NFL Power Rankings heading into the fourth quarter of 2019

#17 Dallas Cowboys (6-6)

We have reached the bottom half of the league and at this point, I would say nobody will make the playoffs anymore, but unfortunately, someone has to win the pitiful NFC East. So at 6-6, without a single win over a team above .500, I reluctantly put the Cowboys at number 17. If they had won on Thanksgiving and separated themselves a little, they would have definitely been about four or five spots higher, because then they would have lost by four in New England and beaten a pretty good Buffalo squad. Instead, they embarrassed themselves once again with an uninspiring performance on Turkey Day.

Dak Prescott has turned the ball over three times in the last two weeks and that “feared” D-line is now exactly in the middle of the rankings, while the special teams have looked unprepared in spots as well. I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but Jason Garrett should have been gone years ago, and from what he has shown this season this has to be his final run.

It is not about showing little to no in-game adjustments or even the decision to not go for it on fourth down versus the Patriots on a day where they hadn’t made it to the red-zone all day, but to me, the biggest joke was him going for it on fourth-and-one from his own twenty – clearly showing that he is hearing the critics.

It already mentioned already how it made no sense to go away from Zeke when he had been knifing through this defense from the start. The good thing for Dallas is that with Philly not taking any advantage, they are still controlling their own destiny for a division crown and home playoff game.

#18 Cleveland Browns (5-7)

I really thought the Browns could make a run at a Wildcard spot and it looked like they were on their way to sweeping the Steelers and go over .500 for the first time this season, but a few incredible James Washington grabs combined with untimely turnovers and sacks taken by Baker Mayfield might have done it for them.

The Browns’ talent at the offensive skill positions is top-notch and before the Myles Garrett-fiasco they had been a very stingy defense, but at this point, they would need something close to a miracle to play in January. With the Bengals series still ahead, as well as going to Arizona and hosting a Baltimore team they have already beaten, they could certainly still win out, but they have already lost the head-to-head against Tennessee and for Tennessee to finish with fewer wins, it would take the Raiders to beat them this weekend, who then would only have sub .500 team left on their schedule themselves, and Pittsburgh still has the Cardinals and Jets on the horizon.

Baker has been just too up and down and this Cleveland locker room seems to be too player-driven from what I can tell. Having big personalities and talking that talk is fine if you can back it up, but the Browns have not performed consistently enough and it seems like they are headed for an 8-8 finish. Let’s see how they regroup this offseason.

#19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7)

Holy smokes, what has gotten into this Bucs squad? I know they haven’t beaten any good teams outside of the Rams, but they have won now back to back games for the first time this season – a pretty strong performance over a surging Falcons team at that point and a shellacking of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

After throwing a pick on their opening drive against Atlanta, Jameis Winston has been playing really well and he just had his first turnover-free game all year. That offense is pretty darn explosive with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard to go with an offensive mind like Bruce Arians, who doesn’t simply abandon the run.

Defensively they still have some serious issues in coverage, which has not allowed them to win games in which the offense has put up points, but they are second in rushing yards allowed and they have reached the end-zone four times themselves now. It would take an epic collapse by the Vikings, but the Bucs could win out and if the Rams went 2-2 the rest of the way, Tampa Bay would hold the tie-breaker over them.

So these guys are definitely not officially eliminated. That stretch of four straight losses is what kept the Bucs from being a serious player this season because at 6-6 I definitely would think of them differently and I don’t think anybody wants to play them right now.

#20 Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)

What an embarrassing loss for yet another NFC East team. I predicted a few weeks back that the Eagles would win the division, because of the schedule the Cowboys faced and the fact that Philly could once again go for a run later on in the year. Like I thought, Dallas has lost their last and left the window wide open, but unfortunately, the Eagles decided to climb over the fence instead.

That Seattle game seemed like one of those Philly won the last few years and even after they showed no signs offensively, I tried to believe that with some of their receivers coming back, they could turn this around. Well, they put 31 points on the board in Miami, but unfortunately, the defense decided to not show up after they had been playing their best all year at close to a hundred percent healthy. The Eagles have yet to play a complete game. Their wide receivers haven’t been dependable all year long, Wentz has had some bad misses at times and the defense just got roasted by Ryan Fitzpatrick and DeVante Parker.

As bad as they might be, they are far from done. Dallas is only a game ahead and has both the Bears and Eagles ahead before going to Lincoln Financial Field. Philly, on the other hand, finishes with the Giants twice, at Washington and then hosting that high-stake game against the Cowboys.