Week Fifteen Power Rankings

Out of Rankings: Los Angeles Chargers

Honorable Mention(s): Seattle Seahawks

10. Los Angeles Rams (Previous ranking: NR)

The Rams are one of few teams with a Super Bowl winning coach-quarterback duo still intact which should make them dangerous down the stretch. Matthew Stafford sliced and diced the Buffalo defense to score 44 points and potentially put his team in a class just behind Philly and Detroit in NFC contention. McVay is the king of making games feel weird for the opponent with the previously invincible Bills falling to an early deficit. The combo paired with perhaps the best receiver duo and a hungry defense have added another considerable foe.

(Turf Show Press)

9. Denver Broncos (Previous ranking: 9)

Bye Week

8. Baltimore Ravens (Previous ranking: 7)

Bye Week

7. Green Bay Packers (Previous ranking: 4)

In a vacuum, losing to the Lions on Thursday isn’t that bad. The Packers lost by just 3 and remained competitive for all four quarters with plenty of chances to win, but they have dug themselves into a small whole. Losses to Philadelphia and Detroit along with the one Vikings loss have placed the Packers securely behind all of those teams in seeding for the division and conference. The offense nearly out-physical-ed the Lions and nearly prevailed with a massive win, but came up short, which is just fine for this ridiculously young team.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Previous ranking: 8)

The final score is a bit deceiving being that Cleveland was just a Jameis Winston instance from winning the same game they won in a blizzard just a few weeks ago. Everyone has waited for the Steelers to regress or Russell Wilson to re-debut his Denver alter ego, but they simply keep winning football games. Mike Tomlin is an evergreen candidate for Coach of the Year because people expect his teams to fall off at every point except the playoffs, which is when they generally fall apart. They have a comfortable lead ahead of Baltimore and looks like they could host a playoff game.

5. Buffalo Bills (Previous ranking: 1)

Josh Allen had six total touchdowns, and the Bills still lost. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford carving up your defense shouldn’t be that embarrassing, but we’ve come to expect more from Buffalo’s squad. Members of their secondary have appeared in our Team of The Week rosters regularly, but on Sunday, they were flat-out bad. The quarterback may have certified himself an MVP, but they may have fallen out of #1 seed contention with the cross-country loss.

4. Minnesota Vikings (Previous ranking: 6)

Minnesota staying on the Lions’ heels is the most underrated story of this year’s postseason races. Embarrassing their forgotten son with his new friends had to make Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s job that much harder. The general manager is now fielding internal questions about Darnold’s future, but they may be able to get the #1 seed in the NFC this season, which shan’t be forgotten like the magic Kirk Cousins created at the Bank, including the dog piss performance on Sunday.

(Pioneer Press)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (Previous ranking: 3)

The hipster’s choice for MVP is Saquon Barkley. It shouldn’t be that Avant Garde when he’s on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s record, but American media fawns when quarterbacks catch touchdowns. The Eagles barely beating the Panthers should be treated like the Chiefs barely beating the same team, except that the Xavier Legette didn’t drop the game-winner vs. Kansas City like he did against Philly. The Eagles were a heartbeat away from losing if a rookie doesn’t make a rookie mistake, but they keep winning and have secured another playoff berth under Sirianni.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (Previous ranking: 5)

The “Doink to Win the Division” frustrates most on the surface level, but the 14-play, 47-yard drive to knock in the kick with triple zeroes was masterful. Patrick Mahomes made key plays on the final stanza with darts to Worthy and Kelce, the youngest and oldest targets on the field. Sure, the Chiefs keep winning by only one possession, but most playoff games are decided by the same margin. The Chargers are a formidable foe in the AFC, so a field-goal victory isn’t terrible with Harbaugh sweating bullets on the opposite sideline. Kansas City is once again AFC West champions, just another step on their path.

1. Detroit Lions (Previous ranking: 2)

Detroit is bound to lose another game, simply by the averages of the NFL just like Kansas City, but they are also building a winning gene like the Chiefs. Just like Mahomes and Kelce will nickel and dime for a critical score, if need be, Sonic and Knuckles bowl through defenses, creating an elite four-minute offense. Dan Campbell’s testicular fortitude will put them into peculiar predicaments, but they might just be that much better than everybody else, something we said about last year’s 49ers. The injuries are piling up, but they keep finding ways to win and that is the only thing that matters.

Biggest Mover(s): Kansas City Chiefs (up 3 spots) & Buffalo Bills (down 4 spots)

New Appearance(s): Los Angeles Rams