NFL Power Rankings 2016: Week 14 Standings Based on Latest Super Bowl Odds

We're just about to kick off Week 14. Once the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders get things started on Thursday night, the final month of the 2016 season will be underway.   

To this point, we've seen a number of surprises and disappointments. The long-suffering Raiders, for example, have become one of the NFL's hottest teams. The long-contending Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, are fighting just to stay in the NFC wild-card picture.

The NFL pecking order simply isn't what we expected when the season first began back in September.

Today, we're going to take a look at how each NFL team stands. We'll be power ranking all 32 teams based on the current Super Bowl odds—courtesy of OddsShark.com. In the case of identical odds, we'll be using factors such as record, team performances and team health to break ties.

We'll also be taking a closer look at some of the more interesting entries on our list.

Week 14 Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Odds
1	New England Patriots	2.4-1
2	Dallas Cowboys	4-1
3	Seattle Seahawks	7.5-1
4	Oakland Raiders	10-1
5	Pittsburgh Steelers	12-1
6	Kansas City Chiefs	16-1
7	Atlanta Falcons	16-1
8	New York Giants	20-1
9	Green Bay Packers	25-1
10	Denver Broncos	28-1
11	Baltimore Ravens	40-1
12	Detroit Lions	40-1
13	Washington Redskins	40-1
14	Indianapolis Colts	50-1
15	Miami Dolphins	50-1
16	Minnesota Vikings	50-1
17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	66-1
18	Houston Texans	66-1
19	Tennessee Titans	75-1
20	Buffalo Bills	100-1
21	Carolina Panthers	100-1
22	Arizona Cardinals	100-1
23	New Orleans Saints	100-1
24	San Diego Chargers	150-1
25	Philadelphia Eagles	250-1
26	Los Angeles Rams	500-1
27	Cincinnati Bengals	500-1
28	Chicago Bears	N/A
29	New York Jets	N/A
30	Jacksonville JAguars	N/A
31	San Francisco 49ers	N/A
32	Cleveland Browns	N/A

Notable Rankings

4. Oakland Raiders

The upstart Oakland Raiders finally appear to be getting a little respect from the Vegas odds-makers. Still, it's a bit interesting to see the Raiders trending at 10-1 when the team currently holds the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Yes, Oakland is not a playoff-tested team like the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots, but this is a strong franchise nonetheless. Led by quarterback Derek Carr and an explosive offense—rated second overall by Pro Football Focus—the Raiders can put up points with the best of them.

Carr's ability to lead the team to victory late in close games has also given them much-needed confidence.

“A lot of our belief comes from him,” Raiders receiver Amari Cooper said of Carr, per Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s really vocal. He says really positive things and we believe in him—the type of player he is, the type of plays he can make.”

What makes the Raiders especially dangerous heading into the home stretch, though, is the fact that the defense is beginning to solidify. It is far from an elite defense, giving up 24.9 points per game on average, but it is starting to make plays.

As a team, the Raiders have produced 21 sacks and 11 interceptions. Pro Football Focus rates Oakland 13th in overall defense for the season so far.

This team has a legitimate shot at playing home games throughout the AFC playoffs.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have battled to a 7-5 record and within striking distance of the AFC North title, but they certainly haven't been dominant or consistent in 2016. Surprisingly, though, the odds-makers still consider the Steelers one of the top contenders for a Super Bowl win.

We find this a bit surprising because of the inconsistencies the team has shown on the road this season. While the Pittsburgh offense has been solid overall—it's rated 10th by Pro Football Focus—the Steelers have sometimes struggled to score away from Heinz Field 

Pittsburgh produced just 32 combined points in road losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.

Even if the Steelers manage to secure the AFC North crown, the team is probably looking at no more than one home playoff game. Based on the way the team has played on the road thus far, a road through New England or Oakland to the Super Bowl doesn't seem favorable for the Steelers.

Of course, the potential of a potent Steelers offense is why Pittsburgh does have a chance to be a surprise Super Bowl participant. This is a battle-tested team with a defense that has started to turn things around in recent weeks.

The first obstacle for the Steelers, though, is finding a way to maneuver around the Ravens in the division. Baltimore took the first head-to-head meeting with the Steelers and will likely remain on top as long as the two teams share a record.

The Ravens and Steelers will meet again in Week 15.

12. Detroit Lions

If you're the wagering type and are looking for a play with a longer odds, it might be time to start considering the Detroit Lions.

Sure, the 8-4 Lions haven't been a dominant team this season. In fact, the majority of their wins have been as a result of fourth-quarter comebacks.

The reality, though, is that this makes the Lions a very dangerous team. Detroit doesn't do anything particularly special—the offense is ranked 18th in scoring (22.9 points per game), the defense 12th in scoring (20.9 per game allowed)—but the Lions continuously find ways to win.

Those wins have typically come from quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports recently wrote the following of Stafford:

"

He passes the eye test each and every week, shifting around the pocket and finding the tightest of windows to sling the ball through. It's a pretty close vintage Aaron Rodgers impersonation most weeks, and for the Lions to be 8-4 despite some of the limitations of their roster, in the year after Calvin Johnson retired, tells you all you need to know.

"

Detroit has twice beaten the quality defense of the Minnesota Vikings. The team has come out on top in shootouts with the potent offenses of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. There is a lot of confidence to be gained from a variety of wins.

With teams like Seattle and the Dallas Cowboys sitting atop the NFC standings, the Lions deserve to be considered long shots to win the Super Bowl. However, this team has already proved that it can surprise, and a surprising run to the championship definitely isn't out of the question.