NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: Carolina Panthers Feeling Lucky?
Week 15 was easily one of the most exciting weeks in the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears all clinched.
Tom Brady continued his historic pace.
Michael Vick led a miraculous comeback against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter.
Are the Carolina Panthers really the worst team in the league?
Which team ranks ahead of the rest?
32. Carolina Panthers
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Although the Panthers beat the Cardinals, it wasn’t the prettiest win. Jonathan Stewart has looked much better in recent weeks, which is great news for Carolina management since they will most likely be letting go of DeAngelo Williams. Oddly enough, this team probably doesn’t want to win and would rather solidify the No. 1 pick in April’s Draft. Jimmy Clausen threw a touchdown, but still didn’t look good. If John Fox is out, the new coaching staff should feel lucky if they have the No. 1 pick to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
31. Arizona Cardinals
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The quarterback play has been atrocious all season. You just have to feel for Larry Fitzgerald. The defense didn’t show up this year either, despite having a lot of playmakers. They traveled to the east coast and stumbled in Carolina, ending their playoff hopes.
30. Cincinnati Bengals
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The Bengals remembered that they swept the AFC North last year thanks to Cedric Benson and the running game. Oddly enough, Terrell Owens went down on their first possession and then they beat the Browns because they ran the football. Who would’ve ever though that!? In the running for most disappointing team this season.
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29. Denver Broncos
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The Tim Tebow era has arrived in Denver. Fans should be excited. It was a lost year and they will most likely get a new coach in the offseason. Fans should be thankful Josh McDaniels was fired though. The team has a lot of needs and really needs to upgrade their defense. With Tebow at quarterback, the future is bright.
28. San Francisco 49ers
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One of the most disappointing teams this year, they are somehow still in the NFC West playoff race. If they can beat St. Louis this weekend, things will be extremely interesting. Unfortunately, Alex Smith is one of the most inconsistent quarterbacks we have seen in some time. He played well in his return and was then terrible against the Chargers. They do have extra time to prepare, but the loss of Frank Gore hurt this squad.
27. Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins got Brandon Marshall back Week 14 and upset the New York Jets on the road. They fell apart once again against the Buffalo Bills at home. This is usually a tough team but they have not shown it this year. The offense never clicked this season. Chad Henne was supposed to emerge as a quality quarterback but he failed. Brandon Marshall was a disappointment in his first season and the running game never took off.
26. Buffalo Bills
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The Bills are doing well for themselves despite the lack of superstar caliber players. Ryan Fitzpatrick has done a great job and Stevie Johnson is clearly the team’s MVP. They are starting to get some wins under their belts after defeating the Browns and Dolphins the past two weeks. They did well in the first meeting against the Patriots earlier in the season, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do at home this week.
25. Minnesota Vikings
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Easily one of the most disappointing teams this year. Nothing seemed to go right for the Vikings. Even Tarvaris Jackson and Adrian Peterson were forced to miss the Week 15 contest after their embarrassing exchange against the Giants Week 14. The Brett Favre saga continued all season and now it looks like he’s done for the year after suffering a concussion against Chicago. They’ll scratch their heads wondering after this season. The Metrodome collapsing was eerily similar to the entire Vikings season.
24. Houston Texans
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The Texans started the season so hot, demolishing the Indianapolis Colts and establishing a name for themselves. Then the Giants came to town and seemed to steal their hearts. The Texans have simply fell apart due to injuries throughout the season. They have easily one of the worst defenses in the league despite a powerful offensive attack. Andre Johnson will have to try again next season to make the playoffs.
23. Tennessee Titans
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The Randy Moss experiment was a disaster. Vince Young went down to injury and there is talk that it is either Young or head coach Jeff Fisher come the offseason. Chris Johnson struggled beyond belief for a few weeks. The team is starting to battle back with Kenny Britt back in the lineup and they still aren’t even out of the playoff race after beating Houston. They won’t make the playoffs as their midseason collapse will be too much to overcome.
22. Seattle Seahawks
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Seattle opened the season with a shocking win over the San Francisco 49ers. That’s when we though the 49ers were actually going to be good. The Seahawks have been arguably the most inconsistent team in the league. Their game plan seems to vary by the week. They constantly fail to establish a solid running game, despite having two quality backs to work with. The team was really hurt when Mike Williams was forced to miss time with the foot injury. Still, the Seahawks can still take the NFC West division.
21. Washington Redskins
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Mike Shanahan was apparently right about Rex Grossman, who threw four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately for Shanahan, he still could not come up with a win. This has been a rather embarrassing and tumultuous season for Shanahan and the Redskins. Why should we have expected anything else, really?
20. Detroit Lions
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The Lions have played fantastic football for most of the season. They ended their historic 26 road game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 15. They now have a two-game win streak and hope to extend it against the Miami Dolphins Week 16. With Calvin Johnson, they have a great opportunity to do so.
19. Cleveland Browns
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The Browns have played great football all season despite the two-game losing streak. The Browns really should have beaten the Bengals, but Peyton Hillis never broke out. Colt McCoy looks great when he plays. His main concern now, just like heading into the draft, is durability. If McCoy can stay healthy though, he could lead this team to the playoffs sooner than later.
18. Dallas Cowboys
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Jason Garrett has the Cowboys rolling. He is 4-2 as interim head coach. The major problem, though, is the defense. They have been atrocious, giving up scoring drive after scoring drive. Luckily Garrett has called a great offensive game for the ‘Boys despite working with Jon Kitna at quarterback. At least Garrett is letting Jerry Jones save some face to end the season.
17. St. Louis Rams
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Sam Bradford did a fantastic job bringing the Rams to the top of the NFC West division. Since then, he has fallen off mightily. Steven Jackson picked up the pace but the Rams need Bradford to lead them to victory. Despite their stumbles, the rest of the NFC West is stumbling with them, so they still stand atop the division and controlling their own playoff destiny. Still, they’ll be an easy out in the wild card round.
16. San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers early season woes really bit them this season. They needed Kansas City to lose this week to leapfrog them for the AFC West title. They still have a chance to make the playoffs but need the Chiefs to lose at home, where they are undefeated. Philip Rivers has done the best he could with all of the injuries to his skill players.
15. Oakland Raiders
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Tim Tebow gave the Raiders a bit of a scare in the first half, but they rebounded well in the second half. Darren McFadden has proved this season he has superstar talent. If the Raiders didn’t suffer so many injuries at quarterback and had the necessary consistency it takes to win in the NFL, they may just have had a chance at winning the AFC instead of just an outside chance.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jaguars had the AFC South in the palm of their hands. They controlled their own destiny. All they had to do was defeat Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. A daunting task that the Jaguars obviously weren’t ready for. They now need help from Oakland or Tennessee to beat the Colts while sweeping their remaining games to make the playoffs.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Josh Freeman has done a great job with the Bucs this season, despite a difficult overtime loss to the Detroit Lions. The team has been hit by the injury bug, which has greatly hurt them in recent weeks but they still have an outside chance at making the playoffs. This could be a great team for the next few years.
12. Green Bay Packers
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Matt Flynn turned in a valiant effort although his Packers came up just short against the New England Patriots. Still, this team showed more than most expected with Aaron Rodgers out. The Packers playoff hopes haven’t been crushed just yet, but they do have a tough test against the Giants Week 16. Matt Flynn was great against the Patriots, but if Rodgers doesn’t play, the Giants will feast now that they have film to go by.
11. Kansas City Chiefs
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Kansas City slipped up in San Diego but rebounded well with Matt Cassel (appendectomy) back behind center. They beat St. Louis, which they should have. Still, Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones have this running game on fire. Matt Cassel generally plays smart football and Dwayne Bowe was unstoppable midseason. With this experienced coaching staff, the Chiefs are a dangerous, young team.
10. Chicago Bears
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Despite getting steam-rolled by the New England Patriots at home last week, the Bears more than made up for it by demolishing Minnesota in the frigid cold. Jay Cutler and the defense were on point throughout the contest. The Bears clinched a playoff berth. They have a scary defense, but Mike Martz’ offense can implode at any time.
9. Indianapolis Colts
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Peyton Manning gave Colts nation a scare, but Indianapolis has crawled its way back to the top of the AFC South after beating Jacksonville. The Colts now control their own destiny. If they win out, they’re in the playoffs. Unfortunately, this team doesn’t look like it will get too far against tougher AFC teams.
8. New York Giants
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The Giants blew a large lead against the Philadelphia Eagles and it cost them the NFC East division and possibly a playoff berth if they continue to collapse. The collapse is arguably the worst in Giants history. Still, this is a strong team with a great foundation based on running the rock and playing tough defense. The defensive line will lead them to the playoffs.
7. New Orleans Saints
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The Saints had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Ravens. They put in a great effort on the road against one of the toughest teams in the AFC. They still have a chance at the NFC South division if they could beat the Falcons Monday Night. The Saints are finally starting to get healthy, and at the right time.
6. Atlanta Falcons
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The beasts of the NFC are soaring high. They clinched a playoff berth by defeating the Seattle Seahawks on the road to go 12-2 on the season. Matt Ryan and Roddy White appear to be an unstoppable combination. The Falcons need to establish Michael Turner early in the postseason. Somehow, someway, the defense bends but doesn’t break and the Falcons have won eight straight games.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Steelers are one team with Troy Polamalu and another team without him. This was evident last season when they missed out on the playoffs. This was evident earlier in the season when Ben Roethlisberger was suspended the first four games and the Steelers went 3-1. It was evident once again how important Polamalu is as the Steelers lost to the Jets. They still clinched a playoff berth and with Polamalu expected to be fine for the playoffs, this is one team that will be a difficult out in the playoffs.
4. New York Jets
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The Jets went into Pittsburgh and defeated the Troy Polamalu-less Steelers. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but a win against these strong Steelers is still a worthy win. Mark Sanchez ended an eight game streak throwing at least one interception. If Brian Schottenheimer can keep Sanchez away from turning the ball over, the Jets have the core to win it all.
3. Baltimore Ravens
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The Ravens let one go against the Steelers a few weeks ago. Really, this team should be atop the AFC North and already clinched. They almost blew the Monday Night game against Houston but the defense won it in overtime to make up for it. They battled a tough Saints team at home and walked away with the win. This team is feeling good about themselves and finally have Ray Rice going strong.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
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Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin completed a miraculous comeback against the New York Giants. They have shown grit and resiliency this entire season. Michael Vick is better than ever and his supporting cast and special teams are extremely dangerous. The Giants are laying the blue print on how to contain Vick, but he keeps switching the layout and winning games.
1. New England Patriots
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The Patriots stumbled a bit against the Matt Flynn-led Green Bay Packers. Tom Brady was not to relinquish his home winning streak and completed the comeback. Brady is playing in rare MVP form. As long as he keeps up this historic pace of refusing to turn the ball over, the Patriots are the most dangerous team in the AFC.
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