Week 14 had its fair share of weather-impacted games, low-scoring games, and surprising blowouts — and a few surprising outcomes as well. The Week 15 NFL Power Rankings list has a few major changes at the top from last week, especially with a few key losses to NFC contenders.
The Rams and Raiders helped kick off the week in what was surprisingly an intriguing game to watch, and that momentum continued into Sunday. Victories by the Eagles (over the Giants), Bills (over the Jets), and Chiefs (over the Broncos) were important divisional matchups won by the favorites, helping keep the top three teams in the same order as last week.
However, a surprising loss by the Vikings to the Lions keeps the door open for the NFC North and for Detroit’s playoff hopes, and key losses by the Seahawks (to the Panthers) and Titans (to the Jaguars) shook up each conference’s playoff race. While Week 14 may have been the end of the regular season for your fantasy football leagues, there is plenty of time left in the season for the playoff picture in the NFL to be figured out.
Previous NFL Power Rankings: Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8
So, here are the Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
Nothing too tough for the Eagles in their wire-to-wire win over the New York Giants, a win that saw Miles Sanders run for 144 yards and two TDs and the defense hold down Daniel Jones. The Eagles are the first NFC team to clinch a playoff spot and will look to hold down the lone bye as the top seed in the conference.
2. Buffalo Bills (no change)
A blustery day in Buffalo created a surprising (or maybe not so surprising) first-half outcome for the Bills and Jets — a low-scoring half. Josh Allen had a pretty poor day (194 total yards, two total TDs) based on his standards, something that may have been aided by precipitation falling from the sky.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (no change)
An early lead was closed shockingly quickly by the putrid Broncos, with Russell Wilson actually putting together a solid game before leaving with an injury. Jerrick McKinnon put on a receiving showcase, hauling in two TDs for over 100 yards, while JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in nine passes and took one in for a score.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (+2)
Even without a fully healthy receiver core, Joe Burrow was able to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to their ninth win of the year to help keep pace at the top of the AFC North division. Ja’Marr Chase hauled in 10/15 targets for 119 yards and a TD. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd both left with injuries, so pay attention to the headlines this upcoming week to see how healthy this team is.
5. Dallas Cowboys (-1)
A surefire blowout win turned into a last-second win for the Dallas Cowboys over the hapless Houston Texans, as they again played down to an inferior team. A two-TD game by Tony Pollard helped this offense hold true to some of its identity, but this game is exactly why this team is hard to trust in the playoffs and why they drop a spot in these Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
6. San Francisco 49ers (+1)
Brock Purdy, or “Glock” Purdy as Twitter has dubbed him, came out firing and looked great for the San Francisco 49ers against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Almost pitching a shutout was the icing on the cake for San Fran, as Brady frequently struggled to find receivers and didn’t have much time in the pocket to go through his progressions.
An ankle injury to Deebo Samuel resulted in him being carted off the field, but the hope is he'll be back in time for the playoffs.
7. Minnesota Vikings (-2)
The conversation surrounding the Week 14 Vikings-Lions matchup was how the Lions were actually favored. Apparently, Vegas knew what they were doing. Falling behind early and playing catch-up, a valiant passing effort from Kirk Cousins was not enough to make up the deficit, so they have to wait another week to try and clinch the NFC North title.
8. Baltimore Ravens (+4)
Even without Lamar Jackson (and eventually Tyler Huntley), the Baltimore Ravens used their defense to hold on over the Pittsburgh Steelers and keep pace with the Bengals atop the division. By holding the head-to-head advantage tiebreaker, the Ravens may be able to hold down the fort with Jackson and potentially Huntley out moving forward, handing the keys to Anthony Brown.
9. Miami Dolphins (-1)
For some reason, the Los Angeles Chargers had Tua Tagovailoa’s number in their SNF matchup, and it showed badly. Combine that with losing Jeff Wilson Jr. to injury, Tyreek Hill monitoring his ankle all night (but still having a big game), and Jaylen Waddle becoming a forgotten member of the receiver corps, and you have the makings of an offensive struggle.
This offensive struggle resulted in a close loss to the Chargers, one that makes them the lone 8-5 team in the league. They are still very much in contention for the postseason, but the Dolphins are losing their footing in our Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (+4)
Bit of a defensive battle on Sunday Night Football, an unexpected outcome when considering the two offenses that were in the game. The Los Angeles Chargers did a great job keeping Tua Tagovailoa mostly in check, but Tyreek Hill is another story.
Their Week 14 win over the Dolphins came on the heels of Justin Herbert’s 21st career 300+ passing yardage game, and they certainly impressed some people in how they handled an AFC opponent that is in the thick of the playoff race with them.
11. New York Jets (-1)
Mike White looked, at times, to be the best football player on the field in the Jets-Bills game, but injuries kept him off the field at times. The weather certainly played a part in the Jets' struggles, but their offense struggled to produce anything productive, only putting up 12 points in a loss. Having lost four of their last six games, the Jets are struggling at the wrong part of the season and falling in our Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
12. Tennessee Titans (-1)
The only reason that the Tennessee Titans are still atop the AFC South division is because of how bad the rest of the division is, but they still managed to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Getting boat raced by the Jaguars is one way to not showcase your divisional dominance, and the Titans continue to benefit from their situation more than actually being a playoff team.
Similar to Tampa Bay, the place in which the Titans reside in these Week 15 NFL Power Rankings is more based on who they are as a team and less due to their record — playing against their divisional opponents helps them out a ton but come playoff time, but not sure if they will be up to the task.
13. New York Giants (no change)
It’s one thing to lose to the NFC-leading Eagles, but it is another thing to lose by 26 points, allow over 430 total yards on offense, and have your backup QB (Tyrod Taylor) lead your team in rushing with 40 yards.
The Giants are in the playoff hunt still but have a lot of work left to do — with other teams struggling around them, they will likely still factor into the final Wild Card decision in a few weeks.
14. Washington Commanders (+1)
On their bye this week, the Washington Commanders are very much still in the playoff hunt at 7-5-1. Their tie with the Giants helps keep an aspect of the NFC East standings level, but looking up at both the Eagles and Cowboys makes their playoff chances rest on the Wild Card race and nothing more.
15. Seattle Seahawks (-6)
It’s safe to say that the Seattle Seahawks have overachieved this season — but it is also fair to say that they should not have lost to the Carolina Panthers. Needing to be nearly perfect to end their season to make the playoffs, Geno Smith and the offense will need to be better, and they will be … hopefully.
16. New England Patriots (no change)
In an unfortunate injury-fest, the New England Patriots came out on top over the Arizona Cardinals, helping them squeeze into the playoff picture as the seventh seed. Things were far from pretty, but having rookies Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. each step in for Rhamondre Stevenson and find the end zone may help give this team some much-needed motivation heading into Week 15.
17. Detroit Lions (+1)
If the Detroit Lions were members of the NFC South division, they would be tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the divisional lead. Still somehow in the hunt for the Wild Card after their shocking win over the Vikings, Jared Goff may need to look into setting down some permanent roots with the Lions as their long-term QB solution.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)
The same case as the Titans — the Buccaneers benefit more from being a part of a bad division than having a good roster, with Tom Brady playing a big part of their struggles. The Bucs barely had any sort of an offensive pulse Sunday against the Niners, and while they likely will hold onto their divisional lead, they certainly won’t look good doing it, hence why they are below a few struggling squads in the Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
19. Green Bay Packers (+1)
Their Week 14 bye week provided time for the coaching staff to assess where this team is heading, but it remains to be seen if that direction features Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love as its starting QB. Trying to make the playoffs would be a short-sighted approach for their team, but they still technically are not out of the running yet.
20. Carolina Panthers (+5)
Securing their first road win in over a year, Carolina Panthers somehow still have a shot at making the playoffs. Going on the road and holding their own against the Seahawks is an impressive resume builder for Steve Wilks, as they relied on a solid rushing attack for the win.
21. Atlanta Falcons (no change)
The worst of the five-win teams in the NFC currently, the Atlanta Falcons are still in the hunt for the playoffs, albeit an uphill battle. Rookie Desmond Ridder will be taking over the reins at QB from Marcus Mariota, so making the playoffs is certainly not at the top of their list of priorities, and they likely will fall in the NFL Power Rankings (unless Ridder comes in strong).
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (+4)
What a difference from their Week 13 performance when they were taken to the woodshed by the Lions. By letting Trevor Lawrence do whatever he wanted in the offense, it may finally be the point that he takes that next step in his professional career. They also hold the tiebreaker over both the Browns and Raiders based on their winning percentage in conference games, so they have a very small shot at moving into the playoff picture.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers (-1)
Losing rookie QB Kenny Pickett to a concussion brought Mitch Trubisky into the game, which nullified any shot (three INTs thrown) they had of beating the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. As the worst five-win team in the AFC, the Steelers will likely break Mike Tomlin’s record streak this year, finding themselves stuck in the bottom 10 teams of the NFL Power Rankings.
24. Las Vegas Raiders (-1)
Losing to a team that is worse than them is one thing, but it is another thing to lose to a team that had a QB who joined them on Tuesday. Yet, the Las Vegas Raiders managed to do that on TNF. Baker Mayfield helped lead the Los Angeles Rams to a last-second win, making Josh McDaniels’ seat even hotter.
25. Cleveland Browns (-1)
Not much went Cleveland’s way Sunday, even if Deshaun Watson did produce a solid performance. Nick Chubb was shut down on the ground, putting their offense in a bind that led to only 10 measly points being put up. Their standing in the NFL Power Rankings is pretty fluid, and that mostly depends on how Watson performs.
26. New Orleans Saints (+1)
A Week 14 bye week at least made sure the New Orleans Saints did not earn their 10th loss of the season, but their struggling season does not look like it will improve anytime soon. Will Jameis Winston get a shot at leading this team anytime soon?
27. Indianapolis Colts (+1)
The Indianapolis Colts are the lone AFC team with four wins this year, putting them just on the precipice of being eliminated from playoff contention. While the whole process of handing the keys to Jeff Saturday upon Frank Reich’s firing may be a bit questionable, what is not questionable is how much work this roster needs.
28. Chicago Bears (+1)
Justin Fields has been showing just how talented he is over the last month or so, and the Chicago Bears are a better team because of it, even if their record doesn’t show that. Currently holding down the worst spot in the NFC standings, anything they do the rest of the season needs to be done with 2023 in mind.
29. Arizona Cardinals (-10)
Nothing went right for the Arizona Cardinals in their MNF home matchup with the Patriots, having lost Kyler Murray to what likely is a torn ACL early in the first quarter. As their tumble down into the basement of the NFC West continues, will both Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim make the end of the season?
30. Los Angeles Rams (no change)
Could Baker Mayfield have some staying power here in LA? What he showed Thursday against the Raiders was incredibly impressive, especially since he only entered the building two days prior to the game.
With Matthew Stafford all but ruled out for the remainder of the season, it likely will be Mayfield’s job to close out the year, acting as a dress rehearsal for interested teams next season.
31. Denver Broncos (no change)
In what could be seen as the first time all year, the Denver Broncos actually put together a solid performance on Sunday. But unfortunately, Russell Wilson suffered an injury and everything went downhill from there. Ruled out with a concussion after throwing three TD passes (the first time all season), it may be Brett Rypien who takes the snaps at QB in Week 15.
32. Houston Texans (no change)
The one thing you cannot fault the Houston Texans for is effort, and the scare they gave the Cowboys in Week 14 is a prime example of it. While this team will continue to earn the basement spot in the Week 15 NFL Power Rankings, they look like they enjoy playing for Lovie Smith, even if their dreadful season is a poor reflection of that.
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