One thing each NFL team has to be thankful for entering Week 13; Eagles boast two MVP candidates

Jonathan Gannon. The Cardinals took a tough loss in Seattle on Sunday, but their head coach still deserves credit for the job he’s done leading one of the biggest surprises of the year. Quarterback Kyler Murray has been playing his best football as a pro. The defense has made significant strides over the past month, as Arizona has only allowed 73 points over the last five games and hasn’t surrendered a touchdown at home in its last three games. This team was riding a four-game winning streak coming into Week 12 and even looked tough in some defeats to noteworthy contenders (losing to Buffalo by six points and Detroit by seven). This isn’t a team capitalizing on fluky breaks and a soft schedule. Gannon has turned the Cardinals into a real threat in the NFC West.

Kirk Cousins. This one was a no-brainer. The Falcons gave Cousins $100 million in guaranteed money because they needed a quarterback they could trust to make them a real postseason contender. He’s done exactly that so far, even if Atlanta just suffered two tough losses prior to the Week 12 bye. Cousins has produced solid numbers (17 touchdown passes, nine interceptions), and he’s led the Falcons to a 4-1 record in the NFC South thus far. That puts him light years ahead of what this team was getting from signal-callers like Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke over the previous couple years. There are legitimate things to be worried about with the Falcons as they push toward a playoff spot, specifically their lack of pass rush. Cousins isn’t one of them.

Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson may be challenging for his third MVP award, but Henry has made a sizable impact on the Ravens' offense, as well. This team was 0-2 when it started feeding him the football, and a five-game win streak ensued. Henry averaged 148.6 rushing yards and 20.6 carries during that stretch. A lot of things went right for Baltimore in those contests, but it’s fair to say Henry’s presence literally turned around this team’s season. There’s also no doubting the Ravens will head into this postseason without their typically strong defense or stellar special teams. This team’s championship hopes rest on the offense now. Jackson will do his part, but Henry will be critical to whatever success Baltimore enjoys in January and beyond.

Josh Allen’s growth. The Bills’ star quarterback has put himself into a great position to win his first Most Valuable Player award and possibly lead his team to a Super Bowl for one reason: He’s become a steadier signal-caller. Allen has 23 total touchdowns this season (18 passing) and just seven turnovers (five interceptions and two lost fumbles). He’s no longer the mercurial talent who can make a mind-blowing play one minute and a demoralizing mistake the next. Allen is trusting his supporting cast more, taking what the defense is giving him and putting on his cape when necessary, as he did when clinching a win over the formerly undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11 with a 26-yard touchdown run. He’s basically gone next level, which is a scary development for future opponents.

Bryce Young’s promise. Young seemed to be on his way out of Carolina after head coach Dave Canales benched him following a Week 2 loss to the Chargers. As it turns out, that setback might prove to be a pivotal point in his young career. Young has been playing pretty good football lately, for those who don’t keep weekly tabs on the Panthers. He led Carolina to two consecutive wins heading into Sunday’s game with Kansas City, and he nearly led the Panthers to an upset victory over the two-time defending champions. It wasn’t just that Young completed 21 of his 35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown in that 30-27 loss; it was that he also delivered in critical junctures throughout the game, including guiding the Panthers on a game-tying drive before Kansas City won on a late field goal. Say what you will about the way Young started this season, following a lackluster rookie campaign. He’s growing up in a hurry now.

There’s still time to get the quarterback right. We all know this wasn’t the year the Bears were anticipating with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams starting his NFL career. He’s struggled with accuracy and holding the ball too long, and his issues resulted in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron losing his job a couple weeks ago. The upside here is the Bears can now take a long, hard look at what it’s going to take to make Williams a success. The first-year signal-caller has played better with new coordinator Thomas Brown calling the plays, but the real question is what Chicago will do with head coach Matt Eberflus after this season. If he’s out, then general manager Ryan Poles has to be considering the best possible offensive mind to come in and help Williams grow. Think about what Sean McVay did for Jared Goff and the Rams when the coach arrived in Los Angeles in 2017. The Bears sure could use a home run like that.

The door hasn’t completely closed on their postseason dreams. As crazy as it sounds -- and as frequently as this team has killed itself with self-inflicted wounds -- the Bengals still have a glimmer of hope in their pursuit of a playoff spot. If Cincinnati can beat Pittsburgh this week, Joe Burrow and Co. could be back in business, with beatable opponents in the three games after that (Dallas, Tennessee and Cleveland). That gives the Bengals a chance of being 8-7 going into a huge Week 17 matchup against the Broncos (who also are contending for a wild-card spot) before ending the season at Pittsburgh. I know: It’s asking a lot of a team that has been so unreliable in clutch situations to finish the year 5-1 or 6-0. However, this is also a team that is four plays away from being 8-3. Anything is possible with this bunch.

The search for a new quarterback can begin. It was apparent before Deshaun Watson’s season ended with a torn Achilles in Week 7 that the Browns needed to be thinking about future options under center. The problem was that Watson’s massive contract always made that discussion extremely awkward to have in a public forum. That money is still an issue -- the team would have to wait until after next season to not take a huge salary cap hit -- but the Browns should know by now that Watson can’t get the job done. Even general manager Andrew Berry was noncommittal toward Watson as the starter when asked about the player’s future following that injury. Along with playing poorly, Watson still has yet to play a full season for the Browns. (He only played in six games in 2022 while serving a suspension and only six more in 2023 thanks to a season-ending shoulder injury.) It also hasn’t helped that two journeymen quarterbacks -- Joe Flacco and now Jameis Winston -- have played better than Watson when given the opportunity. Watson has suffered through so much misfortune in Cleveland. The only upside today is that the Browns have enough time and motivation to look for his successor.

A harsh dose of reality. It will be interesting to see how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones approaches this offseason, because this year has made it clear that this franchise needs some major changes. It’s no longer worth talking about those three consecutive 12-win seasons before this year or what could’ve been if this current team hadn’t been hammered by injuries to stars like quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons. The Cowboys have suffered four losses of 20 points or more this season, all at home. They pulled off a major upset in Sunday's 34-26 win over Washington, but this team isn’t about to turn things around. The offense was bereft of weapons before Prescott underwent season-ending surgery for a torn hamstring, and the defense has been inept. There’s a lot of work to be done in Big D. This won’t be an easy fix.

Bo Nix. This could just as easily be defensive coordinator Vance Joseph because of what he’s done with that unit, but Nix has to be the guy here. He was the least-lauded quarterback selected in the first round of this year’s draft, and it felt like a reach when the Broncos took him 12th overall. Nix is playing so well these days -- he’s thrown 16 touchdown passes and only two interceptions over the past 10 games -- that he’s chasing down Washington’s Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Broncos, more importantly, are 7-3 during that stretch. This was supposed to be the season when Denver head coach Sean Payton paid a heavy price for releasing Russell Wilson and forcing the team to swallow $39 million of Wilson’s salary. It looks like they have a nice option under center after all.

Ben Johnson. The Lions offensive coordinator could’ve easily been a head coach by now. That’s how hot of a candidate he was last offseason. Instead, he opted to stay with Detroit and help this team continue its pursuit of a championship, which seems very much within reach for this bunch. Johnson is lording over an offense that leads the league in scoring and ranks among the top 10 in both rushing and passing. The Lions have scored at least 40 points four times and hit 52 twice. There may be some teams that can slow this group down in the coming weeks -- when it’ll see contenders like Green Bay, Buffalo and Minnesota -- but it won’t be easy. Johnson has too much talent to work with and too much creativity in his play-calling.

Xavier McKinney. The Packers wanted to improve their defense this past offseason, and McKinney was one of the first major moves in reaching that goal. You want to know how much of a difference he’s made? McKinney is tied for the most interceptions with seven picks, which is same amount Green Bay had as a team in 2023. He also had five interceptions in his first five games, which helped turn this defense into a top-10 unit in scoring D. You could argue that first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley deserves his credit, as well, but it’s hard to debate what McKinney has done on the field. He’s been the best safety in football.

Joe Mixon. There’s been a lot of frustration around Houston's offense this season -- especially after Sunday’s 32-27 loss to Tennessee -- but Mixon hasn’t been part of the problem. He’s produced six 100-yard games so far and been the steadiest performer on a unit that has battled injuries at receiver and inconsistent play along the offensive line. At his current pace, Mixon would end up with 1,223 rush yards and 17 total touchdowns, both of which would be career highs. Not bad for a player who was rumored to be declining when he landed in Houston this offseason.

Anthony Richardson’s return to the lineup. The Colts’ second-year quarterback has endured his share of struggles in his brief career, including being benched for two games because of subpar play. Richardson rebounded in Week 11 by returning to the lineup and leading the Colts to a win over the Jets. He wasn’t so fortunate Sunday -- he went 11-for-28 for 172 yards in a 24-6 loss to Detroit -- but nobody was expecting Indianapolis to give the surging Lions real problems. Richardson has the type of jaw-dropping talent that needs time to develop. Even if his return had plenty to do with his backup, Joe Flacco, failing to deliver, Richardson deserves credit for not letting that setback ruin his confidence.

Change is likely coming. Doug Pederson is a Super Bowl-winning head coach, but he has to know his days with the Jaguars are numbered. This team is 2-9 this year and has just three wins in its last 17 games dating back to last season. There are plenty of strong candidates who should be available -- including Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former head coaches like Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Brian Flores -- and it’s critical that the franchise gets this right. The Jaguars failed with both an unorthodox hire in Urban Meyer and a sensible move with Pederson. The next man through the door has to turn this team into a winner.

The interior offensive line. There’s no telling where the Chiefs would be without center Creed Humphrey and guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith. That trio has been critical to the success of this team because this isn’t the Kansas City offense that we’ve become accustomed to seeing. Injuries and inconsistency have limited the prolific passing attack that quarterback Patrick Mahomes has often led and forced head coach Andy Reid to lean more on the running game. That ground attack has remained viable because of the holes opened up by Humphrey, Thuney and Smith every week. Even with starting running back Isiah Pacheco just on the verge of returning from a broken leg that he sustained in Week 2, the Chiefs have been running the ball more than ever during the Mahomes era. Kareem Hunt got credit for a good portion of that success after the Chiefs signed him in Week 3. The real love should go to the guys who’ve been blocking for him.

The 2025 NFL Draft. It’s been a long season for the Raiders, who fell to 2-9 with Sunday’s loss to Denver. The only upside is that they are likely to have a top-three pick in next year’s draft and a real shot at finally finding a young quarterback to build around for the future. The Raiders have been cycling through disappointing options ever since Derek Carr left town, and this year’s group (Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder) has only reinforced the urgency to find a resolution under center. It seemed that prospects like Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix might have fallen to them in last year’s draft, but those players were nabbed before Vegas selected at No. 13 overall. This time around, the Raiders should feel better about what’s available to them at the game's most important position.

Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers finally figured out an essential truth to life in the AFC West: They were never going to compete with the Chiefs until they found a coach who could match wits with Andy Reid. Harbaugh is that dude. He’s won everywhere he’s worked, and he’s put the Chargers in position to snare a wild-card spot in his first season on the job. Quarterback Justin Herbert is playing his best football. The defense has turned into an elite unit. The run game is vicious and relentless. The Bolts were dealing with a salary cap mess when Harbaugh arrived in January. They might be challenging for AFC West supremacy by this point next season.

Young talent. The Rams were supposed to be irrelevant for years after going all in to win a Super Bowl during the 2021 season. The problem is nobody sent that message to general manager Les Snead. Los Angeles may have its issues this season -- the Rams fell to 5-6 with Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia -- but the future is bright because of the talent Snead has acquired. In the past three drafts, he’s landed three disruptive defensive linemen (Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner), a talented edge rusher (Byron Young), a 1,100-yard rusher (Kyren Williams) and a Pro Bowl wide receiver (Puka Nacua). Verse, by the way, was the only first-round pick of the bunch.

Tua Tagovailoa's health. It’s been nice to see the Dolphins quarterback playing ball again. There were plenty of people who wondered if that was a smart decision after he missed four games with yet another concussion (the third documented concussion of his pro career, which he sustained in a Week 2 loss to Buffalo). Tagovailoa has performed impressively since his return -- completing 76.5 percent of his attempts while throwing 11 touchdown passes and one interception over the last five games -- but it’s even more important that he hasn’t had another frightening incident to endure. This will likely be an issue that hovers over him throughout his career. It’s just good to know his play is the only thing making headlines today.

Brian Flores. As much as Sam Darnold deserves some love here, Minnesota's defensive coordinator has meant even more to what the Vikings have been able to do in a season when most people expected them to be mediocre. The Minnesota D started fast and remains an elite unit today, largely because of the creative schemes Flores has used to pressure quarterbacks and generate big plays. The Vikings rank among the best in the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed. In fact, seven of Minnesota’s 11 opponents have been held to 17 or fewer points this season, which speaks to the consistency of this defense. Even though it had a tough day against the Bears in a 30-27 overtime win on Sunday, this unit has produced when this team has needed it most.

Drake Maye. There was a lot of excitement about Maye’s potential when the Patriots made the quarterback the third overall pick in this year’s draft. There’s been even more since Maye has shown significant strides in his development over the past month. He made a phenomenal play by scrambling and ultimately throwing the game-tying touchdown pass at the end of regulation in what became a 20-17 overtime loss to Tennessee. He led the Patriots to a win over the Bears and first overall pick Caleb Williams a week later. Maye also completed 30 of 40 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 28-22 loss to the Rams. We all know the Patriots have a lot of work to do before they become competitive again, as proven by Sunday’s 34-15 loss to Miami. So far, it looks like they nailed the most important decision in that process.

Darren Rizzi. Give the Saints’ interim head coach credit -- his team has played well since he replaced Dennis Allen, who was fired after a Week 9 loss to Carolina. The Saints beat NFC South-rival Atlanta and then beat Cleveland by 21 points a week later before heading into the bye. Suddenly, there’s growing buzz about whether Rizzi can win enough games to make himself the permanent head coach next season. It feels a little early to go that far, but this team is buying what he’s selling. He’s connected with the players, inspired them to play at a high level and -- like most special teams coaches are known to do -- brought a ton of energy to the job. Tougher opponents are on the horizon (the Rams, Commanders, Packers and Buccaneers), so we’ll get a better sense of Rizzi’s coaching chops in the near future. For now, he deserves respect for breathing new life into a team that was riding a seven-game losing streak when he took over.

The end of the Daniel Jones era. It’s difficult to remember a team that was so determined to stick with a quarterback who so clearly wasn’t the answer to all their hopes and dreams. The Giants could’ve selected a quarterback in last year’s draft, but opted for wide receiver Malik Nabers instead. They could’ve chosen not to sign Jones to an extension after the 2022 season, but believed his progress under head coach Brian Daboll was a sign of bigger things to come. They kept believing all the red flags -- the turnovers, the lack of consistency -- weren’t as troubling as most people outside the building thought. This was never about a quarterback who just needed more help. Jones just wasn’t the right guy for this team, and now the Giants can search for somebody who is.

This (mis)adventure is almost over. It’s easy to kick the Jets while they’re down, but this notion of adding Aaron Rodgers to a young team with an elite defense sounded like a great idea not that long ago. You can never predict how something will turn out, and this plan went about as bad as anybody could’ve imagined. Owner Woody Johnson has now fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. If the reports of Johnson floating the idea of benching Rodgers earlier this season are true, there certainly could be a new starting quarterback leading this team in 2025. You can’t blame the Jets for trying, especially since they gave Rodgers damn near everything he wanted. In the end, this was never meant to be, and now Gang Green can think about what comes next. 

Saquon Barkley. The Eagles made one of the smartest moves of the offseason when they signed Barkley. There were plenty of skeptics who questioned the wisdom of giving big money to a running back with a history of injuries, but nobody is talking crap about that today. Barkley hasn’t merely been a productive runner (he leads the league in rushing after gaining 255 rush yards in a Sunday night win over the Rams). He’s become the heartbeat of this team, a player who’s made a number of game-changing plays and even provided one of the highlights of the year with his backward leap over a hapless defender in a win over Jacksonville. Derrick Henry was running away with Offensive Player of the Year at midseason. Barkley has made it a real debate ever since the Eagles started running their offense through him.

Mike Tomlin. Yes, the Steelers took a tough loss on a snowy Thursday night in Cleveland. That doesn’t change the fact that few people, if any, were picking Pittsburgh to be leading the AFC North this deep into the season. This goes directly to the masterful coaching job Tomlin has once again delivered, which actually shouldn’t be surprising. The man has never endured a losing season as an NFL head coach. This is what he does. There were questions about the quarterback situation, and Tomlin has maximized the talents of both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson (and the coach’s decision to switch to Wilson in Week 7 has proven to be masterful). The defense is elite again, and there have been enough players making key plays at critical junctures that the wins have kept coming. We all know this roster has its flaws. What makes Tomlin special is he knows how to work with those limitations and give his team a chance to win week in and week out.

Nobody in the NFC West is running away from them. The 49ers have pretty good timing when it comes to down years. This team is currently 5-6 after a 28-point loss in Green Bay, and it’s still just one game out of first place. That’s a long way from the usual standard this team has created for itself -- San Francisco has played in two Super Bowls and four NFC title games since 2019 -- but there’s still a good shot for this team to make a run at another division championship. The question is whether the 49ers can get healthy fast enough (they played in Green Bay without quarterback Brock Purdy, defensive end Nick Bosa and left tackle Trent Williams) to survive a tough remaining schedule (including games against the Bills, Rams, Dolphins, Lions and Cardinals). 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks’ second-year wide receiver has turned into their best offensive weapon at a critical juncture in the season. Smith-Njigba had six receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over Arizona. He also had 10 receptions for 110 yards in a victory over San Francisco a week earlier and seven grabs for 180 yards and two scores in an overtime loss to the Rams before that. The Seattle passing game has been defined by D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for years. Smith-Njigba is the man quarterback Geno Smith is looking to most when he needs big plays now.

The remainder of the schedule. If there’s one reason to feel good about the Buccaneers -- a team that had lost four straight games and five of its last six coming into this past weekend -- it has to be the remaining slate of opponents. They just beat up on the Giants on Sunday coming off a Week 11 bye, and they're only set to face one more team that currently owns a winning record (the Chargers). That’s the second-easiest schedule left in the league for a Tampa Bay team that is currently sitting at 5-6. It’s not impossible to see the Bucs winning at least five more games and making the NFC South race a lot more interesting.

A big win over a division rival. Sunday’s win over Houston was major for a team that only has three victories this season. The offense scored a season-high 30 points while the defense held the Texans to just 260 yards. Hell, the Titans gave up eight sacks and committed three turnovers and still won the game. You gotta take what you can get these days.

Jayden Daniels. Even the most optimistic fans of Daniels and the Commanders couldn’t have predicted what this guy has been in Year 1. Washington became a playoff contender largely because Daniels blossomed into a star only a few weeks into the season. He’s killed defenses with his arm and his legs, and he’s also delivered a miracle when his Hail Mary pass beat the Chicago Bears a month ago. Yes, his play has slipped lately and Sunday’s loss to Dallas revealed even more struggles for this offense. However, this team won four games a season ago and held the second overall pick in the draft. Its future has been much brighter ever since Daniels walked through the door.

• DraftKings odds: +150
• Weeks in top five: 12
• Next game: vs. 49ers | Sunday, Dec. 1

• DraftKings odds: +275
• Weeks in top five: 10
• Next game: vs. Eagles | Sunday, Dec. 1

• DraftKings odds: +650
• Weeks in top five: 6
• Next game: vs. Bears | Thursday, Nov. 28

• DraftKings odds: +500
• Weeks in top five: 2
• Next game: at Ravens | Sunday, Dec. 1

• DraftKings odds: +2500
• Weeks in top five: 1
• Next game: at Ravens | Sunday, Dec. 1