Graphics: Mali
Analysis 1-16: Jcclutch
Analysis 17-32: Arod
Giants (10-1): The Giants are coming off a bye week. No reason for any movement at this time. This week will be a tough match-up against the 9-3 Bucs, and will give the Giants an opportunity to further separate themselves as the top dawg in the NFC.
Jaguars (10-1): The Jaguars came away with a fairly dominant win against a team that hasn’t lost since a coaching change 4 weeks ago. They leaned on a dominant defensive performance and created 6 turnovers. The Jags solidified themselves as the team to beat with the Bengals no longer undefeated.
Ravens (9-2): Week 12 was a match-up everyone expected the Ravens to win, but those trap games can be tricky at times. Especially when its against a fellow division mate. However, the Ravens did exactly what they were supposed to do and produced a dominant win against the Steelers. Next week provides a very crucial match against the Bengals that allows them an opportunity to take a division lead. They will look to ride the momentum of a dominant win, with hopes that the Bengals will still be licking their wounds after a week 12 loss.
Rams (10-2): Last years Superbowl champs are starting to get into a groove after taking some early lumps. They are riding a 6 game win streak that includes impressive wins over teams such as the Packers, Seahawks, and Raiders. They get to go into this bye week with high spirits.
Bears (8-3): In season 3 Spdot has really stepped up his game, and is starting to look like the coach who made a Superbowl run last cycle. He has some impressive wins on his resume this season over teams such as the Rams, Colt, and Cowboys. He will have an opportunity to add another this week with a match-up against the 8-3 Seahawks.
Texans (9-2): Drama is still fighting for respect as previous season meltdowns and early playoff exits are still remembered, but Drama himself seems as confident as ever, and you have to respect what he has done in the regular season regardless of his past. Only time will tell if it can carry into the post-season, but at 9-2 he is sure to get the opportunity.
Cowboys (8-3): After a tough loss to the Bears, the Cowboys bounced back with a massive win over the Bengals. Taking down the only team that remained undefeated before the match-up. Some doubts still linger about Tyree Jackson getting the job done when it comes to these tough match-ups, but this shows it’s possible.
Bengals (10-1): The Bengals have had a great season, and their ranking has mainly suffered due to some match-ups that were a little closer than expected. They had an opportunity to get that off their back this past week against the Cowboys. The big win people wanted to see to really elevate the Bengals. They fell short and therefore fell down the rankings. At the end of the day the Bengals were still the last remaining undefeated team, and remain the leader of the AFC North. With a big division game upcoming all eyes will be on the Bengals.
Seahawks (8-3): A close match-up against the 3-8 Cardinals is not what was expected, but the Seahawks were able to secure the W regardless. Those division match-ups can always be a wild card, but this has been the tale of the tape for the hawks all season. A lot of close wins and losses, and Z’s resilience will be tested with another tough game on the horizon.
Bucs (9-3): Much like the aforementioned Seahawks, the Buccaneers also nearly fell victim to the division trap game, pulling off a win late in the 4th against the Atlanta Falcons. A game few thought would be close. He faces the Giants this week and this is generally a coach he plays well against, and if Codes can pull off the win he’ll make a major jump in our rankings.
Colts (7-4): In a solid division that is likely to send 3, the Colts are currently in 3rd. They are still playing at a playoff level. Although 2 games behind the Texans, I could see the race for second place in the division coming down to the final week. He faces the Lions who have been hot since Lqnoble stepped in as the coach this week, a big game.
Commanders (7-4): The Commanders had a lackluster start to this season, but has begun to string together wins and make a comeback. This week he gets a layup against a Browns team that has been blown out by d*** near everyone. This will be a nice morale boost to the team, and if it results in an L then the Commanders have a lot of questions to ask themselves.
Jets (6-6): Fallen and his Jets have been one of the biggest mixed bags in PML. With baffling 50 point losses to the Broncos to big wins over the Dolphins and the Colts. It seems consistency it an issue for this team, but perhaps this ship can be corrected if they can get back to back wins and go into a bye week with some confidence.
Dolphins (6-5): Que has made it clear that the post season wins are what gets him going, but will looking too far ahead hurt Que in the long run? With a loss to Fallen he is in real danger of giving up the division lead. Que will need to secure some wins if he wants want to remain atop the AFC East.
Packers (6-5): The Packers have struggled with the departure of Aaron Rodgers, and adjusting to a rookie quarterback. With good defense and a solid run stick the Packers still have the capabilities to perform as a top coach, but they will need to adjust quickly if they want to make a playoff run.
Broncos (7-5): Have taken sole possession of first place. Can they hold it? Ball is in their court as the final 3 games of the season are against sub-.500 teams (Pit, Lac, & Atl).
Raiders (6-6): They looked destined to rise up and take the division this season, but have since lost 3 in a row and now sit at .500 and a game back. What an opportunity they had in a very tight race. Their backs are against the wall, but if I were a betting man, I would still pick the Raiders to come out on top when the smoke clears.
Lions (4-7): So we saw the Lions in their first big competitive game since the return of LQ. It didn’t go well as Dak threw 6 interceptions and the Lions fell flat to the Jaguars 45-27. Don’t be discouraged Lion fans, still a lot of optimism in Detroit. The pressure of a miraculous playoff run is all but dead, so the Lions could use the rest of the season to prepare for season 4
Titans (4-8): The defense picked off Caleb Williams 4 times as they narrowly took down the Patriots in week 12 action. Bubba is playing for pride right now as he looks to reassert himself in the playoff race next season. Should be an interesting off-season in Tennessee as the roster is nowhere near ready to compete with the big boys as it stands today.
Patriots (3-8): Nef is playing teams close of late, although the Patriots don’t always come out on the winning end, it is encouraging to see they are right there. With no draft picks in rounds 1 or 2, and a usually thin free-agent market, Nef must rely on developing the current roster for season 4 through attribute requests and trades.
Chargers (5-6): The Chargers continue to freefall down the standings. What once was one of the underdog stories of PML season 3, the Chargers have dropped 2 in a row to the Patriots and Panthers. They have one more chance to get into the win column and back to .500 vs the Steelers before a tough stretch of games featuring the Texans, Buccaneers, and Broncos.
Saints (3-8): The Saints have one of the better defenses in the league, the offense holds them back from truly competing for a playoff spot. This must, and I totally expect it to be addressed come this off-season. Bryce Young could be playing out his final days as QB1 in New Orleans.
Chiefs (4-7): The Chiefs are all but done in the divisional playoff race and I think the attention turns to avoiding any regression on Patrick Mahomes. Nobody wants a half a billion dollar star dev on their roster. He sits at 21/29 TD/INT ratio, a little too close for comfort if you ask me to leave it up to the Madden gods.
Vikings (2-10): Is the mountain a lot higher than we all thought? The Vikings got blown out in Chicago 37-6 this past week. Time to sound the alarms? Will be a very interesting team to watch entering season 4. Another team who may be in the QB market come draft time.
Bills (3-8): The weight was lifted off Tbandits shoulders as he finally got back into the win column with a week 12 victory against the 49ers. Another user playing for pride and respect at this point- he should be back with vengeance next season in the AFC east.
49ers (4-7): The potential for the 49ers to reach the postseason this cycle will not be easy. They have the Seahawks and Rams ahead of them and with that comes 4 tough games each season. This is another team who may check out the QB market come draft time as Trey Lance is rumored to be playing his final days in San Francisco. I don’t think I have ever seen this many teams looking at quarterbacks in the season 4 draft.
Falcons (3-8): Shanked a FG and the rest was history. Had an opportunity to gain 10 content points and upset the Buccaneers this past week. It’s good to see them compete with their big brother. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come next season for the Falcons.
Panthers (2-9): Panthers came up with the dub against the Chargers this past week in miraculous fashion in what was labeled the hood classic. Hopefully we get to see them showcase Marvin Harrison Jr in the final few weeks of the season. He was very exciting to watch early on.
Cardinals (3-8): Like the 49ers, a path to the playoffs this cycle will be difficult for the Cardinals with the top 2 teams in their division being top contenders. Dlloyd will need to address some defensive holes in the off-season as well finding an identity on the ground.
Eagles (3-8):First season of PML is never easy, but CB has handled it well by staying active and taking his lumps without getting sour. At 3-8 there is little to no playoff hopes for this team, but they have shown flashes and can build on that if they stay on it and keep getting reps.
Steelers (1-10): For a second time this season they get taken behind the shed and embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens. Chew clock was on early as the Steelers were not able to put up an TD and are showing they cannot match the firepower of the Ravens roster (or skill of their user). The good news is the h*** portion of the schedule is over and they have Lac, Cle, and Phi on deck to try and put a little respect on the name. Haven’t had that in quite some time.
Browns (0-12): The Browns for reasons unknown didn’t get back on the horse after their 87-3 loss to the Giants. They elected to let the CPU run the game against the Broncos, and the results were the same. Now at 0-12, the future of the team is cloudy. We should have a better picture after week 13 as to what is going on in Cleveland.
