The Baltimore Ravens had no issue snapping a three-game slide with a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes, ran for another, and the Ravens pounded the Cowboys defence on the ground with nearly 300 rushing yards in the win.

The good news for Baltimore is that they are still right in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race. The bad news is that they won’t get to play Dallas again this season.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020.

 

Ravens Run All Over Cowboys

The Ravens (-9) were able to win and cover easily with more than 400 yards of total offence in the win over the Cowboys.

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Baltimore’s chances to make the playoffs improved to 68 per cent.

The Ravens, now 7-5, are still the ninth seed in the AFC and will have some work to do in order to leapfrog the list of teams standing in their way for an AFC Wild Card.

Baltimore will close out the season with games against the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals.

That means if they can take down the 9-3 Browns for the second time this season in Week 14, there is a very good chance they can go 11-5.

The Ravens at Cleveland opened as essentially a pick’em.

‘The Big E’ Eric Cohen took a look at the early lines for Week 14 in Market Insights.:

 

Eagles Turn To Hurts

There have been plenty of surprises this season.

Jalen Hurts being named the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback over a healthy Carson Wentz is among the biggest.

There is absolutely no doubt that Wentz has taken a tremendous step back in 2020.

Still, he earned a five-year, $128 million contract extension from the Eagles by playing at a high level in recent years, and that big money hasn’t even kicked in yet.

Maybe Wentz will benefit from the opportunity to sit and watch Hurts while figuring out how to fix some of the issues that have impacted his play this season.

At the same time, I’m not very confident in Hurts, especially considering his first NFL start will come as a rookie against the top-ranked defence in the league in the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints are a -7 favourite at Philadelphia this Sunday.

 

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

As I mentioned Tuesday, I needed 40 points from Jackson and Elliott to clinch a division title and a first-round playoff bye in fantasy, and that tandem delivered.

Now my focus shifts to the playoffs.

A big reason why I was able to come back to win my division was because I picked up Houston Texans wide receiver Keke Coutee off the wire, who went off with eight receptions for 141 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

While I would for the most part recommend rolling with your starters in the playoffs, there are some intriguing options still available in more than 50 per cent of TSN leagues if you are looking for help this week.

Here are five of my favourites.

WR Keke Coutee, Texans: If you didn’t grab Coutee last week, hopefully he is still available in your league to add now. Coutee delivered against the Colts. With Will Fuller and Randall Cobb sidelined, he should continue to be the biggest beneficiary of more opportunities in Houston. He’s still available in more than 75 per cent of leagues.

WR Tim Patrick, Broncos: Patrick has appeared in this column before and for good reason. With the exception of the Kendall Hinton game, he has hit double-digit fantasy point totals in seven straight games. Hauling in a pair of touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs last week was another reminder that Patrick could be a decent option if you need the help. He’s rostered in under 25 per cent of leagues.

RB Ty Johnson, Jets: Unfortunately for anybody that added Frank Gore, he left last week’s game early and that opened the door for a massive game from Johnson. The 2019 sixth-round pick ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts with two receptions for 13 yards. Rostered in 1.1 per cent of TSN leagues, Johnson is worth an addition for the playoffs based on what he could do if Gore misses time.

RB Adrian Peterson, Lions: Nobody is saying he is still the player that he was in his prime. However, what AP has done at the age of 35 has to be acknowledged. Coming off a game in which he ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears, Peterson is up to 501 yards and six touchdowns this season. If D’Andre Swift remains sidelined against a bad Green Bay Packers run defence, it might be worth taking a chance on AP if you’re desperate for the help.

TE: Cole Kmet, Bears: For as ugly as the end of Sunday’s game was for Mitch Trubisky, the reality is that the offence has looked much more efficient with him under centre this season. Yes, Chicago played the Detroit Lions. Still, this is something that is true going all the way back to Week 1. The Bears have turned the page on Jimmy Graham and made Kmet their primary tight end. Kmet responded with five catches for 37 yards and a score against Detroit. If you are desperate for help at the position, which a lot of teams are, Kmet might be worth a look.