After Week 15, the playoff picture somehow got clearer and more obscure at the same time. The New England Patriots clinched their eighth straight division title. The Raiders ended the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL. The Seahawks wrapped up the NFC West for the third time in four years. However, both Kansas City and Denver lost, thus making the AFC Wild Card race significantly more interesting. Week 16 is sure to provide plenty of drama to watch as you're opening presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Let's get to the Week 16 iteration of the power rankings.
1. New England Patriots.
Record: 12-2
2. Dallas Cowboys.
Record: 12-2
3. Seattle Seahawks.
Record: 9-4-1
4. Atlanta Falcons.
Record: 9-5
5. Oakland Raiders.
Record: 11-3
6. New York Giants.
Record: 10-4
7. Pittsburgh Steelers.
Record: 9-5
8. Kansas City Chiefs.
Record: 10-4
9. Detroit Lions.
Record: 9-5
10. Green Bay Packers.
Record: 8-6
11. Tennessee Titans.
Record: 8-6
12. Baltimore Ravens.
Record: 8-6
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Record: 8-6
14. Denver Broncos.
Record: 8-6
15. Miami Dolphins.
Record: 9-5
16. Washington Redskins.
Record: 7-6-1
17. Indianapolis Colts.
Record: 7-7
18. Houston Texans.
Record: 8-6
19. Minnesota Vikings.
Record: 7-7
20. Carolina Panthers.
Record: 6-8
21. Cincinnati Bengals.
Record: 5-8-1
22. New Orleans Saints.
Record: 6-8
23. Arizona Cardinals.
Record: 5-8-1
24. Buffalo Bills.
Record: 7-7
25. Philadelphia Eagles.
Record: 5-9
26. Chicago Bears.
Record: 3-11
27. San Diego Chargers.
Record: 5-9
28. Los Angeles Rams.
Record: 4-10
29. New York Jets.
Record: 4-10
30. Jacksonville Jaguars.
Record: 2-12
31. San Francisco 49ers.
Record: 1-13
32. Cleveland Browns.
Record: 0-14
Better luck next year:
Cleveland, San Francisco, Jacksonville, New York Jets, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Arizona, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Minnesota, Carolina.
In the hunt:
Houston, Indianapolis, Washington, Miami, Denver, Baltimore, Green Bay, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, New York Giants, Detroit.
Playoff locks:
New England, Dallas, Seattle, Oakland, Atlanta.
On the rise:
Atlanta Falcons
Yes. I am aware that Atlanta has played two of the worst teams in the league in these two weeks, but their offense is laying waste to these teams without their best player, Julio Jones. This past Sunday, Devonta Freeman set fire to San Fran's rushing defense that is looking more and more like swiss cheese. Freeman rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns including a 34-yard TD run that capped off the 41-13 destruction of the 49ers. The Falcons also set a franchise record for points scored in a season with 469 points scored thus far in the 2016 season. Needless to say, this offense is scary good, and it will only get better with the eventual return of Julio Jones.
New York Giants
We've all heard the ancient football axiom: defense wins championships. If that's the case, then the Giants look primed to capture yet another Super Bowl in the Eli Manning era. The free agency additions of Olivier Vernon and Janoris Jenkins have more than compensated for their expensive contracts. This defense has limited the Cowboys and the Lions, both teams having very good offenses, to 16 combined points. Forget the defensive rankings. This Giants defense is dominating offensive lines and quarterbacks left and right. They'll be an extremely tough customer come playoff time.
Tennessee Titans
Mariota has not performed well for the past two games, yet the Titans have won two games in a row against Denver and Kansas City respectively. That means one thing: the Titans are finding different ways to win football games. That's a very valuable skill to have when the postseason begins (assuming Tennessee makes it). Demarco Murray has returned to his 2014 form, and the defense is continuing to limit very good offenses. The Titans will be an exciting squad to watch for weeks and years to come.
On the decline:
Denver Broncos
I've never seen an offense look more hapless and disorganized than the Denver offense looked on Sunday. Let's make one thing clear: the Patriots defense is not thatgood. New England's defense looked like the '85 Bears against a less-than-stellar Trevor Siemian. The offensive line looked as bad as I've seen it all year. The Patriots were constantly getting to Siemian and knocking him down. Malcolm Butler shut down Emmanuel Sanders (despite what Sanders said to the press afterward). Denver's chances of making to the postseason are slim to none. I believe the Denver Broncos are done.
Detroit Lions
One word could describe Detroit's performance against the Giants on Sunday: uh-oh. Stafford looked uncomfortable with the cast on his finger, and the offense looked uncomfortable against the vaunted New York defense. The Lions defense could not stop Eli Manning and Odell Beckham. Detroit's path to the playoffs gets signifficantly tougher with two games against the Cowboys and Packers. The Lions better get their act together quicly if they want to make it to January.
