PodcastFrom NFL: The Insiders
#4: 49ers claim No. 1 spot! Raiders, Vikings enter top 10; Patriots drop to 31
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
25 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 30, 2026
Published
Wed, September 30, 2026
22
Player insights
22
Players mentioned
Topics
Aaron RodgersBijan RobinsonBo NixBrock BowersCase KeenumChase BrownDak PrescottDerrick HenryDeshaun WatsonDrake MayeJadarian PriceJalen HurtsJames CookJaylen Warren
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Rodgers
PositiveBreakout15:13
Aaron Rodgers delivered a vintage performance against the Bengals, throwing two deep touchdowns to Roman Wilson and Ben Skoranik, marking a significant turnaround from his first two weeks.
Insight pageBijan Robinson
PositiveUsage22:57
The Falcons' offensive formula, which includes leaning on Bijan Robinson, proved effective in their recent win against the Packers.
Insight pageBo Nix
NegativeProjection13:22
While Bo Nix has shown a higher passer rating in the second half of games, his rating did not jump significantly against the Rams due to an interception that kept the game close.
Insight pageBrock Bowers
PositiveRole20:27
The return of Brock Bowers has bolstered the Raiders' offense, contributing to their 3-0 start and overall offensive success.
Insight pageCase Keenum
PositiveBreakout24:03
38-year-old veteran Case Keenum stepped in for the Bears and scored a rushing touchdown, his first in seven years, in a win over the Eagles.
Insight pageChase Brown
PositiveUsage17:12
Chase Brown looked very good in the ground game for the Bengals, though the team failed to sustain that production throughout the game.
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveProjection23:31
Dak Prescott performed well against the Ravens, completing 25 of 40 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown, though the team's late-game play-calling was criticized.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
NegativeUsage10:48
Nick Shook notes that Derrick Henry has not been as effective on the ground as desired for the Ravens, citing ongoing offensive line issues.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
PositiveRole19:57
Deshaun Watson has rediscovered his clutch gene over the last two weeks, leading two game-winning drives and showing signs that the Browns' offense is finally turning a corner.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeProjection24:09
Drake Maye is described as being completely lost, contributing to the concerns surrounding the Patriots' current state.
Insight pageJadarian Price
NegativeUsage8:11
Jadarian Price contributed to the Seahawks' turnover issues with an early fumble in their loss to the Commanders.
Insight pageJalen Hurts
NegativeUsage29:50
Jalen Hurts had a difficult night against the Bears, getting knocked out of the game after throwing an interception in the end zone.
Insight pageJames Cook
PositiveUsage5:18
The Bills relied on James Cook in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to finish off the Chargers, demonstrating his role as the closer in their offense despite the team's overall turnover struggles.
Insight pageJaylen Warren
PositiveUsage15:51
Jaylen Warren had a career-high 176 scrimmage yards against the Bengals, highlighting a major defensive failure for Cincinnati.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
NegativeUsage16:35
Joe Burrow struggled under duress against the Steelers, ultimately fumbling away possession with the game on the line, continuing a trend of late-game turnovers.
Insight pageJosh Allen
NegativeProjection5:46
Nick Shook describes Josh Allen as a 'wild horse' who is prone to occasional mistakes, such as the interceptions seen against the Chargers, but maintains that the team will move on and learn from these rare errors.
Insight pageKirk Cousins
PositiveProjection20:11
Kirk Cousins is on a hot streak, throwing for at least three touchdowns in each of his first three games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
Insight pageMarcus Mariota
PositiveRole21:57
Marcus Mariota looked excellent and fantastic in the Commanders' win, showing the ability to scramble on third down and fire the ball fearlessly all over the field.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
PositiveRole22:34
Michael Penix Jr. settled into the Falcons' offense as the game progressed against Green Bay, showing resilience after a shaky start and helping the team secure a strong finish.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeUsage6:58
Sam Darnold had an inconsistent performance in his return, including an untimely interception and a pick-six that gave the Commanders a two-score lead, contributing to the Seahawks' loss.
Insight pageSaquon Barkley
NegativeUsage29:03
Saquon Barkley managed 15 carries for 82 yards against the Bears, which was considered an achievement given the Eagles' inability to run block effectively.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
PositiveUsage22:16
Terry McLaurin was a primary target for Marcus Mariota throughout the Commanders' recent game, serving as a key focal point in the passing attack.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Radio.
0:06Welcome to NFL Power Rankings. I'm your host Colleen Wolfe here with the man Nick Shook.
0:10We had so many teams with upsets this week, so many backup quarterbacks getting it done.
0:14So of course the rankings are a little mixed up too from last week.
0:18You guys can check out Nick Shook's article, see the full rankings at NFL.com.
0:22Nick, how are you feeling first off about everything?
0:24Fantastic. I have some amends to make with 49ers fans maybe.
0:27I have some explanations for some other teams that move down this list.
0:31Okay. But the beauty of having a crazy witching hour on Sunday and a bunch of one score games is that we
0:37got movement, lots of movement for the first time this season I think.
0:40Oh Shook is going to shake things up. Let's take a look at the top teams in his rankings and the 49ers they're up top at one.
0:48We got the Chiefs at two. The Bills, they fell even though they won.
0:51We'll get to that. We have the Seahawks, the Ravens at five, the Broncos at six.
0:56Both of those teams standing pat and then the Jags up two at seven and the Bengals down five.
1:01All right. Let's start with the Niners though, because they are our power moves presented by Energizer.
1:05They're three and oh, two and oh in the division.
1:08They have a one game cushion on Seattle, a two game cushion on the Rams.
1:12And even with all of the injuries, you've put them up above the Chiefs, above the Bills.
1:17Why? They've been the most complete team in football so far.
1:20And I think that you could take a little bit away from who they've played.
1:24They played a tired Rams team on the road.
1:26They put the Dolphins in week two. They take the Cardinals in week three.
1:30And there's a lot of injuries. That was the big reason that we were concerned about this team.
1:35But the numbers don't lie. They're number one in success rate at 55.8%.
1:38They're number two in explosive play rate. And defensively, despite all of the injuries, they're keeping everything kind of in front of them.
1:44They're number two in explosives allowed as well, which explains what you kind of see on Sundays, which is a team that
1:50is just a professional outfit that takes care of business, does what they're supposed to do.
1:55And even though they let the Cardinals hang around too long on Sunday, they still finished the job and moved to 3-0.
2:01So, I mean, look, it was a good week for them to move up because the Bills and Seahawks, well, the Bills dropped, but the Seahawks lost.
2:08So it gave me the affordability to move them up.
2:11Yeah. You don't think you're going to hear from Bills fans at all?
2:14Of course I would. But they know they played horribly this week.
2:17I mean, we'll get to them. We will get to them.
2:20But the Niners, they have a matchup next against the Broncos, who just showed us that they can come alive at any point during a game.
2:27The Broncos are like a different team. How do you feel about the Niners in that matchup?
2:32I think it's going to be a great test and the first test for the Niners this season.
2:37Really, a true real first test against the Broncos team that has really taken it to the last two teams they played
2:43in the second half, like you said. But I also need to see those Broncos play a complete game.
2:48So it'll be a very informative week in some of these matchups.
2:51Okay, we're skipping over the Chiefs. Let's go to the Bills at three because they win the game against the Chargers despite five turnovers.
2:58It was an ugly win for them. But why did you move them down a spot?
3:02The way you just explained it. Five turnovers. I mean, I had a hard time reconciling the results of this game because
3:08the Chargers played such good football in the first half.
3:11And the Bills did everything in their power to give this game to the Chargers.
3:15And if the Bills end up winning pretty convincingly in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter by handing it to
3:21James Cook, letting him kind of finish them off.
3:23And they look like the superior team that just couldn't get it together for most of the day and still escaped with a victory.
3:29And it's only one spot. You go from two to three.
3:32And it's just because I need you to clean it up.
3:35Five turnovers. Five giveaways. Five giveaways. Most teams lose those games.
3:38The Bills, they're the exception of the rule. Are you worried about them at all?
3:42No. Or this was just an ugly game and they still figured it out?
3:46No matter how long he's been in the league, Josh Allen is still a bit of a wild horse.
3:51He's a bit of a Bronco. He is. Even though you think you have him tamed, sometimes you don't.
3:56Sometimes he, you know, makes some mistakes. Sometimes the whole team makes mistakes.
4:00Sometimes you throw an interception that probably isn't going to happen 99% of the time, but it happened on Sunday.
4:05And you just move on from it. You learn from it.
4:08Okay. Well, next up for them are the Patriots coming to town.
4:12Patriots with their own set of issues. So they are further down on the power rankings.
4:16You'll see where coming up later in the show.
4:18Let's go to number four, the Seahawks. Sam Darnold.
4:21He had his ups and downs in his return, but they ultimately ended up losing to the commanders in this game, which was an upset.
4:27Yeah, definitely an upset. Huge upset in a game that I felt like the commanders were going to find a way to
4:33give it to the Seahawks in the final moments.
4:36But credit to the commanders for coming back and finishing this job.
4:39You know, really putting it. They took like a nine point lead in the fourth quarter.
4:43They ended up hanging on for a two point victory.
4:46Marcus Mariota playing well. And really the Seahawks, it was all about the mistakes that they made.
4:51The turnovers. Jadarian Price with a fumble early. Sam Darnold with an interception that was untimely.
4:55And then an interception that gave the commanders a two score lead came to Drano with the pick six.
5:00And I mean, it's it's going to happen in the NFL.
5:03No team is going to be perfect. The Seahawks have looked very good in their first two weeks.
5:08They just did not look quite like the same team.
5:11I'm a little concerned about their lack of a running game.
5:14I want to give as much credit to the commanders as the Seahawks.
5:17But that's why they dropped down a little bit just because you lose to a no and two team.
5:22You lose to him on the road, but you lose to him by getting out of your identity and your character.
5:28And it's going to be one of those learning experiences for them.
5:31Yeah, their secondary also is kind of dealing with a lot of different injuries.
5:35So they're a little thin as well. They have the Chargers though this week.
5:39So the Chargers, it seems like they can't get out of their own way.
5:42They are still charging. We will see how they deal with that.
5:46Let's go to our number five team. The Ravens.
5:48They stand pat even after a spectacular game, an amazing win.
5:51They had seven seconds left to do it in Brazil against the Cowboys.
5:55Why did they not move at all? We're getting a lot of yes, you did this against this team, but you were also playing this team.
6:02There was a lot of one thing is dependent on the other.
6:05It's hard to separate the two, right? The Ravens.
6:07It's tough because they still have goal line red zone issues like they cannot get the ball in the end.
6:13So they got stuffed by the Cowboys defense on the goal line in this game, which opened the door for the Cowboys to come back.
6:19They ended up finding a way to win, which is what winning teams do, which is why I felt like, okay, you can just stay at five.
6:27This was a win that, yes, it was thrilling for the fans in Rio and it's great for the Ravens who moved to two and one.
6:34But they were also very much facing the possibility of being a one and two team.
6:38And you don't go with the what if game when you're doing the rankings, but you do kind of consider the entire picture of what happened here.
6:45Which is say flowers being back passing game a lot better.
6:48Derrick Henry on the ground still not as effective as I would like them to be.
6:53They're dealing with a lot of offensive line issues.
6:55Vang Ione, the rookie guard ends up taking being the center and delivering snaps late in this game.
7:00So there's some things to clean up, but I mean, they're still the Ravens.
7:04I still had a victory. It's just not in the fashion that necessarily justifies moving up.
7:08It just seems like they cannot find a reliable starter to replace Tyler Linderom.
7:12Yeah, that is their down to the hill right now, but they are still number five in your rankings.
7:17Let's go to six. The Broncos. They also don't move in the rankings at all and their last second.
7:22Those two, the two teams that you have standing pat here in the top tier.
7:26They both had spectacular last second wins for themselves.
7:29The Broncos here. I mean the second half for them really looked great, but the Rams, they kind of owned the first half of this game.
7:36So what did you take away from this Broncos team?
7:38This is a Broncos team that we know you just described earlier.
7:42They're a second half team. They're really a much different appearing team from one half to the next.
7:46And this time around, it wasn't necessarily Bo Nix in the office waking up.
7:50It was the defense getting it done. And they got a little bit of assistance from the stripes there and down on that final drive.
7:57Higher register voice. I'm hearing just a little bit.
7:59It's funny because one of the stats going into this game is that it showed that Bo Nix had a much higher
8:05passer rating in the second half of these games.
8:08It's understandable. His rating really didn't jump up very much in the second half of this game because he had an interception
8:14that allowed the Rams to keep this thing close and actually take a lead.
8:17And I still just have a hard time buying into this team beyond the fact that I respect their defense very much.
8:23And I am still waiting for their offense to put together a complete game.
8:27How dangerous can they be when they are at the height of their powers?
8:31They won 14 games last year. They can be the exact same team, if not better, this year.
8:36It's just, you got, I mean, this is honestly a lot like the script they followed last year.
8:41I had the same concerns with them at this time last year and they ended up winning 14 games and taking the
8:47top seed in the NFC and nearly going to the Super Bowl.
8:50So I think they'll be just fine. It's just, they need to put it all together.
8:54The Bengals, they've been trying to put it all together, but this past week they lose to the Steelers division rival and
9:00they drop five spots in Nick Schuch's rankings. Yes.
9:02Yes. And maybe it's a little bit of motion.
9:05I'm a little hurt by the Bengals defense that I've been, you know, slamming the pulpit for.
9:09I've been on the soapbox. I've been defending them internally and externally.
9:13And here comes Aaron Rodgers. Yeah. 42 year old Aaron Rodgers going vintage Rodgers putting together a performance that we haven't seen from him in years.
9:20It was, it was tough to watch if you're looking at it from a Bengals perspective, because this is a defense that
9:26just blew a lot of coverage in this game.
9:28And it was a defense that got a little too aggressive and consider this Aaron Rodgers had failed to complete a single
9:34deep pass on nine attempts for the first two weeks.
9:37And they were trying, they were trying to push the ball down the field with Mike McCarthy in charge through two deep
9:43passing touchdowns in the first quarter of this game to Roman Wilson.
9:46First quarter. Ben Skoranik. It's not even DK Metcalf.
9:48They also let Jaylen Warren go kind of crazy.
9:51176 scrimmage yards. It's a career high, not a good sign for this defense.
9:55And it also just became a game that ended in perfect Bengals Steelers fashion, which is Joe Burrow under duress, fumbling away
10:00possession with the game on the line. Well, and that's sort of the question that I have.
10:05First of all, the Steelers actually scoring points in the first quarter too.
10:09That was just a miracle. An anomaly it almost felt like.
10:12But Joe Burrow and his health for the season projected.
10:14I mean, I just don't know how much he can take.
10:17Do you have any concerns about the offense being able to hold up?
10:21No, I think that they'll largely be fine. It's what I'm seeing from this team right now is a lot of what
10:27you expect, which is in a key moment. You go to Jamar Chase or you go to T Higgins.
10:32Chase Brown actually looked very good in the ground game.
10:35It's just that it wasn't sustained over the course of a game.
10:38And sometimes games, they just go that way. The game flow and the situation dictates what you're going to do.
10:43When I say it ended in perfect fashion, it was just, oh, the Steelers get a turn.
10:48Like the Bengals muff a punt. Steelers get the ball.
10:50Settle for three because it's still the Steelers offense.
10:53Bengals get the ball back. Turn it over. It's just classic AFC North football there.
10:57It is. It is. Special teams kind of an issue for the Bengals.
11:00So we'll keep an eye on that. Not Evan McPherson though.
11:03He's great. Coming up, where are the Eagles and the Bears after Chicago lit up Philly on Monday night?
11:09The answer to that and more coming up next.
11:11Back here on NFL Power Rankings presented by Energizer.
11:13A look at Nick Shook's rankings, teams nine through 16.
11:16The Vikings, they're up six spots. So they are climbing.
11:19We got the Raiders at 10. The Raiders are in the top 10 of the power rankings.
11:23We're moving on up. They're up 12 spots. At 11, we have the Cowboys.
11:27The Bears at 12. And then we have the Rams at 13, falling three spots.
11:31The Lions falling one at 14. The Eagles falling five at 15.
11:34And then the Saints falling two at 16. It's time to shine a spotlight on those Raiders.
11:39We saw Kirk Cousins doing a lot that we didn't expect him to do this season.
11:43We saw the debut of Brock Bowers. Are you buying the Raiders?
11:47They're fun. They're fun. And that's why I think this week it's totally fine to move them up.
11:51They're 3-0. They're one of what, five teams left in the NFL?
11:55Is this like a charity move up? No, it's not a charity move up.
11:58Is that from here? I'm giving them credit for doing something that they did last year over the course of a full
12:04season, which is win three games except they're 3-0 in those three games.
12:08And look, I've got to give a lot of credit to Kirk Cousins.
12:11As you alluded to, he's thrown for at least three touchdowns in each of his first three games this season.
12:17How about that? He's tied for the longest streak in his career.
12:20Uh-huh. And it's the longest active streak in the NFL, Kirk Cousins, folks.
12:24You like that. Kirk O'Chains is balling and so is the rest of the Raiders' offense with the return of Brock Bowers.
12:29Clint Kuviak has done a marvelous job of getting this team to believe and also putting a plan into action.
12:35I'm a little worried about this matchup that they've got with the Chiefs because I think this is the real test.
12:41No, why? And I just spent the break thinking like, do I want to pick the Raiders this week?
12:46Do I want to go against convention? I don't know.
12:48They're kind of fun. I might. Who knows? Really?
12:51Got it. All right. All right. That's the big like circle the wagons game.
12:55The buses when they went around. Remember that like couple years ago?
12:58Yeah. I don't know. So, I love this matchup though.
13:01Two 3-0 teams. That's going to be good. Cowboys, they tried to shine in Rio and they did.
13:05Yeah. But it was the Ravens who ultimately left with the win.
13:09But the Cowboys go up one spot even though they lost.
13:12They looked like the better team against the Raiders for Ravens for the most of the game in Rio.
13:17But they just kind of let it slip away at the very end.
13:20Very interesting game because there was a period where the Ravens were this close to kind of putting it away.
13:26And then that goal line stand that the Cowboys were able to achieve opened the door for them to come back into this game.
13:32And then they, you're right. They ended up looking like the better team in that stretch of the game.
13:37And yet, the same problems still hold them back.
13:40Which is with seven seconds left, playing prevent, playing too soft.
13:43Lamar Jackson finding Zay Flowers down the middle of the field, getting down and calling a timeout with just enough time to
13:49set up the Tyler Loop game winning field goal.
13:51That is just a microcosm of this defense still not getting to a contender level.
13:55And that's my concern with them. Now they did move up a spot as a product of teams moving around them, including the Rams falling.
14:02And you think, well, the Ravens didn't move up and they won this game.
14:06The Cowboys move up. Well, this is what happens sometimes.
14:08And I still believe in this team. The offense, by the way, Dak Prescott was fantastic again.
14:1325 of 40 for 276 and a touchdown. I just wish they would have been a little more aggressive in the goal
14:19to go situation late in the game instead of playing not to lose.
14:22That would have been good. The defense, yeah, gave up are also allowed over 400 yards.
14:27Very typical. So that's tough this week. It's going to be an all Texas matchup with the Cowboys at the Texans.
14:32But let's get to your number 12 team up four spots.
14:35The Chicago Bears after what they did to the Philadelphia Eagles.
14:38Oh, that hurt to say it didn't. It did.
14:41Yeah, I'm sure that pained you a little bit.
14:43Chicago Bears, Case Keenum. Who needs Caleb Williams when you got a 38 year old veteran with tons of experience?
14:48I mean, the guy still holds collegiate records. He is a legendary passer who hasn't seen the field in quite some time
14:54and hadn't scored a rushing touchdown in like seven years and did last night.
14:58Sorry, I'm not trying to rub this in Colleen.
15:01No, listen, these are the facts and all Go Birds are canceled until future.
15:04Good. Good. Just until later, I guess. I will honor that rule.
15:08The Bears won at the point of attack in this game.
15:11They finished off the Eagles in their style, which is running the ball down their throats.
15:15And I got to give a lot of credit to their defense shutting down that Eagles offense.
15:20Eagles offense has problems, but the Bears deserve a lot of praise for the way they played last night.
15:25Yeah, they did the same thing the Bears did to the Eagles that they did on Black Friday last year.
15:30That was the first sign that things were not going well for the Eagles.
15:34You're right. Let's go to the Rams. They are down five spots.
15:37Yes. The schedule is tough. We already know, but they're one and two.
15:41Are you worried at all? Because this was the team coming into the season that everyone loved.
15:45Everyone talked about the expectations were through the roof and now here they are.
15:49Yeah, I mean it's fair to be a little worried, but if you look at who they lost to, it was San Francisco and Denver, right?
15:56And so I have some respect for those losses and they took care of business against the Giants.
16:01It's just figuring out who this team is right now.
16:03And you really can't figure out who they are because they're not near full strength.
16:08Not to make excuses for them, but not having Kukunakua is hurting this passing attack.
16:12Devontae Adams has thrived, but they need that other option to really open things up.
16:16And of course you don't have Myles Garrett on that front.
16:19I've been a little disappointed in the way their defense has played in two of these three games, the two games that they lost.
16:25I'm very curious to see how this week four game goes against the Eagles because I think the Rams, the meltdown is
16:31what justifies their drop in these rankings. You know, you were the better team in the first half of this game.
16:37You had a 16-0 lead and you find a way to give it away.
16:40Again, Broncos got a little bit of assistance late in this game, but it's not a good sign for a team to have that sort of performance.
16:48It is early in the season though, and they are missed key contributors.
16:51So we'll figure out who they are going forward.
16:54Yeah. Rams at Eagles. Two teams coming off losses, like you said, and losses that were a lot of times from self-inflicted wounds.
17:00This is a big stare in the mirror week for both teams.
17:03It really is. Let's go to number 15 where it's the Eagles down five spots.
17:07What happened? I mean, I want to ask you that question as a diehard Eagles fan.
17:12Did not go well, that's for sure. Yeah. There was no rhythm whatsoever for the offense.
17:16Yes. And then the defense just felt like there were communication issues all over the place.
17:20Yes. I think that this is one of those early, again, look in the mirror types of weeks, right?
17:25This is one of those games that needs to inform the Eagles that they have so much to work on.
17:31Now, a lot of what happened last year was pinned on Kevin Petulo, rightly so.
17:35This year with Shawn Mannion's offense, there's been moments where they've been good, but they still cannot block well.
17:40I mean, they protect decently. They don't run block well.
17:43Saquon Barkley is 15 for 82. I thought it was actually an achievement, all things considered.
17:47Yeah. And they just can't find any consistent momentum offensively.
17:50And the way that last night's game specifically went with Hurts getting knocked out, throwing the interception in the end zone.
17:55It was a tough sequence of events, and by the end of the night it felt like the Eagles were very ready to get out of Chicago.
18:03I think they were. And had accepted that they had shot themselves in the foot too many times.
18:07I mean, three turnovers. That's always going to hurt you, right?
18:10You can't afford to turn the ball over that often on the road.
18:14So, when I look at this team, I feel much about similar to how I felt about them over the last few years.
18:20Except it's an even year. This is the year they're supposed to be good.
18:24Exactly. They're bad in odd years. They're good in even years.
18:27Luckily, it's only week three. Why aren't they following the trend?
18:30Also, when I saw Andy Dalton go in, I'm like, okay, well no, this is a big backup quarterback week.
18:35No, it was bad. So, this should be fine.
18:38No, it was not. No. Okay. Moving on. Coming up, guys.
18:41Where are, well, the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers now?
18:43They're suddenly surging? This offense is working? Okay. The final 16 spots of this week's power rankings.
18:48They are revealed next. I'm excited to talk about Pittsburgh.
18:50I don't really know who they are. Welcome back, everybody.
18:53Taking a look at Nick Shook's teams, 17 through 24 in the power rankings.
18:57His Brownies up six spots there at 17. The Jets at 18, also up seven spots.
19:01Up seven spots right behind them. The Steelers at 19.
19:04You have the Colts down one at 20. The Commanders at 21, who are surging up the list here, plus seven.
19:09You got the Panthers at 22. The Falcons at 23.
19:12We're going to talk about them as well. And then the Texans down 13 spots at 24.
19:17Let's go to the Browns, though. Number 17 on this list.
19:20It looks like the offense is finally turning a corner with Deshaun Watson.
19:23How are you feeling about this? This is more built on their defense.
19:27Okay. You know, there was a lot of concern going into the season that they would not be able to maintain the
19:33same identity they've had over the last few years because Jim Schwartz is no longer the defensive coordinator.
19:38Well, Mike Rutenberg, the new DC. He deserves a ton of credit for the way they've played in the last two weeks.
19:43I thought maybe it was a product of playing the Buccaneers last week.
19:47They come back. They play the Panthers, who have had an explosive offense through two weeks and shut them down.
19:52And then the offense kind of like the Broncos a little bit finds its life in the fourth quarter.
19:57And Deshaun Watson, he has rediscovered his clutch gene in the last two weeks.
20:01He's led two game winning drives and did it in front of the home fans this time, which is good for him.
20:07Yeah, because he thought he was going to be playing 17 road games.
20:11Right, right, right. You know who else has rediscovered themselves?
20:13You could say the gray beard, the Steelers offense and Aaron Rodgers.
20:17They have a run game now too. They're up seven spots 19 on your list and it's Steelers Browns Thursday night football this week too.
20:23It is. So this is a great tie in right.
20:26It's a good little preview for a divisional matchup that always gets a little weird and always seems to be played on
20:32Thursday nights in Cleveland fans definitely love to welcome the Steelers.
20:35In this game because this is a game that's gone the Browns way more often than not in this window over the last four or five years.
20:42That said, the Steelers are not going to be taken lightly by the Browns not after the way they played this week against the Bengals.
20:49They deserve moving up because they finally became the Steelers team that I felt a lot of us believe they could be.
20:55And it's funny because given their reputation and where they're standing in the rankings right now like 19 but they're also two and one.
21:01The whole division is two and one. They just seem like one of those teams that didn't quite represent a two and one team until they played Sunday.
21:09Yeah, because the offense finally found some life and the defense was able to finish the job.
21:14Well, because not all two and one teams are created equal correct.
21:17So you look at even where the Ravens are and the way that they win games and it's just like they're all
21:23you could power rank two and one teams just on their own.
21:26That's a whole little exercise with the time for team of the week.
21:30And that is the Washington Commanders 21 right now.
21:32They're up seven spots and they are playing in London this week Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the Colts.
21:37But Marcus Mariota, he looked good. He looked fantastic.
21:39This was such an emotional like emotionally driven win for the Commanders like watching this one back.
21:44I felt like I was dare like I was among the Commanders fans because of the ride that Mariota and the rest of this team took them on.
21:51He looked excellent. He got the job done in more ways than just scrambling for the game.
21:56So in third down but firing the ball without fear all over the field Terry McLaurin was a guy he leaned on
22:02a lot, but it wasn't just him. And what I really like the most about this Commanders team right now is their
22:08defense is playing so much better than I expected.
22:10I think anybody expected Durante Jones the first year defensive coordinator there has done a great job.
22:15And you got to give a shout out to Kane Medrano first opportunity in the NFL and he gets pick six in a huge spot.
22:22So I'd like to see that's what wins games when you're a team like Washington that's trying to overcome some adversity and they definitely did it on Sunday.
22:29All right, let's go to the Falcons. They're up seven spots at number 24 and we saw Michael panics.
22:34He's back. He's back. And speaking of adversity, the Atlanta Falcons have their backs against the wall.
22:39It was about to be an absolute disaster nightmare scenario is Kevin Stefanski on the hot seat in his first year.
22:45Are the Falcons going to be go oh and 17 could it all just fall apart that quickly in Atlanta where they had no stability at quarterback.
22:52It turns out Michael Panics getting in there and getting a little comfortable in this offense and leaning head over.
22:57And I think that's the only thing that's going to be badly on Bajon Robinson was the right formula to be the
23:03Packers team that is rightfully concerned about their current state in this early portion of the season.
23:08You got to give a lot of credit to the Falcons who went on the road and took it to Green Bay
23:14and finish this game off strong and panic settled in the further they went along in this game.
23:19So I like the way that they look. They didn't look like a lifeless team like they did in the first two weeks.
23:25A lot of that has to do with their offense and that's where they climb all the way up to 23.
23:30Yeah, it was almost like a plot twist mid game for Michael Panics like you thought you really did think.
23:36Yeah, it didn't look good early. No, but hey, that's it.
23:39That's a huge plus for him the fact that he didn't let that affect him.
23:43Let's go to the last grouping here. You have the Giants at 25 followed by Cardinals Chargers Packers Bucks the Dolphins down
23:49at 30 the Patriots at 31 and then at 32 the Titans.
23:52Well, you know not great. So more likely to save their season and turn things around.
23:56Is it the Packers or is it the Patriots?
23:59It's the Packers the Packer and I hate to be sound like a hater for Patriots fans, but I think Mike Vrabel
24:05was correct when he said he was very concerned of a highly concerned about this team.
24:09Drake may is completely lost and the Packers I believe have the quarterback to dig them out of it as long as
24:15they could find some semblance of a running game and then put together offense and defense because right now they're not a cohesive team.
24:21But we've seen glimpses of what they can be especially that went over the Jets in week two.
24:26Yeah, well, so hey can't wait for week four.
24:29I can't believe we're already there, but thanks for hanging out with us and we're looking forward to your rankings next week later everybody.
24:35NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Radio.
24:39For more podcasts from iHeart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
24:44This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.
