The Debrief Week 14 Raiders Cowboys most watchable teams

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The Debrief, Week 14: Raiders, Cowboys most watchable teams Published: Dec 05, 2016 at 03:37 PM Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host The final act of the 2016 campaign is setting up to be a doozy. This is one of those years where the best, freshest stories happen to reside with the best teams. A return to dominance for national teams like Dallas and Oakland has provided a welcome shakeup to an NFL hierarchy that was growing too familiar. It's almost impo sible to overhype this offense or a team led by two rookie MVP candidates, although we'll try, with Dallas one game into a prime-time streak of After an uneven regular season, so many of the most entertaining teams play each other down the stretch. Before we get to some of the biggest Week 13 takeaways, let's preview the most watchable teams for the final quarter of the season: 1) Oakland Raiders: It's almost like they're to fall behind in games lately, just to fully test themselves. The will be the most fascinating team over the next month because no lead is safe, whether they're in front or trailing. They also have the most at stake coming up. The would drop in the AFC all the way to No. 5 if they were to lose control of the AFC West, which could happen if they fall in Kansas City. wouldn't be my choice for MVP, but he could make a strong push with a big finish. is . Three games remain against contenders, including , guaranteeing the will remain at center stage. 2) Dallas Cowboys: They would be ranked No. 1 if they had more to play for in December. Still, we believe it's , and the will be tested against three straight playoff contenders: the . The NFL should give Jerry Jones a humanitarian award for delivering this team in this season. 3) Detroit Lions: They proved with that their improving defense is playoff-worthy, and that doesn't to come from behind every week. Their multi-faceted offense has been a joy to watch all season, and they now can dream of a playoff bye, with a compelling trio of games ( , and ) to close things out. This franchise hasn't hosted a playoff game since 1993 and this season honoring the 25th anniversary of its last playoff win. In this year of the Cavs and Cubs, this should be a team America can get behind! 4) Kansas City: The are so damn improbable and weird, and I can't believe their dink-and-dunk offense is part of a team that's so watchable. That's the Adrian Phillips Jersey power of , , the best collection of defensive playmakers around and a guaranteed wild finish each week. The 9-3 record mocks the importance of yardage rankings (Kansas City is No. 23 on offense and No. 29 on defense), because they don't make mistakes on offense and they have waves of playmakers on defense. Andy Reid is a Coach of the Year candidate. The are the team that inspires the question weekly: 5) Tenne see Titans: They've battled all the way back from a 1-3 start to .500 and a tie for first place in the AFC South. Now we get to see , and one of the NFL's most unique offensive attacks tested in tasty matchups against two of the NFL's most talented defenses the next two weeks: and . 6) New England Patriots: The ' defense will escape the regular season having only faced , but it will be fascinating to see 's MVP chances get tested in matchups and . 7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 's playmaking and a revived pa s rush are carrying the Bucs further than anyone imagined. into "Sunday Night Football" in Week 15 is a pretty clear sign of a team's arrival on the national stage. 8) Pittsburgh Steelers: Any team with , , and meaningful games left to play can't be ranked lower than this. More on them below. 9) Denver Broncos: The defending champions will have to earn a return trip to the tournament the hard way: , , are next up. That's three of the league's best offenses, plus a team that in Week 12. 10) Green Bay Packers: Admit it. The playoff push is more fun with and the building some mojo. Narratives that were busted 1) This is not your father's Andy Reid. (Especially if your father is from Philadelphia.) The ' stone-faced Panda has helped lead Kansas City to a Brandon King Jersey 9-3 record in part because he knows when to be aggre sive. Realizing that the needed to score big , he pa sed on a chip-shot field-goal try to attempt to convert a fourth-and-short inside the 5-yard line. . That stood in stark contrast to coach Dan Quinn, who opted for three points twice in similar situations Sunday. When Reid lined up for his offense to go for it on fourth-and-1 in his own territory , Belichick-style, Quinn panicked and took a timeout. Reid countered to , who took it . That is some next-level coaching-clown-suit creation. 2) The campaign headquarters is a lonely place this week after Ryan's ruined an otherwise excellent afternoon. Some high-profile lo ses, like this one and the blown 17-point lead , will be tough for voters to look past, barring a torrid finish from Ryan. The campaign might turn its attention to a second-team All-Pro nod or begin to distribute some fake-news propaganda claiming the are committing scoreboard fraud. 3) The can no longer claim to be the "best 5-6 team in football" or even particularly relevant. We had some fun while it lasted. The final blow was in which the Bucs outscored the Bolts 11-0 in the fourth quarter. The have outscored opponents in each of the first three quarters this season, but they've lost the fourth quarter by 54 points combined. No one is innocent, and coach Mike McCoy's future is in some doubt. For the second straight home game, the crowd hit the exits after . for the in San Diego, this season of heartbreak has been a horrible way to treat the fans on the way out. Here's to the NFL and the figuring out a last-minute solution to stay in San Diego. Holding "maybe final game ever" almost seems too cruel. If it happens, the should end the game after three quarters, to preserve one final lead. A familiar feeling It's December, and the and are . Both teams are playing their most consistent ball of the season and should be treated as legitimate contenders. Don't be shocked if both make the playoffs, and don't try to sell me on the notion that the and are somehow in a loftier cla s than these two. Baltimore's run defense is . Sunday's against a respectable defense may have been a sign the ' considerable offensive talent is ready to take off. It has made no sense that a team with , , , , and an underused running game would be this poor. The defense has been as consistent as any group all season. Pittsburgh is winning with a boring version of , which is a very good sign. is at tight end as a deep threat, and the defense is slowly improving while getting quality snaps from rookie defensive backs and . It was telling to see former first-round pick and veteran e sentially benched Sunday to get more snaps. No matter how many replacements the draft for him, Harrison remains their best pa s rusher at age 38. This team is primed for a strong finish, making its with the one of the key games remaining on the schedule. Storylines that deserve more attention 1) 's career season is carrying over to his feet. He set up two field goals by extending drives on scrambles, and one for 11 yards on first-and-10. This wasn't a one-week trend. The eighth-year pro has hit a career high in rushing yards (178), while only four quarterbacks have earned more value as runners this season, according to : , , and . That's not the type of company we're used to seeing Stafford keep. 2) would be devastating for a team that lacks depth in the pa s-rusher group. There's a reason and never leave the field. 3) Like in Tampa, the ' has looked more like his 2015 self with each pa sing week. On , it sure looked like all of Rawls' terrific short-area quickne s and burst were back to pair with his rugged running in his third game on the field since suffering in September. It's a steep fall after Rawls on the depth chart, so his continued ability to carry the load for the is one key to their title hopes. (Martin, meanwhile, failed to finish out the Bucs' win in San Diego. His health is a concern once again.) 4) The got fat off the soft part of the last three weeks, but they are starting to find the group they will roll with on the field down the stretch. NFC North castoffs and have done a better job making an impact each week at linebacker. is back in Bill Belichick's good graces and playing better. Receiver is nearly an every-down player in the . 5) The were evolving into a frisky squad even before for coach Todd Bowles. The defense has improved to pa sable since its ugly start. While the offense isn't quite as explosive as 's best teams, Luck makes far fewer mental errors than a few years back. is quietly No. 2 in receiving yards behind and ranks among the best deep threats in football. is healthy again and the have two starter-level tight ends. The are now 4-1 in Luck's last five starts, with two wins over Tenne see and one on Lambeau Field. The sweep against the makes this squad my slight favorite to win the AFC South. NFL New England Patriots Jersey This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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