NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 16

Week 15 won't be completely wrapped up until a Monday Night Football showdown between New Orleans and Chicago, but it's never too early to look forward to Week 16.

The league's hierarchy isn't any more figured out after Week 15, with a couple of the NFL's top teams falling to lesser foes, while others took care of business. At the bottom of the league, it's a tight race for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft—although said teams are more focused on winning the games in front of them than anything else.

Let's take a look as to how the Week 16 standings will shape out before the Monday Night Football affair between the Saints and Bears.

32. Oakland Raiders

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The Raiders have shown signs of competence throughout the 2014 season, but their Week 15 defeat to the Chiefs shows just how behind they are in the rebuilding process.

Oakland fell to Kansas City, 31-13, in a rematch of a game the Raiders won in their home stadium less than a month ago, their second defeat of two touchdowns or more in the last three weeks. It's looking more and more likely—with season-ending games against Buffalo and Denver—that Oakland will snag the No. 1 pick in the draft.

31. Tennessee Titans

Although hapless teams like Jacksonville and Oakland sandwich them in the power rankings, no team in the NFL has been more hapless than the Titans throughout recent weeks. Tennessee's home loss to the Jets dropped them to 2-12 on the season, and a Thursday Night Football game against Jacksonville could decide who picks earlier in the draft.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars showed their poise in recent weeks but have since fallen back down into the league's cellar, with losses to Houston and Baltimore. With a formidable pass rush and glimpses of promise from rookie Blake Bortles, Jacksonville should be more competitive in the near future.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After a close 19-17 loss to the Panthers, the Bucs fall to 2-12 and remain in contention for the top pick in the draft. It won't really be hard for Tampa Bay to drop a few more and move into strong position for a new franchise quarterback, with tough games against Green Bay and New Orleans to close out the year.

28. New York Jets

The 3-11 Jets finally got off their losing streak with an ugly 16-11 win over Tennessee Sunday, but their fans might have been rooting for the loss when Delanie Walker nearly returned a last-second trick play for a score, as Jeff Pearlman noted:

Only one team has allowed more touchdown passes than the Jets, who are a few games away from likely reshuffling the coaching staff—and potentially the front office. This should look like a completely different team in 2015.

27. Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III was back in at quarterback in Week 15, and he showed flashes of his old self before falling to a 24-13 defeat to the Giants on the road. The loss marks Washington's sixth straight, and the 'Skins are likely to get another top draft pick—this one they can actually use—in the 2015 draft in result.

26. New York Giants

The Giants showed their poise in rallying for a 24-13 win over Washington in Week 15, marking their second consecutive win. New York could build some morale heading into the offseason with late-season wins over St. Louis and Philadelphia, but it might not be enough to avoid a coaching staff reshuffle.

25. Chicago Bears

The Bears host the Saints on Monday Night Football in a game that will help decide where they are—either with the league's worst teams or somewhere near the back of the middle. Either way, Chicago's postseason hopes are out of the window at 5-8 in the cutthroat NFC, and a putrid 30th-ranked pass defense should be priority No. 1 in the offseason.

24. St. Louis Rams

St. Louis is about where many expected it to be entering the season—the Rams are relevant at 6-8 but saw their postseason hopes sail a few weeks ago. Without a present—or long-term—answer at quarterback and with an incomplete offense, the Rams will struggle to contend in spite of a nasty defense.

23. Minnesota Vikings

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The Vikings haven't won all of their games since early October, but they have more than shown up in every one. Minnesota's two-game win streak was snapped by a red-hot Lions team in Week 15, but rookie Teddy Bridgewater has the Vikes heading in the right direction. 

22. Carolina Panthers

After taking care of business in Week 15 with Derek Anderson, the question for Carolina entering the homestretch is whether its franchise quarterback will be available. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network added the latest:

If Cam Newton can make a triumphant return, you'd have to like the Panthers' chances of running the table against Cleveland and Atlanta down the stretch. However, even that might not be enough to come from behind and win the putrid NFC South.

21. Cleveland Browns

The Johnny Manziel era could not have gotten off to a more disheartening start, as the Browns' playoff hopes were all but dashed in a Week 15 loss at home to Cincinnati. At least Mike Pettine made the move now, as he can see what he has in Manziel against Carolina and Baltimore before entering an offseason filled with decisions.

20. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons gave up a golden chance to stay in front of their division Sunday, falling 27-20 to Pittsburgh. But the good news for Atlanta is it plays in the NFC South. If the Saints lose on Monday Night Football, Atlanta will somehow remain tied for first place.

19. Houston Texans

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Houston's loss at Indianapolis pretty much summed up the Texans' entire season—they teeter on the edge of dominance and mediocrity, only to disappoint in the end. The Colts took the AFC South Sunday in a 17-10 game that could have propelled the Texans into playoff position had they won.

18. Miami Dolphins

Just like last season, the Dolphins are handing away an opportunity to make the playoffs with some crucial late-season losses. Falling to New England—a team they beat soundly in Week 1—in Sunday's rematch was understandable, but it doesn't shield the fact that 7-7 Miami needs to win out (along with get help) to make the postseason.

17. New Orleans Saints

All fear the mighty NFC South. As Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com noted, the Saints have work to do on Monday Night Football to retake the division lead from Carolina:

The Saints have traditionally been poor on the road, but that notion has been flipped on its head as of late, as New Orleans has dropped four straight at home but won two straight on the road. The Saints should be expected to rout a downtrodden Chicago team Monday night.

16. Buffalo Bills

Instead of packing it in and conceding their playoff hopes to a scorching-hot Packers team, the Bills came to play and stopped Aaron Rodgers' hot streak in a 21-13 home victory. Now at 8-6, Buffalo has furiously reemerged into the AFC wild-card discussion and now hopes for losses by teams like San Diego, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

15. Baltimore Ravens

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The Ravens survived a Jaguars team that came to play Sunday afternoon, grabbing a much-needed win to stay in the lead of the wild-card race. The AFC North might be Cincinnati's, but Baltimore will be happy to ride into the postseason with a wild-card spot.

14. San Francisco 49ers

As if it hadn't already done so weeks ago, the focus has officially shifted to 2015 after the 49ers' defeat to Seattle in Week 15. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report revealed the pressing decision for San Francisco:

Now eliminated from playoff contention, the only question is whether the Niners will choose to fight or pack it in down the stretch.

13. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs knocked off their three-game losing streak at a crucial time, throttling the Raiders 31-13 in a rematch of a game Kansas City would like to forget. Andy Reid's crew remains in postseason contention, but a game in Pittsburgh—another chief wild-card contender—in Week 16 will be a must-win.

12. San Diego Chargers

A brutal schedule down the stretch is biting the Chargers, who saw their three-game win streak thwarted by losses to New England and Denver—both at home. To make matters worse, San Diego has to go on the road to close the season against the 49ers and Chiefs.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are sitting pretty in the AFC wild-card race after getting a win they sorely needed in Atlanta, and they now move into another must-win situation in Week 16 against Kansas City. Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell will both need to be clicking against the Chiefs' hard-hitting defense.

10. Cincinnati Bengals

Just over a month ago, the Bengals were beaten soundly by the Browns. On Sunday, Cincinnati gave that beating right back to Cleveland in Johnny Manziel's starting debut. At 9-4-1, the Bengals are oh-so-close to wrapping up the division but enter a tough Week 16 matchup against the Broncos. 

9. Detroit Lions

The Lions can win ugly and win pretty, but what's becoming undoubtable is that they just win. After back-to-back 17-point wins, Detroit eked out a 16-14 win over pesky Minnesota.

And after Green Bay's loss, the Lions are very much alive for the division as well.

8. Arizona Cardinals

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The Arizona Cardinals don't need touchdowns to win games, as evidenced by their 12-6 win over St. Louis on Thursday night. Bruce Arians' squad takes the much-needed extra rest into a crucial Week 16 matchup against Seattle that could be for the NFC West. 

7. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles stole the Cowboys' thunder in AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving, but Dallas may have gotten the one that counted—a Sunday Night Football win in Philly to knock the Eagles down to second place. Although, Chip Kelly can't complain about his team's schedule down the stretch—it plays Washington and the New York Giants.

6. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys offense redeemed itself against the Eagles in Week 15, but the team can't afford to take its foot off the gas pedal heading down the homestretch. An explosive Colts squad comes into Dallas before the Cowboys travel to face a Redskins team they've already lost to. 

Should the Cowboys drop one or both, tiebreakers could lead to their demise in tight playoff races.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck and the Colts haven't really wowed folks in recent weeks, despite Luck's gaudy passing numbers, winning 17-10 against Houston to win the lowly AFC South. Indianapolis closes out against Dallas and Tennessee, with an outside shot to grab a first-round bye, but it's more likely that the Colts will have to play in the opening postseason weekend.

4. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are becoming more and more predictable, as they continue to steamroll every team in their path. But Week 16 presents an interesting challenge against Arizona in a game that will likely decide who wins the NFC West and contends for a first-round bye. The other—shockingly—could end up out of the playoffs altogether.

3. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning has thrown only one touchdown in the last two weeks, but the Broncos have been riding a dominant rushing attack and a formidable defense to success. That's a promising sign for the playoffs, when both of those will be needed to get Manning and Co. back to the Super Bowl.

2. Green Bay Packers

Right when the Packers looked like they couldn't be stopped, the Bills stopped them in their tracks in Week 15. Aaron Rodgers' passing attack should still be feared, but it should be beyond concerning for Green Bay fans who have seen this prolific offense fizzle out during playoff runs in the recent past.

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots failed to match the Packers' grit in a championship-like test a few weeks back, but they have since bounced back to top a couple of strong-willed AFC playoff contenders. New England wrapped up the AFC East with the win over Miami, which marked a new record for Bill Belichick, per the Patriots' Twitter:

Don't expect Tom Brady and the Pats to slow down, with them looking to hold off Denver for the No. 1 spot in the AFC playoff race.