Dallas, TX
Power Rankings: Top NFL duos at every position
Thursday’s game in Detroit is expected to feature some of the most dynamic players in the NFL, especially amongst skill players.
But what makes this game is so unique is how both teams possess more than one elite players at the same position.
So this week’s Power Rankings poll identifies the teams with the best 1-2 punch at each position in the NFL.
We’ve eliminated the quarterback, center and all the specialists since they rarely have more than one player on the field at the same time. But the rest is fair game as we look at the best duos in the NFL, which will have a pair from both the Cowboys and Lions as we enter Thursday’s all-important game.
Running Back:
Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montogmery (Detroit) – The duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is untouchable at the moment, especially they’re the only duo with a combined 1,500+ rushing yards. Gibbs has already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and Montgomery has over 500 yards, but provides just enough of the thunder-and-lightning combination that ignites Detroit’s high-powered attack. Gibbs is a home-run hitter, with four rushing touchdowns of 40+ yards this year.
Wide Receiver:
CeeDee Lamb & George Pickens (Dallas) – This one is certainly up for debate with a lot of high-profile names filling up the stat sheet around the league. But if we’re going off stats, then the Dallas duo should top the charts for 2025. The only NFL team with a pair of 700-yard wide receivers is the Cowboys, led by Pickens’ 1,142 yards, which ranks second in the league. He’s also got eight touchdown catches. Lamb has battled injuries and an occasional case of the drops, but he’s still at 744 yards with three touchdowns. Lamb also leads all NFL receivers with 10 pass interference penalties draw, while Pickens is tied for fourth with five. When it comes to mismatch problems, the combination of speed and possession receivers, Pickens and Lamb seem to be causing more problems for opposing DC’s than any other duo.
Honorable Mention: Nacua & Adams (Rams), Brown & Smith (Eagles), Smith-Ngigba & Shaheed (Seahawks)
Tight Ends:
Dalton Kincaid & Dawson Knox (Bills) – This isn’t a position that usually has a lot of dynamic duos and you can argue the Bills’ 1-2 punch at tight end isn’t exactly dynamic. But having a couple of options here has been beneficial for reigning MVP Josh Allen. Both players average over 11 yards per catch, proving they’re more than just possession tight ends, and definitely not on the field just to block.
Offensive Tackle:
Garrett Bolles & Mike McGlinchey (Broncos) – This one was rather easy when you look at the stats, and yes lineman have stats, too. But the Broncos offensive tackles rank 1st and 2nd in sack percentage. Bolles is the only starting tackle in the NFL without a sack allowed this year. McGlinchey has only allowed one. This duo is a big reason why the Broncos offense is clicking with Bo Nix, who has time to get the ball to his receivers and make plays. Having one great tackle is a good sign for any offense, but two great tackles puts them on another level.
Honorable Mention: Johnson & Mailata (Eagles)
Guard:
Joe Thuney & Jonah Jackson (Bears) – This was close, and one where the Cowboys were right there with their duo of Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker. But Thuney and Jackson get the nod because their both ranked in the Top 10 in pass protection percentage, according to the analytic sites. Plus, the Bears also rank 2nd overall in rushing. Both Thuney and Jackson have made a Pro Bowl and their veteran experienced, coupled with Chicago’s success this year, gives them the nod. But they can have that this year, it might be Smith & Booker in this category for years to come.
Honorable Mention: Smith & Booker (Cowboys)
Edge Rushers
Will Anderson & Danielle Hunter (Texans) – This was probably the closest call among any of the positions and probably comes down to preference. The Texans get the nod because they have two guys with 10+ sacks already this year. It’s one thing to have a dynamic rusher on one side and then a complementery rusher on the other. Perhaps, Green Bay has that with Micah Parsons and then Rashad Gary and of course, anyone opposite of Cleveland’s Myles Garrett could be considered a great duo. Alex Wright has three sacks for the Browns, giving them 22.0 combined with Garrett’s incredible 19. All three teams – Green Bay, Houston and Cleveland have in the range of 20-22 sacks among the top two rushers. The Texans get the nod because of their consistency as a duo.
Honorable Mention: Parsons & Gary (Packers), Garrett & Wright (Browns)
Defensive Tackle
Leonard Williams & Byron Murphy (Seahawks) – This was another close pick, where the Cowboys were also in the discussion. If this were the top trio of tackles, then Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark would likely be the pick. As it stands, the Cowboys are still trying to figure out their rotation now that Williams is in the fold. But in Seattle, the Seahawks have a pair of studs inside. Both players have over 7.0 sacks this year and Williams and Murphy feed off each other to get pressure from the middle of a Seattle defense that ranks sixth in the NFL in yards allowed.
Honorable Mention: Williams & Odighizuwa/Clark (Cowboys), Carter & Davis (Eagles)
Linebacker:
Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell (Philadelphia) – On a defense that is loaded with talent on the lines of scrimmage, the Eagles’ front seven is especially stout because of their linebacker core. Baun, and All-Pro last season, leads the way with 96 tackles, three sacks and 16 QB pressures so far this season. First-round pick Campbell has 53 tackles, but has generated a 16% pressure rate for eight pressures in 50 pass rushes and is growing each week for Philadelphia.
Cornerback:
Carlton Davis, Christian Gonzalez (New England) – Mike Vrabel’s 11-2 start in his first season as the Patriots’ head coach has a lot to do with his defense. All three levels are strong, but his corners in Davis and Gonzalez are as good as it gets. The two of them have combined for 16 pass breakups this season, and are a reason why the Patriots defense is a top ten unit in 2025.
Safety:
Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks (Baltimore) – Even with Hamilton being an All-Pro player, the Ravens went out and picked Starks in the first round out of Georgia to pair alongside him and the two have played well despite Baltimore’s struggles to win games. Hamilton and Starks have a combined seven passes defended, not to mention Starks hauling in two interceptions, and give the Ravens a versatile future in the final level of defense against the run and the pass.
First Shift 🏒
For the past four regular seasons, the Stars have the best road record in the NHL.
Through 164 games, Dallas tops the league with a .655 points percentage away from home. It also leads in goals per game at 3.40 and in GAA at 2.70. That spans two different head coaches and several different players, but there is a culture that the team hopes to tap into Wednesday when the best-of-seven playoff series moves to Minnesota for Game 3.
“You have to be able to play on the road,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “Since my time here, our guys feel really comfortable.”
The Stars were tied for second in road points percentage this season at .683, so an actual improvement over their previous average. They were third in GAA at 2.73 and sixth in scoring at 3.41, so the league has improved. That said, the new coaching staff has also embraced a sound road strategy.
Like Pete DeBoer before him, Gulutzan doesn’t worry too much about matching lines – at home or on the road. The road matching can create some real gymnastics, as the home team gets second change. But the fact that a team chooses not to chase that part of the game.
“That’s why you program your guys to play in those situations and not yank them off every time something happens,” Gulutzan said. “That way they have the confidence to play in all of those situations.”
The Stars coach did make some tweaks after a disappointing team performance in Game 1. Arttu Hyry jumped in for Adam Erne and played center on a line with Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. The right-handed Hyry was a solid complement to lefties Steel and Benn. That allowed Hryckowian to move up to the top line in place of Steel. The left-handed Hryckowian is good balance to right-handed center Johnston.
Again, when you have those options, you are comfortable with whatever line is on the ice.
“I like our combinations right now,” Gulutzan said. “One of the things you worry about is the hands of your centermen, and on each line we have a righty and a lefty that are more than capable. Plus, all of the guys know their systems and their jobs, and they’ve been doing it all year.”
The Stars have had several injuries this season to key players, and that means everyone has played everywhere with everyone else. That’s big this time of year.
“I definitely think that helps,” said Colin Blackwell. “It just makes everything flow. If the coaches shuffle things up, you usually land with someone you have played with before.”
And that means playing on the road isn’t as difficult. The biggest challenge might be fact that Minnesota will be fired up by its home crowd and will be looking to make a point about grievances they perceived in Game 2.
“I don’t know if we need a bulletin board,” Gulutzan said when asked about the Wild making “bulletin board” statements Monday. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and grind this thing to where we need it to go.”
The Dumb Zone hosts analyze the record-breaking contract extension for Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, critiquing the team’s media narrative regarding the negotiations and debating the kicker’s value in a “fourth-down revolution” era.
Johnston gave the Stars a 1-0 lead at 8:58 of the first period. His slap shot from above the right face-off circle deflected off Wild forward Danila Yurov and then bounced off the end boards and in off Wallstedt’s left arm.
“I’ve had a goal like that go in on me, too, that’s a tough bounce,” Oettinger said. “Like I said in Game 1, we got some bad bounces. We got a nice bounce there. We had one where I was behind the net, and the guy was shooting it in the net and our (defense) stopped it, so we got some good bounces. The way we played the last 40 minutes of the game, I think, didn’t give up much, had a ton of good chances offensively. The power play, we got looks and our (penalty kill) was great. If we kind of build off the game that we played the last 40 minutes, I think we should feel very good for the next few games.”
Faber tied it 1-1 at 11:33. He took a pass from Hughes, skated around Robertson in the left circle and cut to the slot, where his wrist shot ramped up and in off Oettinger.
Duchene put the Stars back up 2-1 with a power-play goal at 4:02 of the second period. Mikko Rantanen gained the offensive zone along the right boards and sent a backhand pass to Duchene, who snapped the puck between Wallstedt’s pads from in front.
Robertson made it 3-1 at 7:09 of the third period when he tipped Lundkvist’s wrist shot from the blue line past the right pad of Wallstedt.
“I think we got to do a better job, I mean, the odd-man’s, right? I thought we played a really good game. Probably their best game, you know, meaningful game. And, yeah, we didn’t get fazed by it. Was really good by us. Just got to be smarter in some areas, and we get to go back home and in front of our crowd,” Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said. “They want (penalties). I mean, they’re looking to play 5-on-4. I mean, that’s their game. They can’t hang with us 5-on-5. We got to just be smarter, and myself included. But it’s a heated game out there. You’re gonna have emotional swings and learn from it. We got a split series.”
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