NFL Power Rankings Week 16: 2016-17 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds

A mere few weeks separate NFL bettors and picks enthusiasts from the playoffs. 

With any luck, bettors were able to capitalize on favorites such as the Atlanta Falcons taking down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15 and upsets such as the rolling Tennessee Titans upending the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.

Even for bettors who haven't played lines all season, the wealth of information attained over 15 weeks should be enough to make informed decisions in crunch time as the playoffs near.

Below, let's update power rankings after Week 15 results before Monday and take a look at how oddsmakers shifted lines to protect the house.

Week 16 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team
1	New England Patriots (23-10)
2	Oakland Raiders (16-1)
3	Tennessee Titans (75-1)
4	Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
5	New York Giants (20-1)
6	Dallas Cowboys (11-2)
7	Atlanta Falcons (16-1)
8	Detroit Lions (22-1)
9	Green Bay Packers (16-1)
10	Baltimore Ravens (50-1)
11	Pittsburgh Steelers (9-1)
12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (50-1)
13	Denver Broncos (50-1)
14	Seattle Seahawks (21-4)
15	Washington (50-1)
16	New Orleans Saints (300-1)
17	Houston Texans (50-1)
18	Miami Dolphins (100-1)
19	Carolina Panthers (500-1)
20	San Diego Chargers (500-1)
21	Indianapolis Colts (50-1)
22	Minnesota Vikings (50-1)
23	Arizona Cardinals (500-1)
24	Buffalo Bills (200-1)
25	Cincinnati Bengals (500-1)
26	Philadelphia Eagles (500-1)
27	Los Angeles Rams (1000-1)
28	New York Jets (1000-1)
29	Chicago Bears (500-1)
30	San Francisco 49ers (1000-1)
31	Jacksonville Jaguars (1000-1)
32	Cleveland Browns (3000-1)

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Conference Standings

AFC	W	L	T
NFC	W	L	T
* -New England Patriots	12	2	0
x -Oakland Raiders	11	3	0
Kansas City Chiefs	10	4	0
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	5	0
Miami Dolphins	9	5	0
Houston Texans	8	6	0
Baltimore Ravens	8	6	0
Tennessee Titans	8	6	0
Denver Broncos	8	6	0
Indianapolis Colts	7	7	0
Buffalo Bills	7	7	0
Cincinnati Bengals	5	8	1
San Diego Chargers	5	9	0
New York Jets	4	10	0
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	12	0
Cleveland Browns	0	14	0
x -Dallas Cowboys	12	2	0
New York Giants	10	4	0
z -Seattle Seahawks	9	4	1
Atlanta Falcons	9	5	0
Detroit Lions	9	5	0
Washington Redskins	7	5	1
Green Bay Packers	8	6	0
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8	6	0
Minnesota Vikings	7	7	0
New Orleans Saints	6	8	0
Arizona Cardinals	5	8	1
Carolina Panthers	5	8	0
Philadelphia Eagles	5	9	0
Los Angeles Rams	4	10	0
Chicago Bears	3	11	0
San Francisco 49ers	1	13	0

Invest Now: Tennessee Titans (75-1)

Sooner or later the betting world was going to wake up to the secret that is the Tennessee Titans. 

Going into Week 15, the Titans had won three of their prior four, including triumphs against contending teams such as the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.

Given the trend, it wasn't too much of a shock to see Marcus Mariota and his crew go into Kansas City and beat the Chiefs, 19-17. It was a game the Chiefs were built to win, hence Mariota not throwing a score but his stable of backs rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns on a 5.1 per-carry average.

A gritty ground game and strong defense has been Tennessee's calling card all year and has the Titans in the race for first in the AFC South. It's merely a major bonus the team has Mariota under center sitting on 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

It should be clear by now, but Cory Curtis of WKRN-TV Nashville hits it on the head when he brings up the stellar competition the Titans have defeated:

The rest of the schedule isn't so bad. Sweeping the Jacksonville Jaguars seems a given and besting a Houston Texans team that beat the Titans by seven points way back in Week 4 seems likely. Houston has problems of its own, having almost just lost to Jacksonville.

Bettors can expect the Titans to take care of business and slip into the playoffs. Once they do, the defense and combo of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry in the backfield might give any team they encounter serious problems.

Forget it: Denver Broncos (50-1)

For what it's worth, the Broncos still looked like contenders when the Titans beat them in Week 14.

As one can see, it seems oddsmakers have thrown in the towel here as well. Bettors who look at the Broncos and see a good payout are simply in for a bad time.

Denver now sits third in the AFC West behind the Chiefs and first-place Oakland Raiders, the two teams the Broncos have to close the season against and have already dropped games against.

It's not too hard to figure out the problems in Denver. The defense falters against elite offenses, hence allowances of 23 or more points to Atlanta, Oakland and Kansas City in losses.

More importantly, the offense simply doesn't show up often. Check a staggering note by NFL.com's Chris Wesseling:

In a 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 15, Trevor Siemian threw for 282 yards and an interception while the running game averaged only 3.4 yards per carry.

Unlike one year ago, the Broncos aren't getting strong production from the backfield and the defense isn't showing up big in every game. The rigors of the AFC West have taken their toll, something bettors will see reinforced with emphasis over the last two weeks of the season.

Don't Panic: Detroit Lions (22-1)

Those who want to roll the dice with the Detroit Lions should feel safe doing so.

While the Lions broke a five-game tear in Week 15 with a road loss to the New York Giants, a 17-6 affair in the cold shouldn't be the contest that makes bettors shy away from the team.

Detroit still looks like a contender because an offense that has forgotten all about Calvin Johnson has Matthew Stafford at 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions and a defense that only allows 20.4 points per game. Don't forget an insane clutch gene.

Granted, losing 17-6 to the Giants while Stafford goes without a touchdown stings, but the defeat couldn't have come against a hotter team.

Safety Glover Quin Jr. put it best, according to the team's official Twitter account:

This looks easier said than done, as Detroit closes the season against the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. The Lions match up well with the former, though, and whether Dallas plays starters remains to be seen. Green Bay beat the Lions in Week 3, but that was quite a long time ago and there's no guarantee the Packers win their other contest to close the season, a game against a Minnesota Vikings team that already beat them once.

In other words, the Lions have a few different ways to get into the postseason and bettors should feel comfortable with the payout. Upon arrival, should they make it there, the Lions looks like a team with the ingredients to make a run.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.