Week 16 Power Rankings: Contenders Sleepwalking

Photo by Jason E. Miczeck/AP

Written by Ben Slavin

Week 15 was a big one. Saturday NFL games were welcomed into the fold and Thursday Night Football went out with a bang. Important games for playoff seeding populated the slate. The Thursday night game was huge in deciding which AFC West team will win the one seed and which will have to play a road game on Wild Card Weekend. The Steelers and Patriots renewed their rivalry with playoff seeding on the line. The wild card races in both the NFC and AFC are heating up with the teams in position facing trap games and the teams behind them keeping the pressure on with wins. Enjoy the third-to-final edition of power rankings, ladies and gentlemen.

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 (3-11, Same)

All of the progress Arizona has made a few weeks back is now gone and it seems Steve Wilks will pay the price with his job. Wilks seemed like a reach to hire in the first place after just one season as defensive coordinator, but firing him after one bad season when they weren’t expected to do any better is just maldistribution of blame. Josh Rosen getting benched for Mike Glennon is idiotic was well.

31. Oakland Raiders (3-11, Down 1)

The Raiders season just got back on track. With all the trades they’ve made, a losing season and high draft pick is clearly the goal. After last week’s big upset over Pittsburgh, a loss to Cincinnati was just what they needed. If Gruden can’t even get tanking right, this is going to be a long 10 years.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10, Down 3)

Losing to a guy who was supposed to play in the AAF is not a good look for any team. For one that came into the season with Super Bowl aspirations, it’s much worse. You know Jacksonville’s in bad shape when their quarterback was actually outdueled by Josh Johnson.

29. Detroit Lions (5-9, Down 4)

The Lions still don’t look like a competent football team on either side of the ball. Adding Snacks Harrison seems to have improved their rush defense, though that’s hard to tell against a Buffalo team missing all their running backs. The only positive sign on the offensive ball was Kenny Golladay, who finally had the type of game expected out of him with 7 catches for 146 yards.

28. New York Jets (4-10, Same)

Sam Darnold played well and the Jets should’ve beat a team with their record flipped. Trumaine Johnson’s contract is looking worse by the week. A corner on a $73 million pact should not allow a receiver to go off for 10-170-2 or face anyone other than the number one threat. At least the Jets had money to burn. And burn they did.

27. San Francisco 49ers (4-10, Up 4)

Kyle Shanahan has got his guys going the last few weeks. They’ve now knocked off playoff hopefuls in back-to-back weeks with home wins over Denver and Seattle. Those wins are way more impressive when you remember he’s starting Nick Mullens. Most coaches would be in danger of losing their jobs with a 4-10 record in their second season, but Shanahan’s heading down the right path.

26. Buffalo Bills (5-9, Up 3)

Anyone who thinks Josh Allen is a bust clearly doesn’t watch football. For part of Sunday’s game, the only healthy back on the roster was a fullback and he still lead them to victory. His best receiving options are Robert Foster and Isaiah McKenzie and he still lead them to victory. Now people are starting to use the fact he can run as an insult, despite him having possibly the strongest arm in the league.

25. Washington Redskins (7-7, Up 1)

Most teams roll over and die when they’re down to a fourth-string quarterback. Not Washington, though. Jay Gruden’s guys won’t give up and shouldn’t. A slip up from Minnesota with Washington winning out will have the Redskins scheduled for playoff football.

24. New York Giants (5-9, Down 2)

A lot of notions died in this game. Eli Manning is not a good quarterback. The Giants are not better without Odell Beckham Jr. New York is not going to run the table and steal a playoff spot. The Giants do miss Snacks Harrison. With absolutely no threat of a passing game, Derrick Henry still ran for 170 yards and 2 TDs.

23. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8, Same)

Taysom Hill gets a lot of news in New Orleans for the multifaceted role he has, but no one seems to be talking about Sam Hubbard. Hubbard, a full-time defensive end, gets red zone reps as an oversized fullback. If Jeff Driskel threw a better ball, he would’ve had a touchdown.

22. Carolina Panthers (6-8, Down 4)

Their season is over, but the Panthers certainly went out fighting, Defensively, they were flying all over the place and went back to playing Carolina football. New Orleans was held to 12 points. The best example of the Panthers energy was on a two point conversion they returned for a touchdown. Unfortunately, the offense, namely Cam Newton, didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

21. Atlanta Falcons (5-9, Up 3)

Atlanta finally played up to their talent, especially offensively. Tevin Coleman was sprung for multiple big runs in a season full of one and two yard runs. Even the defense played well enough to get the opposing quarterback benched. Too little, too late against too bad of an opponent, though.

20. Miami Dolphins (7-7, Same)

Miami’s rush defense is just as bad as everyone expected in the preseason. The Vikings, one of the worst rushing teams in the league coming into the game, ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns. With a team that struggles in as many areas as they do, it’s shocking the Dolphins are .500.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9, Up 2)

A great Baltimore defense wasn’t enough to end Jameis Winston’s hot streak. Tampa’s defense also continued their stretch of strong play. I really like what they’ve done recently on both sides of the ball. If Jameis returns and stays focused while a few smart additions are made, the Bucs might surprise some people next year.

18. Denver Broncos (6-8, Up 1)

I may have gone too far in calling the Broncos a dark-horse playoff contender. When Emmanuel Sanders and Chris Harris went down, Denver crumbled on both sides of the ball. With few building blocks in place, steering into a rebuild might be the right move for the future.

17. Green Bay Packers (5-8-1, Down 1)

Green Bay gave an admirable effort against the Bears, but seem to be just running out the clock until Aaron Rodgers gets a new coach. They can’t make the playoffs and are too talented to tank. At least it’s only two weeks until they can get started on trying to lure Josh McDaniels away from the Patriots.

16. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7, Up 3)

Nick Foles might not be a very good quarterback overall, but he’s saved the Eagles season twice now. A Super Bowl victory against the Patriots and a win in L.A. are a pretty good resume should Foles try to cash in this summer. Even if it’s still unlikely, Philadelphia recapturing their winning formula from last year could be dangerous in a wide open year.

15. Cleveland Browns (6-7-1, Same)

A good sign for a young team is when they win without playing their best. Cleveland definitely didn't play their best and hung on for the victory regardless. They won on the strength of the defense, holding Phillip Lindsay to just 24 yards on the ground and intercepting Case Keenum twice.

14. Tennessee Titans (8-6, Same)

I’m not quite sure what happened, but Derrick Henry is suddenly a great running back. He’s finally putting all his physical tools to use and has piled up 408 yards with 6 touchdowns in the last two weeks. He’s been so good that nobody is talking about how little Marcus Mariota has done recently. Or how great Tennessee’s defense has been.  

13. Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1, Same)

The Vikings have to wish they played Miami every week. A horrible run game like theirs needs a good matchup to take advantage of. Without it, they rely too much on Kirk Cousins throwing a dime to either Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen. Minnesota’s early season tie is the only thing keeping them in the playoffs.

12. Seattle Seahawks (8-6, Down 2)

Sunday’s overtime loss to the 49ers is proof Seattle is not a real threat. When playoff teams lose to bad ones, it’s almost always the case of uncharacteristic mistakes or coasting through the game. That wasn’t the case for Seattle. They just had their weaknesses exposed. If you stop the runs on first down for no gain or a loss, the offense can’t do much and the defense doesn’t have much talent.

11. Houston Texans (10-4, Down 2)

It seems the wheels are close to coming off for Houston. They were shut down by a division rival last week and nearly blew a game to the Jets this week. Luckily for them, they were able to pull out the victory and now sit as the 2 seed thanks to the Patriots loss.  

10. Dallas Cowboys (8-6, Down 4)

Dallas’ hot streak came to an abrupt end Sunday. Against a good Colts team, the Cowboys couldn’t muster any points. A missed field goal and three failed fourth down attempts turned this game into a rout. Full-on panic isn’t needed though because there’s no way Dallas messes up this bad come playoff time.

9. Indianapolis Colts (8-6, Up 3)

Maybe Indianapolis is a real threat. They’ve knocked off two of the hottest teams in the league in back-to-back weeks. Last week, Houston’s nine game win streak came to an end at their hands and the Cowboys are now on a one game losing streak. There’s been a lot of talk about Indy signing Le’Veon Bell, but with a great offensive line and a good back in Marlon Mack, they don’t really need him.

8. Baltimore Ravens (8-6, Up 3)

Baltimore is going to wear down any team they face in the playoffs. Their simple offense may be easier to stop in the first quarter than a big play one, but the problem comes late in the game. By then, the opposing defense is gassed and Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards are just warming up. Old school ground and pound football is still alive with Baltimore.

7. Kansas City Chiefs (11-3, Same)

For a while Sunday, it seemed the Chiefs were going to run the same screen every other play. A slip screen to whichever Williams running back was in the game earned them chunk yardage every time. Once the Chargers cracked down on that, Kansas City’s offense devolved into expecting Patrick Mahomes to make ridiculous throws on every play and they lost.

6. Los Angeles Rams (11-3, Down 2)

The Rams recent performances have not been fit of a championship-caliber team. A loss to Nick Foles is only acceptable if it’s in the playoffs. A week ago, they were dominated by a likely playoff opponent in Chicago. While the whole offense has taken a step back since Cooper Kupp’s injury, Jared Goff is most at fault. For a while now, Goff has held the team back and not looked like a number one pick.

5. New England Patriots (9-5, Down 3)

More than anything, the biggest sign of the end of the Patriots dynasty is the fact they just lost to Pittsburgh. For years, they’ve surprisingly dominated their biggest competitors so this could be a bad sign. Tom Brady shouldn’t be clear of blame, as he’s missed some throws and had an egregious interception on a potential lead-taking drive. Give J.C. Jackson a lot of credit for shutting down JuJu.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1, Up 4)

Pittsburgh finally took out the Patriots. The problem is they almost wasted it on a year where they’ve sleepwalked through too many games to be in competition for the one seed. The Steelers are going to be a horrible matchup for anyone in the playoffs, with two receivers who can consistently win, a quarterback who can hit them, and a strong defense.   

3. Los Angeles Chargers (11-3, Up 2)

L.A.’s played well in each of their games against top competition. Early in the season, they were unable to pull off comeback attempts against the Chiefs and Rams. Recently, they’ve been successful against Pittsburgh and Kansas City. A bold decision to go for two and the win worked out and now the Chargers are a tiebreaker away from home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

2. Chicago Bears (10-4, Up 1)

Chicago might just be the toughest matchup for any team in the playoffs. No one wants to be hunted by Khalil Mack and friends for 60 minutes and there are just enough explosive plays offensively to put some points up. The Bears are going to be a team to watch in January.

1. New Orleans Saints (12-2, Same)

The Saints are another contender that have not played at their best recently. If you have a defense that can play physically and not allow the cheap yards to backs and tight ends, you can stop them. The good news for New Orleans is their defense has picked up the slack. With good players along the D-line, linebacker core, and defensive backfield, this is a Super Bowl worthy defense.

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