Week 14 is drawing to a close with Sunday’s games providing another example of how unpredictable football can be. Following some upsts and plenty of down-to-the-wire finishes, it’s time for a new set of Week 15 NFL power rankings.
Coming out of Sunday’s action, let’s dive into our Week 15 NFL power rankings.
Week 15 NFL power rankings: Worst NFL teams right now
32. Carolina Panthers
- Previously: 32nd in NFL power rankings
The Carolina Panthers are the worst team in the NFL and their offense might be one of the worst we’ve ever seen. The biggest problems are wide receivers who can’t create separation and a paper-mache offensive line. With that said, nothing Bryce Young has shown this season suggests he can be a long-term NFL starter.
Related: Carolina Panthers coaching candidates
31. Washington Commanders
- Previously: 30th in NFL power rankings
Even before the Week 14 bye, it was evident the Washington Commanders were in desperate need of changes. Ron Rivera has already lost the confidence of the organization and it certainly seems like his connection with the locker room is fading quickly. On the bright side, at least the Commanders will have draft capital and cap space to build this roster in 2024.
Related: Washington Commanders coaching candidates
30. Arizona Cardinals
- Previously: 28th in NFL power rankings
This is where things get interesting for the Arizona Cardinals. Emerging from the Week 14 bye, Arizona will be underdogs in its final four games and that gives it a shot at a 3-14 record. It might be enough for the Cardinals to secure the No. 2 pick, the No. 3 overall selection in a worst-case scenario. Either way, it creates a fascinating decision for the organization on either trading Kyler Murray or trading down in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Related: 2024 NFL salary cap projection
29. New England Patriots
- Previously: 31st in NFL power rankings
The New England Patriots might’ve been happy to win that one for Bill Belichick, but it feels like a costly victory. Suddenly, New England is teetering on dropping out of the top-two picks, costing it a shot at either Drake Maye or Caleb Williams. Just ask the Jets what winning one meaningless regular-season game at the expense of drafting a generational quarterback talent can do to a franchise.
Related: New England Patriots coaching candidates
28. New York Giants
- Previously: 27th in NFL power rankings
It’s not entirely surprising that the New York Giants opted to stick with Tommy DeVito over Tyrod Taylor. We have little doubt that Taylor is the better quarterback, but the Giants can sell more tickets and create a little more buzz by sticking with DeVito. Plus, DeVito gives them better odds at finishing with a higher draft pick.
Related: 2024 NFL Draft order, picks by team
27. New York Jets
- Previously: 29th in NFL power rankings
Credit to the New York Jets and Zach Wilson for pulling off the win that seemed wildly improbable;e in Week 14. New York’s offensive line held up well, allowing Wilson to make some plays and his offensive weapons came through with critical performances. This is a nice win for New York, but it doesn’t erase everything before it. At the very least, the Jets provided their fan base with a positive memory from this season.
26. Tennessee Titans
- Previously: 25th in NFL power rankings
It’s probably not going to be pretty for the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. Tennessee is severely outmatched on both sides of the ball and this team hasn’t even shown it can execute the basic fundamentals in recent weeks. On the bright side, Tennessee’s stockpiling of losses pushes them closer to landing one of the top offensive tackles in the 2024 NFL Draft and that’s desperately needed.
Related: NFL coaching candidates 2024
25. Las Vegas Raiders
- Previously: 26th in NFL power rankings
Antonio Pierce deserves to have a role on the next Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff. However, unless Las Vegas somehow finds a way to hire one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL and retains Pierce as a CEO-like coach, the Raiders can’t remove the interim tag. Las Vegas needs a bright offensive mind to squeeze something out of this unit and for as hard as this team fights for Davis, he isn’t the guy to produce results.
Related: Top NFL free agents 2024
24. Los Angeles Chargers
- Previously: 22nd in NFL power rankings
Brandon Staley will not return in 2024, but the 2023 Los Angeles Chargers season is an even bigger indictment on Kellen Moore. While it doesn’t help that Austin Ekeler’s effectiveness seemed to drop off the side of a cliff and Mike Williams is on injured reserve, orchestrating this bad of an offense with Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen doesn’t merit consideration for NFL head-coaching jobs.
Related: Los Angeles Chargers coaching candidates
23. Atlanta Falcons
- Previously: 16th in NFL power rankings
Arthur Smith and Desmond Ridder are simply holding the Atlanta Falcons back. Smith calls a simplistic offense that defenders, like Carlton Davis, can read while Ridder is the quarterback responsible for this offense being so vanilla. Of course, the same organization that chose Smith and Ridder publicly announced they didn’t want Lamar Jackson this offseason.
Related: Atlanta Falcons coaching candidates
22. Seattle Seahawks
- Previously: 18th in NFL power rankings
The Seattle Seahawks’ only win since Nov. 1 came on a game-winning field goal at home over the Commanders. From 3-1 to 6-7 and likely destined for a 6-8 record with a predictable loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. This second-half collapse has been a terrible look for the Seahawks’ coaching staff.
21. New Orleans Saints
- Previously: 21st in NFL power rankings
Anything except a victory against the Panthers would’ve been an alarming sign of how bad things have gotten for the New Orleans Saints. This defense is playoff-caliber and there are enough offensive weapons to muster up a few scoring drives, but Derek Carr and Dennis Allen are absolutely holding the Saints back.
Related: NFL coaching hot seat
20. Chicago Bears
- Previously: 23rd in NFL power rankings
Justin Fields has proven he deserves to be a starting quarterback in 2024. Unfortunately for him, th Panthers’ pick means it likely won’t be with the Chicago Bears. There are just too many incentives for the Bears to draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye then trade Fields and build around the rookie. One thing is for certain, the second half of the Bears’ season has demonstrated they are on the rise.
Related: NFL QB rankings
NFL power rankings: Bengals climb up, Colts and Steelers drop
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Previously: 20th in NFL power rankings
Someone is going to win the NFC South, as of right now it would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The concerning part for Tampa Bay is that winning the worst division in the NFL with a negative point differential might save Todd Bowles’ job, even if he hasn’t proven he should stick around in 2024. Oh, making the playoffs only to suffer a first-round exit also means bad draft positioning and prolonged quarterback purgatory.
18. Indianapolis Colts
- Previously: 12th in NFL power rankings
There are just too many limitations on an offense with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. Shane Steichen did an excellent job squeezing whatever juice he could out of Zack Moss and Minshew, but that’s coaching with the sliders working against Indianapolis. Getting Jonathan Taylor back will help, but the range of outcomes in the final four games could swing things wildly for the Colts.
Related: NFL playoff predictions
17. Minnesota Vikings
- Previously: 19th in NFL power rankings
The Minnesota Vikings had no choice but to make a quarterback change and it came just in time. We love this defense and defensive coordinator Brian Flores deserves far more national recognition for turning a bottom-five defense into a top-10 unit. Unfortunately for Minnesota, while it escaped with a victory, this offense now appears to be a real issue.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Previously: 13th in NFL power rankings
Mike Tomlin isn’t the problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s the fact that this team is living a tier below quarterback purgatory. Fans are rightfully frustrated by the lengthy streak without a playoff victory, but replacing Tomlin isn’t going to change anything. Pittsburgh’s only real choice is either trading up for a quarterback or signing someone like Kirk Cousins in 2024.
Related: NFL defense rankings
15. Los Angeles Rams
- Previously: 17th in NFL power rankings
It didn’t end with a victory, but the Los Angeles Rams hung around with one of the best teams in the NFL in Week 14. Matthew Stafford is playing at an absurd level right now and with Kyren Williams rolling, this offense can attack defenses in a variety of ways. Dropping to 6-7 hurts, but there are three winnable games (Commanders, Saints, Giants) looming on the Rams’ schedule.
Related: Fan of Los Angeles Sports? Check out LAFBNetwork.com
14. Cincinnati Bengals
- Previously: 24th in NFL power rankings
Credit where it’s due, the Cincinnati Bengals are rallying around Jake Browning with Joe Mixon, Ja’Marr Chase and Chase Brown all stepping up as of late. The win over Jacksonville wasn’t a fluke and after utterly dismantling the Colts, the door is back open for Cincinnati to sneak into the playoffs.
Related: NFL Defensive Player of the Year race
13. Denver Broncos
- Previously: 14th in NFL power rankings
From 1-5 to 7-6. Sean Payton won’t win NFL Coach of the Year, but he’s done excellent work in turning the Denver Broncos around. Sticking with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph through a rough patch has worked out nicely and when Russell Wilson isn’t throwing the game away, Denver can win games like that.
12. Houston Texans
- Previously: 8th in NFL power rankings
It’s one thing to lose Tank Dell, but the Nico Collins injury could be devastating for the Houston Texans. Houston already had a big problem with no ground game, but living life without Dell, Collins and Dalton Schultz could be catastrophic for this passing game. The Texans still have enough to beat the Titans in Week 15, but it’ll be a close game and a young roster can lead to game-deciding mistakes.
Related: Highest-paid NFL players
11. Green Bay Packers
- Previously: 11th in NFL power rankings
It seems unbelievable considering where things stood for the Green Bay Packers a month ago, but Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur have put this team in a position to control their destiny. A clear path stands in front of the Packers, they just have to beat inferior opponents, like the Giants on Monday Night Football.
Week 15 NFL power rankings: Top 10 NFl teams
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Previously: 10th in NFL power rankings
Quarterbacks usually aren’t supposed to start the week after suffering a high-ankle sprain so Trevor Lawrence deserves a ton of credit for playing through it. While no one would classify that as a clean performance (3-3 TD-INT, 4 sacks), the regression from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense in the last two weeks is the biggest reason for their collapse.
Related: History of Heisman Trophy winners
9. Cleveland Browns
- Previously: 15th in NFL power rankings
The Cleveland Browns just needed a little stability at quarterback, we just weren’t expecting it to come from Joe Flacco. While a 3-1 TD-INT line and 92.0 QB rating might not be repeatable, but that’s not necessary. Cleveland is already at eight wins and it might only take one more win to secure a playoff spot. In three tries, the Browns should be able to accomplish it.
Related: NFL games today
8. Detroit Lions
- Previously: 6th in NFL power rankings
The Detroit Lions can’t extend Jared Goff. When you’re trailing by two scores in the fourth quarter and you take the football out of your quarterback’s hands, that tells us all we need to know about a coaching staff’s lack of confidence in their signal-caller. If Detroit can’t beat Green Bay or Chicago, there’s a legitimate chance they lose at least two of their next four games to close out the regular season.
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7. Kansas City Chiefs
- Previously: 7th in NFL power rankings
Patrick Mahomes had three players he could rely on entering Week 14. With Isiah Pacheco sidelined, opponents can now throw everything at Travis Kelce and put their best cornerback on Rashee Rice. Stopping the Kansas City Chiefs offense is that simple now. What’s truly alarming, Kansas City is seemingly prepared to lose Chris Jones next offseason and if he’s gone, this defense will not even be able to make up for this lifeless offense. All of this falls on Brett Veach, failing to address this receiving corps is inexcusable and he had chances all year to solve the problem.
6. Buffalo Bills
- Previously: 9th in NFL power rankings
Week 14 captured reality, there’s not much of a difference between the Bills and Chiefs right now. Kansas City has the better defense, but the Bills’ offense is leaps and bounds better than what Kansas City is putting out there right now. Buffalo desperately needed this win and its playoff odds should skyrocket heading into Week 15. Of course, the Cowboys have the offense and defense to knock down Buffalo.
Related: NFL expert picks
5. Philadelphia Eagles
- Previously: 2nd in NFL power rankings
The metrics weren’t lying, the Philadelphia Eagles are a very flawed football team that doesn’t look like a Super Bowl contender right now. It certainly doesn’t help that Jalen Hurts isn’t healthy but the bigger issue is obviously a defense that can’t get big stops. Considering how easy it looked for Dallas and San Francisco to bully the Eagles, it’s safe to say right now that Philadelphia can’t make a Super Bowl run.
4. Miami Dolphins
- Previously: 5th in NFL power rankings
With the Kansas City Chiefs imploding, the AFC becomes wide open and opportunity knocks for the Miami Dolphins. They are undeniably one of the most talented teams in the NFL, but losses to Buffalo, Philadelphia and Kansas City highlight the fact that the Dolphins haven’t beaten a quality team. The litmus tests come to close out the year with matchups against Dallas, Baltimore and Buffalo.
Related: NFL offense rankings
3. Dallas Cowboys
- Previously: 4th in NFL power rankings
Domination on both sides of the ball. Outside of the strip-sack fumble, this was complete domination by the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott should be the NFL MVP choice right now, CeeDee Lamb is playing like an All-Pro receiver and this Cowboys’ defense came through against a very good offense. Every box is checked, the Cowboys have everything they need to go for the Lombardi Trophy.
2. Baltimore Ravens
- Previously: 3rd in NFL power rankings
Could this be a turning point for the Baltimore Ravens? We’ve seen far too many instances of this team collapsing in the fourth quarter, allowing self-inflicted wounds to steal defeat from the jaws of victory. Tylan Wallace might’ve reversed the curse. Baltimore has everything in place to be the best team in the AFC, it just needs to get out of its own way.
1. San Francisco 49ers
- Previously: 1st in NFL power rankings
The San Francisco 49ers let Seattle hang around early in Week 14 then Kyle Shanahan opened the floodgates with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffreu. If you wanted to know why the 49ers are the best team in the NFL, it’s because they have an offense perfectly crafted to beat anyone and a defense with the pass rush and scheme to slow down MVP quarterbacks.
