24. New York Jets
(5-8. Last week: 25)
This was a close one for current Jets and former Dolphins coach Adam Gase. Were it not for a controversial pass interference call late in Sunday’s game that set things up for Sam Ficken’s winning field goal, Gase would have become the first coach in NFL history to go 0-2 against a team he coached the previous season. But the Jets managed to save their coach from that indignity despite the absences of running back Le’Veon Bell (flu) and safety Jamal Adams (foot) by limiting the Dolphins to seven field goals and no touchdowns. Quarterback Sam Darnold connected with wide receiver Robby Anderson seven times on 11 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown, and backup running back Bilal Powell gained 74 yards on 19 carries.
That’s the good news. The bad news? The Jets play the Ravens on Thursday night. Ouch.
23. Carolina Panthers
(5-8. Last week: 18)
The Ron Rivera era ended for the Panthers with a 23-yard sack taken by Kyle Allen in a loss to the Redskins in which Carolina blew a 14-0 lead. Team owner David Tepper let Rivera go and replaced him with former defensive backs coach Perry Fewell.
Then the big story in Carolina’s 40-20 loss to the Falcons on Sunday was Matt Ryan’s 93-yard touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheaus — the longest of Ryan’s career — and Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson’s reaction to the defensive placement.
What day is today? It's @LlamaDay đ
First career TD for Olamide Zaccheaus! pic.twitter.com/ZUkk2UHupV
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 8, 2019
“Backed up, third-and-7, called an engage-8 blitz, we sent everybody,” Jackson said after the game. “To leave the corners out there on an island by [themselves]? Zero coverage. No help. Backed up. With a quarterback like that? I don’t care if you’re Champ Bailey or any of those cornerbacks on the [NFL’s top 100 all-time] list, that is a play that’s hard to make for any guy. Especially with a quarterback like Matt Ryan.”
Not a good look. Nor was Allen’s day — he completed 28 of 41 passes for 293 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against an Atlanta defense that has been highly vulnerable through most of the season. The Panthers are due for a major offseason blow-up to rebuild, and this game made that very clear.
22. Denver Broncos
(5-8. Last week: 30)
Since Peyton Manning’s retirement, the Broncos’ quarterback situation has been a series of mistakes. From Paxton Lynch to Trevor Siemian to Brock Osweiler to Case Keenum to Joe Flacco to Brandon Allen, general manager and president of football operations John Elway has tried and failed to bring a credible quarterback to the Mile High City. Former Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, the team’s second-round pick in the 2019 draft, might represent the end of that malaise. It’s early yet, but Lock looked great against a Texans defense fresh off its embarrassment of the Patriots. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 309 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, becoming the first rookie in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes in his first career road start. He also became the fourth Broncos rookie with a 300-yard passing game, following Marlin Briscoe in 1968, Elway in 1983 and Tim Tebow in 2010. Lock’s accuracy has improved, and his velocity and athleticism have never been questioned. Denver is basically out of the playoff derby this season, but the Broncos may have finally solved their most pressing issue.
21. Los Angeles Chargers
(5-8. Last week: 23)
For once, the team that has found more agonizing ways to lose than any other team in the NFL found itself on the right side of a decisive win. Running back Austin Ekeler was the star in L.A.’s 45-10 thrashing of the Jaguars, running eight times for 101 yards, and adding four catches on five targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. Philip Rivers didn’t throw an interception for just the fifth time this season, which means there were also no back-breaking picks late in the fourth quarter. Ekeler is the first player this season to go over 100 yards both rushing and receiving in the same game, and head coach Anthony Lynn needs to find more ways for him to be an epicenter of this offense, as he’s proven to be one of the most effectively versatile backs in the NFL.
20. Cleveland Browns
(6-7. Last week: 22)
The idea was that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was supposed to take Cleveland’s passing game to the next level. That’s why the Browns traded a first-round pick, a third-round pick and safety Jabrill Peppers to the Giants for his services in March. To say the least, things have not gone as the Browns expected. Beckham caught just two passes on five targets for 39 yards in the Browns’ 27-19 win over the Bengals, and after the game, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw the team’s medical staff under the bus, saying that Beckham had a sports hernia that should have seen more treatment before the season started.
âI would say itâs not been handled right,â Mayfield concluded. âHeâs not able to run as well as he should be able to, as well he knows. Thatâs frustrating for him.â
Regardless of the reason, Beckham is having the least productive full season of his career, and there are now reports that he wants out. The Browns would be unlikely to trade Beckham, but as most things about Cleveland’s season have been unlikely (primary the inability to play as a coherent unit on either side of the ball after an encouraging second half in 2018), one never knows what might happen.
19. Philadelphia Eagles
(6-7. Last week: 19)
When JJ Arcega-Whiteside limped off the field in overtime, the Eagles had one remaining receiver on their roster — Greg Ward. An unreal slate of receiver injuries had already limited Doug Pederson to calling a bunch of stuff out of three-tight end sets and using running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott in the passing game. This led one former Colts legend to opine on Philly’s paucity of receivers:
You know what…. I'll make the Eagles receiving core right now. And I'm currently at a bar at this present moment. đ„
— Reggie Wayne (@ReggieWayne_17) December 10, 2019
But in the end, and after a highly uneven performance in regulation, the Eagles were able to come back from a 17-3 deficit to the Giants to pull the game out in a 23-17 final when Carson Wentz hit tight end Zach Ertz on a two-yard touchdown pass with 5:13 left in regulation, giving Philly a decent chance of taking the NFC East if they can beat the Cowboys in Week 16 as part of a win-out strategy. It’s not been pretty for the Eagles this season, and between their receiver group and a highly suspect secondary, they’re looking primed to get waxed by any of the NFC’s better teams. But this was enough to keep them alive for another week.
18. Indianapolis Colts
(6-7. Last week: 16)
It was a day of high frustration for the Colts, who picked off Jameis Winston three times (including a pick-six), but also allowed a season-high 542 total yards and 17 unanswered points in what became a 38-35 loss that pushed Indianapolis further out of the playoff race. Winston will make more than his share of mistakes, but he’s also capable of explosive plays — which Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett hasn’t been this season. Brissett did hit Marcus Johnson for a 46-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and he completed two of his four attempts of 20 or more air yards for 96 yards and a touchdown in the game, but the combination of a defense that couldn’t stop the Buccaneers’ over-the-top passing game and an offense that made its own share of mistakes put another damper on a season that once looked promising. Losing five times in six games will tend to do that.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(6-7. Last week: 20)
For the third time this season, Jameis Winston was intercepted on his first pass of a game. This one was to Colts linebacker Darius Leonard as the Colts were playing their base Cover-3 defense, and it’s something we’ve all seen before.
This is Jameis Winstonâs first interception against the Colts. Itâs Cover-3, an issue for Winston all season. Itâs also not the first time Winstonâs had issues with linebackers dropping into coverage. (Generated by @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/YHCYe9mK9A
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 9, 2019
Winston wasn’t done, of course. His second interception was returned 80 yards for a touchdown by Leonard, and he would later be picked off by safety Malik Hooker as well. That was Bad Jameis. Good Jameis managed to complete 33 of 45 passes to the receivers on his own team for 456 yards and four touchdowns, pushing the Bucs to a 38-35 win over Indianapolis. Winston became the third quarterback in pro football history (Joe Namath in 1967; Peyton Manning in 2001) with 23 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and at least five pick-sixes in a season. That summarizes the Jameis Winston Experience as well as anything.