NFL Power Rankings 2015: Team Records and Standings Predictions for Week 15

Can the Carolina Panthers become the second team to complete an undefeated 16-game regular season? Who wins the crowded races at the top of the not-too-competitive NFC East and AFC South divisions? Which two of the three 8-5 wild-card hopefuls in the AFC will squeeze into the postseason?  

Week 15 is going to be a doozy, and it should give us quite a bit more clarity on all three of these questions.

As we rank all 32 teams heading into the third-to-last slate of regular-season games below, we'll also be predicting all 16 contests for the week. As always, feel free to give your own thoughts on how the teams currently stack up or on Week 15 predictions in the comment section.

Rank	Team	Current Record	Week 15 Matchup	Proj. Record
1	Carolina Panthers	13-0	at New York Giants	14-0
2	Arizona Cardinals	11-2	at Philadelphia	12-2
3	New England Patriots	11-2	vs. Tennessee	12-2
4	Seattle Seahawks	8-5	vs. Cleveland	9-5
5	Kansas City Chiefs	8-5	at Baltimore	9-5
6	Pittsburgh Steelers	8-5	vs. Denver	9-5
7	Cincinnati Bengals	10-3	at San Francisco	11-3
8	Green Bay Packers	9-4	at Oakland	10-4
9	Denver Broncos	10-3	at Pittsburgh	10-4
10	New York Jets	8-5	at Dallas	9-5
11	Minnesota Vikings	8-5	vs. Chicago	9-5
12	Philadelphia Eagles	6-7	vs. Arizona	6-8
13	Oakland Raiders	6-7	vs. Green Bay	6-8
14	Buffalo Bills	6-7	at Washington	7-7
15	Washington Redskins	6-7	vs. Buffalo	6-8
16	New York Giants	6-7	vs. Carolina	6-8
17	Houston Texans	6-7	at Indianapolis	7-7
18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6-7	at St. Louis	6-8
19	Miami Dolphins	5-8	at San Diego	5-9
20	Jacksonville Jaguars	5-8	vs. Atlanta	5-9
21	New Orleans Saints	5-8	vs. Detroit	5-9
22	St. Louis Rams	5-8	vs. Tampa Bay	6-8
23	Atlanta Falcons	6-7	at Jacksonville	7-7
24	Indianapolis Colts	6-7	vs. Houston	6-8
25	Chicago Bears	5-8	at Minnesota	5-9
26	Baltimore Ravens	4-9	vs. Kansas City	4-10
27	Dallas Cowboys	4-9	vs. New York Jets	4-10
28	Detroit Lions	4-9	at New Orleans	5-9
29	San Diego Chargers	3-10	vs. Miami	4-10
30	Cleveland Browns	3-10	at Seattle	3-11
31	San Francisco 49ers	4-9	vs. Cincinnati	4-10
32	Tennessee Titans	3-10	at New England	3-11

Marquee Matchups

Houston Texans (6-7) at Indianapolis Colts (6-7)

Can the Texans beat the Colts in Indy for the first time in franchise history in a game probably for the AFC South title? Yes, they can. And I believe they will.

The big question right now, though, is who will be under center for each team. Brian Hoyer is recovering from a concussion for Houston, and NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport said he was doubtful for Sunday's contest. That would leave T.J. Yates as the starter. In that case, the Colts at home do become a slightly more attractive pick.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

For Indianapolis, Andrew Luck could return to practice this week, per the Indianapolis Star's Stephen Holder. It seems unlikely he'll play, though. Matt Hasselbeck injured his rib in the Colts' embarrassing Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Holder also said his status is still uncertain. That leaves Charlie Whitehurst, a career backup, to likely come in for the 10th start of his career.

In the unlikely event Luck does play, J.J. Watt and the hellacious Texans defense are not going to give him a warm welcome. And if it's Hasselbeck or Whitehurst, Houston is just going to be forcing three-and-outs or turnovers all night.

Even if the Texans offense isn't super dominant, it'll be playing with good enough field position to accumulate a decent point total and win this game.

Carolina Panthers (13-0) at New York Giants (6-7)

For one team, it's about moving one step closer to a historic unbeaten season. For another, it's about getting pole position in a three-team race at the top of the NFC East.

Either way, the stakes are high.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Panthers have a huge edge on paper with that shutdown defense and the dynamic Cam Newton under center. That said, the Giants' passing attack can be dynamic when it's clicking. And Carolina has had games where it looks very beatable in 2015, such as a Week 8 overtime victory against the Colts and a 41-38 road triumph over the New Orleans Saints in Week 13.

New York is at home and needs the win more than Carolina does, no matter what the Panthers might be telling themselves. That could make this game closer than it should be, but Newton's squad should still come out on top. 

Denver Broncos (10-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)

It's funny how things can change in a matter of just a few years. In 2012, the Denver Broncos were fourth in offensive yardage and second in points. The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed the fewest yards and the sixth-fewest points on defense.

Now, the roles are switched.

The relentless Denver defense has spearheaded the Broncos' success this season, allowing both the fewest yards and points. The Pittsburgh offense is fifth in yards and second in points, numbers that would probably be better if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn't miss five starts because of injury.

Frank Victores/Associated Press/Associated Press

Unlike the Panthers-Giants matchup, this game has playoff implications for both teams. The Steelers are the last team left out of the six-team bracket at the moment, and the Broncos are the No. 3 seed, which means a wild-card game. Both teams would love to move up, but each squad will stay in its spot in the event of a loss.

The Steelers are favorites at home, but things rarely come easy against the top defense. It's likely one of those games in which the team that imposes its will on the style of the contest will win. If it's high-scoring early with both teams getting in offensive rhythms, Pittsburgh should be good to go. If the game becomes tough to watch because of constant changes of possession and no offensive flow, Denver's likely to win.

The Steelers should take this one, seeing as they've scored 30 points in their last five games and have a good enough defense to contain Brock Osweiler.