2019 NFL power rankings, Week 6: Texans roll, Bears stunned
50. . 2-1-1. Previous: . Detroit Lions. 16. team
Recap: Matt Patricia’s club has only lost once in four outings this season and following that Week 1 tie with the Cardinals at Arizona, their other three games have been decided by four points or less. There’s been a more concentrated effort when it comes to a balance offense and led by running back Kerryon Johnson, the Detroit ground game entered Week 5 at 10th in the league.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been steady. And the Lions’ defense has been sound for the most part. The club has forced eight turnovers in four games, more than halfway to last season’s disappointing total (14). And wide receiver Kenny Golladay continues to shine.
Next Week: Remember when the Lions couldn’t beat the Packers on the road? That’s hardly been the case as of late as the team has prevailed in two straight and three of its last four appearances at Lambeau Field. That’s the site of Detroit’s next outing and on a Monday night to boot. The Lions have won four straight overall in this series.
Playoff hopes: This is a team that is not that far removed from the postseason. While the club did finish 6-10 in 2018, there were playoff appearances in ’14 and ’16. Unfortunately, the Lions’ last victory in the postseason came in 1991 and the club owns the NFL record for most consecutive playoff losses (9). Will things change this January?
3-2. Previous: . Philadelphia Eagles. 15. team. 54.
Recap: The Eagles had never lost a game to the New York Jets in the regular season, prevailing in all previous 10 encounters between the clubs. And Doug Pederson’s club got a few extra days to prepare for this inter-conference clash after knocking off the Packers more than a week ago.
The Birds made 11 wins in as many tries against this New York team and credit the Philadelphia defense, which forced three turnovers (two returned for touchdowns), limited the Jets to 128 total yards and sacked Luke Falk 10 times. Quarterback Carson Wentz threw for a modest 189 yards but one score while the team was very balanced in terms of running (29) and passing (30) plays.
Next Week: The Birds return to the site of their Super Bowl LII win over the Patriots as they battle the Vikings for the fourth consecutive year. Of course, that includes a 38-7 home triumph in the 2017 Championship Game. However, a season ago at Philadelphia (Week 5), Pederson’s team came up short against the Purple Gang, 23-21.
Playoff hopes: Those back-to-back losses to the Falcons and Lions are a distant memory as Pederson’s squad did what it had to once again in besting the lowly Jets. And just two weeks after being two games behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East standings, it’s all even between those two rivals at the top spot of the division.
Next: Nos. 14 and 13