2019 NFL power rankings, Week 15: 49ers impress, Patriots depressed
Previous: . Detroit Lions. 28. team. 50. . 3-9-1
Recap: Losers of five consecutive games, the Lions made their way to the Twin Cities to avoid being swept by the rival Vikings for the second consecutive season. Quarterback David Blough made his second career start and had a rough go of it against a Minnesota defense that sacked him five times and stole two of his passes. He would throw for 205 yards and his lone score of the afternoon came with 2:09 to play and Kenny Golladay continues his big year. But the Lions’ running game managed only 70 yards on 22 attempts (65 yards by Bo Scarborough) and the Detroit offense managed only 231 total yards on 67 plays. And make it five consecutive losses to the Vikings.
Next Week: Patricia’s club welcomes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Ford Field for the first time since 2014 as these clubs battle for the second time in three seasons. The Lions have prevailed in four of the last five encounters between these clubs dating back to 2010 – the latest a 24-21 win two seasons ago at Raymond James Stadium.
Draft Talk: The Lions will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year. In 2017, Jim Caldwell’s final season at the controls, the club fell short of the postseason despite a 9-7 finish. Since then, Patricia has led Detroit to a 9-19-1 mark, the team has lost six straight games and this season, the club is winless (0-5) vs. their divisional adversaries.
32. . 3-9-1. Previous: . Arizona Cardinals. 27. team
Recap: The Cardinals will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year. But they were hoping to snap a five-game losing streak as they hosted the defensive-minded Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the positives for Kliff Kingsbury’s club was ball security was the team turned over the football only nine times in their first 12 contests. But rookie quarterback Kyler Murray was under duress throughout most of the afternoon as he was sacked three times and would wind up throwing three interceptions. He also totaled 194 yards through the air and connected for a pair of scores. But the Arizona running game managed only 71 yards and the Cardinals’ offense finished with 236 yards.
Next Week: The Cardinals are home for a third consecutive Sunday and take on another AFC North squad in the talented but perplexing Cleveland Browns. Arizona has gotten the best in this interconference series dating back 2007, including a 20-17 overtime triumph eight years ago the last time that Big Red hosted the Browns.
Draft Talk: Often should improvement will certainly be the highlight for this team. But there are some major issues on the other side of football as the club was woefully inapt against the pass. The Cardinals could use some speed at the inside linebacker spots as opposing tight ends have exploited Vance Joseph’s unit throughout the season.
Next: Nos. 26 and 25