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NFL Power Rankings: Where do Eagles Stand After Wentz Injury?
Date: December 16, 2017By: Dalton Allison
10. Tennessee Titans- To say that the Titans laid a giant goose egg against the Arizona Cardinals would be an understatement. Never before has an 8-5 team showed such a lack of cohesion on the offensive side of the ball. Marcus Mariota threw two interceptions, without tossing a touchdown pass. It did not help that his usually powerful tandem of running backs, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, combined for 54 yards rushing on the day. Henry scored the lone points for the Titans, securing a rushing touchdown. The defense displayed a valiant effort as usual, allowing only four field goals on the day. If the Titans truly want to compete with the Jaguars, they will have to turn their offensive production up.
9. New Orleans Saints- Back to back divisional losses have harmed the Saints, and has left Sean Payton searching for answers. The offense of the Saints was stalled when running back Alvin Kamara suffered a conclusion early in the first quarter. This made the offense less dynamic, and put more stress than usual upon Drew Brees. For a while it would seem that the Saints were going to come away with the win, but Falcons linebacker Deion Jones ended that thought with a crucial interception of Brees. It is unacceptable that the Saints defense intercepted Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan three times, but came away with the loss. True contenders capitalize on mistakes their opponents make, and the Saints didn't.
8. Seattle Seahawks- The Russell Wilson show hit a road bump on the road to chase down a Wild Card spot against the Jaguars. Wilson threw for three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions to go along with the 271 yards that he tossed. Mike Davis put out a decent showing for the Seahawks running game, rushing for 66 yards. The defense was mastered by Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles however. After having several players finish with double digit tackle counts against the Eagles, no players finished with more than nine. It is well-known that the Seahawks possess one of the best home-field advantages in the league. With their spot in the playoffs likely coming through a wildcard berth however, the Seahawks may be in trouble on the road.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Blake Bortles has been putting up good numbers recently, and it has helped the Jaguars to some good wins. Against a highly regarded Seahawks defense, Bortles threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. After coasting on the back of his running game for a large part of the season, Bortles is impressively starting to contribute to his offense. Speaking of the running game, Leonard Fournette carved up the defensive front of the Seahawks, earning 104 yards and a touchdown to help propel the victory. A.J. Bouye came away with two interceptions, adding to his total of six for the season. He is tied with Kevin Byard of the Titans for the league lead.
6. Carolina Panthers- In most Panther victories, the headline is usually how Cam Newton led the offense in a heroic effort. However, it was the way that the Panthers shut down Case Keenum that stood out most this weekend. The defense was able to reach Keenum six times on Sunday, and forced him into two interceptions. As usual, the defense was led by linebacker Luke Keuchly, who finished with 14 tackles and a sack. The offense relied on workhorse Jonathan Stewart to carry the scoring load for them, as Stewart rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns on only six carries. In a statement win, the Panthers showed that they have the ability to win the NFC South.
5. Minnesota Vikings- Case Keenum and his receivers were simply not in-synch with each other against a tough Panthers defense. While wide receiver Adam Thielen finished with 105 yards and a touchdown, the struggles show in the targets section of the stats. Keenum missed 17 throws against the Panthers, which showed that he and most of his receivers were not on the same page. Luckily for the Vikings, this can be fixed with practice. Latavius Murray needs to step up in the backfield for the Vikings, because he should not have Keenum finish with more rushing yards than him. Being in a weak division though, the Vikings can simply mark this off as a loss to a tough opponent, and move on.
4. L.A Rams- Although they lost to the Eagles 43-35, there were many positives that came away from the loss. Both Jared Goff and Todd Gurley showed their ability to be able to produce in big game situations. Goff finished with 199 yards and two touchdowns, while Gurley grinded for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Goff's biggest blunder came however when he was sacked and fumbled the ball deep in his own territory to give the ball to the Eagles in prime scoring position. Turnovers have not plagued the Rams this season, but they need to do everything in their power to prevent crucial turnovers like the one they suffered in their loss to the Eagles.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers- Even though they clinched their division, winning is never an easy feat for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They edged the Baltimore Ravens 39-38 to capture their division crown. Lacking a running game from LeVeon Bell, the other killer B's (Ben Rothlisberger and Antonio Brown) picked up the slack in a major way. Brown was good for 213 yards receiving on 11 catches, while Rothlisberger dropped 513 yards passing and two touchdowns. While Bell was only responsible for 48 yards on the ground, he did rush for two touchdowns and received a touchdown and 77 yards. The team knows that the offense will produce, it is simply a matter of how well the defense will play at any given game.
2. New England Patriots- Xavien Howard proved to be a big thorn in the backside of Tom Brady, as the Dolphins handed the Patriots their first loss since week four. Whether it be the fact that Brady threw for two interceptions to Howard, or that the Patriots only had 25 rushing yards, the fact is that the Patriots had an off day. It is rare that a Bill Belichek team does this, but it was better that they lost this week rather than next. The Patriots are staring at a matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who feature one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. It is important that Brady and his boys get their game face back on, or else they will be looking at another loss in their next matchup.
1. Philadelphia Eagles- It is not only a loss for the Eagles that Carson Wentz is out for the remainder of the season, but also for all fans of the NFL. Wentz was one of the most exciting players in the NFL this season, and he led the Eagles to where they are right now. It is now Nick Foles' team to lead, and he is more than qualified to do so. In 2013, Foles went 8-2, and lead the Eagles to the playoffs. That season he finished with a 119.2 passer rating, which is the franchise record. This season says that he can do it, although his other seasons, which are a little bit more rough stats wise, say differently. Against the Rams, Foles completed six passes for 42 yards, and looked like he understood the offense. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the NFL Playoffs.
Dalton Allison can be reached at dalton.allison@student.shu.edu and can be found on Twitter @DaltonAllison4.
