Our NFL Power Rankings Week 12 has the referees rearing their pathetically gray, ugly, disgusting bad calls. This time in the Monday night game, the Philadelphia Eagles were again the beneficiaries of bad calls or no-calls.
One comment on revenge games. Sure, the players want a bit of payback, but it’s more the fans and media that create greater hype than reality. If the losing Super Bowl team beats the champs, so what? You win a meaningless game in comparison to the game you lost. It’s one of the most overrated media hype jobs we experience.
Our weekly reminder: we are still in the Bye Weeks (weeks 5-14) season, with the following teams resting and licking their wounds:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Indianapolis Colts
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
Note: Numbers in parentheses by team name; note their ranking last week.
The Elites
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1) Record: 9-1 (win vs. Kansas City Chiefs 21-17) – This analyst loathes horrific refereeing and, once again, on national television, put the Eagles in positive situations as their calls affected the outcome of some drives. That said, the Eagles are an elite team, and perseverance is a trait instilled in their culture. They were the lesser team against the Chiefs, but that perseverance garnered them the win, not the referees. However, perception is the truth for many, and most will see another national game with referees favoring them. That’s also true, and the NFL refuses to fix the problem.
Any player can be contained, including QB Jalen Hurts, who went 14-of-22 for 150 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. However, contain is the key word as he did damage on the ground going 2-29-2 and bailing his fantasy football owners out. RB D’Andre Swift had some key runs, going 12-76-1 and chipping in 3-31-0-3 receiving. They did just enough to steal the win and maintain their one-game advantage over the Detroit Lions for homefield playoff advantage.
Regarding revenge? Sheer stupidity – I didn’t see the Kansas City Chiefs players giving their Super Bowl rings up, and despite this win, the Chiefs still have the rings. Maybe it’s a motivator, but all this win does is rub more salt in the wounds because many will think, and rightfully so – they beat this team just now but couldn’t when it counted. Super Bowl revenge games are more media hype than anything else.
Despite this win, they still must face the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks; hence their road to homefield advantage isn’t guaranteed. However, if any team is resilient enough to pull it off, it’s this team.
