2019 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
We didn't have much movement this week in our Power Rankings. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers took the biggest leap forward, while the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks took a step back.
Here are our Week 15 NFL Power Rankings.
Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Miami Dolphins | -12.7 | 3-10 | 0.00% | 24 | 32 | 0 |
| 31 | Cincinnati Bengals | -10.52 | 1-12 | 0.00% | 26 | 29 | 0 |
| 30 | New York Jets | -9.66 | 5-8 | 0.00% | 32 | 15 | -1 |
| 29 | Washington Redskins | -9.3 | 3-10 | 0.00% | 31 | 24 | 1 |
| 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | -8.76 | 4-9 | 0.00% | 27 | 26 | -2 |
| 27 | New York Giants | -8.74 | 2-11 | 0.00% | 29 | 25 | 1 |
| 26 | Arizona Cardinals | -6.43 | 3-9-1 | 0.00% | 12 | 31 | 1 |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | -6.41 | 5-8 | 0.00% | 25 | 21 | -2 |
| 24 | Oakland Raiders | -6.29 | 6-7 | 0.50% | 13 | 30 | 0 |
| 23 | Detroit Lions | -5.29 | 3-9-1 | 0.00% | 20 | 28 | 2 |
It’s been a rather interesting season for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year. They opened their season with Nick Foles as their starting quarterback but were forced to play Gardner Minshew in their opener after Foles was ruled out with a collarbone injury.
A few weeks later they traded away their young star cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, to the Los Angeles Rams after he requested to be traded away from the team. Now, 14 weeks into the regular season, the Jaguars find themselves at a 4-9 record with no hopes of making the playoffs.
Both the Jags’ offense and defense have struggled this year. Per our schedule-adjusted metrics, their offense currently ranks 27th across the league, while their defense ranks 26th. They’ve allowed 25.9 points per game this season -- the eighth-most across the league -- while only scoring 17.7 points per game -- the fifth-fewest.
The Oakland Raiders are the only team within the bottom-tier of our rankings who still has a shot at finishing the season with more wins than losses. Although it’s extremely unlikely, they’re also the only team within this tier that still has a chance of making playoffs this season.
The Raiders’ offense has played particularly well this season, while their defense has struggled. Raiders rookie running back Josh Jacobs has lived up to his first-round hype and was within the top-five in rushing yards prior to having to sit out in Week 14. Their offensive line has helped Jacobs tremendously, as they currently rank third in run blocking through the first 14 weeks of the season, per Football Outsiders.
Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Chicago Bears | -2.19 | 7-6 | 1.10% | 30 | 5 | 0 |
| 21 | Atlanta Falcons | -2.11 | 4-9 | 0.00% | 11 | 27 | 0 |
| 20 | Cleveland Browns | -1.72 | 6-7 | 3.90% | 17 | 19 | -1 |
| 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | -0.83 | 6-7 | 42.90% | 19 | 16 | -2 |
| 18 | Indianapolis Colts | 0.39 | 6-7 | 2.80% | 16 | 13 | -2 |
| 17 | Denver Broncos | 0.41 | 5-8 | 0.30% | 23 | 6 | 3 |
| 16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0.53 | 6-7 | 0.00% | 22 | 10 | -1 |
| 15 | Houston Texans | 0.59 | 8-5 | 74.00% | 8 | 23 | -5 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Chargers | 1.06 | 5-8 | 0.00% | 10 | 20 | 4 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1.71 | 8-5 | 69.80% | 28 | 3 | -1 |
The Denver Broncos are one team who took a step forward in our rankings this week, after winning back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. The Broncos’ rookie quarterback, Drew Lock, is 2-0 in his first two starts, throwing a combined 443 passing yards and 5 passing touchdowns. While this is a small sample size, Lock has shown that he’s capable of playing good football in the NFL.
While the Broncos' offense has struggled this season -- ranking 23rd overall, per our numbers -- having Lock at quarterback has put this offense back on the map over the past two weeks. They’ll look to build on that along with their young core of offensive players in Courtland Sutton, Phillip Lindsay and Noah Fant.
The Broncos' defense has been solid this season under first year head coach, Vic Fangio. While they got off to a bit of a rough start throughout the first four weeks of the regular season, this defense has been lights out since playing the Chargers back in Week 5. Per our numbers, the Broncos defense currently ranks sixth overall across the league.
While the Broncos moved up in our rankings after a big win last week, the Houston Texans found themselves dropping after a tough loss. The Texans entered last week on a high note after beating the New England Patriots in Week 13, looking like they might carry that momentum throughout the rest of the 2019 season for a strong finish. That momentum came to a screeching halt against the Broncos, proving once again that no win is guaranteed in the NFL.
The Texans continue to be hindered by their passing defense, which currently ranks 25th across the league, per our schedule-adjusted metrics. They’re allowing opposing quarterbacks to score an average of 21.5 FanDuel points per game -- the sixth-most in the league.
This defense is also allowing 375.3 yards per game to opposing teams, which ranks as the eighth-most across the league. The Texans will look to rely on their offensive game heading into the final stretch of games, ranking eighth in passing offense and sixth in rushing offense.
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Def. NEP Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Buffalo Bills | 2.09 | 9-4 | 95.20% | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | 3.09 | 8-5 | 53.50% | 14 | 7 | 2 |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 3.42 | 10-3 | 99.50% | 9 | 14 | -3 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Rams | 3.56 | 8-5 | 29.00% | 18 | 4 | 2 |
| 8 | New Orleans Saints | 3.68 | 10-3 | 100.00% | 5 | 17 | 1 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 4.08 | 10-3 | 95.80% | 4 | 18 | 1 |
| 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 5.43 | 9-4 | 75.10% | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| 5 | Dallas Cowboys | 6.33 | 6-7 | 57.10% | 2 | 22 | -1 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7.39 | 9-4 | 100.00% | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 11.95 | 10-3 | 100.00% | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 14.32 | 11-2 | 99.50% | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | 15.27 | 11-2 | 100.00% | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Within the top-tier of our rankings, it was the Seattle Seahawks who took the biggest step back after last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Taking over as the top team in the NFC West in Week 13 lasted all of one week for the Seahawks before the San Francisco 49ers took back control of that division.
Both the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans crept into the top-tier of our rankings last week. They continue to inch their way closer into locking a playoff spot with just three weeks remaining in the regular season. Unfortunately for both teams, their last stretch of three games is not going to be a cake walk. Per TeamRankings, both the Titans and Bills rank within the top-eight hardest schedules to close out the 2019 season.
Finally, the shootout between the Niners and New Orleans Saints in Week 14 not only made for what could be the "game of the year," but it also impacted the current playoff race. With the Niners winning this game, they not only took back control of the NFC West and the first overall seed in the NFC, they also pushed the Saints out of a first-round playoff bye and moved them to the third seed. It was the Green Bay Packers who then slid into the second seed, after beating the New York Giants by a score of 31-3.
