NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Steelers, Lions, Raiders Among Standings Movers And Shakers
The NFL power rankings Week 15 edition features a shakeup in the standings for the top 10 teams in the league. After a busy past week and weekend of football action, another game on Monday night could also impact how the teams are ranked. However, as of right now, it seems that the mightiest team of them all has been knocked down a peg, while a few NFC contenders are moving forward. In addition, an AFC powerhouse also suffered a loss, their third of the season, pushing them down the ladder.
On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Times reported that the New York Giants won a close game 10-7 over their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys. In the game, New York’s defense was huge, forcing rookie quarterback Dak Prescott to throw shaky passes at times, two of which resulted in interceptions. Dallas’ attempt at a field goal before the end of the first half was ridiculously close but no good, as it bounced off the bottom part of the goal post. In the third quarter, Odell Beckham exploded for a 61-yard touchdown off an Eli Manning pass, which ultimately was the difference.
With the win, New York halted an 11-game winning streak by the red-hot Cowboys, giving them just their second loss of the season. Both of these defeats have come at the hands of the Giants, who are also holding an NFC Wild Card spot. New York has won seven of their last eight games and got a major boost in the latest power rankings, while the loss knocked Dallas off its perch at the top spot.
NFL Week 15 Power Rankings:
- New England Patriots 10-2 (No. 2)
- Dallas Cowboys 10-2 (No. 1)
- Kansas City Chiefs 10-3 (No. 5)
- Detroit Lions 9-4 (No. 8)
- Pittsburgh Steelers 8-5 (N/A)
- New York Giants 9-4 (No. 7)
- Oakland Raiders 10-3 (No. 3)
- Atlanta Falcons 7-5 (N/A)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-5 (No. 9)
- Seattle Seahawks 8-4-1 (No. 4)
As seen in the latest power rankings, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots now hold the top spot. They’ve got an identical record to the Cowboys and will take on Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens for the Monday Night Football game. The Ravens are in the NFL playoff hunt and a few spots below the top 10 for the power rankings, so this is certainly a game that could shake things up even more as Week 15 goes forth. New England first opened as nine-point favorites at Vegas Insider and has now settled to around 6.5 or seven-point favorites at sports books.
In terms of other movers and shakers, the Oakland Raiders fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Thursday Night Football. That helped Kansas City take over the division and the No. 2 spot in the AFC playoff rankings. It also boosted the Chiefs up to the No. 3 spot on the power chart. The Detroit Lions keep on winning, as they had a come from behind victory over Chicago on Sunday and now hold the No. 4 spot in the rankings.
A team that is particularly interesting in the top 10 rankings is the Seattle Seahawks. They’re considered a major contender in the NFC playoff picture and will have a good shot at the No. 2 seed. However, they continue to lose games despite getting such high praise. Most recently, it was Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers grabbing a much-needed 38-10 win over a team considered to be Super Bowl contenders. Keep an eye on Green Bay in the coming weeks, as according to ESPN, Rodgers has said he’s confident his Packers can “run the table” for the rest of their games.
The NFL playoffs are approaching rapidly, but some teams are really coming on strong towards the close of the season. Among them are those New York Giants, Detroit Lions, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Of those teams, Detroit has won five in a row, making for the hottest streak in the NFL, while Pittsburgh has recorded four straight wins. The Giants had been on a six-game streak before losing to Pittsburgh, but a big win over the NFC’s top team, shows they are still a team to be reckoned with. The Steelers also catapulted themselves into this week’s top 10 rankings.
Of all the teams mentioned in the latest NFL power rankings, Kansas City and Detroit had highly successful weeks in terms of the playoff picture, as they were able to move into the No. 2 spots in the AFC and NFC, respectively. However, with at least three games left for each team in the season, a lot can still happen, and probably will!
NFL fans, which teams do you think will end up with the No. 2 seeds in the AFC and NFC? Who will end up meeting in the 2017 Super Bowl?
[Featured Image by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]
