Written By: Greg Lehr
After New Orleans’ victory down in Tampa Bay, combined with the Rams’ loss at Chicago on Sunday Night Football, the Saints have once again marched to the top of our power rankings with just three weeks left in the regular season. The rest of Week 14 was a wild one, with five teams currently in last place of their respective divisions, winning over the weekend (Jets, Raiders, Giants, Lions, 49ers). Here’s a look at the full Week 15 rankings and some of the risers and fallers from last week.
Risers:
Cleveland Browns
Week 15 Ranking: 18 (+2)
It’s week 15 of the NFL regular season and the Cleveland Browns are officially in the hunt in the AFC playoff picture. Let that sink in for a moment. Likely? Certainly not. But for this franchise to legitimately have something to play for this late in the season is new territory for them and their fans. Winners of three of their last four, the Browns play at Denver, vs Cincinnati, and at Baltimore to close out the year.
Seattle Seahawks
Week 15 Ranking: 8 (+3)
Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson have quietly put together one of their most impressive seasons together without much fanfare along the way, thanks to the Rams taking the spotlight within the division. Seattle is 8-5 and firmly in position for an NFC Wild Card spot with remaining games including the 49ers and Cardinals. Make no mistake about it, this is not a team that anyone wants to have to face in the playoffs after their convincing win over the Vikings Monday night.
Fallers:
Minnesota Vikings
Week 15 Ranking: 12 (-3)
Once again, Kirk Cousins came up short in primetime and the Vikings failed to grab a much-needed road win in a tough Seattle environment. Coach Mike Zimmer has fired OC John DeFilippo after the offense put up a combined 17 points in two huge back-to-back games against the Patriots and Seahawks. The Vikings are now sitting in the sixth seed in the NFC at 6-6-1.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 15 Ranking: 10 (-2)
A month ago, Pittsburgh was considered to be in the upper echelon of the league and were viewed as real contenders in the AFC. However, fast forward to today and the Steelers are losers of three straight, with two out of the three losses coming to teams below .500 during that stretch. Although they currently remain in 1st place in the AFC North (1/2 game up on Baltimore), upcoming games against the Patriots and Saints pose a legitimate threat to Pittsburgh’s playoff chances.
Full Rankings
Rankings: Blitz Team
1 New Orleans Saints 2 Los Angeles Rams 3 Kansas City Chiefs 4 Los Angeles Chargers 5 Chicago Bears 6 New England Patriots 7 Houston Texans 8 Seattle Seahawks 9 Dallas Cowboys 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 11 Baltimore Ravens 12 Minnesota Vikings 13 Indianapolis Colts 14 Tennessee Titans 15 Philadelphia Eagles 16 Miami Dolphins 17 Carolina Panthers 18 Cleveland Browns 19 Green Bay Packers 20 Denver Broncos 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22 New York Giants 23 Atlanta Falcons 24 Washington Redskins 25 Detroit Lions 26 Jacksonville Jaguars 27 Buffalo Bills 28 Cincinnati Bengals 29 New York Jets 30 Oakland Raiders 31 San Francisco 49ers 32 Arizona Cardinals