NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Review and Reaction to 2018 League Standings

With just two weeks remaining in the 2018 NFL regular season, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

Teams around the league are battling spots in the 12-team field, as only five playoff berths have officially been clinched. Meanwhile, a number of squads are just trying to get through the rest of the year healthy while competing for draft positioning.

In other words, there's still plenty to keep an eye on as the final two weeks play out.

Below is a look at how teams around the NFL stack up, based on a combination of record, recent play and playoff status.

NFL Standings

AFC East

New England Patriots (9-5)

Miami Dolphins (7-7)

Buffalo Bills (5-9)

New York Jets (4-10)

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1)

Baltimore Ravens (8-6)

Cleveland Browns (6-7-1)

Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)

AFC South

Houston Texans (10-4)

Indianapolis Colts (8-6)

Tennessee Titans (8-6)

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)

Los Angeles Chargers (11-3)

Denver Broncos (6-8)

Oakland Raiders (3-11)

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (8-6)

Philadelphia Eagles (7-7) 

Washington (7-7)

New York Giants (5-9)

NFC North

Chicago Bears (10-4)

Minnesota Vikings (7-6-1)

Green Bay Packers (5-8-1)

Detroit Lions (5-9)

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (12-2)

Carolina Panthers (6-8)

Atlanta Falcons (5-9)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9)

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (11-3)

Seattle Seahawks (8-6)

San Francisco 49ers (4-10)

Arizona Cardinals (3-11)

Power Rankings

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Los Angeles Chargers

4. Los Angeles Rams 

5. Houston Texans

6. Chicago Bears

7. New England Patriots

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Baltimore Ravens

10. Indianapolis Colts

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Minnesota Vikings

13. Seattle Seahawks

14. Philadelphia Eagles

15. Cleveland Browns

16. Tennessee Titans

17. Carolina Panthers

18. Miami Dolphins

19. Washington

20. Green Bay Packers

21. Atlanta Falcons

22. New York Giants

23. Denver Broncos

24. Cincinnati Bengals

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

26. Buffalo Bills

27. Detroit Lions 

28. New York Jets

29. San Francisco 49ers

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

31. Oakland Raiders

32. Arizona Cardinals

1. New Orleans Saints

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

At this point, there is little debate as to who has been the best team in the NFL this season.

New Orleans is coming off a season in which it was a Minnesota Miracle away from the NFC Championship Game—and it has been even better this season. While winning 12 of their last 13 games, it has found different ways to win. Whether it be a 45-35 shootout against the Rams, a 48-7 blowout of the defending champs or a 12-9 slugfest against the Panthers on Monday night, the Saints are on the smiling side of the scoreboard just about every week.

With Drew Brees under center, New Orleans has been known for its high-powered passing attack. However, like last year, the defense has been pulling its weight. The unit ranks 11th in total defense and seventh in scoring defense.

The Saints defense has been stout recently, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

Add that to the second-ranked offense and that's a dangerous combination.

This is a Saints squad that doesn't have a glaring weakness. Brees is an MVP candidate, the backfield duo of Alvin Kamara (860 rushing yards, 627 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns) and Mark Ingram (582 rushing yards and five touchdowns) have continued to put up big numbers, and Michael Thomas (1,267 yards and eight touchdowns) is one of the best receivers in the league. And as mentioned above, the defense is on top of its game.

Not only that, but New Orleans has proved it can win away from the Superdome. The Saints are 7-1 on the road this season, with their lone loss coming by a field goal to the NFC East-leading Cowboys.

New Orleans has the look of a team that is intent on avenging last year's heartbreaking playoff loss, with Mike Jones of USA Today recently reporting the Saints have taken on Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality." And that's bad news for the rest of the league.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

David Eulitt/Getty Images

Yes, Philip Rivers and Co. just went into Arrowhead Stadium and pulled out a 29-28 victory to pull even with Kansas City in the AFC West. Still, though, Los Angeles finds itself staring up at its divisional rival.

There is no question that the Chargers have one of the best rosters in all of football. Like New Orleans, Los Angeles is loaded with talent on both sides of the football. Its offense ranks fourth in points per game (28.2), and the ranks ninth in scoring (21.3). 

Outside of the Saints, there is arguably no hotter team in football than the Chargers, who have won four in a row and 10 of their last 11. That momentum has Bleacher Report's Master Tesfatsion sold on L.A.:

But when it comes to Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, there is one glaring stat that weighs heavily in favor of the Chiefs. The Chargers have led the Chiefs for a total of four seconds (out of 120 minutes) in their two matchups this season.

Sure, the 38-28 Chiefs victory in Week 1 may have played out different if Joey Bosa (foot) had suited up for Los Angeles, but Kansas City was also without Eric Berry. Still, it's remarkable that Los Angeles managed to split the series despite Kansas City seemingly controlling both games.

Even after their Week 15 loss to the Chargers, the Chiefs remain in the driver's seat for not only the AFC West, but the No. 1 seed in the AFC West. All they have to do is win out and the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC runs through Arrowhead.

Regardless of the Kansas City-Los Angeles debate, there is no denying that the Chargers are a legitimate Super Bowl threat. The Chargers have won the AFC since going to Super Bowl XXIX in Jan. 1995, but this year's squad has the talent to end that skid.

14. Philadelphia Eagles

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Philadelphia's season is on the line and Nick Foles comes to the rescue. Sound familiar?

With Carson Wentz nursing a back injury, Foles stepped up and helped the Eagles pull out a 30-23 victory on the road over the previously 11-2 Rams. And while his numbers (270 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception) may not jump off the page, he proved he can still lead the team to a win in the clutch.

And perhaps most importantly, the Foles-Alshon Jeffery connection is still alive and well. The two recaptured their magic by connecting eight times for 160 yards on Sunday.

That marked Jeffery's first 100-yard performance since Sept. 30, which was his 2018 debut.

Coach Doug Pederson has already named Foles the starter for Week 16, so if Philadelphia is going to make a run at the playoffs, it appears it's going to be up to the backup.

Philadelphia has endured some tough-luck losses this season, dropping six games by a single possession. Had a play here or there gone differently in any of those contests, the defending champs might be in better position to defend their title.

At 7-7, though, the Eagles are still alive in both the NFC East and the Wild Card races. They need help in both instances, but a return to the postseason is far from out of the question.

Don't forget, it was a late-season game against the Rams that Foles got the Eagles' unbelievable run started a year ago. And while that Philadelphia squad was already atop the NFC at the time Wentz went down, history now has a chance to repeat itself.