Week 16 NFL Power Rankings
By Liam McKeone
Your power rankings for Week 16 of the NFL season.
32. Cincinnati Bengals (1-13)
Everyone in Cincinnati, from fans to front office personnel, are just counting down the days until Joe Burrow gets up on that stage at this point.
31. Washington Redskins (3-11)
Terry McLaurin is a certified stud. Otherwise there's not a lot to like, although I'm of the opinion Dwayne Haskins should get some more time to develop. We'll see what the offseason brings in terms of front office changes.
30. Miami Dolphins (3-11)
If the Dolphins can avoid winning any more games, they'll be in a good spot to get a high-end talent in some way, shape, or form. That's the only thing to look forward to this year for Miami. DeVante Parker's re-emergence has been fun, though.
29. Detroit Lions (3-10-1)
Matt Patricia is not giving Martha Ford many reasons to keep him around next year, considering he's supposed to be a defensive guru. The Bucs lit up his unit, and Detroit is well on their way to a top-five selection.
28. New York Giants (3-11)
The absolute last thing New York needs is for Eli Manning to win them football games like he did against Miami. It's fun, but even this win may put them out of the running for Chase Young.
27. Arizona Cardinals (4-9-1)
Their win against the Browns should make them feel good as they head into the offseason and try to give Kyler Murray some more weapons. Apparently Jarvis Landry was among those hollering at the Cardinals' sideline to "come get him", so that task might be easier than once thought.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-9)
Gardner Minshew may never be a superstar, but after an exciting comeback against Oakland on the road, the Jags definitely have something. The next step is figuring out what on earth to do with Nick Foles and all of his guaranteed money.
25. New York Jets (5-9)
Injuries compounded with incompetence does not make for good football. The Jets need to make it to the end of the season with Sam Darnold intact, and that's all that matters.
24. Denver Broncos (5-9)
Drew Lock got his reps in against Kansas City, but the jury is still very much out.
23. Carolina Panthers (5-9)
Kyle Allen has played his way onto the bench after the Seattle loss and Will Grier will now start. And people think they're eager to move on from Cam Newton?
22. Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
Another "home game" that ended in a blowout. The path forward is now very murky for this Chargers squad, as talented as they are.
21. Atlanta Falcons (5-9)
The Falcons have wins over the Saints and Niners, but were blown out by the Bucs. What a confusing team this is.
20. Cleveland Browns (6-8)
All is not well in Cleveland after getting whooped by a rookie quarterback. The Browns remain the Browns, folks.
19. Oakland Raiders (6-8)
Blowing a lead to Gardner Minshew in their last-ever Coliseum game sounds about right for these Raiders.
18. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
The Colts are out of the playoff picture, and their feel-good story came to a crashing end against New Orleans on Monday night.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
Jameis Winston is not making things easy on the Bucs brass, but at least we have some proof that Bruce Arians' system can work quite well with this personnel.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7)
The Eagles stayed alive in the race for the division crown by beating Washington. They did, however, only beat Washington.
15. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
All the good things that the Rams did over the last two weeks were unraveled when they were summarily stomped by an underachieving Dallas squad. Jared Goff is making how much next year?
14. Chicago Bears (7-7)
Chicago kept it close against Green Bay. Was it enough to save jobs? We'll find out soon enough.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
Losing to this year's Buffalo team isn't a disappointment by any means, but Devlin Hodges doesn't seem like he can lead this team to a surprise playoff berth.
12. Tennessee Titans (8-6)
The Titans nearly pulled off the comeback against Houston, yet couldn't get it done. The outlook doesn't look great, but it ain't over it.
11. Dallas Cowboys (7-7)
The Rams found out just how dominant Dallas can be when everything is clicking. On the flip side, this is one of the very few times everything has clicked. This team is still a mystery, but at their best, they're still very good.
10. Houston Texans (9-5)
They've looked bad at times this year, but when Houston needed a win, they pulled it off.
9. Buffalo Bills (10-4)
The Bills feasted on some duck on Sunday night. It remains to be seen how this offense performs under pressure, but this is a legit playoff squad that no one will want to see in the cold months.
8. New England Patriots (11-3)
New England got back on track against a pitiful Bengals squad, but the offense didn't look even a smidge better going up against one of the worst all-around units in the league. This late in the year, that's a big worry.
7. Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Green Bay won a game they should have, but perhaps not in the dominating fashion an 11-3 team should beat a 7-7 team. Still, a win's a win, and they remain in the driver's seat for the NFC North crown.
6. Minnesota Vikings (10-4)
Minnesota dominated the Chargers despite losing Dalvin Cook early on. Next Monday night will show just how real, or pretend, they are as contenders, but for now, they're playing like one of the best teams in the league.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)
The Chiefs took an easy one at home against Denver, but the pass defense in particular stood out. Seems like things are coming together at the right time for the Chiefs, a dangerous proposition.
4. Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
When Chris Carson doesn't fumble, it makes the Seattle offense as dangerous as any in the league with Russell Wilson on the tear that he is-- as the Panthers found out.
3. San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
The overall body of work prevents the Niners from dropping too far in these rankings, but losing to the Falcons, of all teams, could have massive implications for their playoff seeding.
2. New Orleans Saints (11-3)
Drew Brees gave the Colts the business in the Superdome en route to breaking yet another NFL record. Michael Thomas continued a monstrous year, too. The scariest QB-WR combo in the NFL right now.
1. Baltimore Ravnes (12-2)
Lamar Jackson continues his MVP campaign with an easy win over the Jets. Everything is working perfectly for Baltimore right now, and it's hard to see anyone stopping them until January, and potentially beyond.