There are a lot of potential championship contenders in the NFC, like Seattle and Los Angeles, but two of the most notable squared off at Lambeau Field on Monday night. The end result saw the Philadelphia Eagles win a defensive battle against the Green Bay Packers, a result that continues to raise the dreaded "fraud" word around the home team's chances of bringing the Lombardi Trophy home.
The loss was the second in a row for the Packers, who are clinging to the seventh and final playoff spot in the conference thanks in part to a Week 4 tie with the Dallas Cowboys. The bar is supposed to be much higher for the Packers after going all in with the Micah Parsons deal, but a string of uneven performances after a dominant two-week start to the season has made the possibility of missing the postseason an unwelcome reality Matt LaFleur has to contend with.
While it has become clear that Green Bay is on the wrong side of the latest FanSided NFL Stock Watch, let's start out with some positives, including the fact that the top contender for NFL MVP may be playing for the Rams.
Risers in the NFL Stock Watch
Matthew Stafford
While there has been some buzz that Jonathan Taylor could be the rare running back to win MVP honors, the current front runner according to odds makers is Stafford, who is on a historic heater for Los Angeles. Sunday's 42-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers marked the third consecutive game that Stafford has thrown four touchdown passes without an interception, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
Any preseason concerns about Stafford's back have dissipated as he has been absurdly productive for the Rams, piling up a 25:2 touchdown to interception ratio despite seeing Puka Nacua battle injury throughout the season. With a showcase spot against Seattle on Sunday that could determine the winner of the NFC West, Stafford has an excellent opportunity to further cement his status as the front runner for MVP.
Hope for Bengals fans
While disappointing losses to the Jets and Bears made the Bengals' bye week a near funeral for their season, the franchise did get some much-needed hope as Joe Burrow returned to practice on Monday. The move opened up Burrow's three-week window to return to play this season, with the star quarterback openly targeting Week 13's Thanksgiving night matchup with the Baltimore Ravens as his first game since undergoing surgery for a turf toe injury suffered in Week 2.
This is a remarkably quick return for Burrow, who was initially projected to miss three months, and it could come just in time for Cincinnati to make a late playoff push with Pittsburgh failing to create separation in the AFC North. The two teams are set to square off in Pittsburgh on Sunday and a win there would make things a lot more interesting for Burrow upon his return.
Baltimore Ravens
It sure looks as if the Ravens' proclamations that they weren't dead after a 1-5 start have merit. Sunday's tight win over Minnesota made it three wins in a row for Lamar Jackson and company, who are now only one game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North with a whopping five divisional games still to play, beginning on Sunday with a trip to Cleveland to take on the Browns.
Shrewd in-season pickups from GM Eric DeCosta and the healthy returns of injured players have made the Ravens a more complete team that is a reasonable representation of the squad many pegged as a pre-season Super Bowl contender. With the hapless Jets on tap in Week 12, there is an excellent shot Baltimore reaches its Thanksgiving night showcase against Cincinnati above .500 and in a great position to seize the division lead.
Mike McDaniel's job security
Step one for McDaniel's positive trend was the fact that owner Stephen Ross fired GM Chris Grier instead of him, showing his belief that McDaniel is the team's best chance to get a return on investment from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who the franchise is essentially locked into through next season. McDaniel helped his cause even further by guiding Miami's most complete effort of the season, a 30-13 shellacking of the Buffalo Bills that offered proof of concept for Ross that McDaniel is the best coach to guide this current iteration of the Dolphins.
Having an International Series game against the wounded Commanders on Sunday gives Miami an excellent shot to snag another win and hit their bye at 4-7, while post-bye games against the Saints and Jets give Miami a chance to push closer to .500. While there is almost no shot the Dolphins can rally to reach the postseason, stringing wins together can only help McDaniel's case to be Miami's coach in 2026.
Fallers in NFL Stock Watch
Green Bay Packers
While it is fair to point out that Jordan Love's receiving corps has been decimated by injuries, there is still enough talent in the room for the Packers to win games. Green Bay's defense has been a strong force for most of the season, but the Packers have lost games where they surrendered just 16, 13 and 10 points, which is a poor reflection on LaFleur, an offensive-minded head coach.
After this week's get-right game with the Giants, five of Green Bay's final seven games are against division rivals, with the other two coming against resurgent Baltimore and AFC West-leading Denver. With teams like Carolina (which has a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Packers) and San Francisco lurking, there is a real chance the Packers could miss the playoffs if they can't get their act together.
The NFC South
Week 10 was not a banner week for the NFC South, which saw three of its teams lose and the only win come from New Orleans, which beat Carolina on the road to earn its second win of the year. That victory was also not a great outcome for the Saints, who lost vital draft position by getting on the board for a second time this year.
Tampa Bay's loss to New England was discouraging as Baker Mayfield couldn't produce enough late-game magic to rally to a win, while Atlanta's free-fall continued with an overtime loss to Indianapolis. The Panthers are still .500, but in a tight NFC playoff picture, giving away a game to previously one-win New Orleans at home could come back to haunt them.
New York Giants
It felt inevitable that Brian Daboll was getting fired so it's not shocking to see owner John Mara rip the band-aid off after Sunday's loss to the Bears, New York's fourth this season when leading by double digits on the road. The more concerning element of that decision is the fact that not only did GM Joe Schoen survive despite having nearly equal culpability in the team's situation, but is being entrusted by Mara to lead the search for the next head coach.
This is not new territory for Mara, who has twice fired coaches and kept GMs to create ill-advised marriages that ended after two more years: in 2015 (when Jerry Reese outlasted Tom Coughlin and was fired with Ben McAdoo in 2017) and 2019 (when Dave Gettleman outlasted Pat Shurmur and was allowed to resign after 2021 when the Giants fired Joe Judge). This kind of organizational mismatch is working fantastically for Tennessee, which has alternated firing coaches and GMs since letting go of Mike Vrabel.
Brock Purdy
While turf toe has sidelined Brock Purdy for most of the year, the expectation has been that San Francisco would simply turn the job back to him. That position has become more complex as Mac Jones has handled his job capably as the backup, putting San Francisco in the mix to win every week despite a continual depletion of bodies around him in terms of weapons and a defense that has been hammered by injuries.
FOX's Tom Brady pointed out on his call of the 49ers' loss to the Rams on Sunday that he feels Jones has done enough to earn the job for the time being, with former 49ers' cornerback Richard Sherman echoing those sentiments on social media. While head coach Kyle Shanahan has publicly backed Purdy, who just signed a huge extension in the offseason, Jones' performance has raised questions as to whether or not that splurge was truly necessary.