Week 15 Power Rankings: Curses

Photo by Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports

Written by Ben Slavin

Week 14 brought the opportunity for multiple all-time great quarterbacks to end their troubles against frequent road opponents. Tom Brady hates Miami, Ben Roethlisberger fears for his life in Oakland, and Drew Brees drowns in the swamps of Tampa Bay. Only one of the three were able to break the curse. Elsewhere, Derrick Henry went for the single-game rushing yardage and touchdown records and multiple games went down to the wire. Hopefully everybody is excited for the last few weeks of regular season football and the start of Saturday games.

Real quick let’s reiterate. Now that we’re into the season, teams will move up or down a lot based on trades, injuries, or big wins or losses. Who the opponent was, how close of a game it was, and in general how good the team looked will be considered more than just getting the victory.


32. Arizona Cardinals (3-10, Down 2)


The Cardinals defense was absolutely dominant and they still lost the game by 14. That’s how you know your offense is awful. The Lions were only able to put up two good drives all game and both those came after the offense punted multiple times and rushed the D back on the field. It appears the Cardinals progress in using David Johnson correctly is over, too.


31. San Francisco 49ers (3-10, Up 1)


George Kittle is a monster. One of the few players who speaks positively about fantasy football, Kittle just won some people their first-round matchups with 7-210-1. He is Travis Kelce-like and could give Kelce a running for best tight end in football next year.


30. Oakland Raiders (3-10, Up 1)


Hilariously, Raiders fans embraced Jon Gruden and celebrated with him after the Raiders upset the Steelers. So that whole hating Gruden and counting down the days until he’s fired thing is over? With Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper having great years elsewhere, I’d say he still has more to prove.


29. Buffalo Bills (4-9, Down 1)


Josh Allen just might be the best running quarterback in the league. Lamar Jackson might be faster and Cam Newton is definitely more forceful, but Allen is great at both with the production to show it. 335 rushing yards in three games is good for a running back. For a quarterback, it’s insane.


28. New York Jets (4-9, Up 1)


Sam Darnold didn’t have a great game overall, but leading a comeback victory over a great defense like Buffalo is a good jump-off point. Darnold still gets no help from his receivers and throws errant balls too often. A win’s a win, though. Another positive is Trumaine Johnson getting two interceptions in the game. He hasn’t lived up to his monstrous contract so far, so this was a good sight.


27. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9, Down 3)


It’s sad what’s happening in Jacksonville. A fantastic defense has been wasted by Blake Bortles and now Cody Kessler. As a unit that feeds off energy and momentum, even the defense has taken a big step back. Allowing over 200 rushing yards wouldn’t have happened if the Jags just had a quarterback. They would also have a Super Bowl, but let’s not rub that in.


26. Washington Redskins (6-7, Down 7)


Remember when the Redskins were 5-2 and well atop the division? I’m not sure even the players remember. Mainly because they were just signed off the streets a couple weeks ago. One of the players signed off the street, Mark Sanchez, just got benched for a player who hadn’t thrown a real pass in the NFL in 7 years. Things aren’t going great in Washington right now.


25. Detroit Lions (5-8, Up 2)


Detroit really shouldn’t have won that game. They struggled to hit 200 yards and looked a lot like an awful team. Luckily for them, the team opposite them was just more awful. A pick-six and a couple good drives were just enough to win an ugly game for Detroit.


24. Atlanta Falcons (4-9, Down 1)


Atlanta hasn’t been doing so well lately. They’ve lost 5 in a row and haven’t even been competitive recently. Don’t look at the final score or yardage and think the Falcons were competitive because all of that came after they were down 34-7. Next year could be promising for the Falcons, with all their injured players coming back and a high pick coming their way.


23. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8, Down 2)


The Bengals are just so boring. The defense sucks and now that Jeff Driskel is the starter the offense can’t do anything either. Joe Mixon’s good, but not enough to make a substantial difference. Hopefully after the season Cincinnati cleans house and starts over.


22. New York Giants (5-8, Up 4)


We’ve seen Saquon Barkley bounce off tacklers all season. Sunday, we saw the breakaway speed that puts him in the all-time great discussion. Few running backs have possessed both in history. With Barkley’s help, Eli Manning is looking more and more likely to stay in New York next year. There’s no good options in this year’s draft or free agent class, so it’s likely the franchise icon stays.


21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8, Up 1)


Jameis Winston is playing like a quarterback who doesn’t want to be benched again. Since taking the job back from Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis has played really well. There’s still the occasional great throws and now he’s showing great pocket presence and cutting down on his biggest issue -- turnovers. He might just be the starter next year.


20. Miami Dolphins (7-6, Up 1)


The Dolphins did it again. I really didn’t think their wins could get any crazier and a 69 yard double-lateral to win the game happened. Outside of maybe last year’s Bills, I don’t know if there’s been a flukier team above .500 in NFL history. He received a lot of hate before the season, from me especially, but Adam Gase has done a great job coaching up a team that just knows how to win.


19. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7, Down 1)


Philadelphia nearly had themselves right back in the playoff picture. Instead they fell in overtime after a questionable call and some horrible secondary play. On the bright side, a high draft pick is probably better for them than a first-round playoff exit. If he’s still available, Greedy Williams would look great in Eagles green.


18. Carolina Panthers (6-7, Down 3)


Other than a few big plays, Carolina’s defense really tightened up in Ron Rivera’s first game back in charge of the defense. The problem, once again, was mistakes. Turnovers weren’t the problem this week, but missed throws did the Panthers in. Cam Newton’s shoulder has clearly not been right the past few weeks and an early start to the offseason might be just what he needs.


17. Denver Broncos (6-7, Down 4)


Right when everyone was hyping them up as a potential playoff team, they blow a game to San Francisco. It’s not even like they were the better team and should have won, either. They were beat straight-up by a supposedly inferior team. Playoff teams don’t do that.


16. Green Bay Packers (5-7-1, Up 4)


You can tell when a team is tired of their head coach when they have their best game in the first game after his firing. Sorry Mike McCarthy, but that’s exactly what happened Sunday. After falling down 7-0, Green Bay dominated Atlanta. Whoever the next head coach is has a lot of good to work with, starting with number 12.


15. Cleveland Browns (5-7-1, Up 2)


Baker Mayfield was one of many quarterbacks who had a great day. Nobody was open all day and he made some beautiful throws to get the ball moving. On the other side of the ball, Cleveland did a great job tackling and not biting on fakes. Carolina had their big plays limited and was stopped multiple times in the red zone.


14. Tennessee Titans (7-6, Up 2)


Derrick Henry showed exactly why he won the Heisman Trophy and was a second round pick Thursday night. His blend of power and speed is rare; the problem has always been consistency and effort. He and Dion Lewis form a good backfield. The problem is it's just good, like everything else on the team.


13. Minnesota Vikings (6-6-1, Down 3)


The Vikings are definitely one of the more underwhelming teams on the year. Even with two great wideouts and an $84 million quarterback, they can’t do anything on offense. Dalvin Cook shows flashes of explosion but can’t do it consistently behind their horrible offensive line. Minnesota’s lucky the race for the NFC’s 6th seed is as heated as Siberia or they’d be in trouble.


12. Indianapolis Colts (7-6, Up 2)


Andrew Luck’s amazing game is for some reason being overlooked. He was the reason the Colts ended Houston’s 9 game win streak, with huge throws to T.Y. Hilton and others. Hilton would burn his defender and Luck would hit him in stride. That combination worked to the tune of 199 yards and a win.


11. Baltimore Ravens (7-6, Up 1)


Baltimore was a popular upset pick to beat the Chiefs and they backed that up. Patrick Mahomes was stifled for most of the game and had to make amazing throws to get down the field. Against Mahomes, 24 points allowed is about as good as you can do. Take away a stupid fumble by Lamar Jackson late and the Ravens pull off the upset. Baltimore proved they can play with anybody.


10. Seattle Seahawks (8-5, Up 1)


For a team I’ve talked bad about for a while, Seattle looked pretty good Monday night. While they struggled to score, that came against a great Vikings defense. More importantly, their defense shut down Minnesota. They’re still unlikely to be a large playoff threat, but at least we know they’ll be there.


9. Houston Texans (9-4, Down 3)


I’ve talked a lot about how I’m not confident in the Texans and this game showed why. On both sides of the ball they’re capable of making big plays, but can’t be consistently great. They still can’t move the chains with any regularity and the Colts were able to dissect the weaknesses in Houston’s secondary.


8. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1, Down 1)


Being a Steelers fan has got to be one of the most frustrating things in the world. They are clearly one of the best teams in their league when at their best, but they lose games they should win all the time. Last week they dominated and blew a big lead, and this week, a trip to Oakland felled them. Interestingly, Big Ben is now 0-4 in Oakland despite the Raiders being awful each of those years.


7. Kansas City Chiefs (11-2, Up 2)


This week’s game better have ended the MVP discussion. Against arguably the best defense in the league, Patrick Mahomes single-handedly kept his team in the game with ridiculous throws. Meanwhile, Drew Brees and the Saints struggled in Tampa Bay. I know who I’d vote for.


6. Dallas Cowboys (8-5, Up 2)


Let’s just make it clear. Now that he’s out of the literal black hole that is Oakland, Amari Cooper was definitely worth a first round pick. We were all wrong and not only is Cooper earning himself a fat extension, but one for Dak Prescott as well. He’s now a fringe top-10 receiver and paired with Zeke and their defense, Dallas is all the way back.


5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-3, Down 1)


After their great come from behind victory a week ago, the Chargers underwhelmed against the Bengals. As a team, they seem to just coast through too many quarters. Hopefully when the playoffs come, that trend fades away because this year is wide open.


4. Los Angeles Rams (11-2, Down 1)


L.A. might be in trouble come playoff time. They’ve lost to their two biggest threats in the Saints and Bears and are now without home-field advantage. Aqib Talib’s return has boosted the defense, but the offense has fallen off a bit since Cooper Kupp’s injury. Dallas is looming as well so the Rams are in danger of being the fourth-best team in their conference.


3. Chicago Bears (9-4, Up 2)


Nobody is going to want to see Chicago come January. There are few great defenses left in the league, so playing them is that much tougher. The games the Bears threw away against Miami and the Giants are really hurting them now. Had they won those, they’d be atop the NFC. A road to the Super Bowl through freezing Chicago with that defense would be as tough as it gets.


2. New England Patriots (9-4, Down 1)


Similar to Big Ben’s troubles with Oakland, Brady can’t handle the Miami heat. While 232-69 in his career, he’s just 7-10 in Miami. This time, one of the craziest plays in NFL history did him in. New England really needs to stop asking players to do things outside of their position. Brady couldn’t catch a pass in the Super Bowl and Rob Gronkowski couldn’t tackle Sunday.


1. New Orleans Saints (11-2, Up 1)


Drew Brees hasn’t had the career-long issues in Tampa Bay like his rivals, but the Saints are 0-2 in their last two trips. Early on, it looked like that might change to 0-3. Luckily, New Orleans was able to turn it around and with the Rams loss, they reclaimed the 1 seed.


Think your team is ranked too low? Or just in general think I know nothing about football? Go crazy in the comments.