2019 NFL Power Rankings: Week 14

()=previous ranking

1.(1) Baltimore Ravens (10-2) Week 14 opponent: Buffalo Bills
2.(5) New Orleans Saints (10-2) Week 14 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
3.(4) Seattle Seahawks (10-2) Week 14 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
4.(3) San Francisco 49ers (10-2) Week 14 opponent: New Orleans Saints
5.(2) New England Patriots (10-2) Week 14 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
6.(8) Buffalo Bills (9-3) Week 14 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
7.(7) Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) Week 14 opponent: New England Patriots
8.(10) Houston Texans (8-4) Week 14 opponent: Denver Broncos
9.(9) Green Bay Packers (9-3) Week 14 opponent: Washington Redskins
10.(6) Minnesota Vikings (8-4) Week 14 opponent: Detroit Lions
11.(12) Tennessee Titans (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Oakland Raiders
12.(14) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
13.(16) Los Angeles Rams (7-5) Week 14 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
14.(11) Dallas Cowboys (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Chicago Bears
15.(13) Indianapolis Colts (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16.(20) Chicago Bears (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
17.(15) Oakland Raiders (6-6) Week 14 opponent: Tennessee Titans
18.(21) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) Week 14 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
19.(18) Cleveland Browns (5-7) Week 14 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
20.(17) Carolina Panthers (5-7) Week 14 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
21.(19) Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) Week 14 opponent: New York Giants
22.(27) Denver Broncos (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Houston Texans
23.(22) New York Jets (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Miami Dolphins
24.(23) Los Angeles Chargers (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
25.(24) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) Week 14 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
26.(25) Atlanta Falcons (3-9) Week 14 opponent: Carolina Panthers
27.(26) Detroit Lions (3-8-1) Week 14 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
28.(29) Washington Redskins (3-9) Week 14 opponent: Green Bay Packers
29.(31) Miami Dolphins (3-9) Week 14 opponent: New York Jets
30.(28) Arizona Cardinals (3-8-1) Week 14 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
31.(30) New York Giants (2-10) Week 14 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
32.(32) Cincinnati Bengals (1-11) Week 14 opponent: Cleveland Browns

Earful of Fantasy Episode #12

On this special Thanksgiving episode, Liam gets bad intel on whose currently kicking for the Arizona Cardinals, I declare that a certain bolo tie wearing QB's career is over and we finally get to pay off a long-running bit by reviewing Knives Out. Listen below and be sure to tell all of your distant relatives about the finest Rian Johnson fanboy/fantasy football podcast in the land.


Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-your-knives-out-eof112/id1478573845?i=1000458075582
Earful of Dirt: https://www.earfulofdirt.com/2019/11/get-your-knives-out-eof112.html

Pop Culture Crush Podcast

Earful of Fantasy producer Corey and his wife Jessica have just launched a new podcast entitled Pop Culture Crush. The show is released 3 times weekly and covers top 5 lists on a wide variety of entertainment topics including top guilty pleasure musical acts, Leonardo DiCaprio movies and TV shows gone too soon. Earlier this week, they were kind enough to have me on as a guest to discuss my 5 favorite Jason Statham movies. I had a blast doing it and look forward to going on again sometime in the near future. You can check out my appearance and the rest of the episodes at the links below.


"All Things Statham": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-statham-pcc115/id1485178779?i=1000457751728
All Episodes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-crush/id1485178779

Week 12 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2019 Edition

Quarterback
MVP: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
Jackson's wizardry was on full display last night as he torched a pretty damn good Rams defense throwing for 169 YDS and 5 TD's while gaining an additional 95 YDS on the ground. The top MVP candidate will face one of his stiffest tests of 2019 thus far when the 49ers elite D heads into Baltimore this Sunday for a potentially epic showdown.    
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Tannehill (Titans), Sam Darnold (Jets), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers)

LVP: Matt Ryan (Falcons)
Just when it looked like Ryan and the Falcons were starting to get on a roll, they put up a genuinely stunning stinker out of nowhere. Ryan was abysmal (271 YDS/0 TD/1 INT/1 FUM Lost) in a prime  home tilt against the Buccaneers hopeless pass D and eventually got yanked for Matt F'n Schaub in the 4th quarter of this ugly loss for the NFC's most underperforming team. Ryan will be a borderline QB1 this week versus a slumping Saints defense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

Running Back
MVP: Leonard Fournette (Jaguars)
Garbage time is a magnificent thing. Fournette took advantage of this especially extensive formality period in the Jags comical blowout loss to the Titans-registering 159 scrimmage YDS and a pair of rushing scores on 31 touches. Fournette has been pretty much the lone stable contributor on a Jaguars offense that seems to fluctuate in effectiveness on a week-to-week basis and as long as Nick Foles continues to struggle, he'll have to keep serving as the focal point of John DeFilippo's attack.  

Honorable Mentions: Derrick Henry (Titans), Christian McCaffery (Panthers), Mark Ingram (Ravens)

LVP: Todd Gurley (Rams)
With the Ravens putting the Rams in a coffin by the time the 1st quarter was over, poor Gurley didn't even have a shot to contribute. The Rams top back finished the night with a disheartening 19 YDS on 9 touches. He'll likely fare significantly better against a so-so Cardinals rush defense in Week 13.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Josh Jacobs (Raiders), Aaron Jones (Packers), David Montgomery (Bears)

Wide Receiver 

MVP: Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)
These Buccaneers receivers sure do know how to bust out of a slump in the most spectacular way possible. Godwin was blowing by the Falcons corners all game long and ended up posting an absurd 7 REC/184 YDS/2 TD statline when the day was done. With 70 receptions, 1,071 YDS and a league-leading 9 TD's through 11 games, Godwin is currently in the most valuable fantasy wideout conversation.    

Honorable Mentions: Jarvis Landry (Browns), DJ Moore (Panthers), DeAndre Hopkins (Texans)

LVP: Amari Cooper (Cowboys)
God awful weather conditions and a matchup with the great Stephon Gilmore rendered Cooper completely useless on Sunday against the Patriots as he failed to haul in either of his targets. His cold streak seems likely to continue in Week 13 as he draws another tough matchup against a stingy Bills secondary that has only allowed 4 TD's to WR's this season.

Dishonorable Mentions: Tyler Lockett (Seahawks), Courtland Sutton (Broncos), T.Y. Hilton (Colts)

Tight End

MVP: George Kittle (49ers)
A hobbled Kittle, who is playing through a broken bone in his ankle, feasted on the Packers porous secondary-securing 6 catches for 129 YDS and a TD. Unless his ankle manages to slow him down, Kittle will remain a top 3 TE1 option down the stretch. 
Honorable Mentions: Jared Cook (Saints), Zach Ertz (Eagles), Ryan Griffin (Jets)

LVP: Vance McDonald (Steelers)
Not even the absence of JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner opened up opportunities for McDonald in the passing game. The Steelers tight end caught his only target for 1 YD against the lowly Bengals on Sunday afternoon. Even in a dire time for the TE position in fantasy, McDonald simply isn't startable. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Darren Fells (Texans), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Jacob Hollister (Seahawks)

Defense/Special Teams

MVP: Seahawks
What a vintage performance from the Seahawks this week. The physicality, speed and disruptiveness that they displayed against the Eagles was reminiscent of the Legion of the Boom and it made Carson Wentz and co. very uncomfortable, forcing 5 turnovers and registering 3 sacks in a hard-fought 17-9 victory. This group has looked a lot stronger over the past few games and will be in starting consideration most weeks if they continue to be a takeaway machine that allows under 20 points a  game.

Honorable Mentions: Bills, Ravens, Steelers

LVP: Jaguars
What a difference 2 months makes. After dominating the Titans (9 sacks/FUM REC/9 points allowed) in their 1st matchup, the Jaguars defense got absolutely destroyed in their 2nd meeting, surrendering 42 points while only registering a sack and a pair of fumble recoveries to offset the stink of their garbage performance. Todd Wash's group is playing their worst football of the year over the past 3 weeks (33.0 PPG allowed) and will be a risky start on Sunday against the Buccaneers turnover-happy yet often explosive offense.  
Dishonorable Mentions: Rams, Bears, Saints      

2019 NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

()=previous ranking

1.(1) Baltimore Ravens (9-2) Week 13 opponent: San Francisco 49ers
2.(2) New England Patriots (10-1) Week 13 opponent: Houston Texans
3.(3) San Francisco 49ers (10-1) Week 13 opponent: Baltimore Ravens
4.(4) Seattle Seahawks (9-2) Week 13 opponent: Minnesota Vikings
5.(5) New Orleans Saints (9-2) Week 13 opponent: Atlanta Falcons
6.(7) Minnesota Vikings (8-3) Week 13 opponent: Seattle Seahawks
7.(8) Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) Week 13 opponent: Oakland Raiders
8.(9) Buffalo Bills (8-3) Week 13 opponent: Dallas Cowboys
9.(6) Green Bay Packers (8-3) Week 13 opponent: New York Giants
10.(10) Houston Texans (7-4) Week 13 opponent: New England Patriots
11.(11) Dallas Cowboys (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Buffalo Bills
12.(17) Tennessee Titans (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
13.(13) Indianapolis Colts (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Tennessee Titans
14.(18) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Cleveland Browns
15.(12) Oakland Raiders (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
16.(14) Los Angeles Rams (6-5) Week 13 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
17.(16) Carolina Panthers (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Washington Redskins
18.(19) Cleveland Browns (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
19.(15) Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Miami Dolphins
20.(21) Chicago Bears (5-6) Week 13 opponent: Detroit Lions
21.(25) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
22.(27) New York Jets (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
23.(23) Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Denver Broncos
24.(20) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) Week 13 opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
25.(22) Atlanta Falcons (3-8) Week 13 opponent: New Orleans Saints
26.(24) Detroit Lions (3-7-1) Week 13 opponent: Chicago Bears
27.(26) Denver Broncos (3-8) Week 13 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
28.(28) Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1) Week 13 opponent: Los Angeles Rams
29.(31) Washington Redskins (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Carolina Panthers
30.(30) New York Giants (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Green Bay Packers
31.(29) Miami Dolphins (2-9) Week 13 opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
32.(32) Cincinnati Bengals (0-11) Week 13 opponent: New York Jets

The Best and Worst of Michael Shannon

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Knives Out” star Michael Shannon.

Films starring Michael Shannon that I've seen:
Groundhog Day
Pearl Harbor
8 Mile
Kangaroo Jack
Bad Boys II
Let's Go to Prison 
Revolutionary Road
Jonah Hex
Machine Gun Preacher
Mud
Premium Rush
Man of Steel
They Came Together
99 Homes
The Night Before
Midnight Special
Nocturnal Animals
The Shape of Water

Best Performance: 99 Homes (2015)
This is such an unheralded performance from one of the most underrated actors working today. As the owner of a central Florida eviction business, Shannon manages to be an equally reprehensible and magnetic sleazeball that is riveting to watch.

Worst Performance: Man of Steel (2013)
Shannon's comically over-the-top performance may have added some energy to the otherwise sleepy Man of Steel, but that doesn't disqualify General Zod from being an all time bad superhero villain. His constant yelling and violent gesturing turned this supposedly imposing destroyer of worlds into a loopy cartoon character that was impossible to take seriously.
 

Best Film: The Night Before (2015)
In a filmography loaded with acclaimed projects including a Best Picture winner (The Shape of Water), my favorite movie of Shannon's is a stoner Christmas comedy. The Night Before is a damn near perfect holiday film featuring a thoroughly convincing buddy rapport between its three leads (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie), no shortage of huge laughs and a tremendously heartwarming conclusion.

Worst Film: Pearl Harbor (2001)
Pearl Harbor is one of the most bizarre miscalculations I've ever come across in the world of cinema. Using one of the most horrific moments in American history as the basis for a sappy romantic drama isn't just in questionable taste, it makes absolutely no god damn sense from a creative standpoint. It also doesn't help that the acting is near-universally wretched and that by the time Michael Bay gets to do what he does best (stage huge, loud action sequences) at the very end of this three hour slog, overwhelming fatigue from this cornball overload had already set in.  

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Playmobil: The Movie” star Daniel Radcliffe. 

Movie Review: Charlie's Angels

Box office detectives have been working overtime all week long to try and get to the bottom of the failure of the Charlie's Angels reboot. So far, a poor marketing campaign from Sony, lack of "bankability" of the lead actors and an unwillingness for audiences to accept female-led action movies have emerged as the top theories as to why the 2019 Angels got their wings clipped. My two center on the matter: it was just another IP that people stopped caring about for whatever reason. Trying to figure out what hit titles from yesteryear can find success once again in the present day will largely remain an uncrackable code-especially for franchises that don't have the luxury of basking in the infallible, money-printing aura of Disney. For every Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Halloween and Ocean's Eight, there's going to be a Men in Black: International, The Mummy and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Since massive hit franchises play such a pivotal role in achieving success in the industry, studios are going to have to continue engaging in this high-risk practice to try and stay afloat in this ultracompetitive era where every financial miscalculation has potentially dire consequences.

As for the actual on-screen product, the only sin Charlie's Angels commits is that nothing really stands out about it. While the solid chemistry between the Angels (Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska) along with the joy writer/director/star Elizabeth Banks displays in putting a modern spin on this iconic franchise allow it to be a pretty breezy ride, that isn't enough to shake the "been there, done that" feeling that lurks in the background of this globe-trotting actioner. The "tech company secretly mines dangerous weapon" plot offers up literally no surprises, the paper thin villains (Sam Claflin, Nat Faxon, third person I can't disclose with providing spoilers) feel more like narrative formalities than actual threats to the protagonists and despite being pretty well-choregraphed, the action sequences are bizarrely small in scale for a mid-budgeted studio movie. General competency in most areas is enough for a genre obsessive like myself to have a good time, but you're going to need to do better than that to please people that don't belong in that camp and no amount of good intentions or enthusiasm for the Charlie's Angels brand can cover up the lack of truly electrifying action spectacle this film has.

Ultimately, it kind of sucks that this revamped Charlie's Angels is going to be laid to rest before it got a chance to hit its stride. With its well-matched leads and a writer/director that was visibly invested in the world she was creating, there was a lot of potential for a nice little franchise to emerge. A lot of its faults could've been corrected by simply adding more elaborate action sequences and getting seasoned comedic performer Banks to add some more humor to the proceedings, but alas the people have spoken and now we're left to wonder what could've been in a less volatile time at the box office.                

Grade: B