Week Fifteen Power Rankings

So, I managed to avoid a flip-flop at the top again this week.  Both the Colts and Saints remained undefeated, and while the Saints had another hard time with it, they will remain on top. 

Don't fret Colts fans, they are still right on the Saints tail as the second best team in the league.  You know they are a good team when they can overcome three INTs from Peyton Manning and still win.

1. New Orleans Saints (13-0, LW: 1): The Saints are sure making it interesting.  The defence struggled big time versus the Falcons.  The offence again picked up the slack, but they will face a tough challenge against Dallas this Saturday.

2. Indianapolis Colts (13-0, LW: 2): The Colts got the job done despite Manning's struggles.  Now, they travel to Jacksonville for a tough division matchup.  Now that everything is wrapped up in the AFC, do they bench their starters at any point?

3. Minnesota Vikings (11-2, LW: 3): That was a huge bounce-back game for Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.  They defeated a tough Bengals team, and they go to Carolina this week with a chance to lock up the division.

4. San Diego Chargers (10-3, LW: 4): Wow, eight in a row this year and 16 in a row in December.  The Chargers are in prime form right now, but will they be able to translate all of this success into a deep playoff run?  Only time (and L.T.) will tell.

5. Green Bay Packers (9-4, LW: 6): The Packers are playing amazing on defence, and the running game finally got going against the Bears.  They travel this week to the Steel City, to face a reeling Steelers team.  The Packers are another team peaking at the right time, and will be a tough out in the playoffs.

6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-4, LW: 7): The Eagles reeled off another win, and they did it with solid offence.  DeShean Jackson is an outstanding talent that could help get the Eagles over the hump.  Getting Mike Vick more involved has helped as well.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4, LW: 5): That was a tough loss for the Bengals against a top NFC team.  This week, they take on the red-hot Chargers with the second seed in the AFC on the line.  Which Bengals team will show up?  They have to score more points to be considered a Super Bowl Contender.

8. New England Patriots (8-5, LW: 9): They needed that win over the Panthers to try and keep their Division lead.  They have to avoid a letdown this week against the Bills.  Randy Moss needs to get more involved again or this team may be watching come January.

9. Arizona Cardinals (8-5, LW: 8): That loss to the 49ers Monday Night blows the Division wide open again.  The Cards control their own fates, and will have to bounce back this week when they travel to Detroit.  So, the Cards will be fine.

10. Dallas Cowboys (8-5, LW: 10): The December woes continue for the Cowboys.  Another great performance from Tony Romo, but bad decision cost this team.  How many times have we watched Marion Barber get stuffed four times in a row from the one?  Too many, and the kicking game stinks.

11. Denver Broncos (8-5, LW: 11): The Broncos are still sitting atop the Wild Card race, but if they hope to make a deep playoff run, they will have to play better on offence.  They rallied late, but couldn't keep up with the Colts.

12. New York Giants (7-6, LW: 12): Another week, another inconsistant performance from the G-Men.  They kept up with the Eagles, but couldn't get it done in the end.  Now they travel to Washingto for a tough NFC East matchup.  If they lose, their playoff hopes may be done.

13. Baltimore Ravens (7-6, LW: 14): The Ravens continued their trend of win one, lose one against the Lions, and now have the shaky Bears coming to town.  If they can continue to get performances like that from the running game, they could sneak into the playoffs.

14. Miami Dolphins (7-6, LW: 16): That win over Jacksonville puts the Dolphins in a very good spot.  Now they have their second road game in a row, this time in Tennessee.  A win there will certainly help their cause.  How good has Chad Henne looked?  Wow.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-6, LW: 13): That loss could be fatal, but somehow the Jags still hold the second Wild Card slot.  They better hope the Colts give up on their quest for 16-0, or the Jags could lose that spot this week.

16. Tennessee Titans (6-7, LW: 17): They kept their slim playoff hope alive by thrashing St Louis.  Now, they get the Dolphins at home, with a chance to get right back into the thick of the race.  Chris Johnson needs to get more MVP credit.

17. New York Jets (7-6, LW: 21): Back-to-back wins have the Jets back in the race, but they face a tough home game this week against the Falcons.  Whoever plays QB will need to make more plays.  They can't rely on the defence (and Thomas Jones) to win every game.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-7, LW: 15): The Madden Curse strikes again.  With Troy Polamalu out of the lineup, the Steelers are a shell of their Super Bowl team.  That is five losses in a row, and will need a miracle to make the playoffs now.

19. San Francisco 49ers (6-7, LW: 23): If they would have beat the Seahawks a week ago, they would be only a game out in the Division.  However, they kept their hopes alive by upsetting Arizona.  That defence was ferocious.

20. Atlanta Falcons (6-7, LW: 18): This is a good team that has been decimated by injuries.  Despite that, they almost took out the Saints.  This is great news for the future.  With Matt Ryan and Michael Turner healthy, they are a playoff team.

21. Carolina Panthers (5-8, LW: 19): The Matt Moore experiment continues, and he will need some new playmakers on offence if he is to be successful.  They still have a dominant running game.

22. Chicago Bears (5-8, LW: 20): The Bears fought hard against the Packers, but couldn't hold on for the win.  Jay Cutler will have to be more reliable in the future, or this team is going nowhere fast.

23. Houston Texans (6-7,LW: 24): They aren't done quite yet.  A win over the lowly Rams would get them back to 7-7, with the Dolphins and the Patriots still on the slate.  With performances like that from Andre Johnson, they have a shot.

24. Seattle Seahawks (5-8, LW: 22): The Seahawks have been another wildy inconsistant team this year.  They have a lot of work to do in the offseason, and much of it will be on the O-line and the defence.

25. Buffalo Bills (5-8, LW: 26): So what have we learned from the Terrell Owens experiment?  A) the Bills don't know how to use talented players B) TO still has a bit left in the tank and C) the Bills don't have a solid option at QB.

26. Washington Redskins (4-9, LW: 28): The Redskins should be way higher on this list, but kicking problems and not being able to close out games have killed the Skins.  Any chance Clinton Portis returns next season?

27. Oakland Raiders (4-9, LW: 25): What a bad break for Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders.  They were finally starting to look like a team on the verge of something.  Now, they turn to Charlie Frye at QB.  Yuck.

28. Kansas City Cheifs (3-10, LW: 27): The good news: Jamaal Charles appears to be on the verge of superstardom.  The bad news: Matt Cassell does not, and that is bad news for a team that gave him a lot of money to bring them to the playoffs.

29. Cleveland Browns (2-11, LW: 32): Why win that game?  Now they lose the number one pick in April, and they really didn't look that good.  Oh well, at least they can say they pretty much ruined the Steelers chance at a repeat.

30. Detroit Lions (2-11, LW: 29): They got absolutely destroyed against the Ravens.  Now they lose Kevin Smith for the year.  They have work to do on both the offensive and defensive lines in the offseason.

31. St Louis Rams (1-12, LW: 30): The Rams got dominated by Chris Johnson and the Titans, but come to think of it, who hasn't?  They are playing for next year, and it doesn't like they will move into next year with Keith Null at QB (or Jake Locker either).

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-12, LW: 31): How on earth did they beat the Packers?  Jeez, this team is awful.  Josh Freeman hasn't looked good at all, but that is probably due to the lack of talent around him.  They better hope so, or it could be a while before the Bucs are relevant again.