Week 16 Power Rankings
By Timothy An
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-13):
Last week: 31
Positions Moved: -1
The Jacksonville Jaguars should be the happiest team in the NFL coming into Week 16. They pretty much secured the number one pick in the draft, as long as they don’t win another game. They should be thanking the Jets and excited to have Trevor Lawrence coming to Jacksonville.
31. New York Jets (1-13):
Last week: 32
Positions Moved: +1
The New York Jets just ruined their perfect season. Say bye-bye to Trevor Lawrence, because he is now going to be a Jacksonville Jaguar.
30. Cincinnati Bengals (3-10-1):
Last week: 30
Positions Moved: 0
The Cincinnati Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night in an impressive victory that showed promise for this Bengals team. This Bengals team is bad, don’t get me wrong, but they are young and feature playmakers throughout their roster. They showed potential in this game, and hopefully, they can build off this momentum and boost their confidence for when Joe Burrow comes back from injury next season.
29. Houston Texans (4-10):
Last week: 28
Positions Moved: -1
The Houston Texans have been embarrassing this season. After making appearances in the playoffs the last two seasons, they now find themselves at 4-10, near the bottom of the league. Bill O’Brien really left a dent on this team, and they are going to have to surround Deshaun Watson with some talent if they want to get back into the postseason any time soon. One thing to keep in mind: the Dolphins own the Texans first and second round picks for this upcoming draft.
28. Carolina Panthers (4-10):
Last week: 27
Positions Moved: -1
The Carolina Panthers are now fighting to get a top-five pick in the NFL draft. The question is whether they will stick with Teddy Bridgewater or go with one of the top quarterback prospects in this draft.
27. Atlanta Falcons (4-10):
Last week: 29
Positions Moved: +2
The Atlanta Falcons suffered a narrow loss to the Buccaneers, and have proved to me this season that they simply are not as bad as people think. They lose many close games but are a talented team that can keep up with the best of them. With their coaching changes, I hope they come out next season and play up to their potential because they are a talented team that just can’t figure out how to win close games.
26. Detroit Lions (5-9):
Last week: 26
Positions Moved: 0
The Detroit Lions suffered an embarrassing loss to the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday. This Lions team has a lot of holes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, that it must patch up this offseason. We don’t expect this team to improve until they find a new Head Coach to change the culture of this team.
25. Denver Broncos (5-9):
Last week: 23
Positions Moved: -2
The Denver Broncos got absolutely destroyed by the Buffalo Bills this past Sunday, and are now simply fighting for draft position. One question that will have to be answered this offseason is whether Drew Lock is their franchise quarterback, or not. This draft class has many talented quarterbacks, so we’ll see if Elway is willing to stick with Lock for another year, or if he truly is ready to move on already.
24. New York Giants (5-9):
Last week: 21
Positions Moved: -3
The New York Giants lost to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and still find themselves one game back from the division lead with the Baltimore Ravens coming up next week. It looks like the division is going to come down to the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys, but if the Giants are able to surprise us and upset the Ravens this upcoming week, we may have an interesting Week 17 matchup for the NFC East.
23. Dallas Cowboys (5-9):
Last week: 25
Positions Moved: +2
The Dallas Cowboys beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and now find themselves just one game back from the division lead. This team has now won two in a row, and with the Eagles and Giants remaining on the schedule, a 4 game win streak to end the season is not out of the picture.
22. Los Angeles Chargers (5-9):
Last week: 24
Positions Moved: +2
The Los Angeles Chargers had an impressive victory on Thursday night ending with a game-winning touchdown by rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert seems like a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and has been impressive all season long. Chargers fans should be happy, and we expect this team to continue to improve as Herbert continues to grow.
21. New England Patriots (6-8):
Last week: 20
Positions Moved: -1
The New England Patriots were not able to take advantage of a rookie quarterback again and ended up losing to Tua Tagovialoa and the Miami Dolphins 22-12. This team has a lot of holes and weaknesses on both sides of the ball. I expect Bill Belichick to clean things up this offseason and put a better team out on the field next season.
20.San Francisco 49ers (5-9):
Last week: 19
Positions Moved: -1
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys and seem to be struggling to deal with all their injuries on both sides of the ball. This team has had one of the harder schedules in the NFL and has seen most of its losses come to playoff teams. This is still a great football team, and though they haven’t had the season most of us expected, they will come back healthy next season as one of the top teams in the National Football League.
19. Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1):
Last week: 22
Positions Moved: +3
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a narrow loss against the Arizona Cardinals that came down to the last possession. They have found their quarterback of the future in Jalen Hurts, who passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, including 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Hurts had an impressive performance, and for this reason alone, the Eagles move up three spots as they seem like a completely different unit with Hurts at the helm.
18. Minnesota Vikings (6-8):
Last week: 15
Positions Moved: -3
The Minnesota Vikings have now lost back to back weeks after hitting a hot streak. Their playoff chances seem to be highly unlikely, and this team should just be focused on improving for the next season.
17. Las Vegas Raiders (7-7):
Last week: 16
Positions Moved: -1
The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a loss in overtime to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. After starting the season hot, they have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games with their only victory coming by way of a terrible call by Jets Ex-Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams to allow the Raiders to defeat the Jets with ten seconds remaining in the game. This team has hit a skid, and I would not be surprised to see them continue to fall in these rankings in these last two weeks of the season.
16. Chicago Bears (7-7):
Last week: 18
Positions Moved: +2
The Chicago Bears are now coming off back-to-back victories led by RB David Montgomery and his impressive performances. This team is led by their rushing attack and defense, which have been stellar these past two weeks. The Bears still need to find a competent quarterback, but for now, find themselves one game back from a Wild Card spot with the Jaguars and Packers remaining on their schedule.
15. Washington Football Team (6-8):
Last week: 17
Positions Moved: +2
The Washington Football Team is coming off a loss against the Seattle Seahawks after winning four straight games. Even though they lost, it was an impressive game to only lose by five points against one of the best teams in the NFL. They were without both QB Alex Smith and HB Antonio Gibson, which made it even more impressive. This team has a chance to make some noise in the playoffs, however, they can't expect to throw the ball 55 times and win a ball game like they did this past Sunday against the Seahawks.
14. Arizona Cardinals (8-6):
Last week: 14
Positions Moved: 0
The Arizona Cardinals come off a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in a tight matchup that came down to the last possession of the game. This is a solid team, positioned to be the third seed in the Wild Card race. However, they have the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams left on their schedule, and one loss could push them out of the playoffs.
13. Los Angeles Rams (9-5):
Last week: 4
Positions Moved: -11
In the biggest upset of the season, the Los Angeles Rams lost to the New York Jets. The Rams were ranked in the top four last week, and I believe that they are still a great team. But, you can’t lose to the Jets. The Jets don’t even want to win, and the Rams still lost to them. There’s not much to say here, the Rams should be disappointed, but the Jets should be too.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
Last week: 6
Positions Moved: -6
The Pittsburgh Steelers were part of the second-largest upset of the season. They lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. THE CINCINNATI BENGALS! This team doesn’t even have their two best players, QB Joe Burrow and RB Joe Mixon. I’d be really worried if I were a Steelers fan because this offense is absolutely awful right now. Big Ben can’t seem to throw the ball past twenty yards downfield and the receivers are dropping balls at an insane rate while the running game has completely disappeared. This defense is still solid, but their injuries are starting to catch up to them, and this could mark the end of the Steelers days as a top team in the NFL.
11. Baltimore Ravens (9-5):
Last week: 12
Positions Moved: +1
The Baltimore Ravens move up one spot after an expected victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This team seems to be getting healthy again and hitting a stride to end the season. I expect this team to continue its ascent up the power rankings as the season comes to an end, and if they find themselves in the playoffs, they could make some noise.
10. Miami Dolphins (9-5):
Last week: 13
Positions Moved: +3
The Miami Dolphins move up three spots after their 22-12 victory against the New England Patriots. We all know how good Bill Belichick is, especially against rookie quarterbacks. We recently saw him dismantle ROTY-favorite, Justin Herbert, 45-0. Tua Tagovailoa was able to beat Belichick…as a rookie. That is impressive enough to warrant a three-spot jump in the power rankings, no matter how bad the Patriots have looked this season.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5):
Last week: 8
Positions Moved: -1
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did win this game, however, it was more of an Atlanta Falcons loss than a Buccaneers victory. The Falcons had yet another classic choke job, giving up a 17-0 lead at halftime to lose the game. The Buccaneers did not look impressive whatsoever to start the game, and they are going to have to turn things around if they want to make a run in the playoffs. This team still hasn’t seemed to find its groove but has the talent to continue to beat up on bad teams. Once they match up against a top-tier team in the playoffs, they’re going to have to show up for all four quarters.
8. Tennessee Titans (10-4):
Last week: 11
Positions Moved: +3
The Tennessee Titans dominated the Detroit Lions by 20+ points on Sunday. The Derrick Henry train continues to roll, and as we start getting deeper and deeper into the Winter season we should expect to see Henry continue to get more and more carries. This team goes as far as Henry is willing to take them, so we’ll see if teams can find a way to stop this freight train in the upcoming weeks.
7. Cleveland Browns (10-4):
Last week: 9
Positions Moved: +2
The Cleveland Browns come off an impressive victory against the New York Giants and now find themselves in prime position to secure a Wild Card spot for the playoffs. Ever since WR Odell Beckham Jr. got injured, QB Baker Mayfield has looked like a completely new quarterback, for the better. This team seems to have found their groove and will be a sneaky nightmare matchup for many teams in the playoffs.
6. Indianapolis Colts (10-4):
Last week: 5
Positions Moved: -1
The Indianapolis Colts may be on a three-game winning streak, but move down one spot because of the fact that two of these games came against the Houston Texans. According to our power rankings, the Texans are one of the worst teams in football. The fact that the Colts were only able to win both these matchups by one score is a worrying sign for this team's future in the playoffs. Had it not been for last second, goal line fumbles within the 10-yard line by the Texans BOTH GAMES, the Colts could very well be 8-6. If I’m the Colts, I’d be too worried about how reliant we are on the running attack. Philip Rivers has to find his groove as a playmaker, rather than just a safe quarterback if the Colts want any chance at competing with the top teams in the National Football League.
5. Seattle Seahawks (10-4):
Last week: 10
Positions Moved: +5
(Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a win against the hot Washington Football Team. Washington came into this game off of four straight victories, and I expected a tough game for the Seattle Seahawks. However, they were able to take care of business and get the victory. Though it wasn’t the most impressive victory, this Seahawks team has something none of the teams behind them can say they have: a top-three quarterback.
4. New Orleans Saints (10-4):
Last week: 7
Positions Moved: +3
(Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports)
The New Orleans Saints suffered a loss on Sunday, however, they move up three spots in our power rankings due to how well they were able to play against the defending Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are easily the best team in football, and the Saints were able to put up a fight and play well in QB Drew Brees’ first game back from injury. The Saints look legit this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a deep run in the postseason.
3. Green Bay Packers (11-3):
Last week: 2
Positions Moved: -1
(Appleton Post-Crescent/USA TODAY Sports)
The Green Bay Packers have been playing well, but they drop one spot in our rankings because of their close victories against mediocre teams. They have won by one touchdown in back-to-back weeks against the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers. Don’t get me wrong, this is still one of the best teams in football, but we can’t rely on them to do their job as the Bills and Chiefs have proved at this point in the season.
2. Buffalo Bills (11-3):
Last week: 3
Positions Moved: +1
(David Zalubowski/AP)
The Buffalo Bills have been on an absolute tear as of late. They have won seven out of their last eight games, with their one loss being a Hail Mary by Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins to win the game. Technically, the Bills should be on an eight-game win streak and sitting at 12-2. Josh Allen is having a career year and leading this Bills team to one of its best seasons in recent memory.
1. Kansa City Chiefs (13-1)
Last week: 1
Positions Moved: 0
(Brett Duke/Associated Press)
The Kansas City Chiefs extend their winning streak to nine games and have now beaten four teams in our top ten power rankings including both the Buffalo Bills (2) and the New Orleans Saints (4). There is no doubt that the Chiefs are currently the number one team in football, and the gap between them and the Bills is large. This team is too talented, well-coached and experienced to be counted out of any game and will be Super Bowl favorites heading into the playoffs.
Follow Timothy on Twitter @timothyan1
