Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) and wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) celebrate on the bench with Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (94) after Hubbard runs back a stripped ball for a 98-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter during an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Bengals advanced to the Divisional round of the playoffs with a 24-17 win over the Ravens. Baltimore Ravens At Cincinnati Bengals Afc Wild Card Jan 15 342
It’s not just about winning games this time of year; it’s also about who you beat.
We Power Rankings enthusiasts have to really dive between the numbers to figure out what the records represent. After all, not every 5-4 team is superior than every 4-5 team. The point differential is important. Recent games are given more weight. But, like the NCAA tournament selection committee, I like teams that defeat strong opponents.
So, what do you do with the 6-3 Dolphins and 5-3 Cowboys? This season, you could have imagined a Miami-Dallas Super Bowl matchup; the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object, they may have said. However, the replay of Super Bowl VI will look more unlikely until the Cowboys and Dolphins defeat a good team. Are Dallas’ victories over the Jets and Chargers noteworthy? This is questionable. Miami has yet to defeat a team with a winning record. Both have annihilated inferior opponents. Isn’t that impressive? It has some weight, but how much?
These are the key questions we explored this week as we prepared a new batch of rankings.
Philadelphia is still the class of the NFC and, for the time being, the league. Sunday’s nail-biter may have paved the way to the conference’s top seed and a bye, but it also underscored the luck factor. Dak Prescott shredded the Eagles’ beleaguered secondary. Luke Schoonmaker’s fourth-quarter catch was inches away from being a touchdown. Dallas scored on the next drive, but Prescott’s foot was roughly the same distance out of bounds on a two-point conversion try. Philly fumbled three times and recovered each time, including with a minute left when D’Andre Swift coughed up the ball. Dallas appeared to outplay the Eagles for 60 minutes, but Philadelphia finished stronger.
Much of the hoopla surrounding this team is around Lamar Jackson, and it’s easy to see why. But the defence deserves a lot of credit as well. Baltimore presently leads the NFL in points allowed (13.8 points per game), yards allowed (262.6 yards per game), and sack percentage (9.4%). You’ve dominated when you can tally up four sacks and limit a quality opponent to six first downs and three points. The Ravens conceded 24 points to Arizona in Week 8 (with all but seven of those points coming in the final seven minutes), but have only allowed 45 points in the five games following Week 3. They now face back-to-back home games against the Browns and the Bengals.
Sunday proved that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce don’t have to have their best performances in order for the Chiefs to win. This defence will allow some rushing yards and has only five interceptions, but those are about the only negatives you can say about it. In terms of points allowed, the 2019 and 2021 defences finished seventh and eighth in the NFL, respectively. This year’s bunch is superior to both of those units, and it may even be strong enough to carry the club through some of the toughest games remaining on the schedule. I’m not sure this league has a better collection of tackling defensive backs right now. You might catch a pass against the Chiefs, but good luck with that.
Following a 1-2 start, the Jaguars won five straight games in five different stadiums, weathering considerable travel, injuries, and a short week well. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are enjoying outstanding seasons, Doug Pederson is doing an excellent job coaching, and the defence leads the NFL in takeaways per game. That is good news. But the Jaguars had better rest up during their Week 9 bye, because the remaining schedule is brutal. They still have games against the 49ers, Texans, Bengals, Browns, and Ravens remaining, as well as two against the Titans, who always tend to play Jacksonville tough and have been better with Will Levis at quarterback. The Jaguars remain the overwhelming favourite to win the AFC South, but this slate is stacked.
The Week 9 bye provides an opportunity for some unnecessary navel gazing, especially for a team that hasn’t won its division in 30 years. But consider the Lions’ remaining schedule: Five of the nine remaining games are on the road, but just four are against teams currently above.500. Two of those games will be against the Vikings, who are without Kirk Cousins. One is in New Orleans, where the Saints are 2-2 following a shaky victory over Chicago. The Lions will also play the 2-7 Bears twice, as well as the 3-5 Broncos. It’s not a foregone conclusion that Detroit will win the NFC North, but it’s getting there. The breakout of Jahmyr Gibbs in their last game was a huge step forward for him and the soon-to-return David Montgomery.
Falling to the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs – all teams from outside of Miami – isn’t a bad thing, but the Dolphins haven’t beaten a good club yet. Despite the loss to the Chiefs in Frankfurt, the defence perhaps played its best game of the season, and the rushing offence showed flashes of life despite the absence of De’Von Achane. Jalen Ramsey has now played two games for this club, and the Week 9 returns of CB Xavien Howard and S Jevon Holland assisted Miami in holding the Chiefs to 67 second-half yards and Travis Kelce to his lowest receiving output in a game since 2018. If the offence can restore its potency after the bye, the Dolphins have a chance to turn things around.
