Week 15 NFL Power Rankings: Tom Brady and the Patriots On Top
By Mel Payne
Dec 10, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) smiles during a warm up before the start of a game between the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans have finally been ousted from the number one spot. Let’s see how the rest of the league shapes up in this week’s power rankings.
#32 Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs still possess only two wins and the rest of their schedule doesn’t look very promising for them to get another.
#31 Oakland Raiders – The Raiders are 3-10, have lost their last six games and just aren’t playing a complete game of football. Palmer can put up 600 yards in a game and this team will still find a way to lose.
#30 Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jags are 2-11 and really need to evaluate the team and the talent. With the quarterback change, they have been keeping up with teams. They just can’t seem to get that win, though.
#29 Arizona Cardinals – This team is almost laughable at this point. Remember when they wouldn’t pick a quarterback? Then they won four straight? Now they have lost a string of ten. Their whole 2012 has been a mess.
#28 Tennessee Titans – The Titans went for an upset against the Colts on Sunday, but fell short on errors. The 4-9 Titans have a good match up on Monday Night against the Jets at home.
#27 Detroit Lions – The 4-9 Lions looked good early on in last week’s matchup against Green Bay, but ended up on the short end of the stick. The team has now dropped five in a row. Something needs to change in the D.
#26 Philadelphia Eagles – Finally, the Eagles got a win with Nick Foles at the helm. The team is now 4-9 and, with the season already gone, they could at least put a smile on the fans’ faces.
#25 Carolina Panthers – Cam is back and the Panthers looked great in their win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday bringing their record to 4-9. It is a little too late for Carolina, but they don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
#24 Buffalo Bills – The 5-8 Bills lost a heartbreaker this week and now Fred Jackson is out for the season. Look for C.J. Spiller to step up in to that work horse position for the Bills.
#23 San Diego Chargers – The Chargers are 5-8, and just as they started to look hopeless to win another game this season, the team turned it around in Pittsburgh. The Chargers beat the Steelers in Heinz Field for the first time in team history and ended their season draught.
#22 Miami Dolphins – Miami has lost two straight, bringing their record to 5-8. The end of the season doesn’t look very promising either. They head to Jacksonville next week and then have two divisional matchups against the Bills and Pats.
#21 New Orleans Saints – Since Drew Brees has come to the Saints, I cannot remember a time when the team had a record like this. The Saints are 5-8, bounty punishments or not, this team needs to get something done.
#20 Cleveland Browns – After a slow start, the Browns are 5-8. They have went on a three game win streak and their defense has become a force all its own.
#19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs are 6-7 and have a lot of talent, but they lost last week to the Eagles at home! Enough said.
#18 New York Jets – After being embarrassed by the Patriots in Week 12, the Jets have won two in a row. Their record is now 6-7 and they are sitting on the brink of a playoff spot in the AFC.
#17 St. Louis Rams – The Rams are one win away from a winning season, after being robbed by a tie early on. This team is showing a lot of growth and they have been playing tough.
#16 Minnesota Vikings – Adrian Peterson is going for an MVP bid with his great running at the end of the season. The Vikings got a big win last week in Chicago and the running back is to thank. Minnesota is 7-6 and still very much alive.
#15 Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers have not fared so well, with or without Big Ben in their most recent match ups. Turnovers have been key. They face a tough match up this week in Dallas and Steelers need to pull it together to stay alive.
#14 Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys ended up with a win on Sunday in Cincinnati. However, the 7-6 ‘Boys didn’t earn it until the last seconds of the game. If the Bengals had not struggled so much in the Red Zone this would have been a different outcome.
#13 Cincinnati Bengals – With the playoffs on the line, the Bengals have to start playing clean games. Time is winding down and they are still on the outside looking in behind a Steelers team with the same record. They can’t let teams do to them in the fourth quarter what Dallas did last week. At 7-6, the Bengals need to get it together.
#12 Washington Redskins – RGIII and the 7-6 Redskins are making a big push for the playoffs and have every opportunity to pull it off in the coming weeks. With the rookie quarterback’s injury being minor, anything can happen in the Capital city.
#11 Chicago Bears – This 8-5 Bears team is slipping in the second half of the season. The offensive line might as well not come out week after week; they would be just as effective from the bench. The Bears need to turn it around if they want to see themselves in the postseason.
#10 Seattle Seahawks – Where did this team come from this season? At 8-5, the Seahawks have proven that they are not a fluke and have won their past two games. Next week they face a struggling Buffalo team on their journey to nine wins and the top of the NFC.
#9 Baltimore Ravens – Baltimore has been struggling with injuries and is being exposed on offense. They have slipped from the number two AFC seed at 9-4 and their season isn’t going to get much easier. They will be lucky to clinch their division.
#8 New York Giants – At 8-5 New York has been on a roller coaster ride all season long. Now the Giants are in the heights of the season again, demanding heads to turn as they rolled over the Saints last week 52-27.
#7 Indianapolis Colts – After a horrible season last year, people were looking for hope in Indianapolis. What they got is much more. They got a future with quarterback Andrew Luck. The team is now 9-4, silencing their doubters and one win away from clinching a playoff berth.
#6 Green Bay Packers – The Pack pulled a tough one out on Sunday night in the snow and elements in Lambeau. At 9-4 Aaron Rodgers looks like he is going to lead his team into another postseason frenzy.
#5 San Francisco 49ers – Colin Kaepernick seems to be the man now, after all of the controversy week after week that Harbaugh put everyone through. The quarterback has been great in his four starts. The team got a big win last week in Miami and they head into a tough matchup in Foxoboro Sunday Night. That game could be a Super Bowl preview.
#4 Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons let Cam Newton have his way with their team on Sunday. They looked bad, really bad. If they want to succeed in the playoffs, they are going to have to start showing that they can beat every team in the NFL. Atlanta is still 11-2, though, with just three games left.
#3 Denver Broncos – The Broncos are 10-3 and have won eight straight games and clinched their division. The team really is charging at opponents on all cylinders. They head to Baltimore on Sunday to face a struggling Ravens team. The matchup is favorable for them to be 11-3 by week’s end.
#2 Houston Texans – The mighty have fallen. After spending nearly the entire season at the top of the power rankings, the Texans at 11-2 got pummeled in front of all of America on Monday Night Football. Newsflash for the Texans: If you can’t find an answer for Brady, good luck on the Super Bowl.
#1 New England Patriots – Every year about this time, it seems like New England is already in the big dance. They turn it on like no one else and got a huge win over the AFC favorite Houston Texans. They have another big matchup this Sunday night against the 49ers, but it doesn’t look like Brady and the boys are too worried.