Thanksgiving week is here. In other words, it's the best time of the year.
Food is everywhere, you can see your family, and football is really starting to heat up. Last Sunday's early content looked dark and poor on paper, but it was delivered with all kinds of chaos, fun, and anarchy.
Now that all the issues are out of the way, it's time for us, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, to look at this issue through the lens. skinny post and provide our most important views, thoughts and positive ideas.
Let's get started.
Where do the Philadelphia Eagles rank among the best teams in the NFL?
RJ:
I've been nervous about buying the Detroit Lions outright from the moment people started acting as if they were good in the first place. More than anything, this is exactly what drove me away. Maybe I'm just a hipster.
In any case, I'm not sure I'd say I'd pick Detroit, which looks great, in a hypothetical game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It pains me to admit this, but Philadelphia is one hell of a machine. They look relentless and more sustainable than any of their previous versions, and Saquon Barkley is clearly the reason for that. With San Francisco in such a mess and the rest of the conference in such a mess (I guess you could also include the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings), I can't pick Philadelphia in the NFC. .
Thankfully, they play the Baltimore Ravens next week, so we'll get to see how they stack up against one of the AFC's best teams.
Michael:
I'll be hip to your opinion and say I disagree about the Eagles. They're a good team, but I don't think they're a top team in the NFL.
Philadelphia has a 9-2 record, but only two wins have come against other teams with a winning record. Also, those games were still decided by one point. Plus, I don't like the way they ended up beating some of the lower teams on the schedule.
They defeated the Jaguars by five points. The Lions won by over five touchdowns against the same team. Let's also add a 4-point win over the Browns and a 3-point win over the Saints. The numbers look good, but I can only say that the Eagles are in the same tier as the Vikings. They have won some close games against bad teams and have had one or two good wins out of their nine this season, but they are still dipping their toes in the swamp of “fraudulent monitoring” and are one step behind the team. There is. Like Lions.
Is Antonio Pierce done with his role after his first full season as the Raiders' head coach?
Michael:
The Raiders' head coaching position has long been a hopeless place, as have the Jets, Commanders (before this season) and Bears in recent years. Antonio Pierce received a vote of confidence from the players for his job as interim head coach after the year, but it looks like things are only going to get worse this season.
Instead of selecting their quarterback of the future early in this year's draft, the Raiders selected tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers has had an incredible run as a rookie, currently leading all rookies in receiving yards. But the Raiders only have two hashes left in the win column, and that hasn't translated into a win.
Oh, and the team traded away receiver Davante Adams, which was just the nail in the coffin for any kind of competitiveness this year.
So I ask: Will this be Pierce's only year as the Raiders' head coach? Part of me says “no” because I really don't understand how a head coach can be fired after he has shown time and time again that he has no intention of playing in 2024, but we also , I've seen plenty of examples of one-time coaches being unfairly blamed for their team's struggles.
My brain says it doesn't make sense to move after the season, but my gut says otherwise.
RJ:
Personally speaking, I put a lot of thought into what the players wanted, including how the Raiders wanted Pierce back. It is logical to take their words very seriously.
While that's true, players can also be emotionally damaged, just like all of us. Remember when the Indianapolis Colts petitioned for Chuck Pagano back and they got their wish? This is what it feels like.
I think a lot of the answer will depend on the availability of different candidates, as it's clear that the focus here is on the combination of Shedour and Deion Sanders. On a personal note again, I don't know how you can feel like everything Antonio Pierce is doing is working. As an Arizona State Sun Devil, he helped wreak havoc on the program during his time involved…and that's about it. To continue to grow after he leaves and the right leader comes on board.
I think it only takes one.
Can the Dolphins get back into the AFC playoffs?
RJ:
A few weeks ago, I started a story around here about Mike McDaniel kind of skating without any real criticism. I support it for what it's worth.
Maybe Mike heard it. Or maybe the Dolphins are starting to play lower quality teams. In any case, Miami won three straight against the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and New England Patriots to improve to 5-6 on the season. Thankfully for all of us, they're scheduled to visit Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night, which allows us to sit back with a full stomach and judge.
By the way, I'd like to say that I'm still not going to act like Miami is a legitimate favorite to win. Come talk to me on Black Friday if they win in pro football's most hallowed cathedral.
Michael:
Yes, I don't see the Dolphins as anything other than a mid-major team currently on a roller coaster upward trajectory into 2024 in anticipation of the inevitable decline that will follow.
In my eyes, all McDaniel has accomplished in recent weeks is take a bad team to a decent one while owning one of the best offenses in the NFL on paper. In fact, these victories only stopped him from feeling the temperature rise in his seats, rather than cementing his status as a great coach.
Even so, it was a really great play!
Which of the currently losing teams do you think has the best chance of making the playoffs this year?
Michael:
I can't help but think the Buccaneers have a really easy remaining schedule and are poised to finish this season on a high.
They are currently 5-6 with a dominant 30-7 victory over the Giants thanks to the return of wide receiver Mike Evans. Over the next six games, they will face the Raiders, Chargers, Saints, Cowboys, and Panthers twice. There's a good chance they could win all six if they upset the Chargers on the road, but 5-1 is very realistic. That means they will finish in first place in the NFC South with a 10-7 record.
The Falcons currently sit atop the division, but with games remaining against the Chargers, Vikings, and Commanders, I think they're down enough to jump over the lead over the Bucks.
Baker Mayfield is playing the best ball of his career in Tampa Bay, but I wouldn't be one to bet on him going forward.
RJ:
It's important for those who don't know to be educated…Michael looks a lot like Baker Mayfield, so I'll admit that he's a little biased here. But let's move on.
I like the Bucks as the answer, but I'd also dump the Indianapolis Colts. Since 2008, we've seen five teams advance to the playoffs after going 4-7 (or worse) after 11 games. They all had one thing in common: they each won in below-average divisions. It won't shock you to know or remember that the Buccaneers were one of those five teams last year.
In that spirit…please tell me the Colts can't catch the Houston Texans. Currently, Indy is 5-7 and Houston is 7-5, but it feels like the Texans are in a serious situation in the waters of fraud monitoring. The Colts visit New England this week before heading to a bye, followed by games against the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars. If you count the Patriots, we might be talking about five wins here.
