NFL Week 15 power rankings: Packers, Bills move up on heels of No. 1 Chiefs
1. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) | Last week’s rank: 1
Patrick Mahomes threw three interceptions and took a 30-yard sack during the game in Miami. And the Chiefs still had a 20-point lead before allowing the Dolphins to make it somewhat interesting in the game’s late stages. The Chiefs are in line to be the AFC’s No. 1 seed and there’s no reason to believe they won’t finish 15-1, if that’s what it takes.
2. Green Bay Packers (10-3) | Last week’s rank: 4
The win over the Lions, combined with the Saints’ loss, put the Packers into position to secure the NFC’s top seed. The Packers have the Panthers, Titans and Bears left on their regular season schedule. That’s two relatively certain victories and a decent chance to run the table and have the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC going through Lambeau Field.
3. Buffalo Bills (10-3) | Last week’s rank: 5
The Bills have elbowed their way into the conversation about which team is the AFC’s best. In fact, they may have elbowed the Steelers right out of that conversation Sunday night.
4. New Orleans Saints (10-3) | Last week’s rank: 2
Sean Payton is a terrific coach. His ability to win some games this season with Taysom Hill at QB underscores that. But Hill’s limitations as a passer are exposed the longer he must be in that starting role. The loss to the Eagles could cost the Saints the NFC’s top seed, and there’s little reason to believe they can keep pace with the Chiefs this coming weekend if Drew Brees remains sidelined another week.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) | Last week’s rank: 3
The Steelers have two straight defeats since the 11-0 start and have lost their grip on the No. 1 seed. The defense had no answers for Josh Allen or Stefon Diggs during Sunday night’s loss at Buffalo. The dropped passes continued on offense. The running game isn’t productive, and QB Ben Roethlisberger isn’t getting the ball down the field. Suddenly, the problems seem too big to be fixed, although the schedule provides a brief reprieve with the Bengals up next.
6. Los Angeles Rams (9-4) | Last week’s rank: 9
The defense is excellent. Rookie RB Cam Akers is giving Coach Sean McVay a reliable runner. But can QB Jared Goff play consistently enough for the Rams to be an honest-to-goodness NFC contender? That remains to be seen.
7. Indianapolis Colts (9-4) | Last week’s rank: 8
QB Philip Rivers is a better player this season for the Colts than he was last season for the Chargers. That speaks to the coaching handiwork of Frank Reich. Watch out if the Eagles opt to trade Carson Wentz in the offseason and he lands in Indianapolis to reunite with Reich, as is being speculated. Reich is perhaps the one coach who could repair Wentz’s broken game.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) | Last week’s rank: 10
The Bucs managed to get the win against the Vikings, thanks in part to Minnesota’s kicking misadventures, but still look nothing like a Super Bowl team. If Tom Brady gets this team into the playoffs but the Buccaneers fail to reach the Super Bowl, will that be regarded as a failure?
9. Tennessee Titans (9-4) | Last week’s rank: 11
The win at Jacksonville kept the Titans just ahead of the Colts, based on the division-record tiebreaker, in the AFC South. The major complication for the Titans is a Week 16 game at Green Bay, between games against the Lions and Texans.
10. Seattle Seahawks (9-4) | Last week’s rank: 12
The Seahawks rebounded from the loss to the Giants by beating the Jets in properly convincing fashion Sunday. Things get interesting from here, with a game Sunday at FedEx Field against suddenly formidable Washington and then a Week 16 showdown with the Rams.
11. Baltimore Ravens (8-5) | Last week’s rank: 13
Lamar Jackson’s dramatic return to the field and late-game exploits Monday night in Cleveland keep the Ravens very much in the wild-card chase. They still trail the Dolphins, based on tiebreakers, for the final playoff spot but have a favorable remaining schedule.
12. Cleveland Browns (9-4) | Last week’s rank: 6
The Browns lamented their mistakes and missed opportunities in Monday night’s epic loss to the Ravens. But that was, quite simply, a great game.
13. Miami Dolphins (8-5) | Last week’s rank: 7
The Miami defense had its moments early on against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. But the Dolphins aren’t quite ready to win a game that matters against a team of that caliber. Not yet.
14. Arizona Cardinals (7-6) | Last week’s rank: 19
The triumph over the Giants at the Meadowlands moved the Cardinals back into the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Can they stay there? The matchup with the Eagles this coming weekend suddenly is more interesting, with Jalen Hurts’s exploits Sunday for Philadelphia.
15. Washington Football Team (6-7) | Last week’s rank: 17
Chase Young made a huge play with the TD return on the fumble recovery, and suddenly Washington is the team to beat in the NFC East. This has become a reasonably proficient team, and Coach Ron Rivera and QB Alex Smith deserve a ton of credit. But Smith’s injured calf is a major concern.
16. Chicago Bears (6-7) | Last week’s rank: 26
Mitchell Trubisky played Sunday like a QB worthy of the No. 2 overall draft pick that the Bears used on him in 2017. That probably falls under the category of far too little, far too late.
17. Denver Broncos (5-8) | Last week’s rank: 25
The good version of QB Drew Lock was on display in the victory over the Panthers. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know from week to week if that version will show up. Coach Vic Fangio deserves some credit for holding things together this season. He has not complained about some of the competitive issues the Broncos have faced because of coronavirus-related matters and simply has tried to do the best with whatever has been available to him.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (7-6) | Last week’s rank: 14
The Raiders have lost three of their past four games, and they fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther following the defeat to the Colts. The franchise has made steady on-field progress in Coach Jon Gruden’s three seasons but, clearly, has not quite arrived yet as a playoff-ready team.
19. New England Patriots (6-7) | Last week’s rank: 15
The Patriots won’t continue their remarkable streak of 10-win seasons, and their playoff chances are all but extinguished. Coach Bill Belichick wasted no time following Thursday night’s loss in L.A. declaring that he would stick with Cam Newton at QB. But it’s fair to wonder how permanent that arrangement will be, both down the stretch this season and beyond.
20. New York Giants (5-8) | Last week’s rank: 16
The eight sacks allowed during Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals made all the good feelings from the four-game winning streak dissipate quickly. QB Daniel Jones returned from missing one game with his hamstring injury but wasn’t effective. It’s worth considering whether Coach Joe Judge will have to go back to Colt McCoy at QB.
21. Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1) | Last week’s rank: 29
The QB switch from Carson Wentz to Jalen Hurts paid immediate dividends. The offense looked completely different and Hurts was a dual-threat standout in the surprising victory over the Saints. Hurts remains the starter this week and, barring an injury, it would be next to impossible for the Eagles to turn back to Wentz this season, which will leave open the possibility of them moving on from their former franchise QB during the offseason.
22. Minnesota Vikings (6-7) | Last week’s rank: 18
The three missed FGs and missed extra point for kicker Dan Bailey during Sunday’s loss at Tampa Bay may have been the final undoing of the Vikings’ season. They can’t afford any more missteps and have to hope now that they get some good luck along the way.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (4-9) | Last week’s rank: 27
The surprising thing is that the Chargers and Falcons didn’t both find a crazy way to lose their game against one another Sunday.
24. Dallas Cowboys (4-9) | Last week’s rank: 28
Andy Dalton went to Cincinnati and got a win. The Cowboys at least haven’t fallen so far that they would lose to the Bengals.
25. Detroit Lions (5-8) | Last week’s rank: 20
It was back to reality for the Lions in the second game since their coaching change as part of the organizational housecleaning. They were competitive against the Packers but returned to their losing ways.
26. San Francisco 49ers (5-8) | Last week’s rank: 21
The Niners’ home away from home in Arizona was less than welcoming with consecutive losses, first to the Bills and then Sunday to Washington. The cumulative effect of all the injuries and the forced relocation simply has been too much for the 49ers to overcome to remain competitive.
27. Carolina Panthers (4-9) | Last week’s rank: 22
RB Christian McCaffrey remains on the shelf, and the Panthers are ensured a losing record in Year 1 for Coach Matt Rhule and QB Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina. Things have taken a disappointing turn but it probably was to be expected, given the amount of turnover at key spots within the organization and the unusually difficult circumstances this year for any team in that position.
28. Houston Texans (4-9) | Last week’s rank: 23
Deshaun Watson has given everything he has this season. Perhaps someone in the organization needs to be the voice of reason and tell him to sit down and make it through the season unharmed.
29. Atlanta Falcons (4-9) | Last week’s rank: 24
So much for that improved play after the coaching change. The Falcons have reverted to their previous form with losses in two straight and three of four games.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (2-10-1) | Last week’s rank: 30
Remember when Joe Burrow was at QB, and the Bengals were making progress? That already feels like a long time ago.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12) | Last week’s rank: 31
Coach Doug Marrone went back to Gardner Minshew at QB during Sunday’s loss to the Titans and then named Minshew the starter for this week. Really, unless the Jaguars can find a way to get Justin Fields into uniform for them this Sunday, does it matter?
32. New York Jets (0-13) | Last week’s rank: 32
Can the Jets fire Gregg Williams again this week? Coach Adam Gase has just about run out of others to blame.
