NFL Power Rankings Based on Super Bowl Odds Ahead of Week 16
By Peter Dewey
A wild Week 15 in the NFL that spanned all the way to Tuesday night has finally come to an end, and we've seen some major upsets in the process.
Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals were upset in Week 15, leaving Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs have officially taken the No. 1 seed in the AFC over from the New England Patriots with their seventh straight win.
Every week this season, yours truly ranks each NFL team in relation to their Super Bowl odds at WynnBET Sportsbook in BetSided's NFL Power Rankings. If you’re looking for last week’s rankings to see where everyone moved to, you can find it here.
1. Green Bay Packers (11-3, +450) Last Week: No. 1
Aaron Rodgers has been on fire as of late, moving himself into a dead heat with Tom Brady to win the MVP award. The Packers needed a late stop to beat Tyler Huntley and the Baltimore Ravens, but they have officially locked up the NFC North.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4, +450) LW: No. 3
Seven. Straight. Wins. I can't believe some of us doubted this Chiefs team, and now that both Patrick Mahomes and this defense are going, Kansas City is looking like an overwhelming favorite in the AFC.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4, +550) LW: No. 2
The Saints swept Tom Brady and the Bucs for the second straight year, shutting him out on Sunday Night Football for the first time in 15 years. Yikes. The biggest concern with the Bucs is that they lost Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to injury in the loss.
4. Los Angeles Rams (10-4, +1000) LW: No. 6
Cooper Kupp and the Rams put themselves within a game of the NFC West by beating the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday night. The Rams have rebounded from a rough stretch mid year to look like a Super Bowl contender.
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-4, +1100) LW: No. 7
The Dallas offense is still slumping, but the Cowboys keep winning. They could find themselves in the No. 2 seed in the NFC if the Buccaneers and Cardinals continue to falter down the stretch.
6. New England Patriots (9-5, +1000) LW: No. 5
Bill Belichick's team couldn't slow down Jonathan Taylor on Saturday night, snapping a seven-game winning streak. Still, the Patriots control their destiny in the AFC East, as a win over Buffalo in Week 16 would go a long way to locking up the division.
7. Arizona Cardinals (10-4, +1400) LW: No. 4
You can't lose to the Detroit Lions and not expect to fall in the rankings, right? Arizona's offense looks a little lost without DeAndre Hopkins, and it is in danger of losing the NFC West.
8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6, +2000) LW: No. 13
The Colts picked up a massive win over the Patriots in Week 15 and now have a shot at passing the reeling Titans in the AFC South. Jonathan Taylor won't win MVP, but he's been fantastic this season.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6, +3500) LW: No. 9
The Chargers may have lost to the Chiefs in overtime, but they stay put for what was hard-fought game. Hindsight in 20/20 with Brandon Staley's aggressive calls, but the Chargers' bigger concern is whether or not their defense can hold up the rest of the season.
10. Buffalo Bills (8-6, +1100) LW: No. 11
Buffalo, you have a chance. With the Patriots' loss to Indy, the Bills can reclaim control of the AFC East with a win in Week 16. The question is, which Bills team will show up?
11. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6, +4000) LW: No. 15
The Bengals bounced back with a tough win over the Denver Broncos, putting them in first place in the AFC North. Cincy still has the Chiefs on the schedule, but with the rest of the division banged up, Joe Burrow has a chance to go from worst to first this season.
12. San Francisco 49ers (8-6, +3000) LW: No. 14
Kyle Shanahan's team has quietly won five of its last six games to cement itself in the NFC playoff picture. Elijah Mitchell's potential return should bolster this offense down the stretch.
13. Baltimore Ravens (8-6, +3500) LW: No. 10
Baltimore is on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, and all the injuries team has on defense makes them extremely hard to trust. Maybe Lamar Jackson can come back and save them, but I'm not counting on it anymore.
14. Tennessee Titans (9-5, +2000) LW: No. 8
The Titans are getting exposed without Derrick Henry, going 1-3 over their last four games. The Colts look like the best team in the AFC South at the moment, but Tennessee can still hold on to win the division.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1, +15000) LW: No. 17
Joe Haden's tackle of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine sealed the Steelers' win over the Titans and gives them some hope in the AFC North. The tie against the Lions may come back to bite Pittsburgh, but somehow Mike Tomlin's team is over .500 despite averaging the fourth fewest yards per play in the NFL.
16. Cleveland Browns (7-7, +3500) LW: No. 12
A COVID-19 outbreak hurt the Browns in their Week 15 loss to the Raiders, but now in last place in the AFC North, Cleveland has to face Green Bay on a short week. This may be the end of the Browns' playoff push.
17. New Orleans Saints (7-7, +15000) LW: No. 20
New Orleans has Tom Brady's number, plain and simple. The Saints' shut out win on Sunday Night Football kept their playoff hopes alive, but can we trust Taysom Hill to get them there?
18. Philadelphia Eagles (7-7, +15000) LW: No. 19
The Eagles took care of business in Week 15, but they're going to need to win a few more games in their easy schedule to end this season to make the playoffs.
19. Miami Dolphins (7-7, +25000) LW: No. 18
Yes, the Dolphins beat the Jets in Week 15, but they had a hard time doing it. Miami has won six straight, but the only quality win came against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football. I'm not buying them as a playoff team in the AFC.
20. Denver Broncos (7-7, +25000) LW: No. 16
Denver needed to beat Cincinnati before facing three straight AFC West opponents to close the season, but Drew Lock was unable to lead a comeback after replacing an injured Teddy Bridgewater. Denver's ceiling is severely limited with Lock, who looks in line to start against the Raiders.
21. Minnesota Vikings (7-7, +10000) LW: No. 21
The Chicago Bears were missing their entire starting secondary, and yet Kirk Cousins and company scored just 17 points on Monday Night Football. Minnesota is .500, but it doesn't look like a playoff team at all this season.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (7-7, +25000) LW: No. 23
The Raiders needed a last second field goal to beat the Browns third-string quarterback, but the win kept them alive in the AFC playoff race for now.
23. Washington Football Team (6-8, +15000) LW: No. 22
Washington was decimated by COVID-19 and didn't have its first or second-string quarterback, essentially ending its chances of making the playoffs in the NFC. Unless it wins out and gets some help, Ron Rivera's squad is pretty much done.
24. Seattle Seahawks (5-9, +25000) LW: No. 24
Losing to the Rams on Tuesday may have been the final straw for the Seahawks. Whether or not Russell Wilson or Pete Carroll will be back next season will be interesting.
25. Atlanta Falcons (6-8, +100000) LW: No. 24
The Falcons likely need to upset the 49ers to have any shot at the playoffs, but they were dismantled by Jeff Wilson Jr., Deebo Samuel and company. Still, Arthur Smith deserves credit for this team being competitive this season.
26. Carolina Panthers (5-9, +100000) LW: No. 26
Cam Newton just isn't the answer for Carolina, as he struggled throwing the ball (18/38, 156 yards, one touchdowns, one pick) against the Bills on Sunday. Is it time to see what P.J. Walker can do?
27. New York Giants (4-10, +100000) LW: No. 27
There are few teams in a worse spot than the Giants. Daniel Jones is out for the year (and still not a franchise quarterback) and the team needs to move on from possibly both Dave Gettleman and Joe Judge. Oh, and they have no cap room! Sorry, Giants fans...
28. Chicago Bears (4-10, +100000) LW: No. 28
The Bears turned in another prime time clunker on Monday, losing to the Minnesota Vikings. This team just needs a reset to give Justin Fields a better chance to compete.
29. Houston Texans (3-11, +N/A) LW: No. 30
I guess the Texans can move up a spot after beating the Jaguars in Week 15. Davis Mills isn't the long-term answer (I hope) at quarterback, but he has shown some flashes this season.
30. New York Jets (3-11, N/A) LW: No. 29
The Jets squandered an early lead to lose to the Dolphins in Week 15. Zach Wilson has looked a little better as of late, but most of the Jets' top skill players are hurt. Maybe next year they'll start to turn this thing around.
31. Detroit Lions (2-11-1, N/A) LW: No. 32
I know they only have two wins, but Dan Campbell's team has played hard all year and was rewarded with a blowout win over the Cardinals in Week 15. The Lions lack talent, but they clearly have bought in to what Campbell is preaching this season.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11, N/A) LW: No. 31
Urban Meyer is gone, which is a good sign for Jacksonville going forward, but the Jaguars still lost to the Texans. As much as firing Meyer was the right move, the people who made the decision to hire him are still in place to decide the team's next head coach. That's a scary thought.