NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

One week from the playoffs and a lot of match-ups are still up in the air. How is all of the post-season jockeying affecting the rankings? Keep reading to find out… (And as always, submit your own power rankings and compare them to mine with our Power Rankings Builder!)

NFL Power Rankings

1 Last Week: 2	San Diego Chargers (12-3) The Chargers have been playing more complete ball than anyone else for at least a month now. Securing a first-round bye will help San Diego rest up and get healthy for a Super Bowl run, especially linebacker Shawne Merriman, who has been playing with plantar fasciitis.
2 Last Week: 4	Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) The usually unpredictable Eagles have stay surprisingly consistent on offense during their current six-game win streak, totaling at least 24 points in each win. Now that I’ve said that, watch the Eagles go out and drop a dud in the unofficial NFC East division championship against Dallas in Week 17.
3 Last Week: 1	Indianapolis Colts (14-1) They get dropped for giving up so blatantly in Week 16. If the rest pays off in the playoffs, it was a good call by rookie head coach Jim Caldwell. If the Colts look rusty and deliver another one-and-done performance in the post-season? Not so much.
4 Last Week: 6	Dallas Cowboys (10-5) Tony Romo continued his smart play in December to help clinch a playoff spot for Dallas. Now it’s up to him and his ‘Boys to get that elusive playoff victory, something the Cowboys haven’t had in over a decade.
5 Last Week: 7	New England Patriots (10-5) Ever since everyone was crying about Randy Moss’ lack of effort, all he’s done is catch four touchdown passes in two games while the Pats clinched the AFC East. These aren’t the most powerful Patriots we’ve seen this decade, but I still think they’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.
6 Last Week: 8	Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) Week 16 saw Cincy clinch just its second playoff appearance in the last 19 years. Regardless of their track record, the Bengals will be a tough out in the playoffs thanks to their fifth ranked scoring defense.
7 Last Week: 5	Minnesota Vikings (11-4) Yikes. What’s going on with the slumping Vikes? The troubles start with an offensive line that is having trouble opening up holes for Adrian Peterson and protecting Brett Favre.
8 Last Week: 9	Green Bay Packers (10-5) All anyone could talk about at the beginning of the year, including yours truly, was how the Pack couldn’t protect Aaron Rodgers in the passing game. Now not only is Rodgers getting more time to throw, but that line has helped the Packers lead the league in rushing touchdowns in December (9 TDs on the ground).
9 Last Week: 3	New Orleans Saints (13-2) The sky is falling New Orleans. Blowing a 17-point lead to the lowly Bucs – at home! – means it is time to start panicking. The offense can still move the ball, but the run defense (4.6 yards per carry allowed in their two losses) needs to stiffen up, and quick.
10 Last Week: 11	Arizona Cardinals (10-5) Congratulations to Kurt Warner, who became the second QB in NFL history to toss 100 TD passes for two different franchises.
11 Last Week: 17	Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) Teams are jumping all over the rankings. That’s what happens when you put yourself back into contention for a playoff spot. Too bad Pittsburgh needs lots of outside help to get a shot at defending its title.
12 Last Week: 10	Baltimore Ravens (8-7) A ton of penalties and mistakes cost them the chance to sweep the Steelers and lock into a playoff spot. Luckily, the Ravens still control their own playoff destiny: win at Oakland in Week 17 and they’re in the Super Bowl tournament.
13 Last Week: 21	New York Jets (8-7) The Jets benefited from the Colts taking their starters out of the game in the second half of Week 16. Now they play a Cincy team that also has its playoff fate sealed. Can Gang Green ride this streak of favorable schedule-making to the post-season?
14 Last Week: 16	Houston Texans (8-7) Not only do the Texans need to beat New England, they need all of their competitors to take a loss in the final week of the season. Those two three-point losses in November are going to be hard to forget if the Texans miss out on the playoffs again.
15 Last Week: 12	Denver Broncos (8-7) Since the calendar turned to November, Denver is 2-7. Looks like this dream season might have a nightmare ending.
16 Last Week: 19	Carolina Panthers (7-8) Is Matt Moore the QB of the future for the Panthers? Moore has won three of his four starts with a 106.8 QB rating since he took over in Carolina.
17 Last Week: 20	Atlanta Falcons (8-7) While they’ve been out of the playoff picture for a while now, the Falcons still have something to play for. One more win and Atlanta will have consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.
18 Last Week: 13	Tennessee Titans (7-8) The magical climb back to the playoffs is officially over. Now the focus shifts to Chris Johnson and his chase to become the sixth player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards in a season.
19 Last Week: 15	Miami Dolphins (7-8) Chad Henne’s three 300-yard games in the Dolphins last five contests prove he has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback. His nine interceptions in that same span proves he also needs to get smarter with the football.
20 Last Week: 18-	Jacksonville Jaguars (7-8) Since sitting at 6-4, the Jags have lost four out of their last five. 2009 looks to be the eighth time the Jags have missed the playoffs in the 2000s.
21 Last Week: 22	San Francisco 49ers (7-8) In an up-and-down season, running back Frank Gore provided most of the ups. Gore’s 1,013 rushing yards this season make him the first Niners running back to gain over 1,000 yards in four straight seasons.
22 Last Week: 14	New York Giants (8-7) The way they played on Sunday, I wouldn’t even feel bad putting the Giants 32nd in the rankings. The G-Men’s complete lack of tackling and effort lead to 416 yards of offense for the Panthers in the team’s shameful farewell to the Meadowlands.
23 Last Week: 26	Cleveland Browns (4-11) Break up the Browns. Cleveland has won three straight and just may have found their running back of the future in Jerome Harrison. Harrison is averaging 217 yards per game in his last two starts.
24 Last Week: 27	Chicago Bears (6-9) The Monday nighter was a thrilling victory. Too bad it’s one of the few highlights of the season. The Bears need to build on the balanced offensive attack they showed against the Vikings if they want to compete for a playoff spot next year.
25 Last Week: 28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-12) Tampa relished their role as spoiler and pulled off the upset of the season in New Orleans. Sure, they only have three wins with a game left in the season, but rookie head coach Raheem Morris has made sure his team continued to compete throughout the season.
26 Last Week: 23	Oakland Raiders (5-10) When you have more penalty yards than rushing yards, you’re not going to win, which is exactly what Oakland found out in Week 16 against Cleveland.
27 Last Week: 24	Buffalo Bills (5-10) The quarterback shuffle continues in Buffalo, with Brian Brohm being the latest Bills signal caller to lose this season.
28 Last Week: 25	Washington Redskins (4-11) The ‘Skins have been outscored by 50 points in their last two contests (home games against the Giants and the Cowboys), proving just how far behind the rest of the NFC East they are right now.
29 Last Week: 31	Kansas City Chiefs (3-12) They say close doesn’t count in the NFL, which the Chiefs can certainly attest to. KC has lost six games by seven points or less in 2009.
30 Last Week: 29	Seattle Seahawks (5-10) The Seahawks are ranked 24th in scoring offense and 26th in scoring defense. In other words, Seattle has a lot to turn around this off-season.
31 Last Week: 30	Detroit Lions (2-13) Detroit has more starting quarterbacks this season than they do wins. That’s not the recipe for success in the NFL.
32 Last Week: 32	St. Louis Rams (1-14) There was on positive for St. Louis in Week 16 – they scored a touchdown in the third quarter for the first time all season! Congrats, Rams! Too bad that’s not enough to get you out of the cellar this week…