NFL Power Rankings: Denver Broncos and Teams with Most to Prove in Week 15

With the NFL playoffs so close at hand, Week 15 is as good a time as any for the contenders to prove their Super Bowl mettle. These three postseason hopefuls, in particular, have substantial challenges to overcome this weekend before anyone can truly say they're ready for prime time.

Denver Broncos

I believe in Tim Tebow, but it'll be interesting to see how his Broncos hold up against a top-tier team with a high-powered offense and a championship pedigree.

Wouldn't you know it—the Patriots are coming to Denver! Don't think for a second that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, with their supreme Super Bowl experience, will be at all intimidated by Tebowmania.

Neither will Rob Gronkowski, who's setting tight-end receiving records like it's his job.

The Broncos defense has played well enough of late to give Tebow and the offense a chance to win games at the end, but the Pats are an entirely different and more efficient animal than anything folks in the Mile High City have yet seen. The Broncos will likely need a virtuoso passing performance from Tebow just to keep pace with New England.

I won't bet against them getting it, but, then again, I'd be equally as hesitant to throw chips against Brady. 

New York Jets

Among Tebow's seven victims this season are the New York Jets, who have an interesting obstacle ahead in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles.

It'd be easy to write off the 5-8 Eagles in this one, except for the fact that they so handily dispatched a Dolphins team that came into Week 14 playing as though its hair were on fire.

And it wasn't just the return of Michael Vick that made the difference, either. Philly's pass defense dominated, sacking Matt Moore and JP Losman nine times combined and forcing two turnovers.

Luckily for Gang Green, they don't usually rely to heavily on the pass.

Or rather, they shouldn't, so long as Mark Sanchez is the one wielding the ball. The Jets should be fine so long as they keep Shonn Greene involved and remember just how thin their margin for error is as the current sixth seed in the AFC.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers needn't worry about making the playoffs, seeing as how they'd already wrapped up the NFC West title before their Week 13 loss to the Cardinals.

Still, San Francisco will need to bring their A-game on Monday night, as they'll be playing for a first-round bye against the visiting Steelers. The Niners struggled against a similarly structured Baltimore ball club on Thanksgiving in a game that saw Jim Harbaugh's bunch settle for just six points and 170 total yards.

They'll have their work cut out for them against the defending AFC champions, who have a division crown and a top-two-seed of their own on the line. If the Niners hope to be the best this season, they'll need to beat the best.

A win against Ben Roethlisberger and company would go a long way toward proving that they're ready for the big time. 

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Josh Martin's Week 15 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. New Orleans Saints

7. Houston Texans

8. Denver Broncos

9. Detroit Lions

10. New York Jets

11. Atlanta Falcons

12. New York Giants

13. Dallas Cowboys

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Oakland Raiders

16. Chicago Bears

17. Tennessee Titans

18. San Diego Chargers

19. Seattle Seahawks

20. Arizona Cardinals

21. Philadelphia Eagles

22. Buffalo Bills

23. Miami Dolphins

24. Cleveland Browns

25. Washington Redskins

26. Carolina Panthers

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

28. Kansas City Chiefs

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

30. Minnesota Vikings

31. St. Louis Rams

32. Indianapolis Colts