Home Articles/Editorials 2014 NFL Power Rankings – Week 16

2014 NFL Power Rankings – Week 16

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I’m an avid fan of Bill Burr and I never miss an episode of the Monday Morning Podcast. Despite Burr being from Boston and therefore, a Patriots fan, I love his take on sports. In his most recent episode he talked about how good the Seahawks are even though the Patriots are his team and if the two teams were to meet in the Super Bowl, he’d have no choice but to be nervous. He went on to talk about how the NFL is all about runs. The NFC goes on a run of Super Bowls, then the AFC goes on a run of their own. Back and forth, back and forth. Right now, we’re in an NFC run. Outside of the Ravens win two years ago, we’ve seen four of the last five Super Bowl winners come out of the NFC and this year is going to be no different. Whether its Seattle, Green Bay or maybe even Dallas, the NFC is winning the Super Bowl. Clearly Rob and I are on the same page because our power rankings reflect it.

Stan

The “One More Week Before I Get To Pack Up My Locker” Tier

32. Tennessee Titans – I can’t believe this was a primetime game. I love football and I couldn’t watch this game. I once considered pulling the emergency stop lever on the train so I could watch a high school football practice. I would purposely walk out of my way to the train on my way home in order to catch a few plays. And I still couldn’t sit through this travesty of a football game.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars – And this is the team that won.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The three points that they scored against the Packers were three more than I thought they’d score. I’m actually more impressed that they held the Packers to 20. Then again, the defense isn’t the part of this team that people should be worried about. Its literally every single other part…and also the defense a little.
29. New York Jets – The Jets always play the Patriots tough and for what its worth, neither Geno nor Rex are totally responsible for this one. The offensive line didn’t hold up when it mattered and it pushed the Jets out of field goal range. I bet Rex’s office is already empty. He’s got a lamp in there, some post it notes and half a container of pork lo mein. He’s all but checked out. Chances are he won’t come back for any of that and the cleaning lady is going to have a nice new (to her) lamp to take home for the family. Merry Christmas cleaning lady.
28. Oakland Raiders – I only really watch this team because of Charles Woodson. He should get business cards that say “Future Hall Of Famer” on them. The guy is a living legend. He’s really really good at football and I’m a little upset that he has to waste his last few years in the NFL on this team. Still they show flashes of goodness and beat a pretty solid but inherently flawed Buffalo Bills team.
27. Chicago Bears – The funniest part about what the Bears tried to do by benching Jay Cutler is that Jimmy Clausen got hurt and they now have no choice but to start Cutler. I don’t think they should have benched him in the first place. Cutler isn’t the best quarterback in the league but he damn sure isn’t the worst either. He’s better than Clausen and its not totally his fault that the Bears defense looks like they shared a family size container of valium before each game.
26. Cleveland Browns – Where to start with this team? I think Rob said it all last week. The Browns definitely have a lot of issues but the defense (despite Justin Gilbert) is very good. All their problems lie in the offense. Neither of their quarterbacks are very good, Josh Gordon isn’t Josh Gordon and ever since Alex Mack went down with injury the offensive line has been pretty bad too.

The “Playing Spoiler” Tier

25. Washington Redskins – The Redskins totally changed the dynamic of the NFC East with their win over the Eagles, but its not totally their doing. The Eagles just dropped the ball…literally. The Redskins have a lot of issues to deal with in the offseason and its not gonna be pretty. The sad part is that you would think other teams around the league would see their mistake and learn from it. They won’t though. The days of trading up for a quarterback and giving up 17,000 picks should be over but they aren’t.
24. New York Giants – At this point the Giants are just trying to rack up as many yards and touchdowns for Odell Beckham Jr to get him in the Pro Bowl. Every week, he gets targeted like a million times and he keeps making plays. The only part thats going to suck is the whole “imagine if he’d been healthy the entire season” narrative that ESPN and their compatriots are going to try to stuff down our throats.
23. New Orleans Saints – Hey guys, do we think Drew Brees is still an elite quarterback? His numbers would say so, but he’s made some really terrible decisions over the last few weeks. He’s been turnover prone and he’s looked really mediocre on some drives. Is it the talent around him? The offensive line? Is he trying too hard? They’re easily the most talented team in the NFC South but they just lost to the Falcons. Ugh.
22. Atlanta Falcons – Speaking of the Falcons, they’re not good. They’re ok…but they’re playing well. If they get hot enough, what would happen if they make a run to the Super Bowl? Would Roger Goodell get heat from the owners if they changed the rules about sub .500 teams making the playoffs?
21. Minnesota Vikings – If Bruce Arians wasn’t so damn good, I’d say Mike Zimmer deserves to be Coach of the Year. He’s turned this defense into a way better group than they were last year. They had a lead on the Dolphins but ultimately it didn’t matter. Teddy Bridgewater played well but in the end, the defense gave up four touchdowns to Ryan Tannehill.
20. Carolina Panthers – I think the Panthers are still in the running for the NFC South after beating the aforementioned Cleveland Browns. Cam Newton looked a lot like the Cam we’re used to seeing, the defense looked like they cared about playing football and Jonathan Stewart looks like a running back again. I can’t wait to watch either them or the Falcons lose in the first round of the playoffs.

The “Excuses, Excuses” Tier

19. San Francisco 49ers – Frank Gore looked as good as he possibly could have in the first half of their game and it looked like the Niners were well on their way to a win, but Phillip Rivers happened. The Niners excuse should probably be lack of focus. With Harbs on his way to Michigan, he’s not thinking about Colin Kaepernick’s headphones or whether Aldon Smith had a drink at Ray McDonald’s house.
18. Buffalo Bills – The Bills lost to the Raiders. There aren’t very many excuses for that, but if they did have an excuse, it would be the quarterback. Kyle Orton just isn’t that good. He’s serviceable but that isn’t enough. And now that they pretty much mortgaged their future for Sammy Watkins (who’s really good) they’re going to make it very difficult for themselves to keep building on a halfway decent team. They could have stayed put and gotten a guy like Odell Beckham and kept their first round pick next year. I’m glad they didn’t though. Could you imagine the disaster of a season the Giants would be having without ODB?
17. St Louis Rams – Remember when everyone was up this team’s asses about the defense? Two straight shutouts and gave up 12 points in the third? What happened? Are the Giants that good? Trust me, they are not. The Rams couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t stop the pass and they got so frustrated they started playing dirty.
16. Houston Texans – Can we stop messing around and give JJ Watt the MVP award now? I don’t wanna hear any crap about quarterback this or running back that. JJ Watt is the best player in the NFL and the Texans would not have won this game without him. And this wasn’t some slouch team. The Ravens have their issues but they’re a good team and JJ Watt personally made his mark.
15. Kansas City Chiefs – Doesn’t anyone outside the state of Missouri want to watch this team play meaningful football past week 17? They still haven’t thrown a touchdown pass to a wide receiver all year. In fact, they didn’t even score a touchdown against a somehow both overrated and underrated Pittsburgh defense. The Chiefs suck.
14. Philadelphia Eagles – I had said all year that the Eagles offense is quarterback proof. I’m ready to admit that I was wrong. Mark Sanchez is that bad. The turnovers crushed them and the coaching didn’t help either. What made Chip Kelly think that letting Sanchez drop back 50 times was a good idea? And the worst part is, RG3 didn’t even play all that well. Of course, as expected, the Eagles defense was allergic to stopping the run.

The “I Still Can’t Tell If They’re Good Or Not” Tier

13. Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco is going to wake up from nightmares of JJ Watt knocking him down time after time for a while. Still the Ravens are still in the hunt for the playoffs. They’re too hit or miss though. Torrey Smith is just a big play guy, they forgot how to run the ball and Old Man Smiff can only do so much for them.
12. Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins are bringing back Joe Philbin, which isn’t great but they’re definitely bringing back Bill Lazer…which is awesome. He’s done a great job building the offense around Ryan Tannehill, Mike Wallace, Lamar Miller and Jarvis Landry. The defense has fallen off and I’m slightly less scared of Cameron Wake than I was before.
11. Arizona Cardinals – Can you believe this team is about to start Logan Thomas and they still have a shot to get the number one seed in the NFC? I mean, they just got smoked by the Seahawks but thats just a testament to how good they were early in the season.
10. Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals just beat the second best team in the AFC. Didn’t just beat them…smoked em. Made them look pretty silly. I can’t remember the last time Peyton Manning looked so mortal. More importantly, I can’t remember the last time the Bengals defense looked so good. A lot of that is because Manning was launching ducks like an old Nintendo game though.

The “Flawed But Watchable” Tier

9. Pittsburgh Steelers – Are the Steelers back? It looks like they are, doesn’t it? Its fool’s gold though y’all. Even if they make it to the Super Bowl…fool’s gold. They’re not fooling me though. Actually all that is just me being bitter. If the Giants are going to be bad, I want the Steelers to share in our misery. Lets just face it, LeVeon Bell is really good, Antonio Brown is really good and the defense does just enough to keep their team in it. Plus they’re very well coached.
8. Indianapolis Colts – Everyone on this team not named Andrew Luck should be ashamed of themselves for letting Andrew down. Everyone. Coaches too. You don’t get a guy this talented very often and then you go out and make a fool out of him against Dallas? For shame.
7. San Diego Chargers – Whats good about this Chargers team? Everything is mediocre but they find ways to win when they probably shouldn’t. I think thats why I like them so much. I can’t figure them out. Manti Te’o isn’t this awesome linebacker but he makes plays. I’m not even 100% sure who played running back this past week. That Antonio Gates though…he’s got a future ahead of him.
6. Detroit Lions – Like battered wives, we keep coming back to the Detroit Lions time and time again. We know they’re going to hurt us. Theres no excuse for what they’re doing but we love them just the same.

The “Only Real Contenders” Tier

5. Denver Broncos – Peyton Manning might be done. I mentioned it earlier. He doesn’t look very good. Its almost like they went out there and tried to prove something to everyone around the league. As if they wanted to say, “Hey guys, Peyton can still pass the ball. See?” And then he went out and threw four interceptions, including a pick six. Why did they steer so far away from a game plan that kept them alive for the past few weeks? I blame John Fox and the coaching staff trying to prove a point that didn’t need to be made.
4. Dallas Cowboys – Saying the Cowboys defense really stepped up in this game is the understatement of the week. I think they really exposed the Colts. We already knew they couldn’t stop a nosebleed but they look terrible without TY Hilton. The Colts are officially the good bad team of the 2014 Playoffs. The Cowboys have momentum now and they’ve pretty much locked up the division. Now if they can manage not to screw it all up before February, we might be seeing an interesting Super Bowl matchup.
3. Green Bay Packers – Like I said before, I’m shocked they only scored 20 points against the hapless Bucs. It should have been more.
2. New England Patriots – I was tempted to drop the Pats because of their ugly win over the Jets but then I realized that this is what the Patriots do. They win ugly games. Thats part of their charm and appeal. They might have the pretty boy quarterback and the recluse coach and the party animal tight end but when its all said and done, they know how to win. They’re like that evil team in every Disney sports movie that eventually loses to the team that no one expects to win with the 180lb guy playing nose tackle except…
1. Seattle Seahawks – …the team they’re going to lose to is the Seattle Seahawks – the team that doesn’t take sh*t from anyone, the team that bullies guys around…the team that figured out how to cure the “Disease of More”.

Rob

The “Winston or Mariota” Tier

32. Tennessee Titans

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The answer is either Marcus Mariota or neither, I haven’t decided which yet. The Bucs will probably get first dibs on the guy they want, so expect Jameis Winston to be wearing crimson and pewter next year, as he is running out of the supermarket with stolen seafood.

(Since the Pro Bowl rosters were announced this week, I will add a little note at the bottom of each tier to agree or disagree with the selections. Gerald McCoy definitely deserved it even if he is on IR, but I would have put Lavonte David in over Connor Barwin. I am perfectly fine with no Titans making the game.)

The “We Don’t Want To Draft High Because We Would Just Screw It Up Anyway” Tier

30. New York Jets

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

28. Washington Redskins

27. Oakland Raiders

Three wins and a 17-16 loss to the Patriots in this tier. That’s pretty good, especially for a group that has 13 wins combined. If the Bucs and Titans jump on quarterbacks, these four teams will be fighting over the real talent at the top of the draft.

(I think Muhammad Willkerson could go in ahead of Robert Quinn, but that isn’t a given. Sheldon Richardson also could be ahead of rookie Aaron Donald, but I could at least see him being McCoy’s replacement. Khalil Mack is pretty close to being a Pro Bowl linebacker already, expect to see him there sooner rather than later.)

The “We Were 7-4 And Staring At The Playoffs” Tier

26. Cleveland Browns

For those who haven’t been paying attention, they are now 7-8 and not string at the playoffs. This team needs to fix the quarterback position fast, and hope they are able to see another schedule as easy as their 2014 one was.

(The Browns got a respectable three players into the Pro Bowl. It could have been two more if Josh Gordon and Alex Mack didn’t lose most of their seasons.)

The “Embarassing Disappointments Of The NFC” Tier

25. Chicago Bears

24. New Orleans Saints

Both of these teams thought they had playoff runs coming their way in 2014. The Bears knew early on they weren’t good enough. The defense was as atrocious as expected, and the bar was set pretty low for that unit. The offense couldn’t even come close to what they needed to win games, not to mention the drama between the coaching staff and the immortal Jay Cutler.

The Saints didn’t do much better, finishing an embarrassing season with an embarrassing loss to the Falcons at home. The good thing is they didn’t deserve an extra game, and America didn’t deserve to have to watch them again.

(Drew Brees led the NFL in passing yards and didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but if I had to pick one quarterback to swap in, he wouldn’t be my first choice anyway.)

The “Maybe Slightly Disappointing, But At Least We Didn’t Embarrass Ourselves” Tier

23. St. Louis Rams

22. New York Giants

Yes, both of these teams thought they were playoff teams, but really they knew the talent they had. The Rams saw the division and the plan at quarterback. This season has been a pleasant surprise for them.

The Giants, however, had what was seemingly a very winnable division before the season. I think they knew Eli Manning was a bad quarterback, and they had lowered expectations because of this. Eli was pretty fantastic for the most part this season, one of his best seasons as a pro. Odell Beckham Jr. is a stud, and the team never looks lost–other than the second half of the Jaguars game.

Both these teams are probably disappointed they couldn’t pull out a few more close games, but they aren’t hopeless.

(Eli could have gotten Pro Bowl consideration if the team won a few more, and Beckham had a great rookie year that will probably have him edge out Mike Evans for Rookie of the Year. But the Giants didn’t have a true Pro Bowler on the team, and that is reflected on the game’s roster. For the Rams, Alec Ogletree could have knocked out C.J. Mosley, but the rookie may have been more consistent.)

The “Game Of The Week: Ryan Lindley In Round One Edition” Tier

21. Carolina Panthers

20. Atlanta Falcons

I have no idea why, but I will be rooting hard for the Panthers in this game. I just feel like they deserve it more, and I can’t explain why. I definitely think they are worse than the Falcons, and I think they will struggle to beat the Cardinals.

Julio Jones could probably bring the Falcons to beat the Cardinals if the teams traded quarterbacks.

Yet, I just think the NFC South deserves the Panthers to represent them. I also think it would make sense for Cam Newton to get his first playoff win in a season where the team couldn’t claw its way to .500 and Derek Anderson won two games as a starter.

(Jones and Devin Hester are all the Falcons I need in this game, and the Panthers rightfully will see only Luke Kuechly and a deserving Greg Olsen play.)

The “We Let This Season Get Away” Tier

19. Philadelphia Eagles

18. San Francisco 49ers

These two teams must be kicking themselves for letting go of their playoff chances. The Eagles started the season winning games it had no business competing in, and finished the year stumbling against good and bad teams alike. That might be the difference between having Nick Foles touch the ball on every play and Mark Sanchez doing so.

The 49ers, well, they have been in distress basically non-stop since Week 2. With the talent on that roster and the window closing, they threw away a very good chance to make another run at a championship.

(Eric Reid could have gotten in over Glover Quin or Tashaun Gipson, but I don’t know if he totally separated himself from those two. Antione Bethea also could make an argument for himself over T.J. Ward. For most teams, I can’t tell the difference between free safety and strong safety anymore, but Reid could go in over Ward too.)

The “Promising Future” Tier

17. Minnesota Vikings

16. Buffalo Bills

15. Miami Dolphins

The playoffs just weren’t in the cards for these mightily improved teams. All of them have an arrow pointing way, way up. The Bills defense is as good as any in the league, and not watching them suit up for a high stakes playoff game is a disappointment. The Vikings and Dolphins both saw huge strides from their quarterbacks, and must feel great about where they could be in 2015.

I really find it difficult to bump the Dolphins up into the top 12. They looked good at times, but suffered pretty embarrassing losses to the Ravens and Chiefs. The 37-0 blowout of the Chargers have them floating high in your Power Rankings all season.

(The Bills deservingly got Mario Williams, Marcel Dareus, and Kyle Williams into the Pro Bowl, but I hope that doesn’t overshadow a secondary and linebacking group that has been excellent all year. The Vikings didn’t have a good candidate outside of safety Harrison Smith, and the Dolphins got Cameron Wake and a super-deserving Brent Grimes in.)

The “Win And Pray” Tier

14. Kansas City Chiefs

13. Houston Texans

12. Baltimore Ravens

11. San Diego Chargers

With one spot open in the AFC, the playoff picture looks something like this. If the Chargers beat the Chiefs, they are in. If they lose, and the Ravens win, Baltimore gets in. If the Chargers and Ravens lose, but the Texans win, Houston plays on into January. The Chiefs only get in if all three teams ahead of them lose.

Now, the Texans just obliterated the Ravens, but I kept the Ravens ahead for two reasons. First, they have an easier road to the playoffs. Second, and this is the big one, I think if the Ravens were to get into the tournament, I think they would have a better shot of making a run than a Texans team led by Case Keenum, who got his first NFL win as a starter on Sunday.

Based on Sunday’s throttling, I still feel like I had to justify that decision.

(No way J.J. Watt should have gotten into the Pro Bowl over some of the snubbed defensive ends. Also, how do the Chiefs not get a receiver in? Okay fine, but really, I personally think I would have put Philip Rivers in the game over Peyton Manning. Does that make sense? Maybe not, but I feel like Rivers has just meant more to his team than Manning. Also, I would put in Antonio Gates in place of Julius Thomas, and Brandon Flowers ahead of Chris Harris. That’s right, three Broncos out, three Chargers in. That’s just how I feel.)

The “Inevitable First Round Exit” Tier

10. Cincinnati Bengals

9. Arizona Cardinals

Let’s put it this way, I can’t wait to see what the spread is for these teams’ first-round matchups.

The “Contenders” Tier

All solid teams, just not very interesting right now.

Stan and I have the same teams in order from six down to one, and deservingly so, because I can see the argument for San Diego bumping up into the top 10, even though they haven’t wrapped up a playoff spot yet.

I love the Chargers, I would take them in a heartbeat over the Bengals in round one, but the team stinks. They are scoring on the sheer tyranny of will of Philip Rivers and Philip Rivers alone. That might just be enough.

Stan, we really only have one more week of Power Rankings left, depending on what we decide to do for the playoffs.

Let me tell you, if we were doing a ranking of the best players in the NFL, these eight teams would be loaded with guys at the top of the list.

Whenever I watch games, there are moments when players seem like they could lay claim to the best in the NFL.

All those players come from this top tier (with the exception of Rivers, Julio Jones, and A.J. Green).

Want a list?

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey, maybe LeVeon Bell.

7. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck…. just Andrew Luck. Maybe T.Y. Hilton.

6. Detroit Lions

Ndamukong Suh, Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate. Almost Deandre Levy too.

5. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Von Miller, Aqib Talib.

4. Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo, Demarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith.

3. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb.

2. New England Patriots

Tom Brady, Darrelle Revis, Rob Gronkowski.

1. Seattle Seahawks

Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch

What do you say stand? Got any plans to keep this going a few more weeks?

Awards ballots? Playoff picks? KIRS Top 100 Players?

Give me something, Stanley my dear. I don’t want this to end!

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