NFL Power Rankings: Week 16
We are three weeks from the end of the 2023 regular season, and the fight for the playoffs is getting intense on both sides of the NFL. Follow all the NFL's trends throughout the season with us here at A to Z Sports. Each week, we will release an updated NFL power rankings based on […]
We are three weeks from the end of the 2023 regular season, and the fight for the playoffs is getting intense on both sides of the NFL.
Follow all the NFL's trends throughout the season with us here at A to Z Sports. Each week, we will release an updated NFL power rankings based on the most recent performances by each NFL team. If you missed Week 15's power rankings, click here.
NFL Power Rankings Week 16:
1. San Francisco 49ers (11-3) ↔️
At this point, I'm not sure what there is left to say about the 49ers. They seem to be proving every week that they should be viewed not just as a Super Bowl contender but as the clear top team in the NFL and favorite to raise the Lombardi trophy at the end of the season. They are getting elite seasons from multiple players on both sides of the ball and are one of the best-coached teams in the league. Knocking them off that pedestal will be a tall task for any team. The 49ers can't allow themselves to get complacent, though, as we've seen in the NFL for so long now; any team can win at any given moment in the beautiful game we all know and love.
2. Baltimore Ravens (11-3) 📈 1
The Ravens have cliched their spot in the playoffs and have their sights on the number one seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Ravens have won four straight games to improve to 11-3 on the season. They won't get any rest before the playoffs, though, as none of their final three games will be easy. But if they want that coveted first-round bye and secure that every playoff game they play in occurs at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, they will have to do what they've done all season and find a way to win.
- Week 16: @ San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
- Week 17: Vs. Miami Dolphins (10-4)
- Week 18: Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
3. Buffalo Bills (8-6) 📈 3
The Bills are a very confusing team to track this season. Just when it feels like the nail was in their coffin, they've won two straight. Not only that, they did so against the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, two teams many view as Super Bowl contenders. The Bills impressive climb isn't over yet, though, as they still find themselves outside the AFC playoff picture. They will need some help from other teams, as well as taking care of their own business over the final three weeks of the season. But their recent play has them looking like one of the best teams in the NFL. And I'm sure multiple teams are hoping that the Bills aren't able to fight their way into the playoffs because they will be one hard out.
4. Dallas Cowboys (10-4) 📉 2
The Cowboys were on top of the world after destroying the Eagles in Week 14 by a score of 33 to 13. As fast as they rose to the highest of highs, the Bills were able to knock them back to the ground in Week 15 as the Cowboys were dominated by a score of 31 to 10. The only positive thing to come out of Week 15 for the Cowboys was that the Eagles also lost, which means they still sit atop the NFC East.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) ↔️
Like their previous two outings, the Chiefs struggled in Week 15 against the New England Patriots. Unlike those last two outings, though, the Chiefs came out victorious with a 27 to 17 win. It still wasn't pretty, but being able to win those type of games didn't appear to be something this Cheifs team could do. While it was just a three-win Patriots team, they will hope to build off this win to head into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, as their remaining schedule is one of the most favorable in the entire league.
- Week 16: Vs. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8)
- Week 17: Vs. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
- Week 18: @ Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
6. Miami Dolphins (10-4) 📈 1
7. Detroit Lions (10-4) 📈 1
8. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) 📉 4
The reigning NFC champions are in quite a slump, as they have lost three straight games. They no longer sit atop the NFC East, and as a team, they look as bad as we've seen them in recent memory. They've failed to score 20 points during their three-game skid, and their defense has allowed a total of 95 points. The Eagles still have time to get back on track before the playoffs arrive, but they are simply not a good enough football team right now to redeem last season's Super Bowl loss. That's the fact that they have to accept before they can fix whatever is causing this regression.
9. Los Angeles Rams (7-7) ↔️
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6) ↔️
11. Cleveland Browns (9-5) 📈 1
12. Indianapolis Colts (8-6) 📈 3
A week after their worst loss of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts bounced back in a hurry with their biggest win of the year, a 30 to 13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The job that first-year head coach Shane Steichen has done to have his team at 8-6 despite all the bumps in the road his team has hit is beyond impressive.
- Anthony Richardson on IR
- Jonathan Taylor Contract disputes to start the year
- Taylor missing seven games this season (so far)
- A revolving door on the team's offensive line due to injuries
And somehow, someway, the Colts are 8-6 and currently inside the AFC Playoff Picture as the 7th seed. There are multiple deserving candidates for this year's Coach of the Year award, but anyone who leaves Steichen out of that discussion is mistaken.
13. Seattle Seahawks (7-7) 📈 3
14. Houston Texans (8-6) 📉 1
15. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) 📉 1
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) 📈 4
Trying to understand and predict how Baker Mayfield will perform is a dangerous game. Almost as dangerous as his incredible Week 15 performance that led to the Buccaneers picked up a 34 to 20 win over the Packers. Mayfield completed 22 of his 28 pass attempts for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Becoming the first visiting QB to have a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field. The Buccaneers now sit atop the NFC South at 7-7, but with three weeks left to go, they can't take their foot off the gas now.
17. Denver Broncos (7-7) 📉 6
18. New Orleans Saints (7-7) ↔️
19. Green Bay Packers (6-8) 📉 4
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) 📉 1
21. Chicago Bears (5-9) 📈 2
22. Tennessee Titans (5-9) ↔️
23. Atlanta Falcons (6-8) 📉 2
The Falcons once looked like the favorites to win the NFC South but have now lost two straight games. With their most recent coming against a one-win Carolina Panthers team after they could only score seven points to lose 9 to 7. As a result, the Falcons have again benched QB Desmond Ridder and will roll with backup Taylor Heinicke.
24. Minnesota Vikings (7-7) 📈 2
25. Washington Commanders (4-10) 📈 2
26. New York Jets (5-9) 📉 1
27. Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) 📈 3
The most shocking game of the week, undoubtedly, was the Raiders Week 15 win over the Chargers. It was a game that had an over/under of 34, and the over hit in a massive way after the Raiders won by a score of 63 to 21. Just a week removed from the Raiders being shut out by the Vikings in their 3 to 0 Week 14 loss. What a difference a single week can make in the NFL.
28. New York Giants (5-9) ↔️
29. New England Patriots (3-11) 📈 2
30. Arizona Cardinals (3-11) 📉 1
31. Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) 📉 7
32. Carolina Panthers (2-12) ↔️
The Panthers picked up their 2nd win of the season in Week 15 over the Falcons and their first under interim head coach Chris Tabor. Their season has long been over, but this win gives them a fighting chance to prevent themselves from finishing with the number one overall pick and handing it over to the Bears due to their trade for the right to draft QB Bryce Young with the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They still have work to do, but with two teams with three wins (Cardinals and Patriots), the Panthers have to find a way to pick up two more wins over the last three weeks.
- Week 16: Vs. Green Bay Packers (6-8)
- Week 17: @ Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6)
- Week 18: Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
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