2019 NFL power rankings, Week 7: 49ers jump, Cowboys slump

Recap: Early Monday morning and less than 24 hours after their 33-7 home loss to the Patriots, Jay Gruden was relieved of his head-coaching duties. So it was up to Bill Callahan to help lead the Redskins to their first victory of 2019 as the club traveled to South Florida. It would be Case Keenum back at the controls for Washington and he led a balance attack that rolled up 145 yards on the ground. The journeyman signal-caller hit on only 13 of his 25 throws for 166 yards but managed a pair of scores without an interception. Keenum was not sacked, which was hardly the case for Dolphins’ quarterback Josh Rosen, dropped five times. And the ‘Skins held off a late Miami rally.

Next Week: The struggling Redskins head back home after their trip to South Florida and host the much-improved San Francisco 49ers for the second time in three years. In 2017, Washington snapped a four-game losing streak to the Niners via a 26-24 victory at FedExField. It’s the fifth encounter between these franchises since 2011.

Playoff hopes: A win is a win regardless of the caliber of competition and the ‘Skins will take it. More importantly, what can the Redskins do in these final 10 games to spin things forward? Will rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins be back on the field sooner than later? So can Callahan and company make it two straight next Sunday?

Recap: Losers of three consecutive games and off to a 1-4 start for the second straight year, the Falcons headed west to take on an Arizona Cardinals’ club coming off its first victory of the season. Early in the third quarter, Dan Quinn’s club found itself down 27-10 but quarterback Matt Ryan had a solid game, hitting on 30 of his 36 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns and helped his team forge a fourth-quarter tie. The Cards would retake the lead and Ryan’s 12-yard scoring toss to Devonta Freeman with 1:53 to play brought the club within a point of evening things up. But veteran kicker Matt Bryant missed the PAT. The Falcons allowed 442 total yards in the loss.

Next Week: The Falcons return home after their trip to the desert and host the defending conference champion Los Angeles Rams. The last home game for Atlanta in this series resulted in a 31-24 victory back in 2013. Including a playoff win at Los Angeles in ’17, the Falcons have prevailed in five straight in this setting dating back to 2008.

Playoff hopes: There’s something very amiss with Quinn’s team especially on the defensive side of all, which is especially troubling considering he opted to take over this unit in ’19. The lack of a pass rush has been a serious issue and it came back to haunt this team on Sunday. The losing streak has reached four with no relief in sight.

Next: Nos. 28 and 27