POWER RANKINGS: NFL WEEK 15

BY ADAM GREENE

We are down to our four final Power Rankings of the season before the teams start ranking each other for real in the playoffs. Once again, the Top 10 remains the same, only slightly shuffled. The bottom of the rankings is all but set in stone.

What’s kind of remarkable here is how much parity there is in the NFL’s middle rung teams. The “just OK” squads are so close that two wins is all that separates a playoff team from a squad banking for a Top 10 pick. This is why so many teams that barely made it last year won’t make it in 2020-21.

1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-1)

The worst thing you can do at this point when playing the Chiefs is take a double-digit lead in the first half. Last week: No. 1

2. BUFFALO BILLS (10-3)

The Bills can claim the AFC East with a win this week. The last time they did it was 1995. Their QB, Josh Allen, was born in 1996. Last week: No. 4

3. GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-3)

Aaron Rodgers is probably the only player in the NFL that can contend with Patrick Mahomes for MVP or even Offensive Player of the Year, but wide receiver Devante Adams has been targeted 134 consecutive times without a single dropped pass. That’s got to be worth something. Last week: No. 5

4. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (11-2)

Every year there’s a team that looks great until they have to actually “play somebody” and the Steelers look a lot like this year’s version. Last week: No. 2

5. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (10-3)

Here’s the good news for the Saints; Drew Brees is designated to return from IR this week. Here’s the bad news; he’s still way too hurt to play against the Chiefs Sunday considering he was out with an injured everything. Last week: No. 3

6. LOS ANGELES RAMS (9-4)

If the Rams could learn anything from their decade-plus of awfulness before Sean McVay took over the team is that no team, not even the Jets, can be overlooked. Not when you’ve got a home playoff game at stake. Last week: No. 7

7. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (9-4)

In one week the Colts went from barely hanging onto the seventh seed in the AFC to the sixth seed with a shot at a home playoff game with three weeks to go. Last week: No. 8

8. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (9-4)

The last time the Seahawks played an NFC East team, they were shocked by the Giants and held to a season-low 12 points. There’s no excuses this week when they head to Washington. Last week: No. 9

9. CLEVELAND BROWNS (9-4)

The Browns are in the midst of their best season in more than a decade and, when it’s over, they should celebrate by firing their defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Last week: No. 6

10. TENNESSEE TITANS (9-4)

The Titans have three games to pick up their 10^th win, something they haven’t done since 2008. Last week: No. 10

11. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (8-5)

We’re heading towards the postseason, a Tom Brady-led team has all but secured a spot and yet no one is talking about them. That should make us all very nervous. Last week: No. 13

12. MIAMI DOLPHINS (8-5)

As the Steelers stumble their way to the finish line, Mike Tomlin’s grip on the Coach of the Year Award has loosened. Brian Flores could just be the guy to snatch it from his hands. Last week: No. 11

13. BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-5)

The answer to the Ravens’ offensive predictability might just turn out to be a pregame meal of four toasted cheddar chalupas. Last week: No. 14

14. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (7-6)

Nothing says you’re angling for a playoff run like firing your defensive coordinator with three games to go in the season. Last week in their embarrassing loss to the Colts, the defense generated exactly one QB pressure in the entire game. Last week: No. 12

15. ARIZONA CARDINALS (7-6)

With Jalen Hurts now at QB for the Eagles, the Cardinals’ path to the postseason just got significantly tougher. After this, they have the 49ers and then finish with the Rams. Last week: No. 17

16. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (6-7)

As we close out the year, all of us feared we’d not only get a team from the NFC East into the playoffs with a losing record, but a horrible record like 5-11. Between the WFT and the Giants, no one’s thinking that anymore. Last week: No. 19

17. CHICAGO BEARS (6-7)

The Bears still have a puncher’s chance to make the postseason and it’s starting to feel like Mitchell Trubisky might have the best left hook on the team. Last week: No. 22

18. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-7)

The Vikings and Bears are all but playing an elimination game this weekend and that’s nothing new for Kirk Cousins. You know, being eliminated from the postseason. Last week: No. 16

19. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-7)

Two weeks ago the Patriots scored 45 points. Last week they scored three. They might split the difference this week, but I don’t see it happening against the Dolphins. This could finally be the end of their epic run and Bill Belichick’s deal with the Devil. Maybe. Last week: No. 15

20. NEW YORK GIANTS (5-8)

Giants cornerback James Bradberry is co-leading the league with 17 forced incompletions. He’s tied with Washington’s Ronald Darby in case you think either of these late-season runs are a fluke. Last week: No. 18

21. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-8)

More bad news for the 49ers on the injury front as wide receiver Deebo Samuel has likely been shut down for the year after his latest hamstring injury. It would have been tough for San Fran to repeat anyway, considering their division, but with half their Super Bowl roster on IR they never had a chance. Last week: No. 20

22. DETROIT LIONS (5-8)

You want to know how rough professional football is as a sport? Last Sunday Lions center Frank Ragnow fractured his throat during the game and kept playing. That’s right. His THROAT. Last week: No. 21

23. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-8-1)

Jalen Hurts remains the starter to no one’s surprise and the team says it will hang on to Carson Wentz, which should also shock no one. Last week: No. 28

24. DALLAS COWBOYS (4-9)

What can’t be lost amongst this disaster of a Cowboys season is, Andy Dalton isn’t a bad quarterback. Dallas should not be this awful. Mike McCarthy is exactly this awful. Last week: No. 29

25. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-9)

The Chargers picked up their first win since Justin Herbert let the team’s strength coach take a weed whacker to his hairline. I refuse to believe this was a coincidence. Last week: No. 27

26. ATLANTA FALCONS (4-9)

You know, we keep thinking this Falcons job should be a pretty good one next year, but the team keeps trying to prove that’s not the case. Last week: No. 23

27. HOUSTON TEXANS (4-9)

Speaking of good jobs next season, the Texans better absolutely nail their head coaching hire because this is a team with a potential Super Bowl roster heading over the precipice of mediocrity. Sometimes you never get it back. Last week: No. 24

28. CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-9)

The Panthers are just the latest team to give an All-Universe running back a big contract only to see him sidelined and injured the very same year. The next Christian McCaffrey or Todd Gurley will definitely not get paid. Last week: No. 25

29. DENVER BRONCOS (4-9)

We talk about how the 49ers were decimated with injuries, but we forget that this Broncos team lost most of its best players before the season even kicked off. Last week: No 26

30. CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-10-1)

The Bengals got some great news from Joe Burrow’s surgeon this week as he said that the QB should be “on track for the beginning of the season next year.” Last week: No. 30

31. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1-12)

So the Mike Glennon experiment ended the way it always does, with losses and the QB headed right back to the bench. You want a number that will blow your mind? Glennon has pocketed $30.474 million in his career. He’s only started 25 games and won just six. That comes out to $1.2 million a start and a ridiculous $5.07 million a victory. Last week: No. 31

32. NEW YORK JETS (0-13)

You’re three weeks away from pulling it off, Jets. You “Tanked for Trevor” without even trying. You did it in spite of the team right above you, the Jags, actively trying to out-suck you the whole time. But no one sucks worse than you. You have taken sucking to new highs, made it an art form and crafted your legacy in stone. Shine on you crazy diamonds. Last week: No. 32

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