There is a three-way tie for first in the Week 15 Power Rankings. The Chiefs, Cowboys and Patriots can all claim the top spot. The X’s and O’s Show breaks down the Power Rankings, the NFL and everything Broncos each Sunday at 9:00am on Mile High Sports Radio.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (4)
There’s no question that the win against Oakland puts Kansas City in the driver’s seat for the AFC West crown. They’re tied with the Raiders, but they have the tiebreaker now. But the eight-point win that required a punt return TD and a terrible performance by a very good opposing QB, shows that the Chiefs have little margin for error. And with LB Derrick Johnson lost for the season, Kansas City definitely has some chinks in the armor.
2. New England Patriots (3)
Monday night, New England hosted the top-ranked defense in the league, and all Tom Brady did was go 25-38 for 407 yards with 3 TD’s. And the Patriots defense is 2nd in the league in points allowed. A top-three offense with a top-three defense is tough to top. We’ll see how a sputtering Broncos team holds up against this juggernaut.
3. Dallas Cowboys (3)
Dak Prescott hasn’t played well in three weeks, and the Cowboys offense has ground to a halt. In the last two games, they have converted just 2 of 24 third downs. How much longer will Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones watch that kind of anemic offense, when a healthy, rested, and eager Tony Romo stands on the sideline? Just asking.
4. Oakland Raiders (2)
With a dislocated pinkey finger on his throwing hand, QB Derek Carr was awful against the Chiefs, going 17-41 for 117 yards. Still, Oakland was in this game unitl the end. So it would seem that a lot depends on Mr. Carr’s health. If his finger heals, the Raiders are a threat to win the AFC. If it doesn’t heal quickly, they are in real trouble.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (7)
The Steelers manhandled Buffalo on a snowy field, and now have the division lead all to themselves. RB Le’Veon Bell had 298 total yards and the Pittsburgh stymied LaSean McCoy. The Steelers might be the most physical team in the AFC, and that’s a good indicator of success in the playoffs.
6. Seattle Seahawks (5)
What to make of the Seahawks? Although they got destroyed by Green Bay, Seattle is practically locked in to the No. 2 seed, which means they will get a bye and a home divisional game. The only way that won’t happen is if Detroit wins out or if the Hawks lose another game. With the Rams, Cardinals, and 49ers to close out their season, 11-4-1 seems likely.
7. Detroit Lions (6)
How’s this for a remarkable stat: Detroit has trailed in the 4th quarter in 12 of their 13 games… but they are 9-4. They did it again vs. Chicago, but this time Matt Stafford had to play the last three quarters with a glove on his throwing hand because he tore some ligaments in a finger. But now things get real—at the Giants, at the Cowboys, home against the Packers.
8. Atlanta Falcons (9)
Atlanta didn’t need their two top receivers to blow out the Rams, as the league’s highest-scoring team racked up 42 points through three quarters. They have no margin for error, though, because they’re tied with Tampa Bay and both the Falcons and the Buccaneers have favorable schedules. This team might have to win out to win the division.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11)
It’s possible that the biggest story nobody is talking about is the turnaround of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They won their fifth game in a row, and they did it with defense—a defense that has been stifling for the last four weeks. If the Bucs can beat the Cowboys in Dallas in prime time this week, they won’t be under the radar any longer.
10. Denver Broncos (10)
The Broncos knew that Tennessee would pound the ball. They knew they would absolutely have to stop the run to have a chance. They knew all this…but they just weren’t capable of doing it. That is what’s alarming. With one of the league’s most pathetic offenses, the defense has to be nearly perfect, and they can’t stop the run to save their lives. Unless the inept offense or the non-existent run defense miraculously improves, the defending champs will likely lose out.
11. Green Bay Packers (19)
Our own Bill Reffel is a fan of Aaron Rodgers, and when Rodgers said three weeks ago that the Packers would win out, Reffel said to book it. After tearing apart the Seahawks, Green Bay now faces the Bears in Chicago and Minnesota at home. If they win those, and if the Lions drop just one of their two very difficult road games in Dallas and New York, Week 17 will settle the division title as the Packers and Lions meet at Ford Field.
12. Tennessee Titans (15)
The Titans dominated the line of scrimmage against the Broncos, allowing them to out-rush Denver by tenfold, 180 yards to 18. That was plenty to offset the fact that Marcus Marriota only completed 6 passes against the No Fly Zone all day.
13. Washington Redskins (14)
Kirk Cousins continues to add zeroes to his upcoming contract, and Washington kept its playoff hopes alive with a comeback win in Philadelphia. The Redskins need some help, because they need to catch either the Giants or the 2nd place team in the South, Tampa Bay or Atlanta. If the Giants slip in the next two weeks, and the Redskins do not, Washington will get to play their way in because they finish with the Giants at home.
14. Baltimore Ravens (8)
John Harbaugh has done one of his better coaching jobs this season, and any talk that he was on the hot seat are absurd. The loss to New England hurt, as it moved the team out of first place for the first time in weeks. But the AFC North will probably be decided in Week 16, when the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh. The winner of that showdown will almost certainly win the division.
15. New York Giants (13)
Big Blue is the only team who has beaten Dallas this year, and now they’ve done it twice. Although the Giants are tied for the second-best record in the NFC, they could still easily miss the playoffs. They host the Lions, followed by road games in Philadelphia and Washington. They have to win at least two of the three, and might need to win out to get a wild card.
16. Miami Dolphins (12)
Miami has won 7 of 8 and is tied with Denver for the final wild card spot. They’ll be without QB Ryan Tennehill, but maybe for only a couple weeks. It’s all AFC East the rest of the way. The Dolphins have road games in New York and Buffalo and a home date with New England.
17. Houston Texans (20)
Brock Osweiler completed 14 passes for 131 yards with a pick. No matter. Houston relied on a fine defensive performance and their strongest rushing output of the year to sweep the season series from the Colts. They are tied with Tennessee for the division lead, and they play the Titans in Nashville the last week of the season, so they need to take advantage of the next two home games against Jacksonville and Cincinnati.
18. Minnesota Vikings (18)
The formula for this team to win is the same as the X’s and O’s Show has been saying since week 3—don’t turn the ball over, and rely on the defense. When the Vikings try to win with offense, Sam Bradford ends up on his back most of the time. Sunday in Jacksonville showed how effective they can be if they trust their defense.
19. Indianapolis Colts (16)
The Colts had a prime opportunity to take control of their division at home against Houston and they blew it. Andrew Luck threw two INT’s and fumbled, and the defense allowed 185 rushing yards. The loss all but eliminated Indy from the playoffs.
20. New Orleans Saints (17)
Drew Brees had his second terrible game in a row, which is a sure-fire recipe for defeat in New Orleans. Just as the Saints’ once-maligned defense has started to improve, their superstar QB has disappeared.
21. San Diego Chargers (22)
We predicted that San Diego could be a spoiler down the stretch. They still could be, with games against Oakland and Kansas City, but it will be awfully tough now that they lost two more players to injury. And since it’s the 2016 Chargers, those players just happened to be Melvin Booker and Joey Bosa, the team’s best offensive and defensive player.
22. Cincinnati Bengals (23)
The Bengals continue to play hard for coach Marvin Lewis, jumping on the hapless Browns from the kickoff. That could be helpful for Lewis’ case to be given another year in Cincinnati. But keep in mind that this win gave Cincy a whole 2-game winning streak! Don’t laugh, it’s the first such streak they’ve enjoyed this season.
23. Arizona Cardinals (21)
The Cardinals continue to look sloppy and undisciplined. The special teams were awful, and Carson Palmer had two INT’s and three fumbles. Now at 5-7-1, Arizona’s chances to make the p[layoffs are essentially zero.
24. Carolina Panthers (24)
Cam Newton has played poorly for at least a month, but he’s been getting bailed out by a defense that is returning to their Super Bowl form from a year ago. Against the Chargers, that unit had three interceptions, six sacks, and a safety.
25. Philadelphia Eagles (25)
We can’t recall ever seeing a game where a team lost both its long snapper and backup long snapper. The Eagles were holding impromptu snapper tryouts on the sideline, but still were forced to pass up some punt and field goal opportunities because they had no way to get the ball back there. Finally, tight end Trey Burton convinced the coaches he could do it, so they let him try. Lo and behold, Burton’s snap was good, and the Eagles kicked a go-ahead FG. Philadelphia is in a prime spoiler role now, with games remaining against the Ravens, Giants, and Cowboys.
26. Buffalo Bills (27)
Against Pittsburgh, Buffalo was outgained 298 yards to 275, but that is just counting the Steelers Le’Veon Bell. Pittsburgh’s total yards were 460, which is the third time the team has surrendered more than 450 yards this year. Don’t underestimate the importance of this week’s game for Rex Ryan. If the winless Browns were to knock off the Bills in Orchard Park Sunday, it may be curtains for the Ryan show in Buffalo.
27. Chicago Bears (29)
Every week that goes by, it seems more and more likely that the Bears and Jay Cutler will part ways after the season. Matt Barkley had his best game as a pro (we know, that’s not much of a compliment) and with all Cutler’s baggage, we’ll be surprised if he returns to the Windy City.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (30)
The Jaguars will need to seriously address the offense this offseason, because the unit they have now gives them no shot. They were never in the game against Minnesota. This will be the sixth straight year the Jags will have at least 11 losses.
29. New York Jets (28)
Believe it or not, the Jets can take some positives from their come-from-behind win against the dreadful 49ers. First, the team played hard, even when down two scores, which is a huge improvement from their embarrassing performance against the Colts last week. Second, both QB Bryce Petty and RB Bilal Powell both played well, giving fans something to hope for down the road.
30. Los Angeles Rams (26)
The axe finally fell on Jeff Fisher, after the Rams got embarrassed by Atlanta at home. The Rams were down 42-0 after 3 quarters against a team missing its best player in Julio Jones. After giving up 39 points per game over the last three weeks, even Fisher’s reputation as a defensive-minded coach was shredded.
31. San Francisco 49ers (31)
The 49ers blew a 14-point lead in the second half against the Jets. We could blame Chip Kelly, whose jitterbug offense can’t protect a lead and who inexplicably called just 7 running plays in the 2nd half to Carlos Hyde, despite the fact that the RB had racked up 141 yards in just the first two quarters. Of, we could blame Colin Kaepernick, who in the 2nd half completed 4 of 11 passes for 17 yards. We can’t decide, so let’s blame both.
32. Cleveland Browns (32)
Robert Griffin III started at QB, and if anything he was even worse than the other Browns’ quarterbacks have been. 12-28 for 104 yards is bad enough. But targeting Terrelle Pryor just three times when Pryor has somehow been having an all-pro caliber year is a joke.
