NFL: Weekly Power Rankings
Week 15 of the NFL season focused on the Philadelphia Eagles coming back to beat the New York Giants, 34-29, with QB Nick Foles making his first start of the year. The New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-24, in a Game of the Year candidate which ended with a goal line interception from QB Ben Roethlisberger. The Minnesota Vikings got back on track with a 34-7 beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals to clinch a playoff berth and the NFC North division. The Carolina Panthers got a second straight victory as they held on to beat the Green Bay Packers, 31-24, in QB Aaron Rodgers' return.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2, +1): The Eagles clearly miss their starting QB Carson Wentz who was on his way to winning the MVP award in his sophomore year, but back-up QB Nick Foles is no slouch, either. And with as wide open as the NFC is, it's still plausible that this team can reach the Super Bowl if their defense continues playing well, and the running game picks up a bit. RB Jay Ajayi struggled against the Giants, only going for 49 yards on 12 carries, but he was the leading rusher in the game. If this team has aspirations of winning the conference, they'll need Ajayi to start running for 100+ yards on a regular basis.
Team MVP: Carson Wentz (QB) - 3,296 Yards & 33 TDs.
2. New England Patriots (11-3, +2): The Patriots got a huge win, arguably the best win of the season, beating the top team in our power rankings from last week, on the road. They defeated the Steelers, 27-24, by somehow hanging on down the wire. After giving up a 69-yard play to WR Juju Smith-Schuster, getting the Steelers down to the 10-yard line with half a minute remaining, it looked like Pittsburgh would either grab the victory or at the very least, settle for overtime. Instead, the Patriots got a last second interception and earned a much-needed win. QB Tom Brady led the way with 298 yards. New England will host the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
Team MVP: Tom Brady (QB) - 4,163 Yards & 28 TDs.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3, -2): The Steelers lost a tough one, but they did show that they can move the ball against the Patriots with relative ease, and that should give them confidence if the two teams play one another in the playoffs, potentially the AFC title game. QB Ben Roethlisberger is likely still thinking about that pick he threw to lose the game, because it'll cost them home-field advantage, but he played extremely well prior to that. RB Le'Veon Bell is continuing his league-leading season, rushing for 117 yards on 24 carries, including a touchdown. The Steelers should get back on track with a road game against the Houston Texans up next.
Team MVP: Le'Veon Bell (RB) - 1,222 Yards & 8 TDs.
4. Minnesota Vikings (11-3, -1): The Vikings slipped back a spot, but there wasn't anything else they could have done. It's only because the Patriots hopped them. Minnesota has continued to look like one of the best teams in the league, and their defense is arguably the best in the league, right there with the Jacksonville Jaguars' unit. The Vikings ran all over the Cincinnati Bengals, 34-7, behind (another) stellar performance from QB Case Keenum, who threw for 236 yards on 86.9 percent (!) passing. This win was enough to clinch the division for the Vikings, so a road game against the Green Bay Packers this weekend doesn't matter much.
Team MVP: Case Keenum (QB) - 3,219 Yards & 20 TDs.
5. Carolina Panthers (10-4, +0): The Panthers all of a sudden look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league, beating a couple of good teams these past two weeks in the Vikings and Packers. Carolina forced three interceptions from QB Aaron Rodgers in his return from a collarbone injury, and the running game has emerged as the difference for this team. RB Christian McCaffrey ran for 63 yards on 12 carries, and TE Greg Olsen finished with 116 yards and a touchdown reception. The Panthers should add another win to their record, staying in competition for the division, as they host the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Team MVP: Cam Newton (QB) - 2,962 Yards & 21 TDs.
6. Los Angeles Rams (10-4, +0): The Rams absolutely obliterated the Seattle Seahawks. I'm not sure anyone saw this coming. Obviously Los Angeles is a very good team and had the talent to beat the Seahawks on the road, but the way they did? I didn't see that coming. They won 42-7 after taking a 34-0 lead at the break, including score three touchdowns in the second quarter alone. RB Todd Gurley has emerged as one of the lone MVP candidates to not get injured (Carson Wentz, Antonio Brown, and Deshaun Watson), as he ran for 152 yards on 21 carries for three rushing touchdowns and another receiving one.
Team MVP: Todd Gurley (RB) - 1,187 Yards & 13 TDs.
7. New Orleans Saints (10-4, +0): The Saints are a great team on their home field, as they have a 6-1 record compared to just 4-3 on the road, so their 31-19 win over the New York Jets isn't surprising in the slightest. They got off to a 10-0 start and didn't look back from there. They are tied with the Panthers atop the division, but have two victories over Carolina, so they hold the tiebreaker if they're tied when the season is over. QB Drew Brees threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets, and RB Mark Ingram had 74 yards on 12 rushes. The Saints face the Atlanta Falcons in a big game for both teams this weekend, on their home field.
Team MVP: Drew Brees (QB) - 3,850 Yards & 21 TDs.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, +0): The Jaguars have to be taken seriously. They really do. This is the best defense in the entire league and QB Blake Bortles is no longer the turnover machine that everyone became accustomed to at the beginning of his career. As long as he can take care of the ball, then this defense and running game could get the Jaguars to the second round and beyond. They're coming off a 45-7 annihilation of the Houston Texans, after leading 31-0 at halftime. RB Leonard Fournette could be the Rookie of the Year, but his back-up, RB Corey Grant led the team in rushing this past week, going for 6.9 yards per carry.
Team MVP: Leonard Fournette (RB) - 923 Yards & 8 TDs.
9. Atlanta Falcons (9-5, +0): The Falcons absolutely had to get a win on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because if not, they'd likely have to win their final two games (New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers) just to make the postseason, and that's not a place they would have liked to be in. But Atlanta got the win as the Bucs missed a potential game-tying field goal as time expired. RB Devonte Freeman had one of his best games of the year, as he ran for 126 yards and one score on 22 touches. He also caught a key third down pass late in the game. Atlanta travels to New Orleans this week, looking to clinch a playoff spot.
Team MVP: Matt Ryan (QB) - 3,490 Yards & 18 TDs.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (8-6, +3): The Chiefs are one of the most questionable teams in the league as they have victories over the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Chargers who have a combined record of 30-12. But then they have losses against the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Oakland Raiders who have a combined record of 13-29. It's hard to tell where this team is, but they do have two wins in a row, so they may be getting back to the team that started the season with a 5-0 record. The Chiefs defeated L.A., 30-13, behind RB Kareem Hunt's 155 yards. They need to keep it going with a game against the Miami Dolphins.
Team MVP: Kareem Hunt (RB) - 1,201 Yards & 6 TDs.
Second Tier:
11. Tennessee Titans (8-6, +0)
12. Detroit Lions (8-6, +3)
13. Seattle Seahawks (8-6, -3)
14. Dallas Cowboys (8-6, +3)
15. Buffalo Bills (8-6, +1)
16. Baltimore Ravens (8-6, -2)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (7-7, -5)
18. Green Bay Packers (7-7, +0)
19. Oakland Raiders (6-8, +0)
20. Miami Dolphins (6-8, +0)
The Detroit Lions got past the Chicago Bears, 20-10, in a game that they were in control of from start to finish, and they were able to get their playoff hopes alive. They'll face the Cincinnati Bengals this week. The Dallas Cowboys got another win, 20-17, over the Oakland Raiders, and they take on the Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday, with the losing being eliminated from playoff contention. The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens both got their eighth win of the year, but only one of them will likely make the playoffs. There are still seven of the 12 spots up for grabs. Baltimore gets the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo gets the Patriots this weekend.
Third Tier:
21. Washington Redskins (6-8, +1)
22. Arizona Cardinals (6-8, -1)
23. Denver Broncos (5-9, +3)
24. New York Jets (5-9, +0)
25. Cincinnati Bengals (5-9, -2)
26. San Francisco 49ers (4-10, +3)
27. Houston Texans (4-10, -2)
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10, +0)
29. Chicago Bears (4-10, -2)
30. Indianapolis Colts (3-11, +0)
31. New York Giants (2-12, +0)
32. Cleveland Browns (0-14, +0)
The Washington Redskins defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 20-15, in a battle of the two best teams in the third tier. The Denver Broncos got their fifth victory of the season, beating the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football, 25-13, behind 158 yards from C.J. Andersen. I guess it's a good thing that the Broncos won the game because it likely means HC Vance Joseph will return, but it hurt their chances of getting a high draft pick.The Colts, on the other hand, are probably happy that they are now 3-11 because they're in a good spot to have the third pick. Lastly, the winless Cleveland Browns will look for their first win against the Chicago Bears.
Player of the Week:
W1 - Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) - 148 Yards, 1 TD, 42-27 win vs. Patriots.
W2 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - 447 Yards, 3 TDs, 36-20 win vs. Saints.
W3 - Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) - 292 Yards, 3 TDs, 41-39 win vs. 49ers.
W4 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 283 Yards, 4 TDs, 57-14 win vs. Titans.
W5 - Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 304 Yards, 4 TDs, 34-7 win vs. Cardinals.
W6 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 225 Yards, 3 TDs, 33-17 win vs. Browns.
W7 - Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) - 210 Yards, 2 TDs, 31-30 win vs. Chiefs.
W8 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 451 Yards, 4 TDs, 41-38 win vs. Texans.
W9 - Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) - 361 Yards, 2 TDs, 30-17 win vs. Packers.
W10 - Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) - 254 Yards, 4 TDs, 45-21 win vs. Dolphins.
W11 - Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 144 Yards, 3 TDs, 40-17 win vs. Titans.
W12 - Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) - 253 Yards, 2 TDs, 34-20 win vs. Buccaneers.
W13 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 227 Yards, 3 TDs, 24-10 win vs. Eagles.
W14 - Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 506 Yards, 2 TDs, 39-38 win vs. Ravens.
W15 - Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) - 152 Yards, 3 TDs, 42-7 win vs. Seahawks.
Top Ranked Team:
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys.
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 13: New England Patriots.
Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles.
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times.
