NFL Power Rankings

Week 16 (click here for past rankings)

Posted Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

The Dolphins avoided an unprecedented level of embarrassment by beating the Ravens in overtime, and the Patriots continue their march toward perfection.

As for the playoff picture, Washington and Minnesota have set up a (possible) elimination game this week, Dallas was slowed in it's chase of home-field advantage, and the Colts secured a first round bye.

Onto this weeks rankings.

Ranking (Last week's ranking)

1 (1).  New England Patriots (14-0)

Their win over the Jets was far from impressive, but given the conditions and the fact that it was against a team that has nothing to lose,  it really shouldn't hurt the Pats' reputation is the dominant team in the NFL.

2 (2). Indianapolis Colts (12-2)

Like the Patriots, they played an ugly game against Oakland Sunday. But their AFC South title  and first week playoff bye in the AFC make them an easy choice for the second spot.

3 (4). Green Bay Packers (12-2)

It's hard to believe the Packers have gone from an 8-8 team that seemed to be years away from contending to a 12-2 juggernaut in the NFC. That being said, their defense is not as good as advertised. One week they can't stop the pass, the next Steven Jackson is running all over their front seven. Still, what once seemed out of reach is now sitting right in front of them; home-field in the playoffs.

4 (3). Dallas Cowboys (12-2)

Even before his thumb injury, Tony Romo was way off on Sunday. Maybe it was just the Eagles playing well, but the Cowboys will have to go through much better teams in the playoffs if they want to play in February. A handful of important Cowboy players got banged up against Philly, and it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

5 (5). Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)

It got close at the end, but the Jaguars had control for the entire game against Pittsburgh. With David Garrard playing the way he is, Jacksonville can probably beat any team in the league.

6 (8). San Diego Chargers (9-5)

The Chargers are a completely different team than they were to start the season, and are playing like the offensive powerhouse everyone predicted them to be, which showed in their 51-14 thrashing of the lowly Lions.

7 (6). Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)

Back to back losses against top-tier AFC teams can't be good for a team's confidence this late in the season. It also can't help that the Browns are threatening to sneak past them for the AFC North title.

8 (7). Seattle Seahawks (9-5)

Definitely did not see that Panthers loss coming ... Maybe this team does not have as much playoff upset potential as it appeared before. Or, maybe it's just a hiccup. A game at home against the Ravens could be a perfect remedy.

9 (10). Minnesota Vikings (8-6)

As Steve Young put it last night, the Bears and Vikings both played like high school teams Sunday. Still, they can punch their ticket to the playoffs against the Redskins this week, but that probably won't come easy.

10 (11). Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)

The defense rebounded brilliantly from a disappointing loss to the Texans a couple weeks ago - albeit against the Falcons.

11 (9). New York Giants (9-5)

If they lose to Buffalo this week and the Vikings win, it's probably going to land them in the 6th seed for a game in Dallas ... Ouch. Oh, and in case anyone is still wondering, yes, it's pretty much gotten to the point where you can say it with certainty; Eli Manning is nothing near what the Giants were expecting when they traded for him.

12 (12). Cleveland Browns (9-5)

I'm officially nominating the Browns/Bills week 15 game as the most boring in NFL history. 8-0, seriously? Must be nice for Cleveland sports fans to be on the right end of a lopsided baseball score after that Indians/Sox series.

13 (13). Tennessee Titans (8-6)

Their season is quite possibly a lost cause at this point, as they'll have to travel to Indy Week 17, but Vince Young having a nice game in a crucial game has to be an encouraging sign for Titans fans.

14 (15). New Orleans Saints (7-7)

Fighting for their playoff lives they'll get a tough Philly team at home and face their fellow NFC bust, the Bears, next week. Who would have thought that an NFC championship rematch Week 17 would probably have no meaning at all this year?

15 (18). Washington Redskins (7-7)

The Redskins D has been playing inspired football for weeks, and the offense seems to have kicked it up a notch in the absence of Jason Campbell. They'll battle the Vikings for a playoff spot this week.

16 (14). Buffalo Bills (7-7)

All that's left now is an attempt to play spoiler against the Giants. Regardless of where they finish, it'd be hard to call this a bad season for Buffalo given the talent they're playing with and the slow start they had.

17 (17). Houston Texans (7-7)

Sage Rosenfels has repeatedly proven himself to be worthy of a permanent starting spot, and seems to play his best in the fourth quarter. The season is over for Houston, but with the young Texans seemingly making the transition from bad to decent, the Colts might have yet another challenge for their division title next year.

18 (16). Denver Broncos (6-8)

2007 for the Broncos might be the most forgettable year for any team in recent history, given the off-the-field tragedies in addition to the really, really bad play on it.

19 (23). Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)

That win over TO and the Cowboys has to feel great for Eagle fans. It'll be even sweeter if it ends up helping knock the Cowboys off of the first seed. McNabb showed signs of life, and if this is in fact his last year as an Eagle, he gave Philly fans a nice farewell gift just in time for the Holidays.

20 (24). Carolina Panthers (6-8)

It's always impressive when a team that really has nothing to play for manages to band together and beat a playoff team.

21. Arizona Cardinals (6-8)

This is what happens when you bring in good skill players on offense, but keep the same porous offensive line every year.

22 (20). Detroit Lions (6-8)

Lions fans may be more depressed now than ever before after having a seemingly playoff-caliber team snatched away and replaced with the same old losers. If Matt Millen doesn't get fired now, he never will.

23 (21). Chicago Bears (5-9)

After holding the Vikings offense in check for two quarters, the Bears fell apart in the second half. This off-season it's time for Chicago to go on yet another search for their first good quarterback since glam metal was at it's peak.

24 (22). Cincinnati Bengals (5-9)

There's bad, and then there's losing to the 49ers. Good thing the Ravens were there to break their fall when they hit rock bottom.

25 (25). New York Jets (3-11)

I have to say, even with the conditions in Foxboro as bad as they were, I didn't think the Jets would keep it as close as they did. But Chad Pennington throwing for more yards than Tom Brady ... That definitely came out of left field (and saved my fantasy football season).

26 (30). San Francisco 49ers (4-10)

Basically when you're this low, a win of any kind guarantees that you'll move up a few feet in the giant heap of trash that is the bottom 10. Only by default do the Niners jump four spots this week.

27 (27). St. Louis Rams (3-11)

They had Bulger, they had Steven Jackson, they had Torry Holt, yet the Rams were still terrible on offense against a flawed Green Bay D. What has gone so seriously wrong there?

28 (29). Kansas City Chiefs (4-10)

Remember when Arrowhead was a tough place to play? Say goodbye to those days for awhile. The Chiefs are an even 2-5 both at home and on the road this year.

29 (28). Oakland Raiders (4-10)

4-10 and still no JaMarcus Russell, aside from 5 passes he throw against the Colts. Who knows, maybe it's a good call. Then again, after the money Oakland gave him, I'm not going to assume anything they do is smart.

30 (31). Atlanta Falcons (3-11)

I wouldn't blame any NFL draft prospect for pulling an Eli Manning and asking the Falcons not to take them. This team is not going to be very fun to be around for a long time.

31 (32). Miami Dolphins (1-13)

A few weeks ago I said Miami shouldn't count on a merry Christmas since they play the Pats this Sunday. I was wrong. The relief the city probably felt from getting a win will last them until whenever they next make the playoffs.

32 (26). Baltimore Ravens (4-10)

To be the joke, you have to beat the joke ... By losing to them. That's just what the Ravens did. How do you go from nearly shocking perfect New England to letting one of the worst teams ever beat you, in a matter of weeks?

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