NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: NFC East is center of attention

The NFC East doesn’t have a team with a winning record, but it’s the most compelling division in Touchdown Wire’s weekly Power Rankings.

 

 

NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: NFC East is center of attention

The NFC East doesn’t have a team with a winning record, but it’s the most compelling division in Touchdown Wire’s weekly Power Rankings.

The NFC East is the worst division in the NFL. It also is the most entertaining.

Even though no team in the division currently has a winning record, the playoff scenario got more intriguing in Week 15. Plus, there’s all sorts of speculation about which head coaches might be fired, and a New York icon may have played his last game for the Giants.

The Cowboys finally played the way a team with that much talent is supposed to play, improving to 7-7 with a 44-21 shellacking of the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles also climbed to 7-7 after a 37-27 win over the Redskins. Dallas plays at Philadelphia in Week 16, and the Cowboys can clinch the division title with a victory.

Even though the Cowboys are in the playoff race, coach Jason Garrett’s job doesn’t appear safe. Rumors are swirling that owner Jerry Jones is considering Urban Meyer as a replacement for Garrett.

Things got even more interesting when Meyer showed up at the Redskins game on Sunday. Can you imagine a bidding war for Meyer between Jones and Washington owner Daniel Snyder?

New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur also could be on the hot seat, even though he got a win against Miami. But Shurmur wasn’t the Giants’ most interesting story of Sunday. Instead, that was Eli Manning. The veteran quarterback played what might have been his final game for the Giants, while filling in for injured rookie Daniel Jones.

Here’s where the NFC East teams — and the rest of the league — stand in Touchdown Wire’s Week 16 Power Rankings.

32. Cincinnati Bengals

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

(1-13. Last week: 32)

A 34-14 loss to New England was expected, but the Bengals actually kept the game close until the third quarter. But in the end, they lost to one of the league’s best teams. More importantly, the Bengals remained on pace to earn the top pick in next year’s draft. That means it appears as if newly crowned Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow will wear a Cincinnati uniform next season. After briefly benching veteran starter Andy Dalton in favor of rookie Ryan Finley, the Bengals have been sticking with Dalton. That’s somewhat inexplicable, because Dalton threw four interceptions Sunday. Dalton has no future with the Bengals. But he’s doing his part to make sure Cincinnati gets Burrow.

31. Washington Redskins

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(3-11. Last week: 30)

The Redskins lost to Philadelphia, 37-27.  The game meant nothing to the Redskins aside from impacting their draft position. The real story here is that Urban Meyer was spotted in a luxury box at FedEx Field with injured Washington quarterback Alex Smith, who played for Meyer at the University of Utah. Let the speculation grow that Meyer, who won national championships at Florida and Ohio State will be the next coach of the Redskins. Of course, current Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins also played for Meyer, at Ohio State. Meyer’s sighting could foreshadow an off-field showdown in the NFC East. There is widespread speculation that Dallas owner Jerry Jones covets Meyer. Given the personalities and egos of Jones and Washington owner Daniel Snyder, there could be a bidding war for Meyer.

30. Miami Dolphins

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(3-11. Last week: 29)

The only real highlight of Sunday’s 36-20 loss to the Giants was that it likely was Eli Manning’s final start for New York. Injured rookie Daniel Jones is expected back in the lineup next week, and Manning probably will retire or play for another franchise next year. But there were a few bright spots for the Dolphins, too. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and receiver DeVante Parker hooked up on two touchdown passes. More significantly, the loss keeps the Dolphins in the race for an early draft pick, where they can seek a long-term answer at quarterback — because there is no long-term future with Fitzpatrick or backup Josh Rosen.

29. Detroit Lions

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(3-10-1. Last week: 28)

The Lions lost 37-17 to Tampa Bay on Sunday. That means they now have suffered 10 losses in consecutive years with Matt Patricia as coach. They also ran their losing streak to seven games. Does all that mean Patricia is on the hot seat? There are two ways to look at it. First, Patricia’s record in Detroit (9-20-1) has been unimpressive, and coaches have been fired for less. The fan base probably wouldn’t be too upset if Patricia gets canned. But on the flip side, Patricia still has his team playing hard even though the Lions are down to third-string quarterback David Blough and are dealing with a rash of injuries. For the sake of continuity, I would give Patricia one more season.

28. New York Giants

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

(3-11. Last week: 31)

A 36-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins may not seem like much. But there was a big storyline for the history of New York’s franchise. This almost certainly was the last start of Eli Manning’s tenure with the Giants, as he threw for two touchdowns and Saquon Barkley ran for two more. Daniel Jones is New York’s quarterback of the future. Jones has been out with an ankle injury, and that’s the only reason Manning has been back as the starter. But Jones returned to practice on a limited basis last week and is expected to return as the starter for the final two games of the season. This win was important for Manning, who could decide to retire after the season. It got his career record back to .500. Manning is a borderline Hall of Famer. A .500 record sounds a lot better than a losing record to Hall of Fame voters.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

(5-9. Last week: 27)

The Jaguars went to California and beat the Raiders in their final game in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas next season. But the win doesn’t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. Prior to the game, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that significant changes will be made in Jacksonville in the offseason. That could mean coach Doug Marrone, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell are on the hot seat. Any or all of them could be gone after two disappointing seasons since a berth in the AFC Championship Game. The other big question in Jacksonville is who will be the quarterback next season. Rookie Gardner Minshew has outplayed the high-priced Nick Foles. Minshew has earned the right to at least compete with Foles in the preseason.

26. New York Jets

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

(5-9. Last week: 24)

Thursday night’s game against Baltimore went exactly as expected. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the likely NFL Most Valuable Player, threw for 212 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for 86 yards. That’s no surprise, since Jackson has put up huge numbers all season. What is surprising, and concerning, is that the Jets suddenly seem to be a team in turmoil. During Sunday’s game, coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold had a heated exchange on the sideline. They downplayed the incident after the game, but it still wasn’t a good sign. Running back Le’Veon Bell, the source of controversy in Week 14 when he supposedly missed the game with the flu but was seen bowling the previous night, returned and rushed for a season-high 87 yards. Maybe Bell should go bowling more often. The Jets also clinched their fourth straight losing season. That’s their longest such streak in the Super Bowl era.

25. Carolina Panthers

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

(5-9. Last week 23)

On the surface, a 30-24 loss to Seattle isn’t embarrassing. The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL, after all. But this one was embarrassing when you look at it from another perspective. The Panthers now are 2-5 at home this season. That’s embarrassing because the Panthers have good fans, and Bank of America Stadium has given the team a home-field advantage in the past. But the Panthers have lost six games in a row, and their future has more questions than answers. Will Kyle Allen, who threw three interceptions Sunday, be the starter next year? Or will it be longtime franchise quarterback Cam Newton? The bigger question is who will be the coach next year? Don’t be surprised if Urban Meyer’s name surfaces. Carolina owner David Tepper has the funds and the desire to compete with the big boys — Dallas’ Jerry Jones and Washington’s Daniel Snyder — for Meyer’s services.

32-25 | 24-17 | 16-9 | 8-1

Report: Jags ‘likely’ to go through a coaching change after 2019

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo doesn’t know if it will be before the season, but believes the Jags are heading towards a coaching change.

The Jacksonville Jaguars season has been a big-time failure and the fans aren’t happy. Jags owner Shad Khan likely isn’t happy with the results he’s seen either as the Jags are on a four-game skid in which they’ve been outscored 129-47 and have looked like a dumpster fire organization along the way.

Due to all of the aforementioned issues, many have suspected changes are coming. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo seems to believe that those changes could definitely include acquiring a new head coach after stating that the Jags are “likely” to move on from Doug Marrone, who has been the Jags’ coach for almost three full seasons now.

“If you’re asking me if it is going to be before Week 17, I honestly have no idea. It’s gonna depend on what happens in these next couple of games here,” Garafolo said Tuesday afternoon. “But I think everyone is looking at this situation saying it’s a likely coaching change in Jacksonville.”

It’s worth noting that Garafolo was the source to break the news of Doug Marrone being hired by the Jags under Gus Bradley, so it appears he knows his stuff when it comes to the veteran head coach. It’s also worth noting Garafolo stated that Marrone could make a case to stay by finishing the season strong and showing he can win with rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

The news is pretty much what most fans were expecting, however, when looking at how the Jags have looked over the last two years. In fact, since going to the AFC Championship the Jags are 9-19, which isn’t a good look —even when looking past 2018, which was a year full of key injuries for the Jags.

I think Marrone is a good coach but there may be varying opinions on him in the locker room because executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin, has seemingly gotten involved with issues that the coach should more so control. A prime example is the Jalen Ramsey situation.

Speaking of Coughlin, Garafolo didn’t really offer any news about his job security or that of general manager Dave Caldwell, though he did say the front office wants to see how the season plays out. However, a half-measure by Khan wouldn’t be wise. Ultimately, he’d still be keeping two people who have played a key part in the organization’s mistakes of the past. There is also the fact that no head coach that’s worth having will want Coughlin hovering over him while he does his job.

5 takeaways from Tom Coughlin’s first presser since draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked their fanbase by holding a press conference for executive Vice President of football operations Tom Coughlin, who has never spoken to the media in the regular season. He made it clear that the Jags have zero excuses …

The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked their fanbase by holding a press conference  for executive Vice President of football operations Tom Coughlin, who has never spoken to the media in the regular season. He made it clear that the Jags have zero excuses to offer for their performance as of late and took questions (well, kind of) afterwards.

Here are some takeaways we came away with in listening to the 13 minute presser:

Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The point of the presser may have been to rally the fans more than to explain their issues

It initially looked as though the front office heard the fans’ cry to hear from someone in the front office about the Jags’ issues, but in the end, that wasn’t the case. While Coughlin did offer some thoughts on the team’s issues, it wasn’t much. Instead, he spoke to rally the fans, attempting to convince them that there is still a chance for a winning season.

Coughlin never addresses the media during the regular season, prompting reporters to ask if he was told or asked to have his presser. He insisted that wasn’t the case, but when considering the presser didn’t offer much insight into the team’s struggles, fans can’t help but think the opposite.

Only time will tell if the fans show up for the Jags’ next three home games, but it would be hard to blame them if they didn’t. Sure, Coughlin was right when he said the team has a chance for a winning season, but their performance in the last three games makes it difficult to see the Jags having a drastic turnaround.

Simply put, deploying Coughlin to rally support and optimism likely isn’t going to work as it would’ve in 2017. What will work is Khan putting a winning product on the field. and it’s hard to have faith that his current front office and coaching staff can do that.