Touchdown Wire’s Week 17 NFL Power Rankings — Playoff picture becoming clearer

On the heels of a wild weekend that transformed the NFL playoff picture, Touchdown Wire unveils its weekly NFL Power Rankings.

Heading into Week 17, we already know the Baltimore Ravens are the best team in the league and the Cincinnati Bengals are the worst.

In Week 16, we found out two positive certainties for the Ravens and Bengals. First, by guaranteeing the league’s worst record, the Bengals clinched the No. 1 spot in the 2020 NFL draft.

At least at the moment, it appears likely they’ll use it on Heisman Trophy winner and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. That’s the silver lining in Cincinnati’s dismal season.

Baltimore earned a gift with its great season. At 13-2, the Ravens clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, meaning they have a bye and hold home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Lots of other scenarios were clinched in Week 16. But many more, including a number of playoff seeds, won’t be known until after Week 17.

We touch on that and more in this week’s Touchdown Wire NFL Power Rankings.

32. Cincinnati Bengals

(1-14. Last week: 32)

Finally, there’s something to celebrate in Cincinnati. It took an overtime loss to Miami, but the Bengals officially clinched the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. That almost certainly will be used on a quarterback, and most draft experts currently believe LSU’s Joe Burrow is the top prospect. While that seems like a certainty, the status of first-year head coach Zac Taylor isn’t a given. Bengals owner Mike Brown has been notoriously patient and frugal in the past, but a one- or two-win season may not be enough for Taylor to survive. Besides, there is plenty of room to question Taylor’s decision to go back to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton after briefly benching him in favor of rookie Ryan Finley. Yeah, Dalton threw four touchdown passes Sunday, but it’s clear he’s got no future with the Bengals. Apparently, Finley doesn’t either. This looks like a team that already has settled on Burrow.

31. Washington Redskins

(3-12. Last week: 31)

There hasn’t been much for Washington fans to cheer for this season, especially after Sunday’s overtime loss to the New York Giants dropped the Redskins into sole possession of last place in the NFC East. But there is one bright spot: the play of rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Coming off the best game of his career, Haskins continued to show progress by completing 12 of 15 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an ankle injury. That means whoever is coaching the Redskins next year might already have his quarterback. The Redskins are going to have a premium draft pick and might decide on Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who is more of a sure thing than any of the quarterbacks who will be available.

30. Detroit Lions

(3-11-1. Last week: 29)

Things continued to get worse for Detroit with a 27-17 loss to Denver. That was to be expected because the Lions are down to third-string quarterback David Blough, who totaled just 117 passing yards and took four sacks against the Broncos. This season has long been over for the Lions. But the real story here is about next season. Ownership came out last week and firmly said that coach Matt Patricia will be back for a third year and general manager Bob Quinn also will return. That’s somewhat surprising since Patricia’s tenure has been a disaster, and there haven’t been many signs of progress. But I can see the case for giving Patricia another year. He deserves a shot to see what he can do with quarterback Matthew Stafford healthy all season. If Patricia can’t win with Stafford, then it will be time to move on.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

(5-10. Last week: 27)

The Jaguars made news last week by firing executive vice president Tom Coughlin. Some assume that means coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell are safe for next season, but that’s not necessarily the case. Marrone has lost 21 of 31 games since taking the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game after the 2017 season. Coughlin’s firing was about more than the team’s record. It was a reaction by owner Shad Kahn after the NFL Players Association issued a warning to players about signing with the Jaguars due to a high number of grievances against the organization. Those issues were a poor reflection on Coughlin. But the team’s poor record is a reflection on Marrone and Caldwell. Kahn might be better off cleaning house and starting over again.

28. Miami Dolphins

(4-11. Last week: 30)

Remember back early in the season when everyone thought the Dolphins were purposely losing to acquire better draft picks? At first, it seemed to be true, but they were just good enough to win their way out of the top pick — and it was fitting that their overtime win against Cincinnati helped the Bengals clinch the No. 1 pick. Miami stuck with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick over second-year pro Josh Rosen most of the season. That was pointless, because Fitzpatrick is no long-term answer for a team that needs a major rebuild. By missing out on the No. 1 pick, the Dolphins apparently will miss out on consensus No. 1 quarterback prospect Joe Burrow. They probably still will draft a quarterback. Instead of Burrow, it likely will be Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert.

27. New York Giants

(4-11. Last week: 28)

Sure, the Giants are 4-11, and Sunday’s victory against a bad Washington team came in overtime. But I’m going to go way out on a limb and declare the Giants the favorite to win the NFC East in 2020. Seriously. Why? The Giants have the brightest future of the bunch. You could see Sunday that the Giants are set at quarterback and running back for the long term. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones returned from injury and threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns. Second-year running back Saquon Barkley ran for 189 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 90 yards and another touchdown. Jones and Barkley could be superstars. Sure, there’s plenty of work to be done on the defense, at receiver and on the offensive line. But Jones and Barkley give the Giants hope and something to build around. Their presence and promise probably is enough to keep coach Pat Shurmur employed.

26. Carolina Panthers

(5-10. Last week: 25)

Perhaps the most insightful NFL quote of the week came from veteran Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, who has a bright future in broadcasting. After an embarrassing loss to Indianapolis, Olsen put Carolina’s situation into perfect context.

“It’s a really tough way to operate,” Olsen said. “Players are underperforming. It’s right now a very collective failure, organizationally a failure.”

The Panthers might be in the most disarray they’ve been in since coach George Seifert’s final year, a 1-15 season in 2001. Interim coach Perry Fewell hasn’t come close to winning a game since taking over when Ron Rivera was fired. It’s become obvious that Fewell will not get the permanent job. Owner David Tepper has to go out and find the right guy. If general manager Marty Hurney sticks around and has any input, his track record suggest he’ll favor a rising coordinator and not a former head coach or a college coach.

25. Los Angeles Chargers

(5-10. Last week: 23)

The Chargers lost to the Raiders on Sunday, but the big story here came in the postgame. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers told reporters he wants to continue playing. Rivers is 38 and in the final year of his contract.

“I’m capable enough physically and mentally, there’s no question,” Rivers said. “Yes, I do want to play football. I do, and that’s how I feel deep down as I stand here.”

But the bigger question is do the Chargers want Rivers back? Despite all he’s done for the franchise through the years, Rivers has endured a bad season. His 18 interceptions rank second in the NFL to Jameis Winston’s 28. The Chargers have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams and haven’t developed much of a fan base in Los Angeles. They’ll be moving into a new stadium next year, and it might be time for an infusion of excitement at quarterback, whether through the draft or via free agency.

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

Pages: 1234

Ravens should rest Lamar Jackson, other key starters vs. Steelers

With some injury scares and nothing meaningful to play for in Week 17 against the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens should be cautious

The Baltimore Ravens have an interesting predicament to face in Week 17. With their playoff seeding already decided — grabbing the top spot with their win in Week 16 — there’s little for the Ravens to play for against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though pride, sweeping a division rival, keeping them from the playoffs and going 14-2 with a 12-game winning streak are pretty amazing things; they’re not all that important in reality. At least not given what Baltimore’s ultimate goal is this season: the Super Bowl.

So with no weight put on Week 17 for the Ravens, why should they risk the guys that got them this far? I contend they absolutely shouldn’t and outside of some light practice to keep everyone warm and in the right mindset, many of Baltimore’s starters should be seen in sweatpants on the sideline instead of jerseys, pads and helmets come Sunday.

There are a few arguments to be made against sitting key players next week. Some would argue not playing a game in two weeks would make those players rusty when they finally get to play. There’s also an argument for doing everything possible to keep the Steelers from the postseason. But I don’t particularly buy either notion and see the potential harm far outweigh the potential benefits.

Every NFL team already gets a bye week and you better believe players look forward to the extra bit of rest in a long season. It allows those players that are a little banged up some extra time to recuperate and get closer to full health. And at this point in the season, all 53 players are nursing cuts, bumps, bruises and worse. Safety Earl Thomas already told ESPN’s Josina Anderson he’s not planning on playing this final game because his body needs the extra rest and that should be a good enough indication for coach John Harbaugh on the state of his players.

While practice is not real football, that should be enough to limit any major rust the players have by missing this final game. And a sluggish start to a game would be far preferred over potentially losing a key player like Lamar Jackson or Thomas in a game that ultimately didn’t matter. The Ravens already got a taste of what that scare feels like against the Browns, seeing Mark Ingram leave the game with a calf injury, both Jackson and Mark Andrews limping at one point, and both Jimmy Smith and Marcus Peters had to miss some time with ailments of their own. Why put them in harm’s way for a game where the only purpose for Baltimore is possibly keeping them in a better rhythm?

Though it would be nice to ensure Pittsburgh misses the postseason by starting everyone, it might not even be necessary given the state of the Steelers.

They can’t decide which quarterback they want to start, bouncing between Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph this season, benching both quarterbacks at points after poor showings. Pittsburgh also isn’t likely going to be very healthy for this game either, seeing Rudolph, running back James Connor and center Maurkice Pouncey all leave Week 16 with injuries. Their statuses for Week 17 are far from finalized but it’s doubtful they’ll be 100% by Sunday afternoon even if they do play.

To recap: The Ravens might not even need their starters to beat the Steelers, the game means nothing to Baltimore either way and they could really use the extra week of rest to get healthy . . . It seems like a no brainer to me.

[vertical-gallery id=39645]

Jets vs. Steelers: 4 takeaways from New York’s win over Pittsburgh

Here are four takeaways from the Jets’ 16-10 win over the Steelers.

In a game that no team looked like they wanted to win, it was the Jets that ultimately pulled it out with a 16-10 win over the Steelers.

Winning ugly is better than losing, but the Jets’ offense is becoming a real concern. After driving down the field on the first drive of the game, New York’s offense went ice cold. Luckily, the Jets’ defense shut out the Steelers offense in the second half that carried them to a victory.

Let’s take a look at some takeaways from the Jets’ sixth win of the season.

Defense responded well after beatdown in Baltimore

The Jets defense was torched by Lamar Jackson and company last week in Baltimore, but bounced back quite nicely this week.

Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph are no Jackson, but New York’s defense did everything right on Sunday. They got to the quarterback with four sacks and forced two takeaways after only forcing one in their last three games. The Jets also got off the field well on third down, only allowing the Steelers to convert three times.

Gregg Williams continues to show why he is one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. This defense has been decimated by injuries all year long and are still able to give opposing offenses trouble.

Pages: 1234

Marcus Maye, Quinnen Williams among Jets’ Studs & Duds win over Steelers

The Jets did what they had to do to knock off the Steelers in an ugly 16-10 win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Adam Gase told his team that if they were going to pull off an upset against the Steelers in Week 16, it would come in low-scoring fashion.

The Jets did just that, barely pulling out an ugly victory over Pittsburgh by a final score of 16-10. Nothing was pretty about the Jets’ win, but the defense stood on its head yet again though, intercepting Devlin Hodges twice.

The Jets’ gameplan was to not turn over the football. The team’s only turnover came right before halftime and led to the Steelers’ only touchdown of the game. Sam Darnold and the Jets offense were unspectacular, but they did just enough to get Le’Veon Bell and Hines Ward a victory against their former team.

Here are the best and worst players from the Jets’ latest win.

Stud: S Marcus Maye

While Marcus Maye has played an above-average center field position in the secondary for Gang Green, he’s been forced to play out of position and has subsequently struggled.

Fortunately for Maye, with Jamal Adams returning to the starting lineup, he was able to slide over to his natural position and made the Steelers pay. Maye’s interception of Devlin Hodges in the end zone was the final straw for Mike Tomlin, who yanked Hodges in favor of Mason Rudolph until an injury forced Rudolph out of action.

In addition to Maye’s third career interception, he added four tackles in the Jets 16-10 win over the Steelers. He also made a game-saving play in coverage, breaking up a game-winning touchdown catch from James Washington with less than a minute remaining in the game.

Pages: 12345

Instant analysis: Jets do just enough to upset Steelers

The Jets didn’t look great on offense or defense but both units were effective enough to pull off the 16-10 win over the Steelers.

It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.

The Jets didn’t look great on offense or defense, but both units were effective enough to pull off a16-10 upset win over the Steelers on Sunday.

Sam Darnold didn’t do much after a sensational opening drive capped off by a perfect touchdown pass to Robby Anderson but he put the Jets in multiple positions to kick field goals, which kept the Steelers at bay throughout the game. The defense, meanwhile, held off a Steelers offense that cycled between Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph at quarterback lost James Conner to injury.

Game Balls:

Jamal Adams: No sacks for the safety, but Adams finished with a game-high six solo tackles and eight combined on the day. He also had two tackles for a loss and played a huge role in limiting the Steelers to only 75 combined rushing yards. Adams hasn’t been as effective since his injury, but he remains the Jets’ best overall defender and the leader of the defense.
Sam Ficken: Ficken converted all four of his kick attempts (three field goals and one extra point). He also nailed a 54-yarder early in the second quarter. It will be very interesting to see what the Jets do with Ficken this offseason given the team’s recent kicker struggles.

Quick Thoughts:

- Adam Gase is still struggling with orchestrating sustained drives after the Jets’ first series of either half. The Jets stormed down the field on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game and then couldn’t do anything the rest of the game. New York averaged 4.1 plays for 15.3 yards in their next 12 drives and only mustered nine points. Mid-game adjustments have plagued Gase throughout his tenure with the Jets and it continued against the Steelers.
- Robby Anderson wants his money. The wide receiver made another ridiculous touchdown catch on a perfectly-placed ball by Darnold on the Jets’ opening drive in his attempt to prove to the Jets – or anyone that will pay him – that he’s worth a long-term contract. Anderson only finished the game with two receptions for 32 yards (his touchdown went for 23), but he now has a score in four of the past six games and should see a nice offer from someone this offseason. Whether it comes from the Jets remains to be seen.

I’m lookin’ for a diiiiime, that’s top of the liiiiine.#PITvsNYJ | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/xGGWr9lHBb

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 22, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Sam Darnold is still making some careless mistakes. He only had one turnover (a sack-fumble), but he almost threw another bad interception on a deep pass to Vyncint Smith. It was a miracle Joe Haden didn’t come down with the ball. Darnold only finished with 16 completions for 186 yards and the Jets failed to build many long drives. This has been a trend of both Darnold and the play-calling by Gase all season, and it needs to be corrected this summer.
New York’s defense employed a bend-but-don’t-break mentality when it came to facing the Steelers. Pittsburgh had a few nice drives that could have turned into more than just 10 points, but the Jets were able to thwart a couple of efforts. Devlin Hodges threw interceptions on his first two drives, including one to safety Marcus Maye in the end zone. Quinnen Williams also had a sack late in the game to knock the Steelers out of field goal range. The defense played well enough to keep the Steelers off the scoreboard, though they did give up a big score to Dontae Johnson at the end of the half in an obvious Hail Mary situation for the Steelers.

Steelers bench Devin Hodges after 2 1st half interceptions

Mason Rudolph is back in for the Steelers.

We all knew the leash for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges would be short. It took less than a half of football for Hodges to throw two interceptions, forcing head coach Mike Tomlin to make yet another quarterback change. Mason Rudolph is back in.

Hodges replaced Rudolph after he followed up a four-interception game with a poor first half the following week. It’s like deja vu all over again as this time Rudolph is going to come in and provide a spark to an anemic Steelers offense.

The Jets lead the Steelers 10-0.

[vertical-gallery id=451748]

[lawrence-related id=456698]

Adam Gase praises Steelers success with backup quarterbacks

Adam Gase spoke highly of how the Steelers have had success with a backup quarterback and praised Devlin Hodges.

Jets head coach Adam Gase has taken notice of the Steelers’ success with a backup quarterback this season.

The Steelers lost starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season to an elbow injury in the second game of the regular season. Pittsburgh has since turned to backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges and still find themselves in contention for a wild card spot. Gase is well aware of how tough it is to win games with backup quarterbacks and he praised the Steelers for their success.

“That’s a great job,” Gase said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. They found a way to be able to handle that bump in the road and find a way to win. Every game they’ve been in pretty much has been one-score games whether they win or lose. They’re keeping it close…. For the most part they’ve been so consistent.”

It looked as if the Steelers’ season was over when they lost Roethlisberger for the season. But Rudolph stepped in really well and brought the Steelers back to relevancy. However, he started to struggle in Week 11 against the Browns where he threw four interceptions in a loss. Pittsburgh gave him one last start the following week against the Bengals, but was pulled for Hodges.

As for Hodges, he has three wins under his belt as a starting quarterback. Hodges is not the type of quarterback who lights up the stat sheet, but he’s kept opposing defenses on their toes.

“He’s done a good job of what they’ve asked him to do,” Gase said of Hodges. “They’re asking him to manage the game. They’re taking shots down the field. They might not hit them all, but they’re keeping the defense honest and they’re running the football. He’s done a good job of not turning it over. I know last game was a little different. That’s why they have him in there. He’s doing what they ask him to do.”

Considering the way he played against the Bills, Hodges might be on a short leash in Week 16. If he does have trouble against the Jets on Sunday, don’t be surprised to see Pittsburgh turn to a backup quarterback once again.

Browns fan gets tattoo of Garrett-Rudolph fight

One Browns fan now has a tattoo of the Week 11 fight between Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

NFL Best Bets: Three best underdog locks for Week 15

Our weekly NFL underdog betting staple continues into Week 15 where Ken Pomponio features three teams likely to upset their underdog odds

Another big week for underdogs (10-6 against the mid-week point spreads) meant another strong week here as we notched our third straight winning weekend with a 3-0 mark.

As expected, one of my three Week 14 underdog selections won outright with the host Los Angeles Rams beating the favored Seattle Seahawks 28-12 on Sunday night, despite being 2.5-point home ‘dogs midweek.

But we saw TWO of our underdogs win straight up as rookie quarterback Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos dominated the host Houston Texans (7.5-point favorites) in a shocking 38-24 win.

The third of our three picks, the 12.5 -point underdog Washington Redskins, hung tough as expected in a 20-15 road loss on the frozen tundra of Green Bay.

That all ups our season record here to a nice, shiny and – best of all – profitable 26-16.

Now we move on to a Week 15 slate that doesn’t appear as promising at first (or even fourth) glance, looking like a rare 2019 week of favorites. Regardless, we’ve found three ‘dogs to back, utilizing, as usual, Wednesday’s posted point spreads at BetMGM.com.

Here goes …

Chicago Bears (+4½) at Packers

Photo Credit: Benny Sieu – USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look now but Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears have rebounded from a 3-5 start to win four of their last five and inch onto the fringe of the crowded NFC playoff chase.

The 7-6 Bears are 4-9 against the spread, but seven of those losses have come as favorites. Now they’re getting the third-most points they’ve received all season.

The Pack? They’ve won two straight since coming out on the wrong side of a 37-8 beatdown against the 49ers in Week 12 and, at 10-3, are fighting for the NFC North title and a possible first-round postseason bye.

Green Bay, though, is 4-3 ATS as a home favorite this season. And despite the Packers’ 10-3 win in Chicago in the season opener, Trubisky & Co. should be able to keep the rematch within the number, even if they wind up falling short in the latest installment of this storied rivalry.

Dallas Cowboys (+1½) vs. L.A. Rams

Photo Credit: Quinn Harris – USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, we’re going against all the momentum and trends on both ends and side with embattled coach Jason Garrett and the ‘Boys here.

Dallas has dropped three straight, four of five and seven of 10 overall since a 3-0 start, but the club is still somehow tied for the NFC (L)East lead.

It goes against all logic to take that resume over that of the suddenly surging Rams, who have won three of four to move to 8-5 and into the wild-card hunt, but sometimes the ugly ‘dog is the right ‘dog, and we’ll bank on the Cowboys avoiding a third straight home loss.

Buffalo Bills (+2½) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Photo Credit: Rich Barnes – USA TODAY Sports

The 8-5 Steelers are a truly impressive 7-1 since a Week 5 overtime home loss to the Ravens dropped them to 1-4, and they’ve done so with the backup-QB combo of Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph at the helm.

Still, only one of Pittsburgh’s eight wins – a 17-12 Week 10 triumph over the visiting Rams – has come against a team currently sporting a winning record.

The 9-4 Bills own a rather similar resume with only one of their nine wins – a Week 5 victory over the then-Marcus Mariota-quarterbacked Tennessee Titans – coming against a team currently sitting above .500.

But in a Sunday night matchup of AFC wild-card front-runners possessing strong defenses, we’ll take the better QB (Josh Allen) and the points on the road in a mild upset.

Want action on these games? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1367]

WATCH: Steelers’ Maurkice Pouncey: Fight with Myles Garret ‘was worth it’

Maurkice Pouncey is back from his two-game suspension following the Browns-Steelers melee from Week 11 when Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett ripped off the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and then hit him with it.

Pouncey was originally suspended three games for punching Garrett in the helmet and then kicking him, but the NFL reduced his suspension to two games after an appeal.

Even then, the Steelers’ center doesn’t regret it. Pouncey said to PennLive.com’s Jacob Klinger: “The NFL had to make a statement, and rightfully so. At the end of the day, the fight didn’t look good, but the fight was worth it.”

Between two missed game checks and a $35,096 fine, Pouncey lost out on approximately $150,000.

“Everyone had to pay their fines, everyone had to do their due diligence. But the money was worth it, trust me.”