2022 NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

 ()=previous ranking

1.(1) Kansas City Chiefs (8-2) Week 12 opponent: Los Angeles Rams 

2.(2) Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) Week 12 opponent: Green Bay Packers

3.(7) Dallas Cowboys (7-3) Week 12 opponent: New York Giants 

4.(4) Buffalo Bills (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Detroit Lions 

5.(3) Minnesota Vikings (8-2) Week 12 opponent: New England Patriots 

6.(5) New York Giants (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Dallas Cowboys 

7.(7) Baltimore Ravens (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars 

8.(8) Miami Dolphins (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Houston Texans 

9.(10) San Francisco 49ers (6-4) Week 12 opponent: New Orleans Saints 

10.(11) Tennessee Titans (7-3) Week 12 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals 

11.(13) Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Tennessee Titans 

12.(12) Seattle Seahawks (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders 

13.(9) New York Jets (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Chicago Bears

14.(14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Cleveland Browns

15.(15) New England Patriots (6-4) Week 12 opponent: Minnesota Vikings 

16.(17) Washington Commanders (6-5) Week 12 opponent: Atlanta Falcons

17.(16) Los Angeles Chargers (5-5) Week 12 opponent: Arizona Cardinals 

18.(20) Atlanta Falcons (5-6) Week 12 opponent: Washington Commanders 

19.(25) Detroit Lions (4-6) Week 12 opponent: Buffalo Bills 

20.(21) Indianapolis Colts (4-6-1) Week 12 opponent: Pitttsburgh Steelers

21.(19) Green Bay Packers (4-7) Week 12 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

22.(18) Arizona Cardinals (4-7) Week 12 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

23.(30) New Orleans Saints (4-7) Week 12 opponent: San Francisco 49ers

24.(24) Cleveland Browns (3-8) Week 12 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

25.(22) Los Angeles Rams (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs

26.(26) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Baltimore Ravens

27.(27) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Indianapolis Colts

28.(31) Las Vegas Raiders (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Seattle Seahawks 

29.(25) Denver Broncos (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Carolina Panthers

30.(28) Chicago Bears (3-7) Week 12 opponent: New York Jets 

31.(29) Carolina Panthers (3-7) Week 12 opponent: Denver Broncos

32.(32) Houston Texans (1-8-1) Week 12 opponent: Miami Dolphins 

Week 11 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2022 Edition

Quarterback:

MVP: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) 

Mahomes vs. the Chargers in primetime is about as surefire of a recipe for success as you'll find in the NFL. In this latest dismantling of the Bolts (on their home turf no less!!!), he threw for 329 YDS and 3 TD's while rushing for an additional 23 YDS. Mahomes and the Chiefs have a date with the reeling Rams in Week 12.

Honorable Mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Daniel Jones (Giants), Jalen Hurts (Eagles)

LVP: Josh Allen (Bills) 

After the second half implosion heard around the world last week, it might be a good thing that Allen had a very quiet game this week. Tyler Bass and the running game did most of the heavy lifting against the Browns as Allen produced a very un-Allen like statline (197 YDS/1 TD/7 Rushing YDS/0 turnovers) in a winning effort. Things should get back to normal for the star quarterback when he takes on the Lions improving, but still very beatable defense on Thanksgiving. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Russell Wilson (Broncos)

Running Back

MVP: Tony Pollard (Cowboys) 

Any potential concern about Ezkiel Elliott's return cutting into Pollard's workload died pretty quickly on Sunday. The Cowboys offense pretty much ran through the explosive 4th year back as he managed 80 YDS on 15 carries and 109 YDS and a pair of TD's on 6 catches in a stunning 40-3 beatdown of the previously 8-1 Vikings. As long as Pollard remains healthy down the stretch, he'll be a must-start player. 

Honorable Mentions: Najee Harris (Steelers), Jammal Williams (Lions), Derrick Henry (Titans)

LVP: Dameon Pierce (Texans)

The Commanders stout front 7 knew that the Texans offense is driven by Pierce and successfully made him a non-factor- holding him to just 17 total YDS on 12 touches in what had to be the Texans worst wire-to-wire performance of the season. While Pierce is a lock to clear 17 YDS, the explosive Dolphins offense could make this a lopsided game early and relegate the productive rookie to the RB2 ranks.

Dishonorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley (Giants), Miles Sanders (Eagles), Michael Carter (Jets)

Wide Receiver

MVP: Davante Adams (Raiders)

Patrick Surtain II's All-Pro aspirations hit a bit of a snag on Sunday. Adams routinely embarrassed the ascending star corner as he secured 7 catches for 141 YDS and 2 TD's-including the game-winner in overtime-in what proved to be a much-needed victory for the Raiders over their brothers-in-struggle in Denver. Given Adams' trick or treat 2022 campaign, he'll likely be nowhere near the top of the leaderboards in Week 12 when the Raiders take on the Seahawks.

Honorable Mentions: Amari Cooper (Browns), Tee Higgins (Bengals), Christian Watson (Packers)

LVP: Justin Jefferson (Vikings)

Considering the absurd game Jefferson had against the Bills the prior week that delivered a whole of lot wins for his fantasy managers, he earned the right to put up a dud. With that being said, it's still kind of shocking to see him do next-to-nothing (3 REC/33 YDS) against a just alright Cowboys secondary, but that's more of an indictment on the horrendous play of Kirk Cousins than him. Jefferson could very well disappoint again in Week 12 when he has to deal with the not-so-ideal combo of primetime Cousins and a Patriots team that has one of the better secondaries in the league so far this year.

Dishonorable Mentions: Diontae Johnson (Steelers), Garrett Wilson (Jets), DJ Moore (Panthers) 

Tight End

MVP: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

With top 2 wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman out of the lineup, the brunt of the passing game responsibilities versus the Chargers were going to fall on Kelce. Unsurprisingly, he delivered in a major way-putting up 115 YDS and 3 TD's on only 6 catches. Kelce's brilliance in both real life and fantasy has never been more apparent than it has been in 2022 and anybody who drafted or traded for him this year should feel incredibly lucky to have him on their team. 

Honorable Mentions: George Kittle (49ers), Pat Friermuth (Steelers), Dawson Knox (Bills)

LVP: David Njoku (Browns) 

On a day where the Browns were forced to air it out a ton after going down big against the Bills in the 2nd quarter, Njoku didn't really got involved in the party-managing just 2 catches for 17 YDS on the afternoon. Njoku will be a boom-or-bust option for the Browns Week 12 contest with the Buccaneers.

Dishonorable Mentions: Dalton Schultz (Cowboys), Cole Kmet (Bears), Greg Dulcich (Broncos)

Defense/Special Teams

MVP: Patriots

Bill Belichick's hatred of the Jets fueled another dynamite performance against his former employer. His defense had Zach Wilson completely flustered all day long-picking up 4 sacks and holding the offense to just 3 points and his beloved special teams unit won the game on a punt return TD from Marcus Jones in the final seconds of the 4th quarter. A matchup against a Vikings offense that'll be without starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw and is led by a quarterback that is historically bad in primetime should prove to be another gem from this underrated defense.  

Honorable Mentions: Commanders, Ravens, Cowboys

LVP: Bengals

People need to stop trusting the Bengals defense in fantasy. They've yet to prove they can stop anybody this season and allowing 30 points to an awful Steelers offense without picking up any meaningful supporting stats (they got 0 takeaways and 2 sacks) to atone for all of the scores they surrendered is just a perfect example of their ineffectiveness. No matter how inviting it seems to play them in Week 13 against a blah Titans offense, do whatever it takes to not give into the temptation and find another streaming option on the wire.

Dishonorable Mentions: Broncos, Rams, Titans

Kathryn Hahn Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Kathryn Hahn-whose latest project "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" begins a limited theatrical run on Wednesday.

Kathryn Hahn's Filmography Ranked:

24.Tomorrowland (D-)

23.Captain Fantastic (D-)

22.This is Where I Leave You (D)

21.How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (C)

20.She's Funny That Way (C)

19.Wake Up, Ron Burgundy (C+)

18.The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (C+)

17.Flower (C+)

16.Afternoon Delight (B-)

15.A Bad Moms Christmas (B)

14.Private Life (B)

13.Our Idiot Brother (B)

12.Bad Moms (B)

11.Wanderlust (B)

10.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (B)

9.Bad Words (B)

8.A Lot Like Love (B)

7.The Visit (B)

6.The Dictator (B+)

5.Revolutionary Road (B+)

4.The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (B+)

3.We're the Millers (A-)

2.Step Brothers (A)

1.Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (A+)

Top Dog: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Sometime in 2003, some unproven actors with little-to-no-feature credits on their resume (Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Hahn) teamed up with some established comedy veterans (Christina Applegate, Fred Willard, Vince Vaughn, Chris Parnell) on the directorial debut from ex-Saturday Night Live writer Adam McKay. This movie ended up being Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: a note-perfect goof on 70's cable news stations that is every bit as hilarious, silly and quotable now as it was 18 years ago. As much exemplary work as McKay and this cast have gone onto to do, Anchorman remains a career high mark for all involved and that distinction doesn't feel like it's going to be challenged anytime soon. 

Bottom Feeder: Tomorrowland (2016)

Tomorrowland seems to have killed the live action directorial career of key Pixar architect Brad Bird and while that's not exactly a fair fate, the film is a truly impressive pile of shit that deserves to be viewed as a permanent stain on his otherwise pretty consistently impressive resume. Not even the abundant charisma of George Clooney in a co-leading role can provide any sort of spark to a movie that aspires to be a wonderous sci-fi adventure, but instead ended up being among the dullest, most stunningly incoherent misfires Hollywood produced during the 2010's.

Most Underrated: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

In the directorial filmography of Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is very much an outlier. Unlike his other efforts-which all live in the worlds of absurdist or dark comedy, Stiller's 5th film is an adventure dramedy about a Life magazine employee (Stiller) who has to track down the location of a reclusive photojournalist (Sean Penn) after the negatives he sent for the magazine's final cover get misplaced. It turns out that Stiller is actually quite adept at directing movies that are outside of his wheelhouse. While Walter Mitty is a thoroughly sentimental affair, the warmth and wonder behind its central message of "go out and live your life to the fullest" is so abundant that it makes the movie a deeply moving delight.

Most Overrated: Captain Fantastic (2016)

I hated Viggo Mortensen's hippie anarchist protagonist so much that I couldn't focus on anything else that Captain Fantastic was attempting. This guy is such a condescending jackass that it was impossible to feel empathy for his plight or side with him on the parenting disputes he has with his sister (Hahn) and father (Frank Langella)-which subsequently made the film's attempts at being heartwarming or poignant impossible for me to swallow and led to me despising every moment of this film. 

The Only M. Night Shyamalan Movie That Has Worked from Start to Finish in the Past 20 Years: The Visit (2015)

There's a reason that M. Night Shyamalan made a Hollywood comeback after the back-to-back colossal failures of The Last Airbender and After Earth: He re-discovered his creative spark (and produced a sleeper box office hit for Universal) with The Visit. This found footage horror flick is a creepy, surprisingly funny thrill ride that cleverly and thrillingly executes its simple premise (teenage siblings get far more than they bargain for when they visit their long-estranged grandparents for the 1st time) by slowly raising the level of unease the kids (Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould) are experiencing until a great twist causes it to explode in its deeply rewarding final act.

Patricia Clarkson Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Patricia Clarkson-whose latest project "She Said" is now playing in theaters.

Patricia Clarkson's Filmography Ranked:

20.The East (D)

19.One Day (D)

18.Miracle (C-)

17.Good Night, and Good Luck (C)

16.Maze Runner: The Death Cure (C+)

15.Jumanji (C+)

14.Welcome to Collinwood (B-)

13.Friends with Benefits (B-)

12.She Said (B-)

11.Far from Heaven (B-)

10.Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (B)

9.Whatever Works (B)

8.Vicky Christina Barcelona (B)

7.The Maze Runner (B)

6.Lars and the Real Girl (B+)

5.Easy A (B+)

4.The Station Agent (B+)

3.Shutter Island (A-)

2.The Untouchables (A-)

1.The Green Mile (A)

Top Dog: The Green Mile (1999)

The Green Mile serves as sort of a playbook on how to do melodrama correctly.  While many of the film's plot beats are drenched in over-the-top sentimentality, the performances (namely from Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan and David Morse) and earnest writing/direction from Frank Darabont have enough sincerity behind them to make this a beautiful, bittersweet story about the power of human connection and how it's capable of breaking down barriers between people that believe they have nothing in common.

Bottom Feeder: The East (2013)

Meeting at the lovely intersection of obnoxious, boring and condescending, The East is a really atrocious political thriller that is never as smart or interesting as it thinks it is.  

Most Underrated: Lars and the Real Girl (2008)

This delightful little gem from the early portion of Craig Gillespie's (I, Tonya, Cruella) filmography is an absurdly strong early showcase of Ryan Gosling's acting gifts. He takes a character in Lars that could've easily just been a lonely, socially awkward weirdo stereotype and turns him into this honest man with a huge heart that has just been misunderstood for his whole life, which gives the movie the soul it needed to pull off its sweet delivery of a nutty premise (Lars overcomes his social anxiety issues by purchasing a sex doll online and treats it like a real life human woman that he's in a relationship with) that had massive potential to be very juvenile. 

Most Overrated: Miracle (2004)

I don't know if this was just my suburban public school district, but Miracle couldn't be avoided when I was in middle school. On the last day of school before a week-long vacation in both 7th and 8th grade, the teachers decided to treat us students to a showing of Miracle. Full disclosure: I didn't like the movie when my parents took me to see it in theaters the year before it became a staple on the TV cart circuit and these subsequent showings only further solidified my negative feelings towards Miracle. Outside of a hilariously over-the-top performance from Kurt Russell as head coach Herb Brooks, Miracle is a really innocuous, bland dramatization of the 1980 United States Men's Hockey Team unlikely run to Olympic Gold that is well below the quality of Disney's other inspirational sports drams from this era (Glory Road, Invincible, The Rookie).

2022 NFL Power Rankings: Week 11

 ()=previous ranking

1.(2) Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) Week 11 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

2.(1) Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) Week 11 opponent: Indianapolis Colts 

3.(4) Minnesota Vikings (8-1) Week 11 opponent: Dallas Cowboys 

4.(3) Buffalo Bills (6-3) Week 11 opponent: Cleveland Browns 

5.(6) New York Giants (7-2) Week 11 opponent: Detroit Lions 

6.(5) Dallas Cowboys (6-3) Week 11 opponent: Minnesota Vikings 

7.(7) Baltimore Ravens (6-3) Week 11 opponent: Carolina Panthers

8.(12) Miami Dolphins (7-3) Week 11 opponent: Bye 

9.(9) New York Jets (6-3) Week 11 opponent: New England Patriots 

10.(10) San Francisco 49ers (5-4) Week 11 opponent: Arizona Cardinals 

11.(11) Tennessee Titans (6-3) Week 11 opponent: Green Bay Packers

12.(8) Seattle Seahawks (6-4) Week 11 opponent: Bye 

13.(13) Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) Week 11 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers 

14.(16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5) Week 11 opponent: Bye 

15.(15) New England Patriots (5-4) Week 11 opponent: New York Jets 

16.(14) Los Angeles Chargers (5-4) Week 11 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs 

17.(18) Washington Commanders (5-5) Week 11 opponent: Houston Texans

18.(20) Arizona Cardinals (4-6) Week 11 opponent: San Francisco 49ers 

19.(23) Green Bay Packers (4-6) Week 11 opponent: Tennessee Titans 

20.(17) Atlanta Falcons (4-6) Week 11 opponent: Chicago Bears  

21.(27) Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1) Week 11 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles 

22.(19) Los Angeles Rams (3-6) Week 11 opponent: New Orleans Saints

23.(28) Detroit Lions (3-6) Week 11 opponent: New York Giants 

24.(21) Cleveland Browns (3-7) Week 11 opponent: Buffalo Bills 

25.(24) Denver Broncos (3-6) Week 11 opponent: Las Vegas Raiders

26.(25) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) Week 11 opponent: Bye 

27.(30) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-6) Week 11 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals 

28.(26) Chicago Bears (3-7) Week 11 opponent: Atlanta Falcons 

29.(31) Carolina Panthers (3-7) Week 11 opponent: Baltimore Ravens 

30.(22) New Orleans Saints (3-7) Week 11 opponent: Los Angeles Rams 

31.(29) Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) Week 11 opponent: Denver Broncos 

32.(32) Houston Texans (1-7-1) Week 11 opponent: Washington Commanders 

Week 10 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2022 Edition

Quarterback

MVP: Justin Fields (Bears)

Screw real life wins, Fields is in the middle of an all-time absurd fantasy heater right now. His latest preposterous statline (167 YDS/2 TD/1 INT, 147 Rushing YDS/2 TD) almost completely glosses over the fact that he threw a disgusting pick 6, blew a 14-point 3 quarter lead and couldn't move the ball on either of their potential game-winning drives against a Lions team that hadn't won a road game since 2020 prior to this. The Falcons paltry defense will get the next crack at trying to slow down 2022's fantasy football overnight sensation. 

Honorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), Jalen Hurts (Eagles)

LVP: Justin Herbert (Chargers)

Herbert might break down crying in the huddle if Mike Williams and Keenan Allen don't come back soon. The Chargers' signalcaller 2nd healthy game since early September was another ugly dud (196 YDS/1 TD/1 INT, 22 rushing YDS) as his receivers and offensive line got manhandled by the 49ers relentless defense-especially when they put the clamps on and shut them out in the 2nd half. If Williams and/or Allen returns, Herbert could finally have his long-awaited bounceback against a very beatable Chiefs defense that he torched before he cracked his rib late in the 4th quarter back in their Week 2 meeting.

Dishonorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Tom Brady (Buccaneers), Russell Wilson (Broncos)

Running Back

MVP: Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

A lot of things went right for Jeff Saturday in his NFL coaching debut. Aside from Jim Irsay allowing his much-maligned interim coach hire to start the old but still semi-functional Matt Ryan over the helpless youngster Sam Ehlinger at QB, he benefitted from getting a rare gem out of Taylor-who had been having a dishearteningly uneventful 2022 campaign prior to this explosion. The 2021 fantasy MVP ran all over the Raiders cupcake defense, turning 22 carries into 147 YDS and a TD while also catching 2 passes for 16 YDS in what might be the funniest win an NFL team has logged so far this season. Taylor will look to parlay this strong showing into an epic stretch run that justifies his status as the consensus #1 pick in 2022 fantasy drafts starting this week against the Eagles-whose biggest weakness just happens to be their run defense.

Honorable Mentions: Aaron Jones (Packers), Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Saquon Barkley (Giants)

LVP: Cordarrelle Patterson (Falcons)

Arthur Smith wasn't interested in giving Patterson a heavy workload on a short week right after he played in his 1st game back from injury and that decision was enough to tank the fantasy value of reliable Swiss Army Knife of the Falcons offense for Week 10. Patterson saw only 6 touches (5 carries, 1 reception) and gained just 20 total YDS in a lopsided TNF loss to a Panthers team that was hungry to avenge their controversial loss 2 weeks ago. Patterson should return to his usual role at the top of the Falcons constantly busy RB committee when the Bears and their garbage defense come to Atlanta on Sunday.  

Dishonorable Mentions: David Montgomery (Bears), Miles Sanders (Eagles), Alvin Kamara (Saints)

Wide Receiver 

MVP: CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)

While Lamb hasn't been a total bust in 2022, his output hasn't been good enough to justify his low-end WR1 position in the middle of the 2nd round. That finally changed this week as the Cowboys top target sliced through the Packers secondary for 150 YDS and 2 TD's on 11 receptions in what proved to be a shocking OT loss that spoiled Mike McCarthy's return to Green Bay. Lamb will be on the WR1/WR2 borderline for the 'Boys Week 11 showdown with the scorching hot Vikings. 

Honorable Mentions: Justin Jefferson (Vikings), Christian Kirk (Jaguars), Davante Adams (Raiders)

LVP: A.J. Brown (Eagles)

If you only needed a few points to secure a win last night, Brown really let you down. The Eagles top WR was inexplicably quiet against the Commanders low-end secondary, finishing the night with just 1 catch for a measly 7 years as the Birds dropped their 1st game of 2022. With Dallas Goedert out indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury, Brown's target share will only get higher in the interim, so it's a pretty safe bet that this will represent his rock bottom for the rest of the year.

Dishonorable Mentions: DJ Moore (Panthers), Amari Cooper (Browns), Chris Olave (Saints)

Tight End

MVP: Cole Kmet (Bears) 

Justin Fields isn't the only Bear having a shocking mid-season emergence. The 3rd year tight end that didn't score a single TD in 2021 now has 5 in the last 3 games after his 4 REC/74 YD/2 TD performance against the Lions on Sunday. Fire up Kmet as a TE1 and just ride the wave until it inevitably crashes sometime in the next 1-3 weeks. 

Honorable Mentions: Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Dalton Schultz (Cowboys), Tyler Higbee (Rams)

LVP: George Kittle (49ers)

Blocking specialist Kittle unfortunately seems to be back on duty in San Francisco. The star tight end caught 1-of-2 targets for 21 YDS as the 49ers offense heavily leaned on Christian McCaffery, Brandon Aiyuk and Elijah Mitchell-who just got activated off IR prior to the game-to move the ball in their comeback win over the Chargers. Kittle will be a boom-or-bust play for the 49ers Week 11 matchup with the Cardinals in Mexico City.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Evan Engram (Jaguars), Robert Tonyan (Packers)

Defense/Special Teams

MVP: Titans

Good news gang: the Broncos disastrous offense didn't get fixed during their bye week. Even without MVP Jeffery Simmons in the lineup, the Titans defense teed off on Nathaniel Hackett, Russell Wilson and the rest of this helpless group-picking up 6 sacks and an INT in a 17-10 victory. This up-and-down Titans group should be a decent option for their Thursday night matchup against the Packers.

Honorable Mentions: Giants, Bills, Eagles

LVP: Rams

In the Cardinals vs. Rams battle of the backup quarterbacks, the Rams got absolutely obliterated. Colt McCoy, DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore and James Conner all managed to get the best of Raheem Morris' typically pretty formidable group as the Rams managed just 2 sacks and 0 takeaways in an ugly 27-17 loss to their NFC West rivals. Given their pretty difficult schedule (Chiefs, Seahawks, Packers) on the horizon, fantasy players might want to consider ditching the Rams D/ST after this week's game against the reeling Saints. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Cowboys, Broncos, Raiders

Movie Review: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

What writer/director Ryan Coogler was asked to do on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is unfathomable. He wasn't just writing the death about the death of a central character, he was memorializing a man, collaborator and friend that he didn't even know was battling cancer for the entire time he knew him until he passed away in August 2020. Aided by a returning primary group of actors (Letita Wright, Lupita Ny'ongo, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman) that were going through the same grieving process, Coogler was able to tell a story that uses his love for Chadwick Boseman and the pain he's still trying to process over his death as a guiding light to turn Wakanda Forever into a very sincere, thoughtful tribute to Boseman and the character that defined his acting career.

Wakanda Forever comes racing out of the gates with an intense, devastating opening scene that gives Wright her first of many moments to shine as Shuri-whose arc in this film has the most interesting conflicts and nuanced emotions put behind it. Having Wakanda Forever get off to such an urgent, hard-hitting start just further crystalizes what kind of movie Coogler was aiming to make: A somber, thoughtful memorial for a man whose death was completely unexpected and the different journey's each person can take while trying to process such a sudden, impactful loss that just happens to be delivered in a $250 million blockbuster package. 

There's a real raw sincerity to the emotions on display here that transcends the boundaries of Wakanda Forever's fictional narrative and conveys just how much Bosman's death affected his collaborators. The conversations about T'Challa and how Wakanda is going to move forward without him feel like the actor's way of attempting to process their feelings about Boseman's passing in real time and it's equally gut-wrenching and surprising to watch so many genuine feelings be expressed in a forum that doesn't exactly have a track record of showcasing these types of emotions. Coogler and these actors poured their whole hearts into paying tribute to Boseman and their efforts give Wakanda Forever the strongest emotional backbone that a Marvel film has ever had.            

When Wakanda Forever veers off into its usual superhero business, the returns aren't as rewarding. To be fair to Coogler, the main plot dealing with how Wakanda is viewed as a weakening world superpower in the wake of T'Challa's death and the additional turbulent shockwaves that the royal family feels when they discover there's another deeply powerful nation out there led by a mutant god named Namor (Tenoch Huerta-who gives the character a real sense of nobility underneath all of the rage and hate he harbors for the outside world) that's ready to wage war to protect their people is a logical, effective way to cross its genre boxes while honoring its broader themes. While these parts of the movie are certainly very entertaining and not without their own moments of brilliance (the sequence in Namor's underwater homeland of Talokan, the new Black Panther's trip to the Ancestral Plane), a handful of big battle scenes, arguments about Vibranium and introducing a new hero in Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) feel kind of weightless when the focal point of the story is dealing with the difficult aftermath of a real-life death. This isn't meant to be a takedown of Coogler as he navigated his dual obligations here about as gracefully as he possibly could, but that doesn't change the reality that nearly every moment in Wakanda Forever where mourning Boseman/T'Challa isn't the focal point of the scene is a moment where this movie isn't being its best self. 

Now, I fully understand that saying a superhero movie is doing itself a disservice by simply being a superhero movie is a ridiculous, if not completely disrespectful statement. However, Wakanda Forever's broader obligations to its genre is a detrimental shadow looming over the proceedings that it can never quite escape from. There's a full-blown masterpiece about grief, loss, love, family, legacy and the definition of heroism hiding in plain sight here, but its place in a broader franchise doesn't allow for these themes to receive the attention they needed to make a huge impact. As impressive as Wakanda Forever is as a tribute piece, this refusal to travel down a more pronounced emotional path makes it feel like somewhat of a missed opportunity other than a full-blown triumph and quite frankly, that's a shitty feeling to have about a movie that is driven by such a pure heart.      

Grade: B+