B&T Power Rankings Week 16
By Luke Sims
Welcome to the B&T Power Rankings. The place where we rank the teams on their record, front office actions, and overall craziness. Expect some arbitrary explanations, some in-depth analysis, and your fair share of surprises.
The Broncos take the top spot, the Patriots fall to the Niners, and the Raiders bagel the Chiefs. What more could we want in December?
Hate ‘em? Love ‘em? Agree? Disagree? Leave it in the comments.
#1 [2]. Denver Broncos, 11-3: The defense for the Broncos continues to show why football won’t just be an offense happy league forever.
#2 [3] . Houston Texans, 12-2: If anything, the Texans showed that they will compete and beat most teams in the AFC playoffs. A rematch against the Patriots is eagerly awaited.
#3 [7]. San Francisco 49ers, 10-3-1: Stomping on the white-hot Pats is nice.
#4 [1]. New England Patriots, 10-4: They came close in a comeback. If this were the Super Bowl, I’d pick the Pats to complete the comeback.
#5 [4]. Atlanta Falcons, 12-2: That’s the way to show you’re ready to play in January (and February?).
#6 [5]. Green Bay Packers, 10-4: Jay Cutler has been a liability all year, but that doesn’t mean that the Packers defense didn’t have anything to do with turning away the Bears. Keep an eye on these guys.
#7 [9]. Seattle Seahawks, 9-5: For the second week in a row, the Seahawks are showing that they will be dangerous in the playoffs.
#8 [8]. Indianapolis Colts, 9-5: They didn’t win the division by beating the Texans, but they aren’t out of the picture yet.
#9 [12]. Washington Redskins, 8-6: Kirk Cousins showed that Mike Shanahan’s team is more than just RGIII.
#10 [10]. Baltimore Ravens, 9-5: After firing Cam Cameron, the Ravens will have a slight transition time. Let’s hope that this week was the only week they needed.
#11 [13]. Cincinnati Bengals, 8-6: This defense is special and defense wins championships.
#12 [15]. Minnesota Vikings, 8-6: Everyone is focusing on Adrian Peterson nearing Dickerson’s rushing record, but to go along with it, the Vikings may be making a postseason appearance.
#13 [6]. New York Giants, 8-6: After dominating a week ago, the Giants were dominated this week. They play their best ball in the playoffs, they just need to make sure they make it in.
#14 [11]. Chicago Bears, 8-6: This defense needs to return to form and carry the offense into the playoffs. It may be too late though.
#15 [18]. Dallas Cowboys, 8-6: Could the Cowboys be getting over their usual December jitters?
#16 [19]. New Orleans Saints, 6-8: Quite the statement out of New Orleans this week.
#17 [14]. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-7: These guys will need to win out if they want to silence critics and get into the playoffs.
#18 [20]. Miami Dolphins, 6-8: You know Tannehill will be good not because of his play against any team, but because of his ability to find weaknesses and exploit them. He made rookie CB Mike Harris look foolish all game.
#19 [16]. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-8: If we thought this team was going to be better than they are right now, it is only because Greg Schiano got us to buy into it. He’s a master at motivation and he will return his team to the top – just not this year.
#20 [24]. Carolina Panthers, 5-9: Cam had a defense to go along with his play for once.
#21 [22]. San Diego Chargers, 5-9: Norv Turner won’t have his job after this season. He deserves that.
#22 [17]. St. Louis Rams, 6-7-1: Falling victim to Adrian Peterson is a tough go of it.
#23 [21]. Cleveland Browns, 5-9: Of the 5-9 teams, I really like what Cleveland is doing the most. That said, it isn’t winning them too many football games.
#24 [29]. Tennessee Titans, 5-9: Chris Johnson was a terror this week. Well done to him.
#25 [28]. Arizona Cardinals, 5-9: ….and that’s win number five just nine losses after win number four.
#26 [25]. Detroit Lions, 4-10: Calvin Johnson is a major highlight for the season but I think it is becoming apparent that Matt Stafford is just too inconsistent.
#27 [23]. New York Jets, 6-8: The Sanchize should no longer be with any franchise.
#28 [26]. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-10: I’m not certain Nick Foles is the answer, but then again I’m not certain about anything with the Eagles.
#29 [27]. Buffalo Bills, 5-9: The Seahawks have a gear that the Bills didn’t even know existed.
#30 [31]. Oakland Raiders, 4-10: Beating the Chiefs isn’t so impressive. Neither is holding them scoreless.
#31 [30]. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-12: The defense made Ryan Tannehill look like Tom Brady.
#32 [32]. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-12: Even the Jags were able to score against the Raiders.