The last week in NFL action showed us the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on water, the Dallas Cowboys winning a barnburner, the New York Jets winning their first game of the season — in L.A. against the Rams, no less. We get surprises down the stretch each season, though, as the long season starts to take its toll, and the contenders start to pull away from the pretenders.
Here are our NFL power rankings with two regular season weeks to go in the 2020 season, for your perusal as you plot out your sports betting down the stretch.
NFL News: Power Rankings after Week 15
#1 Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)
We spend a lot of time talking about Patrick Mahomes, but how about rookie cornerback L’Jarius Sneed? He came in the fourth round from Louisiana Tech, but he has made his place with the Chiefs. He missed six games with a broken collarbone but still has been a playmaker. Against the Saints, he had a pick, a sack and broke up three other passes.
#2 Buffalo Bills (11-3)
How about SMU product Cole Beasley? He has to be glad he left Dallas, as he has put together the best season of his career, with 950 yards so far, and he has set career highs in catches, yards, and yards per catch.
#3 Green Bay Packers (11-3)
Yes, the Packers keep winning, but it’s important to remember that Green Bay still has just one win against a team with a winning record. You can only play who appears on your schedule, but the playoffs could expose the Packers once again.
#4 New Orleans Saints (10-4)
Is Sean Payton headed to another early postseason exit? His Saints are taking on some water after losing to Philadelphia and Kansas City. Trey Hendrickson has played very well, though, with 12 ½ sacks, including two on Sunday against the Chiefs.
#5 Tennessee Titans (10-4)
Did you know that Ryan Tannehill has thrown 31 touchdown passes this year? He’s having a season of quiet excellence under the radar that tailback Derrick Henry has rightfully earned. The Titans score more than 30 points per game.
#6 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)
You can’t really blame the defense for the slide of the Steelers. The offense needs to re-establish the running game, which won’t happen until Big Ben starts stretching the field with his throws.
#7 Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
The Ravens bring physicality on both sides of the ball, and the dogged nature of their running game, as well as Lamar Jackson’s ability to hit middle range crossing routes in the clutch, means you can’t ever count them out.
#8 Seattle Seahawks (10-4)
As the offensive line goes, so will the Seahawks. Left tackle Duane Brown has been solid, as he is tied for third among all tackles in the pass block win rate (94.0%). The rest of the line, though, has been less consistent.
#9 Cleveland Browns (10-4)
The Browns have one of the top O-lines in the league, led by left guard Joel Bitonio, tops among guards in pass block win rate and in the top ten for run block win rate. That line is why Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are having such big years running the ball, and why Baker Mayfield has so much time in the pocket.
#10 Indianapolis Colts (10-4)
Denico Autry, DeForest Buckner and Justin Houston each have 7 ½ sacks this season. That ferocity in the pass rush is a big reason why the Colts have won as much as they have.
#11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)
The Bucs have finally found a clutch kicker in Ryan Succop. He has made 92.6 percent of his field goal attempts. Having a reliable kicker is gold in the playoffs. If you don’t agree, ask Mike Vrabel if he would rather have Succop over Stephen Gostkowski.
#12 Miami Dolphins (9-5)
The Dolphins rank in the top two in the league in scoring defense. It helps that they have Emmanuel Ogbah, who has nine sacks for 95 yards — the top yardage total in the NFL.
#13 Los Angeles Rams (9-5)
The Rams’ defense is the strength of this team right now, as the offense still needs to improve in consistency for the team to return to a Super Bowl.
#14 Arizona Cardinals (8-6)
Kyler Murray has gotten the press in Arizona, but the team has a top-ten defense since Week 8, keeping the Cardinals in games. Can the Cardinals still snag a wild card?
#15 Washington Football Team (6-8)
The offensive line has started to emerge as a positive as Washington has moved to the top of the NFC East. As the only team that has a chance at a .500 season, the Football Team continues to play the game the right way (at least relative to their division).
#16 Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
The Raiders have seen their defense fall apart in the second half of 2020, and their playoff hopes have almost fallen off the table. It doesn’t help that Derek Carr has made some dreadful mistakes at the wrong time too.
#17 Chicago Bears (7-7)
The Bears’ defense, once again, is the strongest unit on the team. Mitch Trubisky is showing signs of life, but is it a false spring?
#18 Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
The Vikings started 1-5, roared back to 6-6 and are now 6-8. The team needs to remember to lean on Dalvin Cook, as they did in that 5-1 stretch, but Kirk Cousins still has to make clutch plays down the stretch for the Vikes to win.
#19 New England Patriots (6-8)
How do the Patriots have six wins without a passing game? It’s just another sign of the greatness of Bill Belichick’s ability to make something out of nothing.
#20 San Francisco 49ers (5-9)
It helps the 49er defense to have Jimmie Ward playing center field. Because he is always in the right spot in coverage, the defense can be more aggressive with the front seven.
#21 Los Angeles Chargers (5-9)
The overtime win in Las Vegas was impressive, but the team missed two field goals that would have won it in regulation. I’m excited about this team pushing the Chiefs in 2021.
#22 New York Giants (5-9)
The Giants’ defense was ranked #25 in the league last year at this point, but now they are ranked #12. Once the Giants get Saquon Barkley back, and if Daniel Jones can get a steadier hand, the Giants could contend in a weak division.
#23 Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1)
Brandon Graham got a Pro Bowl nod in his 11th year as a defensive end. He has seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits. He’s been a rare bright spot for an Eagles team that has seen Carson Wentz go down in flames.
#24 Denver Broncos (5-9)
It’s been a tough season for the Broncos, with four defensive starters on injured reserve and with quarterback Drew Lock struggling to take command of the game in his second season.
#25 Detroit Lions (5-9)
Did you know that rookie punter Jack Fox has the third highest net punting average (45.5 yards) in the history of the NFL? It’s not a good sign when a punter is one of your top players, but the Lions look headed to a rebuild anyway.
#26 Dallas Cowboys (5-9)
Tight end Dalton Schultz has emerged as a real find, starting in place of Blake Jarwin, who blew an ACL in Week 1. HE has 53 catches for 524 yards and four scores, with many of his catches coming on clutch third-down conversions for a Dallas team that has struggled on offense.
#27 Atlanta Falcons (4-10)
The Falcons may be another team heading toward a rebuild, with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones clearly heading on a downward arc.
#28 Carolina Panthers (4-10)
Jeremy Chinn is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year; along with Brian Burns, they are the only two playmakers on a Carolina defense that must improve next year.
#29 Cincinnati Bengals (3-10-1)
The coaching staff gets top credit for the win over Pittsburgh, as Ryan Finley only attempted seven passes in the win, instead using his legs to keep moving the chains and to score the clinching touchdown.
#30 Houston Texans (4-10)
Interim head coach Romeo Crennel rightly gave linebacker Zach Cunningham praise for his solid positioning and hitting on defense this year. However, that doesn’t mean Crennel needs to become the full-time head coach.
#31 New York Jets (1-13)
What will Adam Gase be doing this time next year?
#32 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-13)
We could ask the same about Doug Marrone.
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