1 – San Francisco 49ers (1)
With another dominant win against the Seahawks, San Francisco remains at the top of our Power Rankings heading into Week 15. They’re the best team in the league when they’re firing, and that’s all they’ve been doing in recent weeks. Besides capturing the top seed in the NFC, staying healthy needs to be their top priority. If the 49ers find themselves up more than two scores in the fourth quarter, Christian McCaffrey should not be on the field any more this season.
2 – Dallas Cowboys (4)
Are the Cowboys for real? This season, it finally seems as if they are. Their offence scores more than any other team, their defence is full of game changers, and even their rookie kicker might be one of the best in the NFL. On Sunday, they showed the world just how seriously they should be taken with a dominant 33-13 win against Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football. The ‘Boys may not be up to San Francisco’s level right now, but they’re not far off either. In Week 15, they’ll get another great opportunity to prove themselves in Buffalo.
3 – Baltimore Ravens (2)
Baltimore barely got by the Rams last weekend, but heading into Week 15, they’re still the top seed in the AFC. Only the Dolphins have scored more points in the conference and no team has allowed fewer. John Harbaugh’s squad is very solid on both sides of the ball, and with a healthy Lamar Jackson, very few teams will be able to take them down. Every one of their losses this season has been avoidable but if they’re learning from their mistakes, those defeats may end up being great lessons for them to lean on now.
4 – Philadelphia Eagles (3)
Despite a very similar roster, this Eagles team is not the same as the one that went to the Super Bowl last year. In the last two weeks, they’ve been exposed by Dallas and San Francisco with back-to-back 20+ point losses. Jalen Hurts may be injured more than we know, but at this point, there are other issues on the other side of the ball that look even bigger. The Birds have not been good at defending the pass and have allowed the fourth most passing yards to opponents this season. With those numbers, getting wins against good offensive teams is a very tall task.
5 – Miami Dolphins (5)
Even with a shocking loss to the Titans on Monday, it’s tough to put this Dolphins team any lower on the list right now. However, we did see the difference that Tyreek Hill makes to this offence, and it was alarming. When Hill was on the sidelines tending to an injury, Tua and the unit as a whole looked lost. Even when Hill isn’t getting the ball, his presence on the field commands more attention than maybe any single player in the NFL. As long as he’s good to go next week, I expect the Dolphins to bounce back in a big way in Week 15.
6 – Cleveland Browns (n/a)
I’m not ready to take Joe Flacco and the Browns seriously just yet, but they do deserve a lot of credit for Sunday’s win against the Jaguars. As usual, the defence was great, but Flacco going for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in just his second game with Cleveland is remarkable. Amari Cooper and David Njoku were Flacco’s clear top targets in the game, and if both players can continue to make things happen offensively for this team, the Browns will be in every game they play.
7 – Kansas City Chiefs (n/a)
It’s impossible to rule Patrick Mahomes out, but something is certainly different this season. After another loss on Sunday, Mahomes had arguably the lowest moment of his NFL career as he relentlessly complained about officiating to both Josh Allen and the media. Rashee Rice is beginning to gain Mahomes’ trust more and more, but if Rice and an aging Travis Kelce are the only options Kansas City can come up with in the passing game this season, they may actually be in some trouble come playoff time.
8 – Detroit Lions (6)
I think it’s fair to say that Detroit’s offensive performance against Chicago this weekend was an anomaly. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can say the same about their defence. The Lions were straight up bad on both sides of the ball on Sunday against the Bears. Although they shouldn’t be too worried about keeping their spot atop the division this season, the game showed some large issues for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run. If they go up against an opponent that can stop their offence, I’m not sure if Detroit’s defence is good enough to keep them in the game. Thankfully, they’ll have one more great opportunity to see just where they stand when they visit Dallas in a few weeks.
9 – Buffalo Bills (n/a)
It’s been a tough year in Buffalo, but somehow, this team is still very much in the hunt at 7-6 after a huge win at Arrowhead. Sure, beating the Cowboys in their Week 15 tilt won’t be easy, but if they can get it done, the path to the playoffs becomes a lot clearer for Josh Allen and the Bills. The defence won’t be 100% healthy for the rest of the season, but if this team gets in, no one will want to play them in the Wild Card round. It won’t be easy, but I think Buffalo finally has some life.
10 – Jacksonville Jaguars (10)
Finally, we’ve got the Jaguars. The Week 15 matchup against Baltimore is a tough one, but after that, they should be able to win out against the Bucs, Panthers and Titans. However, the only way this team makes any noise in the playoffs is if Trevor Lawrence can get back to full health. The talent on this offence is real, but their competition will be too stiff to trot out a quarterback who has mobility issues. Some teams could make it work, but Jacksonville’s defence just isn’t good enough to get away with it.
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