2017 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
With the Eagles’ prospects taking a hit thanks to the Wentz injury, New Orleans may be the new favorite in the NFC.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Atlanta Falcons | 1.97 | 8-5 | 51.9% | 9 | 18 | +1 |
| 11 | Seattle Seahawks | 2.99 | 8-5 | 63.3% | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| 10 | Carolina Panthers | 4.42 | 9-4 | 77.4% | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| 9 | New England Patriots | 4.47 | 10-3 | 100.0% | 1 | 28 | -1 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 4.88 | 7-6 | 69.7% | 21 | 2 | +1 |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings | 7.16 | 10-3 | 99.9% | 7 | 8 | -3 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | 7.39 | 9-4 | 88.3% | 6 | 10 | -1 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7.56 | 11-2 | 100.0% | 4 | 14 | +1 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Chargers | 7.97 | 7-6 | 61.2% | 5 | 7 | +3 |
| 3 | New Orleans Saints | 9.59 | 9-4 | 94.1% | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 11.15 | 9-4 | 99.7% | 10 | 1 | -1 |
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | 12.32 | 11-2 | 100.0% | 3 | 4 | +1 |
The Saints are third in our rankings and are considerably more balanced than the New Orleans teams of recent memory. Drew Brees is doing Drew Brees things (only Brady and Philip Rivers have been better in terms of NEP per drop back this season among regular starters) and the success of the Saints' two-headed monster of a running game has been well documented.
By now it is also no secret that New Orleans is getting things done on the other side of the ball as well, where they rank 12th in Adjusted Defensive NEP. Given how solid they’ve played, it is easy to forget that this unit looked like another awful Saints defense at the start of the year.
Take a look at this chart, looking at NEP and Success Rate allowed (another metric that tracks the percentage of plays that yield positive expected points).
There have been some sporadic hiccups here and there, but since Week 3, the Saints defense has generally held opponents in check, and it's a big reason why they are serious Super Bowl contenders.
