The Eagles are embroiled in controversy and adversity, but a solid performance on Monday night could put this team back on track toward a No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Eagles are 10-3 and have clinched a playoff berth, but they’ll need to do some searching and retooling ahead of matchups against the Giants and Cardinals.
Around the league, San Francisco and Detroit took care of business in the NFC, while Dallas suffered a blowout loss in Buffalo.
Baltimore looks Super Bowl-ready in the AFC, while Miami, Kansas City, and Cleveland lurk as potential nemeses.
With the Monday night kickoff fast approaching, we’re previewing the Week 16 NFL Power Rankings as the Eagles rise above the Cowboys.
32
Carolina Panthers 2-12
Bryce Young threw for 167 yards in his second NFL win and Chuba Hubbard ran for 87 yards on 22 carries for Carolina, as the Panthers (2-12) snapped a six game losing streak.
Young led the Panthers on a 17-play, 90-yard drive that took the final 7:35 off the clock.
31
Washington Commanders 4-10
The Rams’ defense shut down the Commanders (4-10) until the final minutes, surviving for a 28-20 win after Jacoby Brissett relieved Sam Howell and passed for 124 yards and two TDs on Washington’s last two drives.
Curtis Samuel caught two TD passes, including a 3-yard score, with 1:46 to play for Washington, which lost its fifth straight game. The Commanders were eliminated from playoff contention for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Sam Howell passed for 102 yards and threw a 19-yard TD pass to Samuel in the third quarter for the Commanders’ first points before getting benched.
30
New England Patriots 3-11
Bailey Zappe completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards for the Patriots. New England (3-11) lost for the sixth time in seven games and — with Carolina’s victory — moved just one game back in the race for the No. 1 overall draft pick.
In a game that was likely the final home game of coach Bill Belichick’s tenure, the six-time Super Bowl champions took a 10-7 lead before allowing 20 straight points.
29
Arizona Cardinals 3-11
Kyler Murray completed 26 of 39 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals fell to 2-3 since he returned from a ACL tear in his right knee last month.
Emari Demercado added a 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Trey McBride caught 10 passes for 102 yards, and Arizona was able to run for 234 yards against the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense.
28
Tennessee Titans 5-9
Future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry is pondering his future after a 19-16 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday that officially eliminated the Titans from playoff contention.
The defeat clinched a second straight losing record under coach Mike Vrabel.
27
New York Jets 5-9
One week ago, Zach Wilson was the toast of New York after throwing for over 300 yards against Houston.
On Sunday, the Jets’ third-year quarterback exited late in the second quarter with a concussion.
New York (5-9) had just 103 total yards of offense and was shut out for the first time since losing 26-0 at Denver in Week 3 of the 2021 season.
The loss, combined with wins by Houston and Cleveland, eliminated the Jets from playoff contention for the 13th straight season, likely eliminating the chances of Aaron Rodgers returning this season from a torn Achilles tendon.
26
New York Giants 5-9
Tommy DeVito saw his hot streak come to an end, as New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr threw 3 TD passes, helping the Saints top the Giants 24-6 to remain tied atop the NFC South.
The Giants (5-9) are guaranteed to have a losing record.
25
Los Angeles Chargers 5-9
Veteran quarterback Easton Stick, making his first start in place of the injured Justin Herbert, completed 23 of 32 passes for 257 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception, as the Chargers were embarrassed, 63-21 on Thursday night.
The Raiders displayed their best performance of the season, rebounding from last Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Minnesota by scoring 42 points by halftime, ensuring Brandon Staley’s demise as head coach.
Giff Smith, the team’s outside linebackers coach, has been named interim head coach. JoJo Wooden, the Chargers’ director of player personnel, will step into the general manager role on an interim basis.
The Chargers were 24-24 under Staley, with one playoff berth in 2022. He is the second Chargers head coach to be fired midseason since 1970, joining Kevin Gilbride, who was fired in 1998.
24
Chicago Bears 5-9
The Bears (5-8) blew 17-7 lead, but recovered to nearly pull off a stunning 45-yard Hail Mary to Darnell Mooney, who was lying on his back.
The ball bounced in and out of Mooney’s hands and he kicked it into the air, allowing Browns safety D’Anthony Bell to intercept it and avoid a disastrous ending for Cleveland.
23
Green Bay Packers 6-8
Green Bay (6-8) lost its second straight game as their playoff hopes took a major blow. Jordan Love was 29 of 39 for 284 yards with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.
The Packers’ defense had no answers for Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who tossed four touchdown passes on the afternoon.
22
Atlanta Falcons 6-8
Carolina (2-12) defeated Atlanta 9-7 in a steady downpour Sunday, dealing the Falcons’ playoff hopes a huge blow.
The Falcons (6-8) entered the game tied with the Saints and Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South, but now finds itself needing help to get into the postseason after New Orleans and Tampa Bay both won to improve to 7-7.
21
Seattle Seahawks 6-7
The Seahawks are banged up, and could be without quarterback Geno Smith for a Monday night matchup against the Eagles.
20
Pittsburgh Steelers 7-7
The Steelers lost their third straight game, and our now 10th in the AFC playoff field after a 30-13 loss to the Colts.
19
Las Vega Raiders 6-8
Just four days after scoring zero points in a loss to Minnesota, the Raiders responded emphatically by scoring 42 point in the first half of a record-setting 63-21 victory over the Chargers on Thursday night.
18
New Orleans Saints 7-7
Derek Carr threw 3 TD passes as the Saints defeated the Giants 24-6 to remain tied atop the NFC South.
17
Minnesota Vikings 7-7
Minnesota (7-7) has lost three of four, with the only win in that stretch being a 3-0 victory over the Raiders.
The Vikings are still second in the NFC North, and sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
16
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-7
Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their third straight game, 34-20 over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Bucs (7-7) remained tied atop the NFC South standings with the New Orleans Saints, who beat the visiting New York Giants.
15
Denver Broncos 7-7
The Broncos’ hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season took a major hit after a 42-17 loss to the Lions. Denver (7-7) had won six of its previous seven games to pull within a game of AFC West-leading Kansas City.
14
Los Angeles Rams 7-7
Matthew Stafford threw 2 TD passes, and the Rams rose up to the seventh seed in NFC playoff race with 28-20 win over the Commanders.
13
Indianapolis Colts 8-6
Gardner Minshew matched his career high with three touchdown passes, and Indianapolis rushed for 170 yards as the Colts improved their playoff prospects with a 30-13 win over the fading Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
The Colts (8-6) have won five of six to move from the bottom of the AFC South into playoff contention. They currently hold the No. 7 position in the AFC.
12
Houston Texans 8-6
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired in overtime and the Texans — with backup Case Keenum at quarterback — overcame a 13-point deficit to beat the Tennessee Titans 19-16 Sunday.
Houston (8-6) entered the day in the AFC’s 8th spot, outside of the playoff-seven. The Texans kept pace with AFC South rival Indianapolis (8-6), who they visit in the regular-season finale.
11
Cincinnati Bengals 8-6
Jake Browning had another strong outing for the Bengals, rallying them to a 27-24 overtime win over the Vikings on Saturday.
10
Jacksonville Jaguars 8-6
Trevor Lawrence was 25 of 43 passing, for 264 yards, and 1 TD pass, but it wasn’t enough as Jacksonville has lossed back to back games after a 23-7 home loss to the Ravens.
The Jaguars are tied with the Colts and Texans atop the AFC South.
9
Kansas City Chiefs 9-5
Kansas City dealt with drops from key personnel again, but did enough to come away with a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes passed for 305 yards and threw two TD passes of his own to help the defending Super Bowl champions snap a two-game losing streak.
The Chiefs (9-5) opened a two-game lead in the AFC West over the Broncos, who lost on Saturday to Detroit.
8
Buffalo Bills 8-6
James Cook finished with 179 yards rushing and 221 yards from scrimmage, both career bests, while scoring on an 18-yard catch and a 24-yard run as the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak was snapped in a 31-10 Buffalo win.
The two game winnning streak has the Bills on the outside looking in at the final playoff spot.
7
Cleveland Browns 9-5
After shaking off a few early interceptions, Joe Flacco passed for 374 yards, and rallied the Browns to 20-17 win over the Bears on Sunday.
The Browns stayed in the No. 5 playoff spot in the AFC.
6
Miami Dolphins 10-4
Talented running back Raheem Mostert scored two more touchdowns to set Miami’s single-season record with 20, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 224 yards and a score and the Dolphins shut out the Jets 30-0 on Sunday without star receiver Tyreek Hill.
5
Detroit Lions 10-4
Jared Goff threw 5 TD passes as the NFC North-leading Lions bounced back in a big way, beating the Broncos 42-17 on Saturday.
The NFC North-leading Lions (10-4) could clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since the 2016 season with a loss or tie by Seattle to Philadelphia on Monday night.
4
Dallas Cowboys 10-4
The Cowboys (10-4) clinched their third straight playoff berth thanks to losses by Green Bay and Atlanta on Sunday and Detroit beating Denver on Saturday.
It was all downhill from there as Dallas fell a game behind NFC-best San Francisco after an embarrasing 31-10 loss to Buffalo.
The Bills rushed for 266 yards, held the ball for 10 minutes longer than Dallas and had 28 first downs to the Cowboys’ 14.
3
Philadelphia Eagles 10-3
The Eagles are dealing with a ton of adversity after Darius Slay’s knee surgery and Matt Patricia’s ascension to defensive coordinator.
All is not lost, as Nick Sirianni’s club clinched a third straight playoff berth while on the plane to Seattle.
Philadelphia’s All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts is questionable but expected to play on Monday night in a huge matchup.
2
Baltimore Ravens 10-3
The Ravens are 11-3 and sitting atop the AFC after a dominant 23-7 win over the Jaguars that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.
Lamar Jackson accounted for 268 total yards, and Baltimore rushed for 251 yards as Todd Monken’s group firmly established themselves in the trenches on both sides of the football.
All wasn’t well, as rookie running back Keaton Mitchell will likely miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
With preparation for a monster showdown against the 49ers looming, here’s an instant analysis of the win.
1
San Francisco 49ers 11-3
Christian McCaffrey scored 3 TDs and the 49ers clinch the NFC West title with a 45-29 rout of the Arizona Cardinals for San Francisco’s 6th straight win.
They’ll now start preparation for a monster matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
