If The Season Ended Today in the NFC, the Saints sit atop the conference with the equivalent of a three-game lead in the NFC South:

New Orleans           South       8-2       7-1

LA Rams                 West        7-3       7-1

Green Bay              North       7-3       5-2

Philadelphia             East         3-6-1    3-3      

Seattle                                     7-3       5-2

Tampa Bay                             7-4       4-4

Arizona                                    6-4       4-3      

Chicago                                  5-5       5-3

Minnesota                              4-6       3-4

Detroit                                     4-6       3-5

San Francisco                        4-6       2-5

So the first question is, what will the two 4-loss teams end up at?

Arizona’s remaining schedule is at NE, LAR, at NYG, PHIL, SF, at LAR.   If they lose both to the Rams, win both against the NFC East, the Patriots and 49ers are the difference between 8-8 and 10-6.

Tampa Bay remaining schedule is KC, MIN, at ATL, at DET, ATL.  You would think a loss to KC, wins over MIN (maybe) and DET and then what kind of team does Raheem have in late December? Hard to see them worse than 9-7.

What about the Bears?  They have four division games remaining, including two with the Packers, the first Sunday night at fan-free Lambeau.

At the bottom and out of the picture, there are four teams at 3-7.  The Falcons are three games out of the playoffs, the other three are a half-game out of the division lead.

– – –

Adam Schefter with a tidbit:

@AdamSchefter

After the Colts overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Green Bay 34-31 in overtime, the 2020 season now joins 2015 as the only seasons in NFL history in which a team has overcome a deficit of at least 13 points to win in each of the first 11 weeks of the season.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD does not use his bum finger as an excuse or point it at his coaches after the first game in his career when the Lions didn’t score a single point.  Justin Rogers of the Detroit News:

— Matthew Stafford has seen a lot of losing in his 12 years as the Detroit Lions quarterback, but this was a new one. For the first time in a game he started, the Lions finished with zero points. And the team’s 185 yards of offense in the 20-0 loss to Carolina, they were the fewest in a game he finished.

Yet, as he always does, to the frustration of fans who want to see a more fiery response from the longtime franchise quarterback, Stafford pointed a finger at himself and not the coaching staff that’s done little to maximize his talent and the talent around him.

“Obviously, I can play better, I’m the guy that touches the ball on offense every play, so the better I play, the better we’ll play as a team,” Stafford said. “Just got to be better myself.”

Stafford was asked directly if the game plan was good enough on Sunday. He backed it, saying Carolina played defense exactly how the Lions expected, they just weren’t able to counter.

“It wasn’t so much the game plan as it was our execution, you know?” he said. “It was both run and pass, we weren’t efficient enough to get them out of it and it’s every defensive coordinator’s dream to be up 17 late in the game and being able to dial up every fun blitz you can never think of. That part of it is not the part where we won or lost the game. We got to be better early on in that game.”

And asked if coach Matt Patricia was the right guy for the job, again, Stafford didn’t have a negative word to say.

“Listen, we’re here to play football,” Stafford said. “That’s our job. His job is to coach it, and we appreciate the work he puts into it, we know that. All of our coaches work their tail off to try and get us out there in good positions, and it’s on us to go make plays. We just show up, work, play. Coach shows up crazy early, stays crazy late, works his tail off and — we got to go execute these game plans a little bit better to help us win.”

Stafford went as far as to say the team is “absolutely” still responding to Patricia’s coaching, even if the results on the field suggest otherwise.

About the only frustration Stafford would admit was he’s tired of answering these questions loss after loss.

“Honestly, you look across the league, everybody’s got a ton of talent,” Stafford said. “It’s the teams that execute that win. That’s what it boils down to. The team across the ball from us today has a ton of talent and they executed better than we did. That got them a win. I know it’s frustrating for you guys to hear, and you guys don’t see that or think that, but we know. We see every team that we play that’s got players that can break the game open and win a game, including us, so we got to go out there and be better when the ball is kicked off on Sunday.”

MINNESOTA

WR ADAM THIELEN played an outstanding game on Sunday, even more outstanding because he did it while perhaps in the early stages of the dreaded Covid-19 virus.  Chris Thomason of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press:

A day after his best game of the season, the Vikings placed star wide receiver Adam Thielen on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday.

The Vikings did not divulge any details on Thielen’s condition, and his status for Sunday’s game against Carolina at U.S. Bank Stadium remains uncertain The COVID-19 reserve list is for players who test positive for coronavirus or are in close contact with an infected individual. In both cases, a player is quarantined.

Last Thursday, the Vikings placed fullback C.J. Ham on the COVID-19 list. However, he was taken off it two days later, and was able to play in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to Dallas at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Against the Cowboys, Thielen caught eight passes for a season-high 123 yards. He had touchdown catches of two yards in the third quarter and three yards in the fourth. The first one came on a magnificent one-handed grab in the far right corner of the end zone when he dragged his feet to remain inbounds.

Thielen leads the NFL with 11 touchdown receptions. That is a career high, topping the nine he caught in 2018.

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

This from ESPN:

@espn

Mike Evans is the first wide receiver in NFL history to have a touchdown in each of his first five Monday Night Football appearances.

His 7^th season, his 5^th Monday Night Football appearance.

– – –

Dan Orlovsky of ESPN.com is not alone in this assessment of Tampa Bay’s offense:

@danorlovsky7

Whatever happens for the rest of this game the @Buccaneers

 offensive scheme is trash. Stale. Predictable. Stagnant.

I was dead wrong-the @Saints are the team to beat in the NFC.

The proud person in charge does not agree with Orlovsky.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

Coaches coach, players play, and Bucs coach Bruce Arians sees more issues with the latter than the former in Tampa Bay.

Asked whether he’d consider taking over playcalling duties after Monday night’s 27-24 loss to the Rams, Arians said that offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich will continue to handle those responsibilities.

“I thought [Leftwich] called a good ballgame,” Arians told reporters. “We just have to execute better. When guys are open, we have to hit them and we can’t misread coverage. We have to protect a little bit better when we do have guys deep and let [Tom Brady] hit that guy instead of having that pressure that cost us an interception. As a collective, everybody has got to play better.”

Arians attributed the first of Brady’s two interceptions on the night to Brady getting hit and failing to get enough on the ball. “The last one was just a misread of the coverage,” Arians said.

The end result for the 6-4 Bucs, with the Chiefs looming before a Week 13 bye, is that the road to the playoffs is getting rockier.

“Very slim,” Arians said regarding the team’s margin for error. “This was a big one and the next one’s even bigger, so I think each and every one is going to be huge the whole rest of the way.”

The good news is that, barring a flex, the Bucs (now 1-3 at night) won’t play again in prime time. The bad news is that they may have to run to table after their bye, if they lose on Sunday to the Chiefs.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

An update on T TRENT WILLIAMS from Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

49ers left tackle Trent Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week for the second time this season and he revealed that a positive test was the reason for this move.

Williams missed a Thursday night loss to the Packers after landing on the list as a close contact of wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. He went back on the list last Friday and told Dan Graziano of ESPN that he tested positive for COVID-19 this time.

Williams is considered to be in a high-risk category as a cancer survivor, but told Graziano that he is feeling OK.

The timing of the positive test makes it likely that Williams will miss the team’s Week 12 game against the Rams. The 49ers have seven other players on the reserve list, so Williams may not be the only player out this weekend.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

G RICHIE INCOGNITO has given up the ghost on hopes of returning in 2020.  Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:

Las Vegas Raiders left guard Richie Incognito recently underwent “season-ending foot surgery,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Monday on his weekly videoconference with the media.

Incognito, 37, initially went down with what the team described as an Achilles injury early in the Raiders’ Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

“I hate to admit that, but we’ve tried everything we can,” Gruden said. “Richie’s tried everything he can to get back on the field. His season is over.”

Incognito was coaxed out of retirement by the Raiders on a one-year “prove it” deal in the spring of 2019 and earned a two-year, $14 million extension, with $6.365 million guaranteed, as well as a Pro Bowl alternate nod despite missing four games. Denzelle Good replaced Incognito at left guard; he has played so well that Gruden called Good the team’s “unsung hero” and quarterback Derek Carr referred to Good as the team’s MVP.

Still, Incognito was part of the heavy financial investment the Raiders made in their offensive line. But due to injury and COVID-19 issues, the projected starting O-line of left tackle Kolton Miller, Incognito, center Rodney Hudson, right guard Gabe Jackson and right tackle Trent Brown played all of three snaps together this season, in the season opener.

In fact, Brown, who signed a record four-year, $66 million free-agent contract with $36.75 million guaranteed in 2019, has appeared in just two games this season — three snaps in the season opener and at the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 11.

Brown, who injured his calf in training camp, suffered a mishap while being administered a pregame IV and has been on the reserve/COVID list twice, the most recent since Nov. 5. Gruden said Brown’s return was “still up in the air” for the Raiders, who fell to 6-4 after Sunday night’s heartbreaking 35-31 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the final minute.

“He’s still, hopefully, about to get started here and resume his playing,” Gruden said of Brown.

“It’s a day-to-day operation and I’ll know more from the trainer here on Tuesday morning.”

The Raiders currently have five players on the COVID list — Brown, DE Clelin Ferrell, DB Lamarcus Joyner, LB Cory Littleton and RB Theo Riddick.

“I don’t even know who’s in the lineup every week,” Gruden said.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

The Ravens have Covid wreaking havoc with their running back room.

Baltimore Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for the coronavirus, coach John Harbaugh said Monday.

Each player has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

It’s a major blow to the Ravens’ backfield just days before Thursday night’s game against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.

Gus Edwards is the only available running back on the Ravens’ roster who has had any carries this season. Justice Hill, a little-used 2019 fourth-round pick, will be Baltimore’s top backup, and practice squad player Ty’Son Williams could get elevated.

Contact tracing is complete and the only other player going on the reserve/COVID-19 list as a close contact is nose tackle Brandon Williams, who will have to quarantine for five days. Two other staff members — not part of the coaching staff — also tested positive, but no other players did, according to Harbaugh.

The coach said Thursday’s game will be played as scheduled.

“We’re just carrying forward with our normal schedule at this point,” Harbaugh said. “We’re working hard in getting ready for our big challenge against the undefeated Steelers.”

Losing Dobbins comes at a time when the Ravens were just starting to lean on the rookie second-round pick as their feature back. In Sunday’s 30-24 overtime loss to the Titans, Dobbins tied a career high with 15 carries, producing 70 yards and a touchdown.

Ingram, a Pro Bowl player a year ago, has been gradually getting phased out of the offense. He was limited to six snaps Sunday, the fewest of four Baltimore running backs.

CINCINNATI

It looked bad, and it was bad.  QB JOE BURROW has more than a basic ACL tear.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

An MRI today showed more damage than the Bengals’ medical staff anticipated, Adam Schefter of ESPN. That includes a torn ACL, torn MCL and other structural issues in his knee.

Burrow will have reconstructive surgery, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be ready to go in nine months, when the 2021 regular season is getting started.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com on the CARSON WENTZ comparison:

With both the MCL and ACL torn, Burrow is in for a lengthy rehab. For comparison, Carson Wentz suffered a similar multi-ligament knee tear on Dec. 10, 2017, and missed the first two games of the 2018 campaign.

With his season over, Burrow will set several Bengals per-game rookie records for completion percentage (65.3), passing yards per game (268.8) and passer rating (89.8).

The Bengals were 2-7-1 with the Heisman Trophy winner under center this season. Burrow completed 264 of 404 attempts for 2,688 yards, 13 TDs, five INTs and took 32 sacks. Only Wentz (40) and Russell Wilson (33) took more sacks through Week 11. Burrow was not sacked on Sunday.

Cincinnati is likely to prioritize offensive line upgrades in the offseason to help keep Burrow upright in his return from the knee injury.

While RYAN FINLEY came in after Burrow went down, we wouldn’t go out and add him to your Fantasy roster just yet.  Tweets from Ben Baby of ESPN.com:

@Ben_Baby

Something worth noting: Bengals coach Zac Taylor avoided explictly naming Ryan Finley the team’s new starting QB.

Finley played after Joe Burrow went down yesterday. QB Brandon Allen, who was on the practice, squad, worked with Taylor in LAR, started 3 gms for DEN in ’19.

Ben Baby

@Ben_Baby

Ryan Finley has been the Bengals’ QB2 all season and started three games last season. Was 3-of-10 for 30 yards in relief work against WSH.

CLEVELAND

EDGE MYLES GARRETT’s Covid is more than a contact tracing issue, more than a positive test without symptoms.  Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says he’s done for this week in Jacksonville:

Myles Garrett’s Dawgs are going to have to ball out without him again.

Garrett, who sat out Sunday’s 22-17 victory over the Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium with COVID-19, has been ruled out for this Sunday’s game in Jacksonville against the 1-9 Jaguars while he remains on the reserve list.

There was a slight chance Garrett, tied for the NFL lead with 9.5 sacks, could have returned this week, but he had to meet a certain set of conditions, and that won’t happen in time for the game.

“I’m not going to get into specifics per se on how he’s feeling,’’ coach Kevin Stefanski said in his Monday video conference. “I will just tell you we’re ruling him out because that’s what the protocols call for. We’re just following the rules, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Garrett first reported symptoms to the Browns medical staff on Wednesday and was kept home from the facility for the next two days despite negative tests, per the NFL-NFLPA guidelines.

On Friday, he tested positive and was ruled out for the Eagles game, which came as a surprise to the Browns because he was trending in the right direction.

Because he was both positive and symptomatic, Garrett had to remain isolated for a minimum of 10 days from when he first reported symptoms, which would have enabled him to rejoin the team on Friday if all other conditions were met, including no fever and an improvement in symptoms.

Browns JC Tretter, president of NFL Players Association, explained that each case of COVID-19 is different and the virus won’t bend to the NFL schedule.

“This is not like having an injury where Sunday is the goal and you try to fit the pathway to get back by Sunday,’’ Tretter said. “There are certain limitations on days and how long you have to be out because a sprained ankle doesn’t impact the rest of the team; a contagious virus does. There are limitations on how many days you have to be out, what are your symptoms and how you have to come back into the building.

“It’s not the same things of how can we try to get him back by Sunday. There are really set timelines once you start monitoring each person’s individual scenario of the first positive test and whether they are still symptomatic, and all that stuff goes into it.”

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

Poor Doug Marrone.  His under-staffed team is now further under-staffed with a slew of traditional injuries.  Nary a Covid alert in the bunch.  Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com:

Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen will miss significant time because of the knee injury he suffered Sunday, and the team might make a determination on whether they’ll place him on injured reserve later in the week.

Coach Doug Marrone said Monday that he did not want to elaborate on the type and extent of the injury.

“It’s not any ligament damage, but it’s still enough to be out for some time,” Marrone said. “That’s about all I’ll give out. I might give you more later when I get more specific [details].”

Allen has had a tough second season with the Jaguars. He has just 2.5 sacks and 11 QB hits, both of which lead the team, and has already missed two other games because of a separate knee injury. Allen made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season after posting a franchise rookie record 10.5 sacks.

In addition to Allen, Marrone said cornerback D.J. Hayden also will miss significant time after suffering a knee injury against the Steelers on Sunday. He had just returned from an IR stint with a hamstring injury.

Marrone also said left guard Andrew Norwell will not play against Cleveland on Sunday after injuring his arm against the Steelers. Safety Daniel Thomas suffered a broken arm against the Steelers and will be placed on IR.

TENNESSEE

NFL Research on whether or not it is fair to call RB DERRICK HENRY the “Mariano Rivera of the NFL.”

Major League Baseball fans know that with a league-record 652 career saves, Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in the history of the sport. On the football field, that title goes to Derrick Henry.

In Week 11 against the Ravens, Henry became the first player with multiple overtime rushing touchdowns in a single season in NFL history. Henry’s 29-yard walk-off run was the longest overtime rush TD since C.J. Anderson went 48 yards for the Broncos against the Patriots in 2015.

Henry has punished teams late in games with an NFL-best 419 rushing yards in the fourth quarter and overtime this season. For perspective, the next-closest player, Dalvin Cook, has 299 rushing yards. In case math isn’t your thing, that’s a 120-yard difference. In fact, Henry has rushed for more yards in just the fourth quarter and overtime of games this season than David Johnson (408), Devin Singletary (401) and Adrian Peterson (389) have overall in 2020.

With six games left, Henry would seem to have a real shot at the record for most yards rushing in the fourth quarter in a season.

            4          Jamal Anderson          1998    616

            4          Edgerrin James          2000    564

            4          Terrell Davis               1998     511

A sort at SportRadar came up with Jamal Anderson’s 616 in 1998 as the best.  If Henry continues at 41.9 per game in the final six contests, he would be at 670.

To get to 617, he needs 34.7 yards per game in the six remaining fourth quarters.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

We have an NFL player with a serious or at least semi-serious version of Covid 19.  His name is TE TOMMY SWEENEY.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Most NFL players who have been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list have recovered relatively quickly and returned to the field. But Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney is a reminder of how serious this disease can be, even for healthy young people.

Sweeney, who was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on October 24, has developed myocarditis, a heart condition related to COVID-19, and will miss the rest of the season.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can affect the heart’s ability to pump and cause rapid or abnormal heart rhythms. Many viruses can cause myocarditis, and it is a major concern for athletes who contract COVID-19.

The 25-year-old Sweeney was a seventh-round pick of the Bills out of Boston College last year.

THIS AND THAT

2021 DRAFT

Dan Parr of NFL.com looks at the current draft order:

This is a look at the first-round order for the 2021 NFL Draft heading into Week 12 of the NFL season, along with the top three needs for each team. The order is determined by record, using strength of schedule as the first tiebreaker. Keep in mind — teams 19-32 would make the playoffs if the season ended today and are marked as PL (short for playoffs) in the order below. The draft order for playoff teams is determined by the results of postseason play.

1 New York Jets

0-10 · .570 strength of schedule

Biggest needs: QB, edge rusher, CB

This week’s game: vs. Dolphins

Joe Douglas should absolutely be looking for another outside receiver, but CB replaces WR on the needs list this week. There’s at least somewhat of a foundation at WR with Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder. We can’t say the same thing about the corner position right now.

2 Jacksonville Jaguars

1-9 · .525

Biggest needs: QB, CB, OT

This week’s game: vs. Browns

The QB-needy Jaguars could become the first team to go 1-15 and NOT finish with the worst record in the league.

3 Cincinnati Bengals

2-7-1 · .545

Biggest needs: OL, edge rusher, CB

This week’s game: vs. Giants

Zac Taylor can stick up for his O-line all he wants. The fact is Joe Burrow was pressured at the third-highest rate (30.7%) in the NFL among QBs with 250 or more pass attempts, according to Next Gen Stats. He deserves better protection when he returns from injury next year.

4 Washington Football Team

3-7 · .450

Biggest needs: QB, WR, OL

This week’s game: at Cowboys

The Washington offensive line had a PFF overall grade of 90.9 against the Bengals, the highest mark of any non-QB positional group on Sunday, but the position is on the needs list because three of the five O-line starters versus Cincinnati are pending free agents.

5  Los Angeles Chargers

3-7 · .466

Biggest needs: OL, TE, CB

This week’s game: at Bills

Flip a coin between corner and edge rusher for the final need in the top three. Both are areas that will need to be shored up with Michael Davis and Melvin Ingram in the final year of their respective deals.

6 New York Giants

3-7 · .485

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, CB, OT

This week’s game: at Bengals

More than half of the Giants’ sack production comes from players due to reach free agency this offseason.

7 Atlanta Falcons

3-7 · .490

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, DB, RB

This week’s game: vs. Raiders

We’ve focused on the Atlanta defense in this space all season, but let’s give the RB position a spin, shall we? Each of the Falcons’ top two rushers — Todd Gurley and Brian Hill — have contracts that expire next year, and Gurley is averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per carry in the last five games.

8  Dallas Cowboys

3-7 · .535

Biggest needs: CB, DT, OL

This week’s game: vs. Washington Football Team

This looked like a franchise destined to be picking inside the top five (where it could potentially land the best non-QB available) in 2021, but the Cowboys dealt that scenario a big blow with Sunday’s surprise win over the formerly surging Vikings. There’s only one winning team left on Dallas’ schedule and a division title is still within reach. That’s life in the NFC East.

9 Miami Dolphins

PICK ACQUIRED FROM THE HOUSTON TEXANS

Texans’ record: 3-7 (.560)

This week’s Texans game: at Lions

See No. 17 for analysis of the Dolphins’ needs and the bottom of this article for analysis of the Texans’ needs.

10 Carolina Panthers

4-7 · .545

Biggest needs: OL, CB, WR

This week’s game: at Vikings

Is pending free agent Curtis Samuel part of the long-term plans in Carolina? He’s proving his value, scoring five TDs in the last five games, and his departure would leave the Panthers looking awfully light at receiver after D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson.

11  Detroit Lions

4-6 · .475

Biggest needs: WR, DL, LB

This week’s game: vs. Texans

The Lions’ offense can’t afford to lose free-agent-to-be Kenny Golladay, and it also can’t be so reliant on him. They are 1-4 without him this season (averaging 21.8 points in those games) and 3-2 when he plays (26.6 points per game).

12  San Francisco 49ers

4-6 · .515

Biggest needs: CB, OL, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Rams

Quarterback will rise to the top of the needs list if the 49ers decide to cut ties with Jimmy Garoppolo, but cornerback firmly holds the No. 1 slot for now. San Francisco currently doesn’t have a CB under contract beyond this season (although Emmanuel Moseley will be a restricted free agent).

13  New England Patriots

4-6 · .520

Biggest needs: Interior OL, DL, WR

This week’s game: vs. Cardinals

The Patriots must add juice to a pass rush that pressured Deshaun Watson on just two of 37 dropbacks in Week 11 and has the lowest pressure rate in the league (18.6%), per NGS.

14 Minnesota Vikings

4-6 · .530

Biggest needs: OL, DT, edge rusher

This week’s game: vs. Panthers

While we still like the idea of drafting a young QB to develop behind Kirk Cousins, Cousins is playing too well and the edge rush is too nonexistent for us to prioritize QB over edge rusher on the needs list this week.

15  Denver Broncos

4-6 · .545

Biggest needs: OT, CB, QB

This week’s game: vs. Saints

Drew Lock was better against the Dolphins, but he still turned the ball over for the seventh straight start. He remains the second-lowest rated player in ESPN’s QBR and the fifth-lowest graded QB by PFF.

16  Chicago Bears

5-5 · .529

Biggest needs: QB, OL, WR

This week’s game: at Packers

We’ll no longer leave WR out of the top three needs given the possibility of Allen Robinson’s departure in free agency. OG becomes OL this week because tackle and guard could be high priorities when the draft rolls around.

17  Miami Dolphins

6-4 · .430

Biggest needs: WR, ILB, interior OL

This week’s game: at Jets

The Broncos did a nice job of exposing the Dolphins’ weaknesses on Sunday, especially in the front seven on defense and on the offensive line.

18  Baltimore Ravens

6-4 · .560

Biggest needs: WR, OL, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Steelers

What has happened to Marquise Brown? Hollywood was silent in Week 11, making zero catches (his first career game without a reception) on three targets. He has just six grabs (on 17 targets) for 55 yards in the last four games combined.

PL Philadelphia Eagles

3-6-1 · .485

Biggest needs: OG, LB, CB

This week’s game: vs. Seahawks

A lot of things are going wrong for the Eagles, including the regression of their QB1, but the offensive line’s issues rank among the most troubling. While injuries have no doubt played a role in the unit’s struggles, Philly’s front couldn’t even hold up against a Browns defensive line that was missing its star player.

PL Arizona Cardinals

6-4 · .446

Biggest needs: CB, edge rusher, interior OL

This week’s game: at Patriots

The Cardinals are likely to be in the cornerback market next spring with two of their top three CBs ticketed for free agency, including Patrick Peterson. The eight-time Pro Bowl selectee has allowed the ninth-highest completion rate (68.5%) among CBs who have been targeted 50 or more times this season, according to NGS.

PL  Las Vegas Raiders

6-4 · .608

Biggest needs: DT, OL, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Falcons

This is hard to believe, but the Raiders haven’t finished a season ranked in the top half of the league in points allowed since their last Super Bowl appearance way back in the 2002 campaign. It doesn’t appear that streak is going to end this year, as Las Vegas ranks 26th in points allowed per game after giving up 35 in Sunday night’s loss. Mike Mayock has made big investments in his defense since taking over as GM but there is still significant work to be done on that side of the ball.

PL Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7-4 · .527

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, DT, WR

This week’s game: vs. Chiefs

The highly touted Bucs pass rush has gone missing in two of the past three weeks. Tampa Bay failed to sack Jared Goff, who was playing without his top offensive lineman on Monday night.

PL Indianapolis Colts

7-3 · .435

Biggest needs: QB, CB, edge rusher

This week’s game: vs. Titans

The Colts will have the cap space to keep their key free agents in the fold, but will they bring all the high-performing veterans back for another run? The list of walk-year players includes Philip Rivers, Xavier Rhodes and Justin Houston.

PL  Green Bay Packers

7-3 · .446

Biggest needs: WR, interior OL, CB

This week’s game: vs. Bears

It’s time to invest in another young, cheap corner this offseason with Kevin King hitting the market in 2021 and Josh Jackson doing the same in 2022, all while the team tries to find the cap space to keep its core intact.

PL  Cleveland Browns

7-3 · .465

Biggest needs: LB, CB, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Jaguars

Hello, Olivier Vernon! After posting 3.5 sacks in first 15 games with the Browns, he has five in his last three games, including three QB takedowns without the help of Myles Garrett on Sunday. Vernon, a free agent in 2021, might price himself out of Cleveland with a strong finish.

PL Jacksonville Jaguars

PICK ACQUIRED FROM THE LOS ANGELES RAMS

Rams’ record: 7-3 (.480)

This week’s Rams game: vs. 49ers

See Pick No. 2 for analysis of the Jaguars’ needs and the bottom of this article for analysis of the Rams’ needs.

PL  Tennessee Titans

7-3 · .495

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, TE, WR

This week’s game: at Colts

He’s overshadowed by A.J. Brown, but Corey Davis would leave a big void at receiver if he departs in free agency. After having his fifth-year option declined in the offseason, the former first-round pick has three 100-yard games. He posted two such games in his previous three seasons combined.

PL  New York Jets

PICK ACQUIRED FROM THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seahawks’ record: 7-3 (.500)

This week’s Seahawks game: at Eagles

See Pick No. 1 for analysis of the Jets’ needs and the bottom of this article for analysis of the Seahawks’ needs.

PL  Buffalo Bills

7-3 · .520

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, CB, OL

This week’s game: vs. Chargers

Will the Bills spend their top pick on an edge rusher for the second straight year with rookie A.J. Epenesa off to a slow start and Trent Murphy heading for free agency?

PL  New Orleans Saints

8-2 · .485

Biggest needs: DL, DB, QB

This week’s game: at Broncos

Yes, it was only one game and it wasn’t a perfect performance, but Taysom Hill showed enough against the Falcons for us to at least move QB down the list of needs. Perhaps Drew Brees’ successor is on the roster.

PL  Kansas City Chiefs

9-1 · .426

Biggest needs: Interior OL, WR, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Buccaneers

While safety remains a position to watch due to expiring deals in the next couple offseasons, edge rusher is the more pressing need at the moment. Frank Clark could use a complement, and starting DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (seven sacks in 55 career games) is in the final year of his contract.

PL  Pittsburgh Steelers

10-0 · .400

Biggest needs: OT, edge rusher, CB

This week’s game: vs. Ravens

It’s tricky trying to forecast needs for a team that will have to do a bunch of cutting to get under the cap in 2021. A storm is brewing for the league’s only undefeated team.

TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST-ROUND PICK

Houston Texans

TRADED FIRST-ROUND PICK TO THE MIAMI DOLPHINS

3-7

Biggest needs: WR, CB, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Lions

The next GM of the Texans has to add an outside receiver with good size for Deshaun Watson, and — while it’s not among the top three needs — finding a new RB1 should be high on the to-do list, too.

Los Angeles Rams

TRADED FIRST-ROUND PICK TO THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

7-3

Biggest needs: OL, edge rusher, LB

This week’s game: vs. 49ers

At this rate, the Rams won’t be making their first pick of the draft until late in Round 2, but you figure GM Les Snead will continue to add young pieces for an offensive line that has one starter due to become a free agent in 2021 and two more key members reaching the market a year later.

Seattle Seahawks

TRADED FIRST-ROUND PICK TO THE NEW YORK JETS

7-3

Biggest needs: OL, CB, edge rusher

This week’s game: at Eagles

The Seahawks are one of just three teams with two corners (Quinton Dunbar and Tre Flowers) allowing a completion rate of 60 percent or higher (min. 50 targets), per NGS.