NFL Power Rankings - Week of December 18, 2019
John Crowe, GoLocal Sports Contributor
NFL Power Rankings - Week of December 18, 2019
As Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty said after the victory over the Bengals Sunday, it’s about winning it all.
“Next week, we'll have a chance to play for a championship. That's what you want. You want to have a chance to do that, and making the playoffs is always a part of the season. But for us, it's about playing for championships. It starts tomorrow (Monday), and we get a chance to try and win our division,” said McCourty in his post-game press conference.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, for the Patriots to defend their Super Bowl crown, it won’t be easy.
We’ve seen Lamar Jackson take hold of the AFC, winning ten games in a row and cementing the Ravens as the favorites to make it to Miami. Don’t believe me? They’ve scored 472 points to lead the league and have won by an average of 18 points in those ten victories. They’ve also got a record-tying 12 Pro Bowlers this season, led by Jackson of course.
We’ve seen Drew Brees account for 10 touchdowns in the past two weeks to try and push the Saints into a possible first-round bye in New Orleans.
In Buffalo, we’ve seen Sean McDermott lead his merry men of Bills to a second playoff berth in three years. One upset in Pittsburgh has the Bills Mafia giddy with loftier goals of upsetting the Patriots this Saturday in Foxboro and delaying another AFC East title for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Out in Minnesota, the Vikings are riding the right arm of Kirk Cousins to ten wins and a date with the Packers for first place in the NFC North on the line Monday night in Minneapolis.
And finally, in Dallas and Philly, they’re waiting for someone…anyone…to take control of the NFC East as those two teams tangle in Philadelphia this Sunday.
But isn’t it funny? Even after 15 weeks, we’re still waiting to see if the old stalwarts like Brady and Aaron Rodgers will still have that January jump in their steps to lead their teams to postseason success.
We’re waiting to see if the Chiefs have enough defense to go with that high-octane offense to complete that last step in a Super Bowl appearance.
And yes, we are waiting to see just who is the best out West between Seattle and San Francisco.
It’s week 16 and what better way to see where we’re at than with this week’s power rankings.
See the Rankings in the Slideshow Below
NFL Power Rankings - Week of December 18, 2019
Outside Looking In
11. Steelers (8-6, Previous Ranking: 10)
The shine definitely came off the Duck’s spotlight Sunday night as third-string quarterback Devlin Hodges threw four interceptions against the Bills to put a crimp in the Steelers playoff chances. Still, a win over the Jets and the Ravens, who could be in rest mode for week 17, will send Pittsburgh packing to the postseason.
Will the fairytale, feel-good story come up short? Don’t count the Steelers out just yet.
10.
Texans (9-5, Previous Ranking: Not ranked)
Houston, we have a solution! The Texans took part one of their home-and-home with the Titans over three weeks this past Sunday in Nashville. If the Texans can do it again in week 17 in Houston, they’ll win the AFC South. They’ll also have to avoid a trap game in Tampa this Saturday against a Bucs team that’s still hoping to keep its late-season surge going despite being eliminated from the NFC Playoffs.
Consistency certainly has NOT been the Texans friend this season as just when you think they’ve got it figured out, they lay an egg. Prime example – Houston followed a dominating home win over the Patriots with a dud of a loss to Denver.
9.
Bills (10-4, Previous Ranking: 9)
Who would’ve imagined a December 21st game in Foxboro meaning so much for the Bills? With a victory over the Patriots, Buffalo could keep its AFC East Division Title hopes alive along with putting another notch in their belts after Sunday night’s road win in Pittsburgh.
Suddenly, the Bills at 10-4, highlighted by a stingy defense (3rd in the league behind New England and San Francisco) and an extremely mobile quarterback in Josh Allen, are becoming a team no one wants to face come January.
8.
Patriots (11-3, Previous Ranking: 8)
What did Sunday’s win in Cincinnati tell us? Not much Patriots Nation. First and foremost, we already knew Stephon Gilmore was the most dominant cornerback in football, so his two-interception – one for a pick-six touchdown, only enforces that theory. Secondly, Tom Brady and the banged-up Patriots offense – we see you Julian Edelman and your injured knee, shoulder and ribs – still haven’t proved they can hang with the high-powered offenses around the league. Thirdly, the controversy around Spygate 2 continues to swirl post-Cincinnati.
Yet, despite it all, the Patriots are still one win away from winning the AFC East and two wins from securing a first-round bye. And how’s this for a spicy stat, the Patriots are second in the league in point differential, +191 and trailing only the Ravens at +216, despite having an offense that has struggled to be in the bottom three with the likes of the Bengals and Jaguars for the past month, scoring an average of 19 points a game.
7.
Chiefs (10-4, Previous Ranking: 6)
The Chiefs could be peaking at the right time. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill combined for a pair of snowy touchdowns against Denver in another easy AFC West victory. Now, the Chiefs have added former Ravens and Cardinals defensive end, Terrell Suggs, to replace the injured Alex Okafor in a move that could cement a potential spot in the AFC Championship Game in January.
6.
Vikings (10-4, Previous Ranking: 7)
Just one year ago, the Vikings were headed South, throwing away a spot in the NFC Playoffs. This Monday night, they could put themselves in a better spot to not only clinch a playoff berth, but with a home victory over Green Bay, they’ll leave themselves in a tie for first in the NFC North, something that could eventually give them a first-round bye in the upcoming playoffs. Whereas a loss could leave them with the sixth seed and a much harder road.
All eyes are on the injured shoulder of running back Dalvin Cook to see if he can rebound from leaving the Chargers game to playing Monday night.
5.
Packers (11-3, Previous Ranking: 5)
Speaking of the Packers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said last Sunday that he doesn’t think the rest of the league has full respect for the Packers. Until Green Bay beats a top team, they’ll continue to search for that respect. It’s almost as if the Packers are the forgotten team in a loaded NFC.
A win on the road in Minnesota could be just what the doctor ordered for Rodgers and company.
4.
49ers (11-3, Previous Ranking: 2)
Don’t count us as fully surprised that the Niners were flat against the Falcons. Coming off back-to-back last-second games, a loss and a win to Baltimore and New Orleans respectively, San Francisco lost again in the final seconds against a Falcons team who came in at 4-9 and with nothing to play for but pride and head coach Dan Quinn’s job.
A cause for concern is that banged-up defense as they face the Rams in week 16 and a tough test in Seattle with the NFC West crown and a first-round bye on the line in week 17.
3.
Seahawks (11-3, Previous Ranking: 4)
It may not have been as impressive as the Seahawks would’ve liked, but a road win in Carolina is still worth its weight in gold in the NFL. At 11-3, Seattle still finds itself atop the NFC playoff seedings with two games left.
Finding someone to replace Josh Gordon as a complementary wide receiver now that the troubled wideout has been suspended for a fifth time by the NFL is atop Pete Carroll’s to-do list. Replacing Rashad Penny’s contribution on the ground is another.
2.
Saints (11-3, Previous Ranking: 3)
How good did Drew Brees look Monday night? How about passing Peyton Manning for most TD’s for one (541 and counting), then throwing 22 straight completions on a night that saw him go 29-30 with four TD’s and another taken back by a penalty.
Sitting in the third spot in the NFC seeding chart at the moment, New Orleans will be tested in Tennessee Sunday against a Titans team that has its backs against the wall to make the AFC playoffs.
1.
Ravens (12-2, Previous Ranking: 1)
Just another week ruling the roost are the Ravens! A win this week clinches the first-round bye for Baltimore and sets up a possible week 17 match-up against the Steelers in which the Ravens may have to decide between some rest for Lamar Jackson and crew or possibly playing all out to keep Pittsburgh from making the playoffs. One thing that’s for certain – Lamar Jackson will be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
That ship has sailed my football friends as Jackson’s already set the NFL record for rushing yards for a quarterback and is the only player to throw for over 2,500 yards (2,889 to date) and run for over 1,000 (1,103 so far)! What’s left now is for the Ravens to prove they are just as good in the postseason when it really counts as they have been dominating the past three months of regular season play.
