NFL: Falcons Rise & Chiefs Fall
The 10th full weekend of the 2017-18 NFL season has passed, and now it's time for one of the biggest stretches of the year, from Thanksgiving Day to the end of the regular season. This is when nearly every game starts to have playoff implications. On Thursday, we'll have three games, per usual, beginning with the Detroit Lions against Minnesota Vikings, before the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Los Angeles Chargers, and the night cap will be the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. Below are Charles Post and Caleb Henderson's weekly rankings.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1, +0): The Eagles have been atop our standings for over a month now, but there was some people questioning their schedule, since it hasn't been extremely difficult, headlined by two wins over the Redskins, 30-17 and 34-24, a close road win over the Carolina Panthers, 28-23, and a stomping of the Denver Broncos, 51-23. And they were able to avoid playing the Cowboys until this past weekend. QB Carson Wentz threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the 37-9 win against America's Team.
Team MVP: Carson Wentz (QB) - 2,430 Yards & 25 TDs.
2. New England Patriots (8-2, +0): The Patriots have been great for much of the last two months, following their 33-30 slip-up against the Panthers, which was their second loss of the year, both of which came on their home field. And then the defense started to get it figured out and QB Tom Brady continued an unbelievable pace, leading the league in passing yards. New England was able to defeat the Oakland Raiders this past week, 33-8, and moved their winning streak to six games in a row. They get the Miami Dolphins next weekend.
Team MVP: Tom Brady (QB) - 3,146 Yards & 22 TDs.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2, +0): The Steelers absolutely ran through the Tennessee Titans, are in position to get home field advantage in the AFC if they can beat the Patriots in Week 15 at home. In the 40-17 victory over the Titans, QB Ben Roethlisberger through 45 times for 299 yards, as WR Antonio Brown had one of the best days of his career (which is saying a lot), as he grabbed 10 balls for 144 yards and three scores. RB Le'Veon Bell had 46 yards on the ground. The Steelers get the Green Bay Packers next week.
Team MVP: Le'Veon Bell (RB) - 886 Yards & 5 TDs.
4. Minnesota Vikings (8-2, +0): The Vikings are doing things that not a lot of people expected them to do since QB Teddy Bridgewater was out for much of the year, and then QB Sam Bradford went down with a season-ending injury, too. And then all of a sudden rookie RB Dalvin Cook tore his ACL and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. But somehow, someway, Minnesota is getting it done week in and week out to the tune of an 8-2 record. It was enough to beat the L.A. Rams, 24-7, and they'll get a test from the Detroit Lions this coming Thursday in a big time divisional matchup.
Team MVP: Case Keenum (QB) - 2,194 Yards & 12 TDs.
5. New Orleans Saints (8-2, +0): The Saints have found their stride after a handful of average seasons in a row, but QB Drew Brees is one of the most consistent signal callers we've ever seen, and with the addition of an impactful running game and a solid defense, New Orleans is more than competing in the division, they're leading it. After winning against the Redskins at home, 34-31, as Brees threw for 385 yards, the Saints will face a jarring task of going on the road and facing the run-and-gun Rams, led by RB Todd Gurley in the next week.
Team MVP: Drew Brees (QB) - 2,783 Yards & 15 TDs.
6. Carolina Panthers (7-3, +1): The Panthers haven't been as consistent as I think they'd like to be, given their 17-3 loss against the Chicago Bears, and their 33-30 triumph over the Patriots, but as it turns out, Carolina is a pretty good team, and has a chance to return to the playoffs. Although they aren't leading the division, as the Saints are, QB Cam Newton and Co. are still in a pretty good spot to clinch a postseason berth in the next month or so. The Panthers will face those Saints next weekend after having their bye week this past Sunday.
Team MVP: Cam Newton (QB) - 2,232 Yards & 14 TDs.
7. Los Angeles Rams (7-3, -1): The Rams had won four straight games, following their 16-10 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, and in their most recent matchup, Los Angeles traveled to Minnesota to play the Vikings, where they lost by a score of 24-7. QB Jared Goff threw for 225 yards on 23-37 passing and zero touchdowns. The rest of the year will really prove to us what this team is made up and their playoff hopes can become reality as they get the Saints, Arizona Cardinals, and Eagles in the next three weeks. Let's see if this team can figure out how to win big games.
Team MVP: Todd Gurley (RB) - 791 Yards & 8 TDs.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3, +5): The Jaguars are leading the division, and almost no one could have predicted that during the preseason, but it's reality. After the Houston Texans lost QB Deshaun Watson and the Tennessee Titans lost their most recent game, the Jaguars got to face the winless Cleveland Browns with a chance to take a lead in the division. They did so, winning 19-7, as RB Leonard Fournette ran for 111 yards on 28 rushes. He's been a force all year long and it really looks like the Jaguars will make the playoffs. They get the Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts in the next two weeks.
Team MVP: Leonard Fournette (RB) - 740 Yards & 6 TDs.
9. Atlanta Falcons (6-4, +7): The Falcons have started the season 6-4 for the last three years. In 2015, they finished 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs. Last year, they caught fire and rode that all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to the Patriots. This year? We'll see. We have seen a lot of good and bad from this team, but thanks to a couple of bad Pete Carroll coaching decisions, the Falcons own the tiebreaker over the Seahawks. WR Julio Jones had five catches for 71 yards on Monday Night Football. Atlanta gets three straight homes games against the Buccaneers, Vikings, and Saints.
Team MVP: Matt Ryan (QB) - 2,567 Yards & 15 TDs.
10. Seattle Seahawks (6-4, -1): The Seahawks are a game back of the Rams in the division, but own the tiebreaker right now, so there is still a good chance we'll see Seattle host a playoff game this year. After their loss against the defending NFC champions, the Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks will get to take on the lowly San Francisco 49ers, before getting the dangerous Eagles the following week. QB Russell Wilson threw for 258 yards against Atlanta, which he'll need to raise if they want to win over the next few weeks, but this loss to the Falcons was costly if it comes down to a Wild Card tiebreaker.
Team MVP: Russell Wilson (QB) - 2,801 Yards & 21 TDs.
Player of the Week:
W1 - Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) - 148 Yards, 1 TD, 42-27 win vs. Patriots.
W2 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - 447 Yards, 3 TDs, 36-20 win vs. Saints.
W3 - Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) - 292 Yards, 3 TDs, 41-39 win vs. 49ers.
W4 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 283 Yards, 4 TDs, 57-14 win vs. Titans.
W5 - Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 304 Yards, 4 TDs, 34-7 win vs. Cardinals.
W6 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 225 Yards, 3 TDs, 33-17 win vs. Browns.
W7 - Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) - 210 Yards, 2 TDs, 31-30 win vs. Chiefs.
W8 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 451 Yards, 4 TDs, 41-38 win vs. Texans.
W9 - Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) - 361 Yards, 2 TDs, 30-17 win vs. Packers.
W10 - Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) - 254 Yards, 4 TDs, 45-21 win vs. Dolphins.
W11 - Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 144 Yards, 3 TDs, 40-17 win vs. Titans.
Top Ranked Team:
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys.
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo Credit: NBC Sports.
