-1): 87-3. We were right to move the Giants to 1 in the rankings last week and they will stay. They have a second bye week in a row to get ready for a matchup with the Bucs that will be a good NFC clash.
Jaguars (9-1): The Jaguars offense continues to roll and the defense is beginning to step up. If their star players can stay healthy they remain the top dogs in the AFC despite sitting at the 2 seed right now. Antonio Gibson has been an excellent addition. They play the surging Lions next in a game to keep their slim division lead.
Bengals (10-0): The undefeated Bengals drop another spot this week because they deserve to drop another spot this week. If the Steelers weren’t afraid of getting iced they would have lost their first game to a division rival who only has 1 win right now. Joe Burrow is still the greatest quarterback right now and he’ll need to make magic against a stout Cowboys team coming off of a bad loss.
Ravens (8-2): The Ravens have been quiet over their bye but the team continues to get better and they play the Steelers who they have beaten easily over the course of the cycle. Lamar Jackson has a chance to re-enter the MVP debate with another dominant performance.
Rams (9-2): DK is back in super bowl form and atop the NFC West with no signs of letting it slip back to the Seahawks. They handled business against a Vikings team that has underperformed the lowest of expectations and now play the Raiders in a chance to establish their rookie quarterback as better than Jayden Daniels of Las Vegas.
Texans (9-2): The Texans are now 9-2 after yet another blown lead BUT win and that’s the story. Drama has blown leads but he has clutched up and that’s what matters. He’s done it against good and bad users so you can’t call him a pretender anymore, but it is a bad habit that may bite him come playoff time. They’ll steer clear of heart attacks this week with their bye.
Bears (7-3): An impressive win by Spdot to say the least. The Bears easily handled a Cowboys team that has talent at every position and the rookies for Chicago were on full display through offensive and defensive consistent wins. This gives them the lead in the NFC North but a battle against the Vikings who have beaten them in the past looms for this upcoming week.
Bucs (8-3): The Bucs took care of business against Las Vegas with dominant defense as always and their classic offense we all know and love. Tua looks like a legit quarterback for Tampa Bay and the Bucs have all but clinched a playoff spot in just week 11. They will now set their eyes further on the 1 seed and it starts back in their division against the Falcons.
Commanders (6-4): A huge win for Wimmy and the Commanders turnaround is already complete. 4 straight wins has them back in the playoff picture with all the momentum in the world. The defense is still elite and the offense is turning a corner. That should continue against the Eagles this week.
Seahawks (7-3): The Seahawks have cooled down from their hot start and may actually be frozen. The offense still flowed really well against the Dolphins but the defense was nowhere to be seen as speed killed and now they need to keep pace for just a wildcard spot. They get to play the struggling Cardinals to get back on track and start playing like they were to start the season.
Cowboys (7-3): The Cowboys have now taken two hard and large… losses back to back this time against the Bears. Tyree Jackson looked like the lowest starting overall quarterback, the offensive line played poorly, and most importantly, Micah Parsons was nowhere to be seen as the Bears took their time and let it fly. They now play the undefeated Bengals as they sit on the edge of the playoff picture.
Dolphins (6-4): A nice win for Que as the offense took advantage of what it has a lot of in speed. The defense wasn’t great but they played a top team in the Seahawks and it didn’t need to be. The Dolphins took a huge step in claiming the AFC East yet again with their win and can really establish themselves with a win over the Jets.
Colts (6-4): The Colts got back on track but it wasn’t pretty until the second half in a win over the Titans. If the defense can do what they did in those last two quarters and the offense can continue to roll they can get that last playoff spot. A very tough test against the Packers this week will matter later.
Raiders (6-5): The Raiders squandered an opportunity to establish themselves as the leaders of the AFC West with losses by the Broncos and Chargers opening the door. They had a tough matchup but it doesn’t get easier as now they play other Super Bowl champions of the cycle in the Rams. Uphill battle may be ahead.
Packers (6-4): An unfortunate loss against the Commanders moves the Packers to 6-4 and now on the outside of the NFC playoffs looking in as Hendon Hooker’s atrocious play has caught up to them. They’ll need to bounce back sooner than later and no better place then against the Colts’ woeful pass defense.
Broncos (6-5): A confusing loss by the Broncos who had the chance to take the outright division lead but when a disconnect happened down 11, they conceded and that raises questions on if the Broncos want to be here. The tightest division in a tight conference, they may regret that choice later. They better not lose to the Browns.
Chargers (5-5): Chargers blew a very generous opportunity to sit at the top of the division after losing to the Patriots 44-30 week 11. The Patriots, without QB Caleb Williams, controlled the entire game on the ground as they once exposed the Chargers lack of run defense as Najee Harris ran wild for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. They are now giving up an astounding 220 yards per game on the ground on the season. They can get back into the mix with CAR and PIT on deck the next 2 weeks. Must win games to say the least.
Jets (5-6): The window is closing on the Jets season 3 divisional title hopes. After dropping 2 straight, they head into a make or break game against the division leading Miami Dolphins in week 12. Win and the fight continues. Lose and your post-season aspirations dwindle. No pressure.
Chiefs (4-6): The season lives on for KC as they take down the Broncos in week 11 divisional action. Big win for Mali as he hopes to stay in contention in an AFC West battle that right now could be anyones for the taking. Mali could indeed become the ultimate opportunist if the other 3 don’t start creating some separation amongst each other.
Vikings (2-9): The steak has officially ended. The Vikings lost by 2 scores against the Rams. The point differential for a 2-9 team stands at -5. Nevertheless, the rest of the season will be an assessment of talent and personnel for CEO whom I fully expect to come back season 4 as an NFC playoff contender.
Patriots (3-7): Caleb who? Phil Jurkovec comes in and runs a nearly flawless offense as the Patriots upset the Chargers on the road in convincing fashion. Najee had the breakout performance New England had been waiting for. Hopefully this was the jumpstart Harris needed to prove his worth to the organization.
49ers (4-6): Rookie Jalin Hyatt has a lights out performance hauling in 3 touchdown passes in a week 11 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers are holding hope for a playoff miracle as they sit about 2 games out of the final wildcard spot.
Cardinals (3-7): The Cardinals fell in the path of the LQ express this week as they dropped to 3-7 on the year after the latest loss. The James Connor development story continues as he leads the backfield in carries outpacing Marshawn Lloyd 13 to 6 in touches.
Titans (3-8): Bijan who? Ty Chandler dev game incoming. The 26 year old back goes for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns in their week 11 loss to the Colts. The organization has wasted no time moving on from the former franchise ball carrier who apparently will lose all recollection and skill previously learned upon his return.
Falcons (3-7): Atlanta gets back into the win column after completing the season sweep of the Carolina Panthers this past week. Desmond Ridder looked solid while JT ran all over JT to the tune of 218 yards and a score. QB Ridder is playing for his season 4 and 5 livelihood at this point. Big question mark looking ahead as we hit the final stretch of season 3.
Saints (2-8): Not where they expected to be leaving the bye week, but the show must go on in New Orleans. They could play spoiler and put one of the final nails in the Chiefs season this week. Another team with a question mark at QB heading into the off-season. Could they be scouting some of the young arms in the draft?
Bills (2-8): Pre-cycle I predicted the Bills would make a Super Bowl appearance this cycle. The window on that is closing more and more by the week. They dropped a tough one to the Texans 42-40 this past week in a game where they had a few opportunities to come out on top.
Eagles (3-7): The new coach seems to be learning more and more by the week the ins and outs of not only a PML game, but the long haul of a season as well. The playing style is more controlled and the turnovers have drastically decreased. Glad to see it.
Steelers (1-9): Sealed the game on a Garnder INT, nope, he fumbles and Bengals return for a TD to tie it up. Then sealed the game on a FG with 6 seconds remaining. Nope, J.Chase gets a 50 yard reception and puts the Bengals in range to send the game into OT. The Steelers ultimately dropped a game that was probably a 99.99% chance of victory on about 3 occasions. It all goes back to their inability to close out a game, regardless of miracle plays by the other team they constantly put themselves in positions to allow the other team to come back. It has been a recurring theme as they now have blown 5 late leads this season. The woes continue in the Steel city and don’t look for it to get any better as the Baltimore Ravens head into town this week.
Panthers (1-9): Panthers look to play spoiler this week to the wildcard hopeful Los Angeles Chargers. They do have a very generous schedule to close out the season that could provide some wins, development, and confidence to the young team heading into season 4.
Browns (0-11): It is looking more and more likely each week that the Browns could be heading towards an 0-17 season. Really not much else to say here. They have two games to highlight vs Pitt and NO that could possibly provide the first win of the season. Other than that, doomsday may be on the horizon in Clevelend.
