23. The Midseason Review Show!

In this podcast episode, the host gives a mid-season review of the NFL. He starts by discussing his NFL power rankings, starting with the New York Giants at number 32 and the Carolina Panthers at number 31. He talks about the struggles of Daniel Jones and Bryce Young, the Panthers' coach Frank Reich, and the potential future of the Giants' quarterback position. He then goes on to discuss the Arizona Cardinals at number 30, the Chicago Bears at number 29, and the New England Patriots at number 28. He mentions the Patriots' lack of success with Mac Jones and the potential hot seat for coach Bill Belichick. The Las Vegas Raiders are ranked at number 27, and the Green Bay Packers at number 26. The host briefly mentions the struggles of the Packers without their starting quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams are ranked at number 25, and the Denver Broncos at number 24, with a mention of their recent win against the Kansas City Chiefs. Finally, the host hello everyone and welcome back to the play action podcast today we will be breaking down my mid-season review um so we've got a couple things to break down on a mid-season review show we are through nine weeks we have nine weeks to go so a lot of football still left but a lot of football in the books so for our mid-season review today i'm going to break down two things first my nfl power rankings through nine weeks and second uh my mid-season awards meaning at what i think as of right now each player will receive at nfl honors uh the night before super bowl uh 57 i believe no 58 we're on 58 now so um wow another season of football already halfway done is insane to me uh i feel like lions chase it's just like a couple weeks ago but um here we are really far into this season um and we're ready for the mid-season review show is already here so um let's get into it uh with our um power ranking all right and at number 32 in the power ranking the uh new york giants um obviously it's been a tough season for the giants uh they traded away leonard williams at the trade deadline um but more importantly daniel jones has not played much this year i think he hurt his neck in week three missed some time with that and then in his first game back this past week against the raiders uh tore his acl and it's now done for the year so he played two games in uh half of the third game and said sayonara um so will daniel the question for the giants as we look for the future they're obviously last in my power ranking they're not making the playoffs as we look for the future with danny dimes is he gonna be the giants quarterback anymore that is a big question um is he gonna be the giants quarterback uh because if he's not um where do you go from here i mean caleb williams could be in consideration um you look at a guy like maybe uh even drake may they are in my opinion going to have the number one overall pick and are going to take caleb williams so i mean it's it's a terrible yet exciting time for the giants what does that mean for daniel jones coming off of major injury i don't know i don't know what that means but um we'll have to see here with the giants what they do this offseason because their season's over at the halfway point at number 31 we have the carolina panthers um what a rough start to bryce young's career actually as i'm recording this on friday they just had their week 10 game on thursday night football they lost so they now fall to one and eight uh bryce young is having a rough rookie year i think he can turn it around soon but um it's gonna it's gonna be hard um it's gonna be challenging um for them to be able to succeed even with frank reich is their coach he's having a lot of questions like brian dayball is a great coach frank reich i mean i'm having some questions i thought he was great with the colts i thought firing him was a mistake but now he's not having success with the panthers i think they do need to get him another year on the leash he should be their coach next season because he has a rookie quarterback he's trying to work with who is struggling um and he has like no talent around him outside of adam dylan who is like 79 at this point so um i mean it's it's tough for a guy like bryce young to succeed in that environment so i think the panthers will come back better next year but for now yikes at number 30 we have the arizona cardinals um this is a team that sucked with clayton toon he is not the guy long term they figured that out in one game just like the browns figured out dorian thompson robinson's not the guy long term in one game so really at this point of they kyler murray will be back this week against atlanta so that's a big deal you can see if kyler's auditioning for them to not take a qb in the draft um if they do take a quarterback in the draft i mean i've seen some mocks with them at one taking caleb williams and then taking marvin harrison with their other pick uh which is the texans but at this point i don't think they'll be able to have that luxury because the houston texans are good right now and they're playoff contenders in fact i think they have a good shot at winning this division um but we'll get into that when we get to the jacksonville jaguars but um the cardinals really they're out of it but i think they can get better as the year goes on with kyler murray back james connor back hollywood browns healthy trey mcbride and michael wilson are breaking out this offense could get hot this defense is still terrible uh sorry buda baker but the offense could get hot as we go on in the year at number 29 the chicago bears again i'm recording this on friday so they just won their thursday night football game against the panthers last night that would not affect my power ranking of either the panthers or the bears right now because the bears um they're still not that good uh tyson bajent i'm actually much higher on tyson bajent than a lot of other people and much lower on justin fields than a lot of other people i think bajent could be the guy to go with um overfield should they take a quarterback in the draft yes absolutely they should but i mean for now i think just keep rolling with tyson bajent i mean justin feels maybe a thrown back out there in a lost season just to see what he has but i mean i think that uh tyson bajent is probably the better passer at this point does he have the same upside justin fields does to take over a game with his legs no of course not but um not many people do so he just looks far better than justin fields as a passer right now so it's tough to take fields at this point in the year um over tyson bajent who is now uh sorry i just dropped something it's now two and two as a starter so it's it's it's a decision the bears will have to make going forward at number 28 here we have the new england patriots now there's a team that could move down as we go because i feel like they're getting worse as the season goes on not better and that's really rough um because this is a team that had a lot of hope going into the year kind of like the bears they had a lot of hope going into the season and now they've kind of lost all that hope um because mac jones i don't think is the answer belichick's on the hot seat um which is something i never thought i'd say so the patriots are bad team they now travel to germany to play the colts i think the colts win that game so uh rough season for the patriots at number 27 we have the las vegas raiders um the raiders come off a huge win of the giants but as i said the giants they're last in my power rankings they're a bad team so i don't read into that much i think they lose this week on sunday night football to the new york jets i think that jets defense is going to dominate agent o'connell um i think he's going to be seeing some ghosts uh like sam donald once did at net life so um this game actually is in vegas maybe that won't happen but it'd be pretty funny um but i think that right now for the raiders um a little call showing some life if he can keep it going maybe they have their qb of the future in the building i doubt it though so um davante adams i'm sorry at number 26 uh you have the green bay packers they're coming off a win but i mean it didn't even feel like a win they still didn't look that good they just beat a team that didn't have their starting quarterback and it cost them brett rippin could not do anything uh he was actually waived after the game so um and they signed carson wentz so um rough rough rough uh stretch here for the rams without uh uh stafford um cup is back but stafford's gone so it's they cannot have that duo at full health at all it seems right now so um i mean they have their bye week this week maybe stafford can come back next week i don't know at number 25 is actually the rams don't really even need to talk to them about them much more because i just kind of did when we broke down the packers um but i mean a little more in depth on the packers i still believe in jordan love um i'm not out on jordan love he showed some flashes through those first few weeks showed some even aaron rogers type stuff he's just had a bad stretch but he can bounce back this really is his rookie season as it's his first time as a starter so he could bounce back i think so at number 24 we have the denver broncos um the broncos i mean they're coming off their bye week before that they beat the chiefs um so obviously a very good stretch here for both of those teams or for the broncos i mean um the chiefs did bounce back last week we'll get them much higher on our power rankings there's still a 24 here for me just because i can't justify putting them over anyone else i still do not trust this offense led by russell wilson at all so um i'm not putting them any higher up in my power ranking it's just impossible to do so when you don't trust the team's quarterback i mean i'm not even trusting sean payton at this point should have stayed in the broadcast booth gone to the hall of fame now that just like russell wilson's that legacy is being questioned so um we'll have to see what happens with him if he can turn the ship around at number 23 we have the one of the more exciting teams in the nfl for the first time since they made the asc championship game and took down the one-seated ravens in 2019 um the tennessee titans um they're 23 on my tower ranking with this opportunity to move up as the season progresses mainly just because will levis looks great um banana rama is in full force here uh with the mayo man and he is he's looking great um and there's opportunity there for him to succeed uh so i do believe that he can continue to play well um i think that he's kind of at the end of the season be viewed higher than bryce young um i think he'll be viewed higher than anthony richardson um no one's going to be viewed higher from this class than cj stroud at the end of this year but will levis could very well be the two and have a geno smith moment every team passed on him uh so the titans nabbed him in the second round so we'll have to see where will levis goes at number 22 we have the atlanta falcons uh falcons at this point are an interesting team to talk about because they feel like they're much worse than they actually are their record is good they're right in there with an easy schedule to contend for the division the playoff spot do i think they'll make it no i don't think they'll make it um on this episode i'm also going to project where every team will finish because i broke down every game and my prediction for every game rest of season to see where those spit out and um i uh did not have them winning the division i had a different team winning the division um and hint it's not the panthers either so um i had either the saints or the bucks winning that division we'll get into that later but um the falcons right now desmond ritter is not it he was benched for taylor heineke who also is not it oh no i just love taylor heineke though he gets pumped up from like so excited from just like a three yard pass he's like screaming on the field like fist pumps everything from just like a three yard check down like i love taylor heineke for that person i don't love arthur smith the head coach i don't think anyone likes him right now he's um made some terrible decisions regarding bijan robinson kyle pitts drake london pretty much the use of all their superstars he's not using and instead he's throwing tyler algere and mack hollins and people like that on the field so um at this point i don't trust arthur smith or wow i don't know what that was arthur smith to get his best guys in the field at number 21 we have the minnesota vikings they're still fighting um they are playing pretty well right now uh with josh dobbs coming into the game for the injured jaron hall i think he's getting to start again this week against the saints um do i think they win that game no do i think they can still be a playoff contender yeah um i do in fact um i project them to be there right now in that playoff race um with josh dobbs i don't think they'll get a win this week the saints defense is playing insane and the offense is finally clicking behind alvin kamara and finally chris olave um so i think the saints get the job this week but after that the vikings could go on a roll with an easy schedule at number 20 we have the uh tampa bay buccaneers bucks have started three and oh now they're three and five so um yeah that's just kind of how the last uh sequence has gone for the bucks but they are getting better um they are um going to continue to get better as the season goes on and in fact i can see them going on a big winning streak here over on it with an easy schedule so watch out for the bucks to be in the playoff race late in the season um at number 19 we have the pittsburgh steelers um the steelers i think are a team that could actually drop in my rankings as we go on i believe there are five and three right now uh let me double check that real quick but i believe they're five and three right now but they feel much worse than that kitty pickett isn't really playing well deontay johnson isn't really playing well uh or i mean he's been hurt so maybe i shouldn't hold that against him but um he it's like no one on this naji harris looks terrible so um maybe the steelers are a team that could drop off steelers are five and three my actual finished record for them i think they go two and seven rest of year and get finished seven and ten that is my prediction for the steelers it's a bold one that mike tomlin has a losing record but um they um when compared to a couple teams below them that could pass them have a very tough schedule rest of season so i don't see the steelers really being competitive in the playoff race as we near the end of the season at number 18 we have the washington commanders um the commanders uh sam howell this defense they just traded away two of their star edge rushers or their only two star edgerushers chase young and montez sweat montez sweat is a bear chase young's a niner and um this is a team that i think uh their offense is playing great sam howell is going to be the long-term guy for him and they can win some games and possibly even make the playoffs uh with this team as they go on towards the end of the year so watch for sam howell to light it up as the season goes on at number 17 we have the new york jets um the jets right now are um a weird team because they're all their defense is insane they have the best defense in the nfl i know statistically it's my ravens but um in my opinion as a ravens fan it's the jets the ravens are number two but the jets are number one they have an insane defense um so and i'm that's coming from a little ravens fan saying it's the jets not the ravens defense ravens are number two but the jets are number one um so they've been winning some games recently because they've been um obviously a dominant defense with a jet a pretty decent breeze hall-led offense uh and i mean i think they could be pretty good um i think that if zach wilson can just get back to okay they can be a contender so watch out for the jets rest of season at number 16 we have the cleveland browns um so the browns are a weird team like a weird team because their offense to me is still just not even competent their defense is pretty good uh their defense is pretty good so um could they be a playoff contender rest of season yeah if watson figures it out they can be a super bowl contender but right now watson just is playing terrible at number 15 we have the indianapolis colts uh they're playing lights out on offense uh if their defense can get it together they can be a super bowl contender so um that's really how the colts stand right now great offense led by garden and ishu who would expect but a bad defense um so well they could make the playoffs maybe they won't i don't know at number 14 we got the houston texans um the texans are um another weird team because they have a great offense and a bad defense um but they at least have hope because they have a great quarterback and cj stroud has actually put himself in the mvp conversation as a rookie so um yeah uh the texans are here to stay i think they could have a chance of winning the division um at number 13 we got the new orleans saints um the saints are a weird team because i don't trust derrick carr like at all i think derrick carr is a bad quarterback i don't trust him i don't think he can lead this team to a super bowl or anything like that but the defense is playing lights out he's got good weapons around him this team is like a slightly worse jets with a slightly better quarterback i that's what i think of uh the weapons and the defense are slightly worse than the jets but their quarterback is slightly better so i view the jets and the saints pretty similar right now um at number 12 i have the los angeles chargers actually um chargers defense really impressed me on monday night against the jets um their offense is still looking pretty incompetent though um so we're gonna have to see if herbert can figure it out under kellen moore at number 11 the seattle seahawks um just got destroyed by the ravens but it seems like everyone's getting destroyed by the ravens at this point so um i don't read too much into that game so uh but i do see the um ship turning around for gino here i think they lose this week um but in a close game and then after that the seahawks can turn it around led by gino smith at number 10 uh the buffalo bills who i have a bold prediction coming up about the buffalo bills but right now they are not uh playing good football uh josh allen is having to do it all himself and it's costing this team games so could they very well move back up in the power rankings yeah but for now um they're fantastic number 10 at number nine the cincinnati bengals they are skyrocketing up by power rankings now into the top 10 after a big win over buffalo on sunday night um this team is looking like the bengals again um and that's something i didn't think we'd say all year i thought this could just be a lost season burrows hurt chase is hurt higgins is hurt i thought this could just be a lost season for the bengals but they are really turning it around led by joe burrow who's turning it around um and playing much better this is a team that probably will continue to move up in my power rankings as the weeks go on we've got a big thursday night match up next week again between the ravens and the bengals um at number eight we got the detroit lions um the lions are gonna keep another team that could move back up i love dan campbell i love what he's doing i love aman ra i love what he's doing electromere gibbs and i think he uh gives some explosive for this uh aiden hutchinson is a defensive player of the year candidate um so i mean at this point it's it's interesting to see what um he could do so could hutchinson pull it in so um that is uh my take on the lions at this point uh they can move up in my power rankings as it goes on but uh for now they're just gonna sit at number eight number seven they're in their bye weeks they have some time to figure some stuff out but the dolphins they're a team that's actually falling in my rankings they were a top three team for almost the whole year now they're falling to number seven because of a rough week against a good chiefs defense but their offense just looked incompetent turnovers um the defense is playing better so that's hopeful but the offense has some stuff to figure out over this bye week um at number six we have the dallas cowboys i have another bold prediction about the cowboys later just like the bills but um for the rest of the season but the cowboys lost to the eagles but it's the eagles a big bounce back week to the new york giants is uh definitely coming they're gonna score like in fantasy they're gonna their defense is gonna score like 50 points against tommy devito so uh if the cowboys defense is out there anywhere and you need a win just trade for him try to get the cowboys defense on your roster they're insane so um at number five uh we have the jacksonville jaguars coming off of bye week did not move in my power rankings uh but coming off of bye week we got a good team at this point they are a good team um the defense is playing lights out football but this is a team that i not only see falling but in a bit of a free fall in my power rankings as it goes on uh as this offense needs to figure some stuff out if they can figure it out against san francisco this week that's a different story but i don't know if they do this is not a good uh offense right now they need to figure some stuff out over the bi-week at number four we have the san francisco 49ers a team you'd think number four it's hard to move up from there because you're already near the top this is a team that could be number one in a few weeks again because they've had a bit of a skid they've had their bi-weeks to solve it and this is a team i could see possibly even winning out so it all starts this week against the jaguars rebound games for both teams really um for both offenses really um and one of them's going to rebound one of them's going to fall my prediction is the niners rebound and the jags fall um at number three we have the kansas city chiefs um played a great bounce back game against the dolphins this past week now at the bi-week uh to do whatever they want i guess make another kelsey podcast because both jason and travis are on by the same week um it's insane that the they threw the eagles dolphins and chiefs on by the same week like are we supposed to watch football this week that must be why the primetime slate is so bad with uh panthers bears and then jets raiders and then broncos bills like yeah so the chiefs they're good their defense is good their offense still has some stuff to figure out but it's andy reed it's patrick mahomes and travis kelsey they'll figure it out at number two we have the philadelphia eagles um just ordering the top two um for me was the hardest thing of the whole power rankings because these top two teams are both dominant in their respective conferences but one team has been slightly more dominant the eagles have been winning but they haven't been winning by as much as the number one team so the eagles are great don't read into them not being number one they should be number one if this next team did not exist and that next team is the baltimore ravens they're number one they are beating everyone right now i expect another dominant win this week against uh cleveland's terrible offense so um the ravens are great they're awesome they i mean it's in the script the colors the last two years the superbowl logo colors have decided who makes it um and two years ago it was bengal's ramps the colors were yellow and orange uh last year it was red and green the teams were the chiefs and the eagles this year it's purple and red so unless the vikings make a miracle run it's raven the niners baby which actually was before the logo came out my prediction before the season so uh maybe i'm just smart and can see the future so that's it for the power rankings but this show is definitely not over we've got two more segments for you that'll be slightly shorter than this power ranking but um i think that uh well that's time to get into the mid season awards and uh our first mid-season award coach of the year who is going to take home um of the coach of the year honors um and the winner is dan campbell um usually the coach of the year just goes to whoever's the best team i don't see that happening this year last year it's brian dayball just for making a miracle run this year it is dan campbell um for uh making a nice run with the lions i expect them to have a great record at the end of the year and dan campbell to come home with the coach of the year honors that is my mid-season coach of the year dan campbell now defensive rookie well let's start with offensive rookie of the year let's go to the rookies first offensive rookie of the year my mid-season offensive rookie of the year cj stroud quarterback for the texans you already knew that he's been playing lights out set the rookie record for passing yards in a game also threw five touchdowns with an absurd completion percentage it's the best rookie quarterback performance i've ever seen he's legitimately in the mvp conversation so he's for sure taking home offensive rookie of the year at this point defensive rookie of the year um i'm giving it to devon witherspoon the corner for the seattle seahawks he's been playing insane um he has at a at corner a chance to win defensive player of the year so um he's been playing lights out at corner defensive rookie of the year honors goes to him the last rookie first round rookie to actually sign their contract um now at comeback player of the year um there's a couple players that could be but i'm giving it to zamar hamlin um just for coming back from that atrocious injury comeback player of the year for me goes to jamar hamlin um at defensive player of the year um the award goes to miles garrett garrett has had an insane year and uh i really expect him to keep it up um legally in sacks and win defensive player of the year offensive player of the year is much tougher um there's been a lot of great players this year but i'm gonna give it to christian mcafree he's had an insane year so far tyreek hill you might be saying tyreek hill is getting stubbed tyreek hill is getting stubbed um he's right in there with him but i'm giving it to mcafree so far um for that offensive player of the year award he's been playing lights out football and the moment of truth the mvp mid-season give me lamar jackson he's been playing insane and he gets mvp for me so those are my mid-season awards and we have one more segment to go through the uh incredible um the incredible uh segment where i say what seed i project everyone to be rest of season in the afc um my projection is that the one c is the baltimore ravens the two seed kansas city chiefs three seed miami dolphins four seed houston texans those are our four division winners five seed cincinnati bengals six seed new york jets and seven seed jacksonville jaguars now who wins the playoff games the ravens get to buy the chiefs hosts the jags in the first round of playoff gimme mahomes and the chiefs to win that one the dolphins host the jets in the first round of playoffs actually because i think aaron rogers will be back then gimme the jets uh to win that wild card game and then um the texans host the bengals close game gimme the bengals uh to beat strat in the divisional the ravens host the bengals gimme the ravens to head to the conference championship or no the ravens would host the jets give me the ravens head to the conference championship and the chiefs would host the bengals what a game but uh actually give me uh patrick mahomes and the chiefs to go through to play the ravens in mnt in the conference championship but i do have the ravens getting that one i was actually there for that sunday night football game a couple years ago that was a fantastic game where lamar did a front flip into the end zone and won the game um that was awesome so i think we get it done again this time at a bigger stage so the ravens head of the super bowl in the nfc my seed predictions number one philadelphia eagles number two detroit lions number three san francisco 49ers number four tampa bay buccaneers as the division winners number five is where these wild card spots is where things start to get crazy number five minnesota vikings with a very easy schedule at a week conference number six washington commanders with a very easy schedule in a week conference uh and number seven seattle seahawks now you might have noticed in the afc and the nfc two teams aren't there the buffalo bills and dallas cowboys i have projected at nine and eight in missing the playoffs with very very tough schedules and um like if you guys look at the by the way speaking of a tough schedule this is the eagles upcoming schedule so they play the cowboys last week then they have their bye week then they have the chiefs and the bills this is not in any order but the chiefs the bills and the niners and the cowboys again and the seahawks those are their next five weeks after just playing the dallas cowboys a tough team so the eagles but i still think they get the number one seat they're great but the eagles have a very tough schedule i could see them dropping some games if some stuff doesn't go their way and even being a wild card team not even winning their division cowboys could also very well still be the number one seat so there's a lot of fluctuality here uh or like fluctuation with um these predictions uh in the nfc the eagles get to buy the two seed lions host the seven seed seahawks give me the lions the uh three seed niners host the six seed commanders um give me the niners uh unfortunately r.i.p commanders sam howell making a miracle run would be so fun and then uh the number four bucks host the number five vikings give me tampa bay um actually that's a really close one that's a really close one can jay jettas and josh dobbs get the win or can tampa bay give me tampa bay because i think their defense is slightly better the uh one seed eagles host the four seed buccaneers give me the eagles two seed lions host the three seed niners actually give me the niners to win in detroit so um conference championship eagles niners round two but uh give me the niners actually in philadelphia because rock pretty will have an arm this time a working arm so uh give me the niners head to the super bowl so a ravens niner super bowl just like i predicted uh before the season and just like i predicted for the season give me the ravens to win it all that is going to do it for my mid season review show we just passed 33 minutes so a decent length show i hope you enjoyed all this mid-season talk and looking to the second half enjoy this weekend of football and i will see you guys in the next one