NFL Power Rankings Week 15: New York Jets Fall, San Diego Chargers Rise in AFC
Another week in the NFL has passed, and so comes the time for a new round of power rankings.
After losses by the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs, there will be a lot of shuffling in the AFC power rankings.
The question is, how much shuffling?
So, to keep you out of suspense, here are the Week 15 power rankings for the AFC teams.
16. Cincinnati Bengals
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It still surprises me how far the Bengals have fallen since last year.
Seriously, though, what happened?
Week after week, the Bengals continue to find new ways to lose games, and they seem to be headed to the front of the line in April's NFL Draft.
They could end the season on a high note, as they have winnable games against Cleveland and San Diego at home over the next two weeks. Considering the way they are playing, though, it doesn't seem likely.
15. Denver Broncos
2 of 16
Apparently the Denver Broncos are immune to the interim head coaching effect.
After firing head coach Josh McDaniels, the Broncos ended up getting absolutely thrashed by the Arizona Cardinals, who have struggled to compete themselves this year.
Blame it on injuries, turnovers, or the lack of running game, but no matter how you spin it, the Broncos are still a struggling football team, and the future is not looking so good for them.
14. Tennessee Titans
3 of 16
Not having a starting-quality quarterback is really hurting the Tennessee Titans.
Sure, they played a close game against Indianapolis, but they only came up with one sack and no turnovers.
Kerry Collins won't win them games, but he'll play them into games. As long as the defense can't hold up the other end of the bargain, though, the Titans have no chances of winning.
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13. Cleveland Browns
4 of 16
A few weeks ago, I told everyone that the Browns would struggle without Colt McCoy.
Well, I was wrong and right all at the same time.
The Browns have been able to win in the absence of Colt McCoy, but the strength of their competition hasn't been particularly great, and they haven't been able to put a whole lot of points up on the board.
In the end, they are ranked No. 29 in total offense, and No. 22 in total defense, which should say enough about them as a team right now.
12. Buffalo Bills
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Congratulations Buffalo, you're improving!
The Buffalo Bills have been known as somewhat of a doormat for a while now, and, despite their shaky draft history, they seem to be putting together a competitive team in the great white north.
The Bills posted their third win of the season this past weekend against Cleveland, continuing a trend of competing with the best and beating the rest.
They will have another opportunity this year to select high up in the draft and continue to build a good team, and may be headed towards competitiveness in the very near future.
11. Oakland Raiders
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After a big win against the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders simply fell apart against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
This continues a sort of trend in Oakland that has been running all year. Of the Raiders' six wins, four have been against division opponents.
The fact that they fell flat on their face last weekend further proves that it takes a weak team or a division opponent to get the Raiders fired up enough for a win, and that just doesn't earn you points in my book.
10. Miami Dolphins
7 of 16
Beating the Jets was big.
Really big.
The Dolphins are now 7-6 and poised to end the season over .500.
They still have some work to do as a team, and the fact that they barely held it together against the Jets doesn't necessarily bode well for them, but they seem like they're headed in the right direction.
9. Houston Texans
8 of 16
The Texans were so close to beating the Ravens that they could taste it.
They have had a rough couple of weeks, but they have done enough in their losses (and their recent wins) to earn them some respect.
To come back from a massive deficit and threaten a team like Baltimore in a prime time match up on the road is simply impressive.
8. Indianapolis Colts
9 of 16
The Colts finally got back on track this week as Peyton Manning picked up his act, tossing two touchdowns and failing to give up a single turnover.
The Colts are still in danger of missing the playoffs, and they are still trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars in their division, but the Colts can really start to heat up in the next few weeks, considering that they have all of the pieces in place.
The question is, though, can they make it work without a running game?
7. New York Jets
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Bring on the hate!
Honestly, though, the Jets have lost three games in a row, haven't scored more than 9 points in any of those losses, and don't show any signs of improving as Mark Sanchez continues to turn to ball over several times per game.
The Jets are keeping things together on defense (for the most part), but they don't seem like they are in any shape to win games at this rate.
6. Kansas City Chiefs
11 of 16
After struggling to come away with the win against the Denver Broncos two weeks ago, the Chiefs completely fell apart against the San Diego Chargers.
Sure, they didn't have Matt Cassel, but it's hard to believe that he meant much to the team when they are a.) ranked No. 28 in the League in passing offense, and b.) they were shut out 31-0, and were held to only 67 yards of total offense in the process.
It's going to take a lot of effort to keep their hopes of an AFC West division title alive when they are playing uninspired football like they did in San Diego.
5. San Diego Chargers
12 of 16
The San Diego Chargers managed to stay alive in the AFC West race on Sunday as they completely blew out the Kansas City Chiefs 31-0.
Despite a setback against the Oakland Raiders, it doesn't seem like there is a team in the League that is playing better defense than the Chargers, and their offense is starting to pick up steam to match.
They may still end up missing out on the playoffs this year, but they deserve a lot of credit for their typical late-season run.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
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Who would've thought that the Jacksonville Jaguars would end up being the late-season darling of the NFL.
They've won two games in a row, which isn't much, but their last loss was by four points to the Giants, who are playing some of the best defense in the League right now.
They hold a solid lead in the AFC South, and may end up stealing the title away from perennial winner Indianapolis.
3. Baltimore Ravens
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The Ravens are looking more and more suspect every week. They managed to sneak one out in overtime against the Texans this past week, but the fact of the matter is that they were up 21-7 at one point, and then fell apart.
They still have a defense to be feared, they still have the potential to take back the AFC North, and they still have the potential to go to the Super Bowl, but they have some things that they need to figure out, and fast.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to prove every week that defense wins championships.
When they fail to get it done on offense, they can always be counted on to score a touchdown or two on defense.
The Steelers are looking like the AFC Super Bowl teams, that is, if you take out the No. 1 team on this list.
1. New England Patriots
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Now that the Patriots have figured out how to play defense, can anyone stop them?
It doesn't seem like it.
They have posted convincing wins over the past few weeks, and they now have a comfortable lead on the New York Jets in the AFC East.
If teams cannot get pressure on Tom Brady, they cannot win, it's that simple. The problem is, though, that the Patriots offensive line doesn't seem to be able to be beaten.
Unless something goes seriously wrong in the next few weeks, the Patriots look like Super Bowl favorites.
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