NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Latest Outlook and 2014-15 Super Bowl Odds

NFL power rankings are about as difficult as College Football Playoff standings at this point.

Super Bowl odds? Kudos to oddsmakers for even taking a stab, just as a tip of the hat goes to CFP pollsters.

Look at it this way. Just as a number of one-loss teams hope to sneak into the CFP, the race to the NFL playoffs is just as confusing. The NFC South has a pair of five-win teams set to contend for a division title, while the AFC North has a trio of seven-win teams and a team with eight wins set to confuse everyone.

So yes, rankings are difficult to come by at this point, especially after a chaotic Week 13. Just be sure to enjoy the ride—and the current rankings, while they are valid.

2014 Super Bowl Odds After Week 13

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	15-4
Denver Broncos	17-4
Seattle Seahawks	13-2
Green Bay Packers	7-2
Philadelphia Eagles	14-1
Indianapolis Colts	18-1
Arizona Cardinals	25-1
Detroit Lions	25-1
New Orleans Saints	25-1
Cincinnati Bengals	25-1
Dallas Cowboys	28-1
San Diego Chargers	28-1
San Francisco 49ers	33-1
Baltimore Ravens	40-1
Kansas City Chiefs	50-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	50-1
Miami Dolphins	66-1
Atlanta Falcons	66-1
Cleveland Browns	100-1
Buffalo Bills	100-1
Houston Texans	200-1
Minnesota Vikings	300-1
St. Louis Rams	500-1
Carolina Panthers	500-1
Chicago Bears	500-1
New York Giants	750-1
Washington	1000-1
Tennessee Titans	1000-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2000-1
New York Jets	2000-1
Jacksonville Jaguars	3000-1
Oakland Raiders	5000-1

Note: Super Bowl odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. ET

32. Oakland Raiders (1-11)

Like it or not, this was easy to see coming. 

After an upset against Kansas City to get their first win of the season, the Oakland Raiders went out this past weekend and suffered a 52-0 decision at the hands of St. Louis.

This seems to happen once or twice every year. Bad team finally gets that lone win, then collapses on itself once again. Move along. Nothing to see here.

31. Tennessee Titans (2-10)

The lone bright spot for the Tennessee Titans this year has been rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who certainly looks the part of a potential franchise quarterback. 

Well, when he is not getting flattened by J.J. Watt and leaving a game with an injury.

Mettenberger is a man on a mission, though, as Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean points out:

A Titans team playing for the future certainly needs to see more of its rookie leader in the coming weeks. 

30. Carolina Panthers (3-8-1)

Make it six losses in a row for the Carolina Panthers. 

A trip to Minnesota saw Cam Newton sacked four times and throw for just 194 yards and one touchdown to one interception.

Even worse, the defense that had been the strong point of the team in recent years allowed rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to throw a pair of touchdowns.

The Panthers have little fight left and plenty of questions to answer in the offseason.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10)

The question for Tampa Bay is simple—Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota? 

Tampa Bay has now lost two in a row. The two wins were strange, too. A win over Washington is nothing to brag about, and a fluky last-second win over Pittsburgh is just that.

The Buccaneers showed fight in a one-point loss to Cincinnati Sunday, but the good teams win those games.

It did.

28. New York Jets (2-9)

It is back to the drawing board for the hapless New York Jets. 

Out is Michael Vick, in is Geno Smith yet again.

This latest quarterback switch is Rex Ryan's attempt to look toward the future, but one has to think that his job resides on how Smith performs the rest of the way. It begins Monday against an AFC East foe.

27. New York Giants (3-9)

Rock bottom.

That is where one can find the New York Giants right now. It is difficult to discern which is worse—a seven-game skid or a loss to Jacksonville.

Regardless, the Giants are done. Rashad Jennings was a bright spot with two touchdowns, but he suffered an injury in the process.

So it goes.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)

A field goal with 28 seconds left in regulation got the Jacksonville Jaguars their second win of the season Sunday. 

Blake Bortles was still erratic but did well to not throw any interceptions while getting sacked seven times. That said, his defense was able to nab three turnovers, so the team is certainly growing in some of the right areas.

That is all that can really be asked of the Jaguars at this point.

25. Washington (3-9)

It has been known for some time that Washington is a mess from top to bottom. 

The team never stood a chance on the road in Indianapolis this past weekend. That said, Colt McCoy did post a trio of touchdown passes. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller put it best, though:

No matter who is under center, Washington is not winning a lot of games the rest of the way.

24. Chicago Bears (5-7)

The Chicago Bears confirmed what most already knew this season—the team is miserable. 

Marc Trestman's team now has wins against San Francisco, the New York Jets, Atlanta, Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Outside of the first name on the list, none of those are impressive.

Trestman's defense gave up almost 400 passing yards on Thanksgiving, and Jay Cutler threw two more interceptions. The Bears are done.

23. St. Louis Rams (5-7)

Try not to squint too hard at the 52-0 win over the Raiders. 

The St. Louis Rams are that scrappy team with wins over Seattle, San Francisco and Denver this season, but they have yet to put together any kind of positive consistency in the process.

That said, a matchup with Washington next week may help matters. Regardless, it is fun to watch Tre Mason (117 yards, two scores vs. Oakland) quickly develop into the best back from his rookie class.

22. Minnesota Vikings (5-7)

Mike Zimmer's top-10 pass defense continued its strong run of form Sunday with a 31-13 win over Carolina.

That stops a two-game skid, although the most notable revelation from the win is the aforementioned strong showing by the rookie Bridgewater. He says improvement continues to occur on a weekly basis, per the team's Twitter account:

At this juncture, that is all Zimmer can ask. The future slowly gets brighter in a brutal division.

21. New Orleans Saints (5-7)

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints were able to halt a three-game skid Sunday with a win in Pittsburgh.

Really, it makes little sense. The Saints are usually great at home and miserable on the road. Yet the three losses came at the Superdome and the win just came in Pittsburgh.

Brees simply seems tired of losing, as his five touchdown passes seem to indicate. A defense that ranks 23rd or worse against the pass and rush has a lot of work to do in order to get out of his way, though.

20. Cleveland Browns (7-5)

The epic collapse by the Cleveland Browns seems nearly complete. 

Cleveland has now lost two of its last three, with the win being just a two-point escape against Atlanta.

Things will center on the fact the team turned to Johnny Manziel under center, but greater problems exist—such as a 29th-ranked run defense and an offense that rushed for 2.8 yards per carry this past weekend.

19. Atlanta Falcons (5-7)

Thanks to an upset of the Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons are now tied for first place in the NFC South. 

Comments about the quality of the division are redacted.

Perhaps most notable in the key win was the fact that Steven Jackson found room for 101 rushing yards against an elite defense. If this sort of balance continues, the Falcons are suddenly a difficult out for any team.

18. Houston Texans (6-6)

Houston has now won two of its last three, with the loss being a close one at the hands of Cincinnati. 

Many were ready to write off the Texans after Ryan Mallett was lost to injury last week, but all Ryan Fitzpatrick did with the starting gig in his hands once more was throw six touchdowns.

Six. After five. Before seven. Six.

That cannot be expected to happen every week, but it sure would not hurt as the Texans make a serious push for the postseason.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)

The erratic Pittsburgh Steelers were at it again Sunday. 

After a win over Tennessee and a bye to prepare, Ben Roethlisberger and Co. allowed New Orleans to come to town and escape with a three-point win.

Eight catches for 159 yards to go with 95 yards and a score by Le'Veon Bell mean little when his defense allows five touchdowns through the air.

16. Buffalo Bills (7-5)

A better week for the Buffalo Bills is hard to imagine.

Kyle Orton and Co. won their second game in a row this past Sunday and also watched as New England took a dive to help make things a little more interesting in the AFC East. 

The only problem is the upcoming schedule, as over the course of the team's last four games it has to deal with Denver, Green Bay and New England. 

15. Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)

Do not throw in the towel on the Kansas City Chiefs just yet. 

That upset at the hands of Oakland two weeks ago hurts, sure. So does a loss to Denver and a drop to third place in the AFC West.

But this is a Chiefs team with wins over Miami, New England, San Diego, St. Louis, Buffalo and Seattle. The timing is a tad undesirable, but the Chiefs are just fine so long as they get back on track over the next month.

14. Baltimore Ravens (7-5)

Like other AFC North teams, the Baltimore Ravens cost themselves dearly this past weekend.

At home, too, as the Ravens allowed a touchdown with less than one minute left in regulation to lose.

Now the Ravens hit the drawing board in a desperate attempt to fix the 31st-ranked pass defense that is going to get the team in serious trouble down the stretch.

13. Miami Dolphins (6-5)

The Miami Dolphins do not have the best record in the world, but the team is a serious contender for the postseason so long as it can take care of business on Monday Night Football against the Jets.

Miami has a top-10 defense against the pass and rush and most recently lost by three on the road in Denver.

Really, that says it all about the Dolphins.

12. San Francisco 49ers (7-5)

The first of two matchups with the Seattle Seahawks did not go well for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Colin Kaepernick turned the ball over twice, and the team rushed for just 64 total yards in the embarrassing loss at home.

The trouble now is that the panic button may need to be pressed—the 49ers have to recover in a hurry and make the trip to Seattle in Week 15. There the season will be on the line.

11. San Diego Chargers (8-4)

Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers deserve a huge amount of credit—going across the country and taking down a team such as Baltimore is no easy task. 

The fact that the winning score came with about 40 seconds left makes the accomplishment that much sweeter.

All that aside, a top-10 pass defense is about to be put fully to the test with New England and Denver up next on the schedule.

10. Arizona Cardinals (9-3)

Hiccups are to be expected with Drew Stanton under center, no matter how much folks want to proclaim that the offense should not skip a beat. 

Make it two losses in a row for the Cardinals, although the latest is of particular concern considering it came at the hands of the hapless Falcons.

The 27th-ranked pass defense will need to improve in a hurry with matchups against Kansas City, St. Louis, Seattle and San Francisco on the slate to finish the season.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3-1)

The Cincinnati Bengals now have three wins in a row, although the latest was quite ugly thanks to a near-loss in Tampa Bay.

There, quarterback Andy Dalton tossed a trio of interceptions. That said, Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com provides an interesting perspective on the performance:

Regardless, the Bengals were good enough to overcome the poor performance and have now won three straight on the road. That speaks volumes about where the team is as it gets healthy.

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts have it easy this year. 

The next closest team in the AFC South rests at .500. Week 13 was a 49-27 shellacking of Washington in which Luck tossed five scores.

It would be nice if a 25th-ranked pass defense would improve, but a postseason berth seems a lock. When Luck is in this kind of form, it may not matter what kind of defense complements him.

7. Detroit Lions (8-4)

The Detroit Lions are back.

A team that has relied on elite defense all season got offensive on Thanksgiving Day with 390 passing yards and a pair of scores from Matthew Stafford and 91 yards and two scores from back Joique Bell.

Equipped with the league's top run defense and a great pass defense to boot, the Lions might be the most dangerous team in the league if the offense can get that sort of production consistently.

6. Dallas Cowboys (8-4) 

As miserable as it is for the Dallas Cowboys to fall to second place in the NFC East thanks to an ugly loss last Thursday, the team gets another shot at Philadelphia in mere weeks.

Until then, Tony Romo needs to put 199 yards and a pair of picks behind him. It was also strange to see DeMarco Murray rush for fewer than 100 yards. A total regrouping is necessary, but the team will get just that with the Bears up next.

5. Seattle Seahawks (8-4)

It seems to all be falling into place for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. 

One week removed from an upset win over Arizona, the Seahawks got the aforementioned win over San Francisco and then watched as Arizona took a dive, too.

The Seahawks are now within striking distance of a divisional crown, but the remaining schedule—at Philadelphia, San Francisco, at Arizona, St. Louis—is downright brutal.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (9-3)

It was the Philadelphia Eagles that made the biggest statement of the holiday weekend with an upset over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. 

There, Mark Sanchez misfired on just nine passes and threw for 217 yards and a score. By the sounds of it, via his team's Twitter account, the starter wants to keep the ball rolling:

Philadelphia's only losses have come at the hands of San Francisco, Arizona and Green Bay. Now is the time to buy stock.

3. Denver Broncos (9-3)

The Denver Broncos can certainly win when Peyton Manning has a bit of a down performance. 

Look at Sunday's 29-16 win in Kansas City. Manning threw for 179 yards and a pair of scores, a somewhat down performance considering his reputation and elite form this season.

All the Broncos did to counteract this was hold the ball for more than 38 minutes, in large part thanks to 214 rushing yards and forcing three turnovers.

Denver is near the top of the list for good reason.

2. New England Patriots (9-3)

No need to hit the panic button when it comes to New England. 

A five-point loss to the top team in the league should foreshadow a likely Super Bowl encounter, not drop Tom Brady and Co. off the map when it comes to rankings.

The snapping of a seven-game winning streak hurts, but Brady was strong with two touchdowns to no picks. A pass defense that ranks outside of the top 20 will need to improve if it is to stop Aaron Rodgers in a potential rematch.

1. Green Bay Packers (9-3)

Speaking of Rodgers, the man would get more MVP discussion if it were not for some guy named Watt. SportsCenter puts things in perspective: 

All Rodgers did Sunday was throw for 368 yards and two scores while the team rushed for 130 yards.

Green Bay remains undefeated at home this season. With the way Rodgers continues to play, locale may not matter in the slightest moving forward.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).