NFL Power Rankings: Week 15

1. (1) Green Bay Packers (13-0) – The Packers continued their pursuit of perfection against the Raiders. Their defense is tightening up which will be vital going into the playoffs. Rodgers and the crew will continue to do their thing, watch the Greg Jennings injury though.

2. (2) Baltimore Ravens (10-3) – The Ravens took care of business against the Colts in a game that they were supposed to win. If the Ravens can keep Torrey Smith going this offense could lead them deep into the playoffs.

3. (3) New Orleans Saints (10-3) – The Saints had a scare in Tennessee but pulled out the win. The Saints seem to be a different team away from home but found a way to get it done with Ingram and Graham injured through Marques Colston’s re-emergence.  

4. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) – Big Ben seems to be indestructible and continues to lead the Steelers to wins. They will get a nice test on Monday night when they head into San Francisco.

5. (6) New England Patriots (10-3) – The Patriots are always in games because of #12, but their defense has to be a concern giving up 27 points to the Grossman led Redskins. The Patriots may continue to win games in the regular season, but their defense needs to step up in the playoffs.  

6. (5) San Francisco 49ers (10-3) – The 49ers seem to be exposed ever since their game Thanksgiving night at Baltimore. John Harbaugh has totally exposed his brother Jim’s offensive issues.      

7. (7) Houston Texans (10-3) – T.J Yates threw for 300 yards against a great Bengals defense. This emergence of Yates could open up the box for the run game that they had when Schaub was at QB. The Texans really haven’t skipped a beat with Yates which is a little surprising. 

8. (8) New York Giants (7-6) – The Giants found themselves in another close game this Sunday night and found a way to win against division rival Dallas. This was a much needed win for Eli and the Giants to stay in the division race.

9. (9) Atlanta Falcons (8-5) – The Falcons looked horrible in the first half against the Panthers but found a way to win through Julio Jones coming back onto the scene. 

10. (15) New York Jets (8-5) – The Jets have got their running game back and it is showing on the scoreboard. Not only that, but Mark Sanchize looks confident and ready for a playoff run.

11. (13) Detroit Lions (8-5) – The Lions pulled a complete 360 from what they were known for which was coming back in the 2^nd half of games. Instead, they nearly gave the game to the Vikings and got away with a facemask at the end which could’ve swayed the outcome.

12. (14) Denver Broncos (8-5) – TEBOW JUST WINS! The Broncos pulled out another ugly win, but the win is all that matters. The Broncos are in 1^st place in the AFC West and control their own destiny from here on out.

13. (12) Dallas Cowboys (7-6) – The Cowboys offense looked great Sunday night against the Giants but their defense let them down once again. Not only that, but they continue to lose close games by breaking down on simple things. (Timeouts and FG’s)


14. (11) Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) – The Bengals defense was a disappointment giving up 300 yards passing to rookie QB T.J Yates. If the Bengals want to win games they have to get back to playing great defense and pounding the rock with Cedric Benson.

15. (16) Tennessee Titans (7-6) – The Titans played a gutsy game against the Saints and nearly pulled off the win with backup QB Jake Locker. This team needs to start winning if they hope to make the playoffs, close isn’t good enough.

16. (18) San Diego Chargers (6-7) – The Chargers are also going against the grain of what they usually do, which is start hot and die off near the end of the year. Instead they started slow and are now getting hot. This could be a 3 team race coming down the stretch in the AFC West. 

17. (19) Seattle Seahawks (6-7) – Marshawn Lynch has literally turned on his beast mode and is making life much easier for the improved Tavaris Jackson. We all know what this defense can do.

18. (10) Oakland Raiders (7-6) – The Raiders problems are a lot worse than the result of their game against the Packers. Their offense needs to find themselves or they could be in trouble with the Broncos streaking right now.

19. (21) Arizona Cardinals (6-7) – The Cardinals defense has stepped up to the challenge and their offense found a way to beat the strong 49ers defense. Even with Kolb out, Skelton threw for 250+ yards and they snapped a 5 game losing streak to the 49ers.

20. (17) Chicago Bears (7-6) – The Bears became the latest victim of Tebow Mania this weekend. Their defense continues to play well but Caleb Hanie clearly cannot get the job done in Chicago.

21. (24) Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) – One week the Eagles play horrible and the next week they come out and have glimpses of being the dream team. This team is still far away from reaching their potential, which is a scary thought.

22. (22) Kansas City Chiefs (5-8) – The Chiefs lost again this week to the Jets and fired Head Coach Todd Haley on Monday. I’m not sure who will take over for him, but this cannot be good for the future of the Chiefs. 

23. (20) Miami Dolphins (4-9) – The Dolphins were on a hot streak and unfortunately ran into the Eagles who got healthy this week with Vick and Maclin back. They had their chances but couldn’t convert their opportunities into points.

24. (23) Buffalo Bills (5-8) – The Bills got thrashed by the red hot Chargers this Sunday. Their hot start to the season has completely faded away and Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t seem like the same QB without Fred Jackson in the backfield. 

25. (25) Carolina Panthers (4-9) – All Carolina had to do against the Falcons was take care of the ball and play some defense to steal a win. Nonetheless, the Panthers blew a huge lead in the 2^nd half due in part to some Cam Newton INT’s and some terrible defense.

26. (29) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) – The Jaguars got their first win under their interim head coach, congratulations! It was the MJD show on Sunday, why isn’t it like this every week?

27. (26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9) – Josh Freeman has to be the biggest disappointment in the NFL this season. The Buccaneers got blown out by the Blaine Gabbert led Jacksonville Jaguars, I don’t know what else to say about how bad this defense is.

28. (27) Washington Redskins (4-9) – Grossman nearly outdueled Tom Brady on Sunday, but just like the classic Redskins, they found a way to lose.

29. (28) Cleveland Browns (4-9) – The Browns can’t seem to get their offense going with McCoy at QB. Something has to change because their defense is actually pretty good.

30. (30) Minnesota Vikings (2-11) – The Vikings nearly were able to beat the Lions with backup QB Joe Webb replacing Christian Ponder. This is the story of the Vikings season, they get close but can never find a way to win.

31. (31) St. Louis Rams (2-11) – The Rams didn’t look much better with Bradford back at QB. If you get 5+ attempts from the 1 yard line and can’t score there is something seriously wrong.

32. (32) Indianapolis Colts (0-13) – The Colts offense ran into a brick wall when they faced the Ravens defense on Sunday. I like what Orlovsky is doing on offense, but it just isn’t enough to beat the Ravens veteran defense.