Mike Tomlin keeps outsmarting John Harbaugh, Steelers lead AFC North Larry Brown Jr. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh never seems to outsmart Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, especially when it matters most. Unlike Harbaugh, Tomlin doesn’t like finesse and beauty. He leads a rugged football team, led by his powerful defense and offensive ground attack. On Sunday, Tomlin stuck to his guns, and his team forced three turnovers on the Ravens in the pivotal week 11 win. Even with Baltimore ranking No. 1 in rush defense, Tomlin still ran the ball 34 times, using a committee of players to forward his attack. Tomlin even dispatched wide receiver Cordelle Patterson and reserve quarterback Justin Fields to cap off the 18-16 victory. Harbaugh not only allowed offensive coordinator Todd Monken to neglect running back Derrick Henry from the game plan, but he also opted out of an opportunity for the onside kick with the team down two points with under 2:00 minutes to go. The most embarrassing moment in the game was the broadcast zooming in on Harbaugh as he called the aimless final timeout with under a minute to go, not realizing the Steelers had converted on 3rd and 1. Impulsivity isn’t the leading factor compelling Ravens’ fans to scrutinize Harbaugh. Instead, Harbaugh’s unseemly contentment with coming up just short and his postured composure after losing critical games for the franchise.
Mike Tomlin keeps outsmarting John Harbaugh, Steelers lead AFC North
DJ Turner likely out for season with clavicle injury
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Just brutal. The hits just keep coming for the Cincinnati Bengals. During their 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, second-year cornerback DJ Turner was looking like a bright spot in a defensive backfield that has struggled all season. That is until Turner went up, made another great play on a deep ball intended for Quentin Johnston, and landed hard to on the turf. Turner remained down through a commercial break and immediately went to the locker room. Monday, reports came out that he likely suffered a fractured clavicle, per Ian Rapoport. #Bengals CB DJ Turner II, who has emerged as a starter this season and was coming into his own, is feared to have suffered a fractured clavicle, sources say. He’s getting a second opinion, but Turner is likely out for the season. pic.twitter.com/750sc387C6 — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2024 Turner will get a second opinion, but it certainly feels like his 2024 season is over. Turner’s injury is similar to that of Dax Hill earlier in the season. Both Michigan alums started to play well before unfortunate injuries cut their seasons short. Rookie fifth-rounder Josh Newton should be in line for more snaps following an impressive performance Sunday night, and for better or worse, Cam Taylor-Britt is going to have to play his way out of a bad season. Here’s to a speedy recovery and seeing Turner back on the field sooner rather than later.
Vikes Views: Sunday King Vikings at Titans
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images The Minnesota Vikings easily defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-13 on Sunday. It’s the Vikings 8th win of the season and helps them keep pace with the surging Detroit Lions. Let’s take a look at the Players of the Game. Sam Darnold – Darnold was in command of the game yesterday. It wasn’t just turnover free football (I put that fumble on Jones), he was moving the ball. 20 for 32 for 246 yards and 2 TDs doesn’t sound amazing, but it would’ve been a much better stat line if Jalen Nailor was able to catch a bomb that Darnold laid in his lap. The ball is being spread around more, with 10 different players targeted on Sunday. I liked the way Darnold looked and hope it continues in Chicago. Harrison Smith – You get the game sealing INT, you get a nomination. It’s the 2nd week in a row the game is finished by a safety tracking a deep ball. Love to see the team not play prevent and finish off strong. With less than 2 min to go, @Vikings steal the ball back! : #MINvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/kkWL6gWirD — NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024 Andrew Van Ginkel – 8 total tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks and he was all over the place. The Titans OL is porous and the Ginkster was taking advantage. He had a whole crew of people watch him put on a show in Tennessee. I don’t think the Van Ginkel crew have a bad time anywhere, but I think it’s safe to say he enjoys playing in Minnesota. Van Ginkel’s has 8 sacks already this season and is on pace to double his previous career high of 6. When you think your outfit is cool but your high school buddies show up like this pic.twitter.com/O8TtPX0k2M — Sam Van Ginkel (@Sam_VanGinkel) November 18, 2024 Pat Jones II – Pat Jones II sacks is back. 3 TFLs, 2 sacks and 5 QB hits. Jones was in the backfield all day. He’s the unsung hero in the middle for the most part. Jones was rewarded with a season high 75% of the snaps on Sunday. He’s struggled to consistently produce when he’s given a bigger role. We’ll see if it’s the Titans OL or if he’s turned the corner. Pat Jones II : 5 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks & a career-high 5 QB hits (7 sacks this season) pic.twitter.com/XHzx4eQVv1 — Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) November 18, 2024 Kevin O’Connell – It was a thorough team win and the head coach deserves some credit. The Vikings have won the last two games against poor opposition. It seems like there was a lack of momentum around the team, especially the offense. The fans were getting restless. KOC got them back on track with a nice and easy win. Taking care of the Bears will go a long way to keeping that momentum heading in the right direction. Oh shit Let’s go @Vikings set the tone get the Vibe right and go for it all. Boom • https://t.co/jnbpt4Vpb3 pic.twitter.com/pWkzRdgHJ5 — 50cent (@50cent) September 16, 2024 Honorable Mention: Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, Brian Flores, Brian O’Neil, Justin Jefferson All played/coached well, but there are too many in an easy win.
Snap counts: How Lions adjusted after Anzalone’s injury, strategy moving forward
Filed under: Week 11 snap counts: How Lions adjusted to Alex Anzalone’s injury, strategy moving forward A look at the Detroit Lions’ Week 11 snap counts against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including how the Lions adjusted to Alex Anzalone’s injury—and what strategies they could use moving forward. By Nov 18, 2024, 2:00pm EST
Who can challenge these Detroit Lions in the NFC?
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images On our latest Detroit Lions podcast, we challenge whether there’s anyone that can touch Detroit right now. Blowouts are theoretically few and far between in the NFL. They garner attention, they demand your attention, but you don’t expect them regularly. Even bad teams in this league have ways of being sneaky and frustrating; to wit, the Jacksonville Jaguars, woeful they be, still held the Minnesota Vikings out of the endzone in NFL Week 10. That was not the case against the Detroit Lions; oh God, it was not the case. On the latest episode of the Pride of Detroit PODcast, we’re talking about ass-whuppin’s and things of that nature. The Lions annihilated the Jaguars and put Ben Johnson and Jared Goff in the spotlight for some true prime attention. If ever there was a bounceback game for Goff, it was this one; erasing a five INT game to gain back some MVP consideration. The PODcast also contains even more breakdowns as we analyze just how effective everyone has been. Plus, we dive into Alex Anzalone’s injury, and why this is Aaron Glenn’s time to shine with roster management and development. Finally, we look around the NFL—the Lions stand atop—and break down how far ahead the Lions are of other teams and who can possibly challenge them in the NFC at this point. Thank you for your continued support of PODcast! Subscribe to the PODcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Pride Of Detroit on Twitch to get notified when we record the PODcast live and chat with us. Video replays are available on Twitch and YouTube.
NFL Week 12 odds: Eagles favored in sneaky important road game against Rams
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Philadelphia must win in Los Angeles to stay alive for the No. 1 seed. The Philadelphia Eagles are three-point road favorites in their Week 12 game against the Los Angeles Rams, according to FanDuel. This is a sneaky important matchup for the Birds. Losing this one would be a big hit to their chances of catching the Detroit Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture, as outlined by the great Deniz Selman: #Eagles NFC 1 seed tiebreaker scenarios! All 15-2 & 14-3 scenarios below. Main takeaways:1) Only way Eagles win 15-2 tiebreaker is if DET’s loss is specifically to GB.2) Losing to LAR (common opp w/DET) would be devastating: would lose 14-3 tiebreaker & need DET to lose 3x. pic.twitter.com/QmcszyQXTF — Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) November 18, 2024 Eagles’ remaining schedule Week 12 — at Los Angeles RamsWeek 13 — at Baltimore RavensWeek 14 — vs. Carolina PanthersWeek 15 — vs. Pittsburgh SteelersWeek 16 — at Washington CommandersWeek 17 — vs. Dallas CowboysWeek 18 — vs. New York Giants Lions’ remaining schedule Week 12 — at Indianapolis ColtsWeek 13 — vs. Chicago BearsWeek 14 — vs. Green Bay PackersWeek 15 — vs. Buffalo BillsWeek 16 — at Chicago BearsWeek 17 — at San Francisco 49ersWeek 18 — vs. Minnesota Vikings In the scenario where they lose to the Rams, do you the see the Eagles winning out AND the Lions losing at least three of their remaining games? Not impossible but not easy. And so beating the Rams is crucial. Can the Eagles do it? Sure. They won in SoFi Stadium last year, 23 to 14. Both Jalen Hurts and Jalen Carter had good games. The Eagles could use big performances from those guys again. The team should also stand to benefit from Philly fans taking over the opposing stadium to make the Rams have to go with a silent count in their own building. The Eagles notably have a rest advantage in this game. The Rams played on Monday night in Week 10 to then travel to Massachusetts on short rest to play the New England Patriots before flying back to LA. The Eagles are coming off a mini-bye following their Thursday night win over the Washington Commanders. Matthew Stafford figures to test an Eagles defense that’s looked really good. The veteran quarterback’s thrown 10 touchdown passes to four interceptions over the Rams’ last five games, where they’ve gone 4-1 following a 1-4 start. Puka Nacua’s return has been key for LA; it’ll be very interesting to see how Vic Fangio plans to defend the Rams’ top target. Following Aaron Donald’s retirement, the Rams’ defense is able to be had. Only six teams have allowed more yards per play. Nine teams have allowed more points per game. The Rams have been especially vulnerable against aerial attack, with only two teams allowing more yards per pass attempt and six teams allowing a higher average passer rating. This could be an opportunity for the Eagles’ passing attack to get going better than it has lately. The feeling here is that the Rams will offer some resistance but the Eagles will ultimately get it done and cover. What say you?
2025 NFL Draft quarterback stock report: Which QBs should be on the Giants’ radar?
Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images The Giants are in the market for a new quarterback. Will they find one in 2025? What we’ve long expected has come to pass. The New York Giants are officially in search for their quarterback of the future. We knew the Giants were interested in last year’s quarterback class, with GM Joe Schoen personally scouting each of the top prospects. The Giants also attempted to trade up with the New England Patriots in the hopes of drafting either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. But as we know, that didn’t happen. So now the Giants will turn their attention to the 2025 quarterback class. But will they find Their Guy in the upcoming draft class? There’s skepticism that this class will yield many (or any) top flight quarterbacks. Dane Brugler wrote in the introduction to his latest Top 50 big board, But with all of the varying opinions throughout the league, the only consensus at this stage in the process is that teams are struggling to find positive conviction on any of these QBs. In that same piece, he asked an NFL scout how he would stack the quarterback prospects. His response? “I don’t envy you.” We’re still a long way from establishing a final order for the quarterback class. For now, we’re simply keeping track of their draft stock. Cam Ward (Miami), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), and Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) did not play this week, so we’ll consider their draft stock to be neutral. Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) Draft Stock – Neutral We recently learned that the Giants have shown some significant interest in Colorado. Joe Schoen has personally scouted two of their games (including this one), and have also sent scouts to practices. They’re likely scouting both WR/CB Travis Hunter as well as QB Shedeur Sanders. For our purposes here, we’re just concentrating on Sanders, who did what he was supposed to against a 4-5 Utah team over whom Colorado was heavily favored. He completed 30 of 41 for 340 yards and three touchdowns (one interception), on the game. But the reason why his stock is listed as “neutral” is because his flaws have been on display as well. Sanders still took three sacks, and his 21.2% pressure-to-sack rate is a pretty bright red flag. Only two quarterbacks in recent memory who have been drafted with a pressure-to-sack rate over 20% have not been busts — those two being Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. He also started the game with a bad interception thrown while feeling pressure. Sanders is a good college quarterback, but there are questions as to how well his game will translate to the next level. “I’m not impressed by the physical traits … [Shedeur Sanders’] arm is B-level” @Nate_Tice & @dpbrugler discuss if Shedeur’s game will translate to the NFL. (via Football 301 Podcast) pic.twitter.com/UTCRy6mDit — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 15, 2024 Next game: Kansas vs. (17) Colorado – Fox, 3:30 p.m. Jalen Milroe (Alabama) Stock: Neutral Similarly to Sanders, it’s tough to say that Milroe’s draft stock is raised by doing what he was supposed to against the Mercer Bears. Nothing against Mercer, but it would be a titanic upset if the game was even close. Milroe did show off his plus traits, with his speed and arm strength on display. His speed, agility, and power as a runner was evident and he’s able to drive the ball to all areas of the field — even when off-platform. But it’s also tough to put too much weight on his performance when the opponent is so badly outclassed. Next game: Oklahoma vs (10) Alabama – ABC, 7:30 p.m. Quinn Ewers (Texas) Stock: Down Texas came into the game favored by almost two touchdowns (13.5 points), yet they could only manage 20 against a poor Arkansas squad. For his part, Ewers completed 62.5% of his passes for just 176 yards (5.5 per attempt) and two touchdowns. 18 of Ewers’ 32 pass attempts came less than 10 yards downfield, and 10 of those passes came behind the line of scrimmage. Arkansas used a three-deep safety shell to take away deep passes, and Ewers was somewhat slow to navigate the defense and struggled with pocket presence. Ewers has solid athleticism and enough arm strength, but he struggles to consistently play up to his potential. Next game: (3) Texas vs. Kentucky – ABC, 3:30 p.m. Drew Allar (Penn State) Stock: Up Allar has had a very uneven 2024 campaign, with significant struggles against the top competition he’s faced. Personally, I would advise him to go back to school for his senior season and continue to polish his traits before declaring for the draft. That said, Allar certainly has intriguing traits. He isn’t quite in the same league as players like Josh Allen or Cam Newton in terms of athleticism and arm strength, but he likely ranks with Drake Maye in that regard. He had some impressive throws against Purdue and showing off those traits are why his stock is up. That said, this is another case of doing what you’re supposed to against an inferior opponent. Next game: Minnesota vs. (4) Penn State – CBS, 3:30 p.m. Garrett Neussmeier (LSU) Stock: Down LSU was supposed to handle Florida but instead they fell 27-16. Neussmeier appeared somewhat hesitant in this game and didn’t play well. He completed just 27 of 47 attempts and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt — while his hesitancy contributed to LSU giving up 7 sacks on the day. Like Allar, Neussmeier is a player who should probably go back to school rather than declare for the NFL. He has good mobility behind the line of scrimmage and legitimate arm talent, but he is very inexperienced at this point. Neussmeier could be a top quarterback prospect, but isn’t one at this point. Carson Beck (Georgia) Stock: Up Carson Beck’s draft stock has been in free fall this year, and he was in desperate need of a good performance. He had
The Linc – “The vibes are good again”
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/18/24. Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links … The good vibes are back for the 2024 Eagles – NBCSPAfter beating the Commanders on Thursday night, the Eagles gathered in the winning locker room and celebrated together. Nick Sirianni broke down the team, then A.J. Brown presented DeVonta Smith with a birthday cake and the whole team sang — cha-cha-chas included — to the 26-year-old wideout. A bit later, Stevie Wonder played throughout the locker room, a common occurrence during what is now an impressive six-game winning streak since an early bye. The vibes are good again. It’s tough to live and die by vibes or feelings because they’re important but can’t be manufactured. But the best Eagles’ teams of the last decade had that “it factor” — the 2017 and 2022 Super Bowl teams had something special about them. And something special might be brewing again. That’s not to say the 2024 team is going to the Super Bowl. It’s still too early for that. But this team does have that little something special that makes you think it’s very possible. 11 random thoughts on the NFC after NFL Week 11 – BGNThere’s something comforting about watching an entire slate of Sunday NFL games warm in the knowledge that the Eagles took care of business in a huge divisional match-up a few nights before. No stress. No queasiness in the pit of your stomach. An opportunity to watch some of the other teams around the league and see how they compare to the Birds. The Eagles are sitting pretty right now, and when you look around the NFC, it’s obvious they are a cut above everyone else in the conference except for Detroit. After watching much of what went down in Week 11, here are 10 random thoughts on the NFC with seven weeks left in the regular season. Radio Part 2: Sirianni Island – Go Birds PodJames Seltzer, Eliot Shorr-Parks and Brandon Lee Gowton discuss Nick Sirianni’s work during the second hour of Saturday’s radio show. Do NOT overreact to these five NFL developments from Week 11; Saquon Barkley enters MVP race – NFL.com5) DraftKings odds: +4000. Weeks in top five: 1. Walt Anderson admits to a couple of Thursday night mistakes – PFTFirst, Anderson acknowledged the Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean shouldn’t have been flagged for pass interference after he pulled the jersey of Commanders receiver Noah Brown during the opening drive of the third quarter. Anderson acknowledged that, while the pulling of Brown’s jersey could have been ruled defensive holding before the ball was thrown, it wasn’t a sufficiently significant hindrance to Brown. And thus shouldn’t have been called. All 52 Jalen Hurts Rushing Touchdowns – PE.comWhether it’s a designed run, the Brotherly Shove, or off a scramble, Jalen Hurts knows how to find the end zone. Relive all 52 career rushing touchdowns for QB1. Will Rams workout free agent kickers this week? – Turf Show TimesJosh Karty is ice cold. The Rams rookie kicker can’t buy a bucket lately and his 26-yard miss in Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots — a game closer than it should have been — was his fourth miss in the last seven games. The Rams have to consider other options this week, even if it just means having someone on speed dial, less they risk falling out of the NFC playoff race because of a missed field goal or extra point. The rookie Karty has missed kicks from 43, 35, 57, and 26 in the last seven games, as well as two extra points. Judging biggest overreactions for NFL Week 11 games – ESPN+Matthew Stafford is playing really well in his 16th seasonStafford and the Rams flew across the country to play an early-window Sunday game the week after playing on Monday night, and they rolled over a Patriots defense that people keep insisting to me is better than we all think. Stafford was 18-for-27 for 297 yards and four touchdown passes, his second game this season with four TD throws. He was also 7-of-11 for 177 yards and three touchdowns on passes of at least 10 air yards. The Rams have won four of their past five after a 1-4 start and are right in the mix in the four-team NFC West race. Having weathered the portion of the season in which top receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua (and basically the entire offensive line) were out with injuries, Stafford and the Rams look primed for another second-half run and perhaps another surprise postseason appearance. Daily Slop – 18 Nov 24: Injured, struggling & traveling on a short week, Cowboys may offer a ‘get right’ opportunity for post-TNF Commanders – Hogs HavenA collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders Cowboys mailbag: Players Dallas could possibly trade in the offseason for draft picks – Blogging The BoysIf it comes down to trading talent for draft picks to rebuild. Which 2 or 3 players do you trade? […] Mike: You have to look at who’s underperforming this season and has some value. Terence Steele is the first guy on that list, the issue is his $16 million average a year salary, that could be a hard sell. Donovan Wilson could be an interesting trade. To get something for him knowing Dallas has depth at the position would be a good move. Deuce Vaughn is a name we’ve heard very little. He may not offer a great amount in trade value but he could help Dallas move up a few picks in later rounds to get a better player. People want to trade Micah Parsons and ok, I get the premise and feelings here. But Parsons is wildly productive at one of the most important positions to fill. He comes back after missing weeks with injury and shows off those skills sacking Jalen Hurts twice and causing a
Can Tommy DeVito ‘spark’ the New York Giants again?
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images Can quarterback reprise ‘DeVito-Mania’? Tommy DeVito got the nod over Drew Lock to replace Daniel Jones as the New York Giants starting quarterback largely because of the “spark” DeVito gave the team in 2023 when his play and personality as an undrafted rookie free agent created ‘Devito-Mania’, Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “After evaluating a bunch of things and looking at a lot of tape, and being around Tommy last year where he created a little bit of a spark for us, that’s the reason why we’re going with Tommy,” Daboll said when he confirmed the quarterback switch during a Monday Zoom call. “We’re obviously not playing the way any of us want to play. And that’s on all of us, but felt like this was a decision that we needed to make here and try to spark things, change things up.” Which begs the question: Can DeVito do it again? Can he re-create ‘DeVito-Mania’ and give the Giants and their frustrated fan base something to feel good about over the season’s final seven games? A magical stretch DeVito is a local New Jersey legend, a hero at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., just a stone’s throw from MetLife Stadium. There were 14 quarterbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. After a mostly non-descript five-year collegiate career at Syracuse and Illinois, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound DeVito was not one of them. He landed an opportunity with the Giants as an undrafted player, with the only other serious suitor believed to have been the New England Patriots. DeVito looked shaky throughout the spring. Even when he made the team, he was never actually expected to play. But when both Jones and backup Tyrod Taylor went down, he was forced into action. When DeVito had to replace Taylor in the second quarter of a Week 8 game against the New York Jets, it looked disastrous. Daboll would barely let DeVito do more than hand off as he went just 2 of 7 passing for -1 yards as the Giants lost in overtime, 13-10. The Giants were pummeled in DeVito’s first two NFL starts. They lost 30-6 to the Las Vegas Raiders and 49-17 to the Dallas Cowboys. Then? Magic. Three straight victories, including a game against the Green Bay Packers in which Devito completed 17 of 21 passes and led a late scoring drive for a game-winning Randy Bullock field goal as time expired. DeVito was a phenomenon. A kid living at home with his parents while quarterbacking the Giants. A local hero with fans waiting in long lines for his autograph. The ‘Tommy Cutlets’ nickname was born, and sandwiches were named after him. It ended when the Giants lost his next two starts and Tyrod Taylor was reinstalled at quarterback. Now, the Giants are hoping for Part 2. “We’ve been with Tommy here for a little bit. He’s done a nice job, I would say, throughout practices here. But also, we have something to lean on by going back and watching him operate some of our stuff from last year,” Daboll said. “I’m excited to see what Tommy brings to the table. “Tommy has been improving since he’s been here. Again, have confidence in Drew as well. Just felt like this was the right move to make.” Jones will be QB3 Daboll said that Jones will be the third quarterback, with Drew Lock remaining as the active backup. That means Jones will only play if DeVito and Lock are physically unable to. Why didn’t Lock, who had been the No. 2 quarterback all season, get the nod? “I got a lot of confidence in Drew, the way he’s handled himself since he’s been here. And he handled this well, too, being a professional,” Daboll said. “This is no indication on Drew whatsoever. He’s been excellent for us. It was more about what I felt Tommy gave us.” As for Jones, Daboll said that he expected the 2019 No. 6 overall pick to stay with the team. When the Raiders pulled Derek Carr from their lineup under similar circumstances — with an injury guarantee involved — a few years back, Carr packed up and went home. “He’s here,” Daboll said. “We had a talk right before the meeting today. Never easy. Got a lot of respect for how he goes about his business.” The injury guarantee Daboll deflected when asked if Jones’ $23 million injury guarantee for next season played into the decision. We know, of course, that it is a factor. Daboll, though, deflected. “The coaches and I met, let’s say, every day last week almost and into the weekend. And we evaluate the performance of the players,” Daboll said. “And we made a decision based off that to go with Tommy.” It is logical to concluded that Jones’ time with the Giants will be done after this season. That, though, is another thing Daboll would not delve into. “We’re just focused here on this week and the decision that we made to get these guys ready to go,” Daboll said. “That’s where our focus is.”
11 random thoughts on the NFC after NFL Week 11
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images The hierarchy of the NFC is taking shape as we enter the 2024 season’s stretch drive. There’s something comforting about watching an entire slate of Sunday NFL games warm in the knowledge that the Eagles took care of business in a huge divisional match-up a few nights before. No stress. No queasiness in the pit of your stomach. An opportunity to watch some of the other teams around the league and see how they compare to the Birds. The Eagles are sitting pretty right now, and when you look around the NFC, it’s obvious they are a cut above everyone else in the conference except for Detroit. After watching much of what went down in Week 11, here are 10 random thoughts on the NFC with seven weeks left in the regular season. Nobody May Be Able to Stop the Lions I’d like to think the Eagles can go toe-to-toe with Ben Johnson’s offense, but even with all the improvements we’ve seen from Vic Fangio’s unit, Jared Goff and the Lions look like a runaway locomotive. Their 52-6 win over the pathetic Jaguars set franchise records for margin of victory (46), total net yards (644) and total first downs (38) in a game. They are the third team in the Super Bowl era to have three wins of 35 or more points in their first 10 games. Their starters scored touchdowns on all seven of their possessions. The numbers are insane. They’ve beaten some quality teams (Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks, Vikings, Texans and Packers) and also handled potential trap games with ease (Jags & Titans) and dominated an early statement game against the Cowboys, 47-9. They have the look. They won’t lose in the playoffs in Detroit, so the Eagles better hope they keep winning and Detroit stumbles at some point over the last two months of the season to get them at home in the postseason. The Commanders are Heading In Reverse Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels’ offense looked nothing like it had through the first seven games of the season on Thursday night and, after starting the season 7-2, have lost two in a row. If you consider they would have lost the Bears game were it not for the miracle Hail Mary, they should be 6-5. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Washington, and Daniels is no doubt a star in the making, but he’s been battling a bruised rib cage, which could account for some of the drop-off in production, and it’s been noted Kingsbury’s offenses have historically swooned in the second half. It’s still a two-team race in the NFC East, but we could be watching a bit of a fade from an improved Commanders team as they learn what it takes to win with their rookie QB. The 49ers are Hungover This is what a Super Bowl loser hangover looks like. Geno Smith just completed his 10th game winning drive since 2022… the most in the NFL during this stretch #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/VESmBFe1y4 — Kole Musgrove (@KoleMusgrove23) November 18, 2024 Running back Christian McCaffrey missed the first half of the season with an Achilles injury, an ailment he and the team will have to manage the rest of the season. Discord with star wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk this off-season triggering bad vibes all over the place. Brock Purdy has regressed a bit in his second full season under center, and there has been some standard bad luck that seems to befall teams that lose the Super Bowl the following year. It just hasn’t been right for them all season. Jonathan Gannon is Actually Doing a Good Job I’ll admit it, I thought Gannon was going to bomb as a head coach, but here he is, atop the NFC West with a 6-4 record, fueled by an encouraging season from Kyler Murray and a defense that is 10th in yards allowed. They’re not perfect, but are riding a rushing attack led by James Connors and Murray that is 6th in total yards this season. They’re a tough, competitive football team leading a tightly packed division. Cardinals (6-4, +18 point differential) Rams (5-5, -26) Seahawks (5-5, -8) 49ers (5-5, +28) Hats off to Gannon, I didn’t think he had it in him. I Still Don’t Believe in Sam Darnold Sam Darnold is the starting quarterback of an 8-2 football team. That is hard to believe. Following their 23-13 win over the Titans on Sunday, Minnesota continues to stick with Detroit, just a game back in the NFC North, breathing down their necks. Minnesota #Vikings QB Sam Darnold posted his BEST overall and passing @PFF grades of his #NFL career (7 seasons) against the #Titans:-Overall: 90.8-Passing: 90.4 His previous best overall PFF grade was in 2018 week 16 against #Texans (90.3). pic.twitter.com/OW6q9D73kL — The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) November 18, 2024 Incredibly, Darnold’s 100.0 passer rating is 10th in the NFL, better than Jayden Daniels (99.6), Josh Allen (98.2), Purdy (95.9), Matthew Stafford (92.1), Jordan Love (90.6) and, incredibly, Patrick Mahomes (90.3, 20th in the NFL!). And yet, I don’t believe in Sam Darnold. Minnesota has a voracious defense, a unit that should be feared in any potential playoff match-up, but the Eagles would have to be salivating to get the Andy Dalton look-alike winner in a postseason match-up in January. I Still Don’t Believe in Kirk Cousins I also still don’t believe in Cousins who, at 36 years old, has the Falcons at 6-5, the only team in the NFC South with a winning record. But after an ugly 38-6 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Atlanta’s point differential sits at -30. Only the Panthers (-143), Cowboys (-82) and Giants (-66) are worse. The offense is in mud, and Cousins is no savior. Atlanta will probably get to the postseason and will probably be the No. 4 seed. Cousins will then have to face the No. 5 or 6 seed, likely to be either Darnold and the Vikings or Jordan Love and
