NFL Power Ranks: Week 15

With only 2 weeks to go in the NFL season, things are getting pretty tight in both the standings and the power ranks. The Giants and Titans have fallen back with the rest of the pack and their recent play has knocked them down a few pegs in the rankings. So, for only the 4th time this season, we have a new #1, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is only the 2nd week this season neither the Giants or Titans have been #1. The Steelers' big win to clinch their division over the Ravens this week put them over the top. They have won 5 in a row, beating some good teams in recent weeks while playing dominant defense and taking care of the football. This week's game with the Titans should be interesting to say the least.

With their losses, the Titans and Giants dropped to #4 and #5, respectively. Everyone else moved up 2 spots, which now puts Indianapolis in 2nd and Carolina in 3rd. Even though the Titans have clinched the division title and a first round bye, one of their division rivals is now ranked ahead of them in the ranks....interesting. We'll see what happens if they meet in the playoffs (because their week 17 game could be backupfest). The top 5 are extremely tight right now, with only 2 points seperating 1st from 5th.

The biggest gainer this week was New England, who jumped 6 spots to #10 after destroying the Raiders and staying in the hunt for the AFC East. The biggest losers were the Saints, who dropped 6 spots to #17 and whose loss to the Bears effectively eliminated them from the playoffs.

If the Power Ranks were used to set the playoff matchups, this is what they would be (I can't call it a playoff projection anymore since the Colts can't win the division, but power ranks are all about who is the best right now, not all season....so think about it as a bracket of who is the best now):

AFC
Byes: #1 Steelers, #2 Colts
#6 Ravens @ #8 Dolphins
#4 Titans @ #18 Chargers
Top 3 Out: #10 Patriots, #14 Jets, #16 Texans

NFC
Byes: #3 Panthers, #5 Giants
#11 Falcons @ #9 Vikings
#7 Eagles @ #19 Cardinals
Top 3 Out: #12 Buccaneers, #13 Cowboys, #15 Bears

Here are the ranks:
1. Steelers - 74.52 - +2
2. Colts - 73.88 - +2
3. Panthers - 73.52 - +2
4. Titans - 73.04 - -3
5. Giants - 72.52 - -3
6. Ravens - 67.65 - Even
7. Eagles - 66.34 - +2
8. Dolphins - 65.91 - Even
9. Vikings - 65.21 - +4
10. Patriots - 62.79 - +6
11. Falcons - 62.59 - -1
12. Buccaneers - 62.28 - -5
13. Cowboys - 61.33 - -1
14. Jets - 59.49 - Even
15. Bears - 58.79 - +2
16. Texans - 55.33 - +3
17. Saints - 52.94 - -6
18. Chargers - 48.33 - +4
19. Cardinals - 46.39 - -4
20. Redskins - 45.80 - -2
21. Broncos - 40.76 - -1
22. Packers - 38.91 - -1
23. Jaguars - 38.20 - +3
24. Bills - 38.16 - Even
25. Browns - 34.51 - -2
26. 49ers - 34.11 - -1
27. Chiefs - 28.66 - +1
28. Raiders - 27.97 - -1
29. Bengals - 25.38 - Even
30. Seahawks - 25.30 - Even
31. Rams - 13.08 - Even
32. Lions - 12.38 - Even

Photo: AP/Rob Carr