10. Philadelphia Eagles
The big question with the Eagles the past handful of weeks was whether or not the wins they had against the Raiders and Commanders would prove to be the “get right” games they appeared to be when they faced off against a better opponent. Vic Fangio’s defense was absolutely championship-ready in their matchup on the road against the Buffalo Bills, and we saw one of the most impressive efforts of the week as the Eagles held on for that win.
And if you need a picture painted for you of just how huge that Eagles defense was against the Bills, the Eagles’ offense had just 11 first downs in the game, they converted just three of their 13 third-down attempts, and had just 190 total yards of offense.
When it comes to looking like a championship team, you can’t say the Eagles’ offense put anything great on display against the Bills. But it doesn’t always have to look aesthetically pleasing. We know what this team can do in January and February.
9. Los Angeles Chargers
You can’t drop the Los Angeles Chargers too far for their loss against the Houston Texans, but that loss was a costly one. With the Broncos beating the Chiefs on Christmas night, the margin for error was simply not there for the Chargers. Their loss against the Texans cemented the Denver Broncos as division champions, which stings, because a win against Houston would have made the Chargers’ matchup against Denver in Week 18 for the division crown.
Which the Chargers have not won since 2009…
So what went wrong in that game? Well, the Chargers obviously had to face off against one of the toughest and stingiest defenses in the NFL, but getting the brakes beat off them early on as the Texans got out to a 14-0 lead didn’t help. Even with eight penalties and two interceptions by the Texans, the Chargers weren’t able to capitalize.
You wonder how far they can realistically go in the postseason with all of their injuries.