NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Late Risers That Aren't Done Yet

With just two weeks left the following teams are climbing up the NFL power rankings, and they are still on their way up.

The NFL is about peaking at the right time. These teams are doing just that.

No. 17 Arizona Cardinals

At one point, the Cardinals were 1-6. They won six out of their next seven and now stand at .500.

This Arizona team is winning with defense and an opportunistic offense. Two of their last three wins have come against top teams in the Cowboys and 49ers.

Arizona is still a massive long-shot to make the playoffs, but they are not to move up in the power rankings.

Their last two games come against the Bengals and Seahawks. Those are two games that promise to be low scoring and close, and the Cardinals are proving those are the kinds of games they like best.

In their last six victories, three have come in overtime—the three that were not in OT were decided by four points or less—and none of those games had more than 43 total points scored.

This team has an excellent shot to close out with two straight victories against solid teams and end the season near the top 10 of the power rankings.

No. 14 San Diego Chargers

Every playoff bound team is hoping the Chargers do not get into the postseason because San Diego is playing better than any team in football right now.

The Bolts had lost six straight games, and their season appeared over. Then those wacky Chargers caught fire. They destroyed the Jaguars and Bills. By a combined score of 75-24. 

That is all well and good, but people were still hesitant to jump on their bandwagon as the Jags and Bills are not the best of competition. Well, the Chargers addressed that concern by trouncing the Ravens, 34-14.

This offensive line is finally giving Philip Rivers some time to throw the ball, and his pass-catching targets are getting healthy. And just like that, this offense is lethal again.

San Diego finishes with two road games, one against the Lions and the other against the Raiders. The way this team is playing they will not lose either and have a real shot at making the playoffs. If that happens, the sky is the limit.

No. 10 Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are ready to put their recent history of late-season failure behind them, and close out the regular season strong.

This is a well-balanced team that is strong in all the right places. Their offense is equipped to attack any defense as they can beat you with the run or pass. They are eighth in yards per carry and sixth in yards per pass attempt.

Defensively, Dallas does exactly what you need to do to thrive in the NFL's crunch time. They can rush the passer and stop the run. Dallas is seventh in rushing yards allowed and ninth in sack percentage.

The Cowboys have a tough closing schedule, as they will face two teams that have already beaten them in the Eagles and Giants. Dallas will avenge those earlier losses by utilizing a healthy receiving corp and avoiding late-game collapses.

This will hand them the NFC East title and prepare them for a deep playoff run.