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Blogging the Boys
2020 NFL Week 17 Power Rankings: Are the Dallas Cowboys the best team in the NFC East?
As strange as this Dallas Cowboys season has been, America’s Team remains alive in the battle for NFC East supremacy in 2020. Whether the Cowboys ultimately earn their fourth division title in seven years remains to be seen, but they are clearly a football team playing much better than they were earlier in the year.
Just how are the Cowboys being perceived throughout the national media? How good are they compared to the field? It’s power rankings time.
18 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 22)
They are the best team in the NFC East at the moment. This is a fact.
19 - Washington Football Team (LW: 16)
There is a lot going on there. But they do control their own destiny at the very least.
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles Injury Report: Nine players miss Wednesday’s practice
A whopping NINE players DID NOT PRACTICE: Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett, DeSean Jackson, Dallas Goedert, Jordan Mailata, Quez Watkins, Shaun Bradley, Michael Jacquet, and Richard Rodgers.
There’s no good reason Cox should be playing in this week’s game. If he wasn’t healthy enough to gut it through a must-win game against Dallas, he shouldn’t be suiting up a Week 17 game with no stakes for Philly.
Barnett also shouldn’t be playing for the Eagles. If he suffers a serious injury that extends into the offseason, his fifth-year option worth about $10 million for 2021 becomes fully guaranteed.
The Eagles should just put Jackson back on IR. No point of playing him on Sunday. Thanks for the fun memories.
No need to risk Goedert getting hurt in this one.
Mailata might have a shot to play this week if he can clear the concussion protocol in time. If not, the Eagles might just have to start rookie practice squad member Prince Tega Wanogho at left tackle. No small task going up against Chase Young in your first NFL start.
Didn’t realize Watkins got hurt in Week 16. Unfortunate that he might not be able to play. One of the few young, intriguing players on the team.
In a similar vein, also would be a shame if Bradley can’t play.
Wonder if Jacquet got hurt in Dallas and that exacerbated his struggles in that game. The only other full-time healthy cornerbacks on the roster are Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman. The Eagles might opt to have Jalen Mills play cornerback again. Even so, they’ll probably need to bring up practice squad corners Jameson Houston and/or Lavert Hill to the roster for Sunday.
Big Blue View
Playoff and draft scenarios, Dave Gettleman’s future, more
Draft weirdness
This graphic from @SethWalder on Twitter pretty much sums it up:
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Entering Sunday, the Giants could select anywhere from No. 3 if they lose to the Cowboys and a combination of other things happen, or No. 32 if they qualify for the playoffs and somehow go on to win the Super Bowl.
Astounding.
Dave’s final days?
Are these the final few days of Dave Gettleman’s tenure as GM? I’m not going to re-litigate the “should he stay or should he go?” argument. We’ve done that and you can read the various links in the sidebar to go through my assessment of Gettleman’s work over his three-year tenure.
Assessing Giants GM Dave Gettleman
Assessing Giants GM Dave Gettleman: Good, bad, ugly of his trades
Assessing Giants GM Dave Gettleman: Good, bad, ugly of his free agency moves
Assessing Giants GM Dave Gettleman: Draft decisions shape the franchise
Assessing Giants GM Dave Gettleman: Should he stay or should he go?
Will Sunday’s outcome have an impact on what co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch decide to do at GM, or has that choice already been made? I don’t know what will happen. I continue to feel as though there are valid arguments to be made both for Gettleman to stay or go. I also continue to feel the most important factor will be how ownership perceives the working partnership between Gettleman and coach Joe Judge.