NFL Power Rankings Week 15 – A Bit More Time

Ab Stanley

How much difference does one game make? I don’t mean the one game lead that wins a team’s division or that one game to catapult you into the playoffs, but that extra game they kind of just slapped on the regular season. An extra week means we still have about a quarter of a season left to play.

A few teams can (and few probably will) fall right out of contention by season’s end. The rest will have real battle for playoff positioning, because no team has separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

 

1. Green Bay Packers (10-3)
Aaron Rodgers has 3,219 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The Packers have the top seed in the NFC.

 

2. New England Patriots (9-4)
The Patriots held onto the top spot in the AFC  through their bye week. They have a showdown (with huge playoff implications) versus the Colts on Saturday night.

 

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3)
The Buccaneers have scored 410 total points this season, which leads the NFL. No other team has scored 400 points yet this season.

 

4. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4)
The Chiefs have given up nine points in each of the last three games. They have forced 11 turnovers in those three games.

 

5. Arizona Cardinals (10-3)
Arizona’s loss to the Rams drops them to third place in the NFC. The Cardinals are 2-2 in their last four games.

 

6. Tennessee Titans (9-4)
Boy the Titans needed that game versus a struggling Jaguars team to get back on track. The win snaps a two game losing streak and keeps them ahead of Kansas City for the number two seed in the AFC.

 

7. Dallas Cowboys (9-4)
Micah Parsons has 75 total tackles, with 17 tackles for a loss, 12.0 sacks and three forced fumbles. He is clearly the front runner for rookie defensive player of the year.

 

8. Los Angeles Rams (9-4)
The Rams are holding on to the top wild card seed with their current two game win streak. After their game with Seattle they will play three playoff contenders in a row.

 

9. Baltimore Ravens  (8-5)
Lamar Jackson is supposed to play Sunday, despite a sprained ankle. The Ravens remaining schedule is the third toughest in the NFL. Their last four opponents have a combined 32 wins.

 

10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)
Running back Austin Ekeler, wide receiver Keenan Allen and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater could all miss week 15 due to injury. They play the Chiefs for first place in the AFC West.

 

11. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
The Colts are coming off their bye week and currently ranked third in points scored. The defense has forced 29 turnovers, which is ranks them number one in the NFL.

 

12. San Francisco 49ers (7-6)
George Kittle has a total of 332 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his last two games. The 49ers currently have a lock on the sixth seed and can really separate themselves with a win against Atlanta.

 

13. Denver Broncos (7-6)
Denver is ranked second in the league with 228 total points allowed. They have won four out of their last six games.

 

14. Cleveland Browns (7-6)
The Browns have placed eight players on the COVID-19 list this week. Cleveland is sitting outside of a playoff spot, locked in a dogfight with five other teams with a 7-6 record.

 

15. Buffalo Bills (7-6)
Buffalo’s loss in their overtime thriller has dropped then down to the last playoff spot. This team is far from the team many people had winning the Super Bowl.

 

16. Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
The Bengals have dropped two in a row and they are losing ground in the AFC playoff race. Their final four games consists of teams all in the hunt for a playoff spot.

 

17. Washington Football Team (6-7)
Washington had their winning streak snapped with a tough loss to division leader Dallas. Their hanging on to the last playoff spot by a slim margin.

 

18. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
Philadelphia comes off of their bye week to face Washington in a game that could determine a playoff spot. Philadelphia leads the league in rushing yards.

 

19. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
The Dolphins come off of their bye week to face the Jets, followed by a trip to New Orleans.

 

20. Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
Minnesota leads the league in sacks, with 41 so far this season. Their crazy win over the Steelers keeps them in contention for the last playoff spot in the NFC.

 

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6-1)
The Steelers have one victory in their last five games. They play division leaders Tennessee and Kansas City in the next two weeks.

 

22. New Orleans Saints (6-7)
The Saints snapped their five game losing streak with a strong rushing effort from Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill. They combined for 193 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

 

23. Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
The Falcons are proving to be the ultimate road warriors. All six of their wins have come away from Mercedes Benz Stadium.

 

24. Las Vegas Raiders (6-7)
The Raiders have now given up 360 total points, which ranks them 31st in the league. Their current two game losing streak has them losing ground in the playoff race.

 

25. Seattle Seahawks (5-8)
Seattle has won two games in a row, outscoring their opponents 63-36. They’ve allowed a total of 134 rushing yards during that span.

 

26. Carolina Panthers (5-8)
Not really sure what the Panthers are doing with their rotation at quarterback, but it’s not working. Their losing streak has now reached three games.

 

27. Chicago Bears (4-9)
The Bears have lost two games in a row and have turned the ball over seven times during that span. They have a total of 22 turnovers this season.

 

28. New York Giants (4-9)
The Giants had their highest point total since week nine. They currently rank 27th in total points scored.

 

29. New York Jets (3-10)
The Jets had their lowest point total since a shutout loss to Denver in week three. They’ve been outscored by a total 171 points this season.

 

30. Houston Texans (2-11)
The Texans losing streak has been pushed to three games. They have averaged 9.0 points per game during that span.

 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11)
It’s starting to become a matter of when, not if with Urban Meyer’s tenure being over in Jacksonville. Poor Trevor Lawrence had the misfortune of playing his rookie season under an unprepared head coach who wasn’t ready for the NFL.

 

32. Detroit Lions (1-11-1)
The Lions continue to have a stronghold on the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. If they ever grab another one of those wins they could drop down to third.

Ab Stanley

Atlanta, GA

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