2019 NFL power rankings, Week 10: Dolphins win, Patriots don’t
28. . 4-4. Previous: . Oakland Raiders. 16. team
Recap: The Silver and Black had seen its defense burned the previous two weeks by the likes of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Houston’s Deshaun Watson. Now Jon Gruden’s squad hosted the pesky Detroit Lions and another hot quarterback in Matthew Stafford. And the veteran hurler rolled up 406 yards and three scores against the Oakland defense. But Paul Guenther’s unit also picked up a pair of sacks and forced Stafford into a pair of turnovers. And the team also tightened later in the game to preserve the win. Meanwhile, rookie running back Josh Jacobs had another tremendous outing, running for 120 yards and two scores and was the perfect complement to Derek Carr.
Next Week: Gruden’s squad is home for the second straight week and host the Chargers in prime time. The Silver and Black has struggled in this series has of late, dropping four consecutive games to their long-time AFC West adversaries dating back to 2017. In each of those setbacks, the Raiders have been limited to 16 or fewer points.
Playoff hopes: The Silver and Black is back at the .500 mark and Gruden’s club has been one of the NFL’s pleasant surprises to this point. The Raiders have now equaled their victory total of a season ago and are certainly still in the mix for the AFC West title. The Oakland defense still has some issues but the club is playing confident football.
team. 54. . 5-4. Previous: . Philadelphia Eagles. 15
Recap: Doug Pederson’s team returned from its three-game road swing and hosted the struggling Chicago Bears on Sunday. Philadelphia’s ground attack rolled up 213 yards against the Buffalo Bills last week and was hoping to have the same kind of success against a team then had not been up to snuff in recent weeks when it came to stopping the run. And that was the case as the Eagles’ ground attack rolled up 146 yards rushing, with former Bears’ workhorse running 19 times for 82 yards and a score. All told, Pederson’s squad more than doubled Chicago in total offense (373-164). The Eagles owned a 19-0 third-quarter lead before some anxious moments late.
Next Week: Pederson and company won’t be playing in Week 10 but when the Birds again take the field, it’s the second leg of a three-game home stands with the New England Patriots making an appearance in Philadelphia. Of course, the Eagles surprised the Pats in Super Bowl LII, 41-33, a little less than two years ago in Minneapolis.
Playoff hopes: The Birds have won two straight games after those consecutive losses to the Vikings and Cowboys that saw the team gashed for a combined 75 points. The team has once again turned to the running game and it has served them well the last two weeks. Regardless, the Eagles have some tweaking to do during their off week.
Next: Nos. 14 and 13