NFL Power Rankings heading into 2018’s fourth quarter

#16 Philadelphia Eagles (6-6)

Washington Redskins v Philadelphia Eagles

The Super Bowl champs have themselves in deep trouble. There is so much going wrong for the Eagles this season – the run game took a huge dip compared to last season, the pass protection has been mediocre and their secondary is decimated right now. On Monday night they were without three of their top four cornerbacks.

Their offense has lacked creativity for large stretches, which was a big concern for me and why I had them finishing this season with a 9-7 record. I think the loss of Frank Reich has really hurt them in the running game, not having him draw up schemes and without that rushing threat, their play-action game is not as big a factor as it was a year ago. They don’t have these deep shots to receivers running open and overall they lack a speed element without Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace still working on coming back.

Defensively their numbers are at least average, but they don’t have the speed on the perimeter to play as much man-coverage as Jim Schwartz wants them to and they don’t get to the passer late in games. What they still do pretty well is clogging up lanes in the running game, but with that lack of speed in the secondary you get those 90-yard runs by a 33-year old Adrian Peterson once a running back finds some room.

Philadelphia is a team that is built to play with the lead, where they can eat up clock and pin their ears back as pass rushers, and they just haven’t been ahead too much all year long. With all that being said, the Eagles have a chance to take first place with a big win on the road versus the Cowboys this Sunday. With trips to the L.A. Coliseum, hosting a red-hot Texans squad and to a lesser degree a meeting at Washington ahead on the schedule, this is a must-win for Philly and they can probably only gave away one of those other games.

My logic says they are done, but they are now back in that underdog mentality and as long as they have Carson Wentz at the helm, I can’t quite count them out. After all I had him as my league MVP before he went down last year and now with Golden Tate starting to show signs the Eagles’ third-down conversion percentage will rise again, Wentz will keep drives alive, they are starting to run the ball downhill more and we have all seen them overcome major injuries a year ago.

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#17 Tennessee Titans (6-6)

Jacksonville Jaguars v Tennessee Titans

What do I make of this Titans squad? They win against the Texans without their starting quarterback and make a heroic comeback versus the Eagles, but then lose to the Bills and then get shut out 21-0 by the Ravens. They win a huge Monday Night game in Dallas and dominate the Patriots at home, but then follow that up with consecutive losses by at least three scores in divisional road games. They just had another crazy comeback win versus the Jets, but should Gang Green have even been in that game?

I expected this Titans offense to really step up this year with Matt LaFleur’s play-calling. I thought they had the perfect personnel for that zone rushing attack with a strong O-line, a one-cut specialist in Derrick Henry who can keep defenders away from him on the edge with those long arms and a quarterback who is a true threat on bootlegs away from it to keep edge defenders home. However, Henry is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and Dion Lewis actually has been on the field for 30 percent more of the offensive snaps.

Marcus Mariota dealt with a hand injury early on and he has struggled with a pocket presence in some games, but he has also looked very dynamic in others. It’s just the inconsistency and inability to stand in the pocket while going through progressions that have held him back from taking the next step this season. The bright side for this offense has been the development of Corey Davis.

I know he has disappeared in a couple of games, but I looked at him as a number one receiver coming into last year’s draft and he looks like one now. Defensively, I think they have a really bright future. Jurrell Casey has been a perennially underrated force on the interior, Harold Landry was the most natural edge-bender in the draft for me, Jayon Brown has been tremendous in his second year as that fast-flowing linebacker and Kevin Byard brings them that attitude and ball-hawking on the back-end.

I’m a big fan of Dean Pees’ school of defensive scheming, which uses multiple fronts, pressure looks and coverage disguises, while really game-planning specifically for the offenses they are facing. What is holding them back are their corners, as Malcolm Butler has been one of the truly disappointing offseason acquisitions and Adoree Jackson just can’t seem to trust technique over his athleticism. However, Tennessee’s special teams have been excellent this season, highlighted by a bonkers 38.4 yards per kick return, and they just find a way to win games.