Andrew Ortenberg
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The 2019 NFL regular season is starting to come to a close. Things have taken shape, and the playoff field is starting to get clear. Accordingly, the Pickswise team has come up with their post-Week 15 NFL power rankings as we head into Week 16. There are a lot of great games in Week 16 so make sure to check our NFL Picks as well. For our top plays, check out our ‘best bets’ tab.
You can check out last week’s power rankings here. Now, let’s check out below who went up and down in the new NFL Power Rankings!
1. Ravens (1)
The Ravens rolled yet again, dominating the Jets on Thursday Night Football. If they can beat the Browns in Week 16, they’ll lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
2. Chiefs (3)
Kansas City dominated the Broncos the week after dispatching with the Patriots. A lot of people forgot about the Chiefs, but their defense is better than most realize. They might be peaking at the right time.
3. Saints (5)
New Orleans trounced the Colts as Drew Brees set the all-time touchdowns record. They’re a bit banged up on defense, but they certainly didn’t look like it on Monday night.
4. Patriots (4)
New England beat Cincinnati like they were supposed to. All eyes are still on the latest videotaping controversy.
5. 49ers (2)
The 49ers suffered a tough blow, losing at home to the Falcons as massive favorites. They can’t afford any more slip-ups if they wan’t to avoid going on the road for Wild Card weekend.
6. Seahawks (6)
A week after getting dominated by the Rams, Seattle escaped with a narrow victory over a lifeless Panthers team. I continue to think this squad is pretty overrated.
7. Packers (7)
The Packers picked up yet another win over the Bears, but once again they didn’t look too impressive doing it. A tough test on the road against Minnesota awaits them in Week 16.
8. Vikings (8)
The Vikings went on the road and absolutely dominated the Chargers this past week, putting themselves in very good position. They still have their sights set on an NFC North title.
9. Texans (12)
A week after their embarrassing blowout loss to the Broncos, the Texans bounced back with a pivotal win over Tennessee. The AFC South looks like theirs to lose.
10. Bills (11)
The Bills picked up a huge win on the road by going into Pittsburgh and winning on Sunday Night Football. Buffalo has now clinched a playoff berth, and they have 10 wins for the first time in two decades.
11. Buccaneers (14)
Don’t look now, but the Buccaneers have won five of their last six games. Jameis Winston is putting up historic numbers, and it looks like he’s going to get brought back next year. This team is better than most people realize.
12. Cowboys (17)
Dallas bounced back from two tough losses with a blowout win over the Rams. Jason Garrett will look to extend his leash a little bit by wrapping up the NFC East next week.
13. Titans (10)
I was always skeptical of this Titans winning streak, and they finally got exposed this past week by the Texans. The Ryan Tannehill magic could be over.
14. Steelers (13)
The Steelers had a lot of momentum that suddenly got halted by their loss to Buffalo. Devlin Hodges obviously isn’t the answer under center, and the defense can only carry them so far.
15. Eagles (16)
Philadelphia escaped with a narrow win over Washington, and once again didn’t look very good. Their season comes down to their Week 16 date with Dallas.
16. Rams (9)
Just when it looked like the Rams were back, they went out and got humiliated by the Cowboys. Their playoff hopes are just about dashed, and they won’t be making it back to the Super Bowl this year.
17. Bears (15)
Chicago had their season ended with a devastating loss to the Packers. All eyes now turn toward what they’ll do with Mitch Trubisky this offseason.
18. Chargers (18)
This Chargers team is still better than people realize, and even after their blowout loss to the Vikings they still have a positive point differential at 5-9.
19. Colts (19)
I’ve defended the Colts for a while, but I can’t do so any longer after their lopsided loss to the Saints. Jacoby Brissett’s regression is troubling longterm.
20. Cardinals (24)
Arizona endured a tough losing streak, but they were competitive in most of those games and they finally got back in the win column against Cleveland. Kyler Murray has shown plenty of upside.
21. Falcons (26)
The Falcons pulled off another upset victory, toppling the 49ers on the road in impressive fashion. It’s still probably not going to be enough to save Dan Quinn’s job, but they’ve been fighting hard down the stretch.
22. Raiders (20)
The Raiders already weren’t going to the playoffs, but they added insult to injury by losing the final game in Oakland in devastating fashion. The next time the Raiders play a home game they’ll be in Las Vegas.
23. Browns (21)
The Browns suffered another embarrassing defeat, and now there are more reports emerging of players wanting out. Cleveland is a full-blown dumpster fire at the moment.
24. Broncos (22)
After the Drew Lock era started off with two straight wins, Broncos came back down to earth with a lopsided loss to the Chiefs. How Lock does in these final two games will go a long way toward determining his future.
25. Panthers (23)
The Panthers sunk even lower this past week, and the latest loss was enough to get Kyle Allen benched. Rookie Will Grier will see his first career regular-season action in Week 16.
26. Jets (25)
The Jets unsurprisingly lost to the Ravens. Adam Gase has the fan base in an uproar, and it’ll be very interesting to see how they close the season.
27. Jaguars (28)
Just when it looked like Jacksonville had quit on the season, they picked up a win over the Raiders. Doug Marrone is still getting fired, but hopefully Gardner Minshew can play well down the stretch.
28. Dolphins (27)
There’ve been a lot of feel-good stories about the Dolphins this year, but they just got spanked by the Giants and made Eli Manning look like a competent quarterback. It’s clear this team still has a long way to go to bridge the talent gap.
29. Redskins (29)
The Redskins very nearly upset the Eagles, but choked the game away in the end. Fortunately, It appears Dwayne Haskins has been making major strides.
30. Giants (31)
We got a very nice story this past weekend when Eli Manning got to walk off the field victorious one more time. That’s been just about the only positive for the Giants recently.
31. Lions (30)
Detroit suffered another loss, and it feels like centuries since they won a game. It’s getting to the point that it seems like Matt Patricia’s job could be in danger.
32. Bengals (32)
The Bengals got off to a nice start against the Patriots, but they folded quickly and ended up getting blown out. They are still in the driver’s seat the first overall pick.
