16. Philadelphia Eagles
(5-6. Last week: 14)
Philadelphia, we have a problem. In the Eagles’ 17-9 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, Philly’s passing offense looked as it has throughout most of the season without the injured DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery — slow, severely limited and incapable of making big plays. It didn’t help that Carson Wentz frequently overshot his targets on everything from deep passes to simple screens, but anyone who’s watched this offense over the course of this season knows that the primary issue is systemic — an offensive line incapable of protection, a balky quarterback and a receiving corps that’s not on the same page. Wentz threw two interceptions and fumbled three times — two of which Seattle recovered. Wentz was sacked three times and was hit nine more times against a depleted Seahawks pass-rushing unit, and at this point, it’s easy to wonder if Doug Pederson’s offense will ever get on track this season.
15. Carolina Panthers
(5-6. Last week: 16)
The Panthers did enough to upset the Saints — they really did. Kyle Allen completed 23 of 36 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Carolina’s running attack put up 121 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. The defense gave up the occasional big play to Drew Brees and his targets, but Allen returned the favor by hitting D.J. Moore for plays of 51 and 52 yards. The goat in this case was kicker Joey Slye, who missed two extra points and a late field goal in what turned into a 34-31 Saints win. It was a heartbreaker for the Panthers, but they have to be encouraged by Allen’s development and the knowledge that through most of the game, they were able to hang with a team that appeared to be much better on paper.
14. Indianapolis Colts
(6-5. Last week: 12)
The good news for the Colts over their past two games is that they’ve become one of the NFL’s most effective and prolific rushing teams. In their Week 11 win over the Jaguars, they had two 100-yard rushers (Jonathan Williams and Marlon Mack), and the franchise hadn’t done that since 1985. Mack was out with a hand injury, so Williams and Nyheim Hines took over against the Texans last Thursday night, combining for 155 yards. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett added 20 yards and a rushing touchdown of his own. The bad news? Indianapolis fell short against the Texans, 20-17, in part because Brissett was unable to connect with his receivers on deep shots. Brissett threw just two passes of 20 or more air yards — both to T.Y. Hilton, and both fell incomplete. Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, hit five deep passes on nine attempts for 184 yards and two touchdowns. That was a fundamental difference in this game, and it’s a matter of concern for the Colts — Brissett has completed just nine deep passes on 28 attempts for 267 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions all season. To put that into perspective, there are 25 quarterbacks with more deep attempts, and 24 of them have more deep completions. Losing that key divisional battle was one thing; the larger issue for Frank Reich and his coaching staff is how to propel their offense forward without the capability for explosive passing plays.
13. Dallas Cowboys
(6-5. Last week: 11)
“We still got a long way to go, but with the makeup of this team, I shouldn’t be this frustrated.”
That was Jerry Jones’ response after his Cowboys dropped a winnable game to the Patriots in a rainstorm in Foxborough on Sunday afternoon, and most of his dissatisfaction was clearly directed at head coach Jason Garrett and special teams coach Keith O’Quinn. Given how the 13-9 loss transpired, it’s tough to argue with Jones in either case.
“They know how to play this game, in this weather,” Jones said of the Patriots. “Their team was masterful. Their coach was masterful. … It was a significant setback for our team. We need this win. We needed a win against an opponent like this, and we haven’t had one.”
The Cowboys haven’t beaten a team with a winning record all season. Garrett’s decision to kick a field goal, down 13-6, with 6:04 left in the game, went against just about every go-for-it-on-fourth-down metric you can dig up, but it’s pretty clear that Garrett doesn’t pay attention to that stuff. And Dallas’ disasters on special teams — from a blocked punt to a third-quarter penalty binge that turned fourth-and-13 to fourth-and-23 — presented a net negative that proved difficult to overcome. The Cowboys were right to be outraged about tripping penalties that affected two of their drives, but it’s been a truism for years that the Patriots often beat you because you do the dumb things they don’t, and for Garrett and his staff, this game was that in triplicate. Dallas has a short week before facing the Bills on Thanksgiving, which probably gives Garrett a short-term pardon. Any more turkeys like this, though, and the axe could fall quickly.
12. Oakland Raiders
(6-5. Last week: 10)
Derek Carr came into Sunday’s game against the Jets with a 72.5% completion rate, an 8.0 yard-per-attempt average, 15 touchdown passes to five interceptions and a passer rating of 105.2 — good for sixth-best in the league. But Jon Gruden has never been known to be patient with his quarterbacks at the best of times, which Sunday wasn’t. Carr completed 15 of 27 passes for 127 yards and an interception before Gruden pulled him in favor of Mike Glennon, who fumbled on two of his first three snaps. Glennon wasn’t much better in the 34-3 loss to a Jets team that suddenly has come alive, and if Gruden can’t get things set on offense, the Raiders will go from possible playoff contender to immediate afterthought in a big hurry.
11. Tennessee Titans
(6-5. Last week: 15)
Another week, another decisive performance from Ryan Tannehill. Against the Jaguars in a 42-20 blowout win, Tannehill became the first Titans quarterback to throw two touchdown passes and run for two touchdowns in the same game since Steve McNair in 2001. And after he completed 14 of 18 passes for 259 yards and those two touchdowns, Tannehill became the NFL’s passer rating leader (114.9) among quarterbacks who have started at least five games this season. At this point, it seems a fait accompli that the Titans will look to make him their franchise quarterback in 2020 and beyond. The Titans are 4-1 in Tannehill’s starts, which has put them firmly in the AFC South race, continuing one of the more remarkable rebound stories in the NFL in recent years.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
(7-4. Week 12 Bye. Last week: 8)
Are we to take the Chiefs’ defense seriously after Kansas City’s 24-17 win over the Chargers in Week 11? Frank Clark had his best game of the season with five quarterback pressures that led to a strip-sack, a Derrick Nnadi interception and three incompletions. A defense that had six interceptions through the first 10 weeks of the season recorded four against Philip Rivers, and it was the defense that — perhaps for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era — took over when Mahomes was mostly ineffective. It may be that the Chiefs simply took advantage of the Chargers offensive line and a quarterback who’s been all too eager to give the ball up. But if this defense is able to keep it up — starting with their Dec. 1 game against the Raiders — this becomes a very dangerous team, especially since Mahomes is unlikely to struggle as he did in that game.
9. Houston Texans
(7-4. Last week: 13)
One of the things you want to see from a franchise quarterback is the ability to recover from a really bad game and keep the good play going after that. Deshaun Watson had this opportunity after his disaster against the Ravens in Week 11, and he took advantage. Following a game in which he was frustrated by the Ravens’ new-look defense with 18 completions in 29 attempts for 169 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and six sacks, Watson completed 19 of 30 passes for 298 yards, two touchdowns and one pick in a 20-17 win over Indianapolis that put Houston in sole possession of first place in the AFC South. Watson riddled the Colts’ secondary with deep shots to DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. Perhaps even more importantly for the Texans’ postseason prospects, a secondary that has been a liability most of the season did a great job shutting down Jacoby Brissett and the Colts’ passing game.