Power rankings system devised and compiled weekly by Stemshul. “Expert” analysis by paradroid.
We had two close games and two blow-outs (well, one blow-out and one game that got away late). Let’s start with the less competitive games. Up first, the team that isn’t as good as its record reflects: the Giants. Playing an even bigger fraud (Minnesota) last week may have given N.Y. the impression that they deserve to be playing in the divisional round. Philadelphia cleared up this confusion by beating them for the third time this year by a score of 38-7. It was over by halftime (28-0). Jalen Hurts played well in his return from injury (16-24 for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns), but mostly the Eagles just ran the ball right down the Giants’ throat (44 rushes for 268 yards). Daniel Jones did almost nothing (15-27 for 135 and a pick) and has once again cast doubt upon his viability as a winning QB. As long as Hurts ain’t hurt, Philly is a serious contender for the title this year.
The surprise result for me was in Buffalo. The Bills were looking pretty tough and topped our rankings last week. But Cincinnati walked into a snowstorm in upstate New York and just kind of beat Buffalo up. I kept waiting for Josh Allen and Co. to get it together, but the Bengal defense didn’t let them do much of anything. Joe Burrow looked poised and confident (Ok, he usually looks poised and confident, but still). It was reasonably close in the 3rd quarter, but once the score hit 24-10, it felt like it was over. Soon after, it was. Cincy is looking awfully good, and their road back to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance may have just a little bit easier because of something that happened in the next game we’ll discuss.
And that game was Kansas City/Jacksonville. Early in the game, Patrick Mahomes had his leg rolled up on. He tried to play through it, but was almost unable to put any weight on it at all. He had it taped, and then taped again at halftime. He managed to finish the game and play fairly well, but he was clearly limited. The game itself was pretty tight, although the Chiefs were mostly in control. The Jaguars made it 20-17 in the 3rd, and were driving deep into K.C. territory while down 27-17 with just over six minutes to go in the 4th when Jamal Agnew fumbled. The Chiefs recovered, effectively ending the Jags’ hopes. Chad Henne looked just fine as a backup, but he’s no Patrick Mahomes. Trouble is, neither is Mahomes right now. The injury has been diagnosed as a high ankle sprain. Now, I’m no doctor, but even I know that’s the bad kind of sprain. He’s planning on playing next week against the Bengals, but he’s sure to be less than at his best. Will it be enough for Stemshul to pick Cincinnati? Stay tuned for the picks!
The last contest was San Francisco/Dallas. This was a struggle for both teams. S.F. only managed 312 yards and coughed up a fumble. The Cowboys had even less success, to the tune of 282 yards and two interceptions. Dallas lost Tony Pollard to a play eerily similar to the Mahomes injury, except Pollard was diagnosed with a broken bone. The defenses for each side did play well, and Brock Purdy made fewer mistakes than Dak Prescott. In the end, the 49ers made the big second half plays and pulled off the win 19-12. This was not very confidence-inspiring for the S.F. offense, but the defense was tremendous. They’ll need that again next week against the Eagles. My favorite play of the weekend happened in the second half of this one. T.E. George Kittle was running right down the middle of the field when Purdy put it in his general vicinity. He juggled and bobbled the ball for about 10 yards before snatching it away from a Dallas defender at the very last second. Good stuff there, but the 49ers will likely have to do a lot more on offense to beat Philly. Can’t hardly wait!
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