2023 NFL power rankings, Week 16: Cowboys, Eagles loss is Ravens, Lions gain

For the first time since Week 12, there was a full slate of 16 games. All 32 teams will be in action for the remaining three weeks as well. Of course, some clubs have much more to play for than others. The San Francisco 49ers won the NFC West, and the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are all postseason-bound.

A total of 22 teams remained in contention for the other 10 playoff spots. Some of these teams aren’t playing their best football these days while others are getting hot at the right time. These ups and downs made for several changes in the NFL Power Rankings from a week ago.

The Panthers’ latest losing streak had reached six games when they hosted the Falcons. To make matters worse, Carolina owned a 0-4 record vs. their divisional rivals and were a combined 0-9 within the conference. The weather was certainly a factor as Chris Tabor’s team totaled only 283 yards and failed to score a touchdown in the game.

After spotting the Falcons a 7-0 second-quarter lead the Panthers pitched a shutout. Meanwhile, 90 of those 283 total yards came in the final 7:35 courtesy of a 17-play drive that resulted in Eddy Pineiro’s winning field goal.

Bill Belichick’s team had more than a week to prepare for a visit from the defending Super Bowl champions. It was another lackluster showing by the Patriots offense, which gained only 206 total yards and was just 2-of-12 on third-down conversions. The Pats have been limited to 17 or fewer points in 11 of their 14 outings this season.

Belichick’s future in Foxborough continues to be a hot topic. The team has lost 11 games for the first time since his debut year in 2000. The Patriots have scored a total of 186 points in 14 contests, an unimaginable 13.3 per game.

The team had already lost one more game this season than it did a year ago when it reached the playoffs. On Thursday night in Las Vegas, the Brandon Staley Era came to an end. He along with general manager Tom Telesco were fired after the Chargers were listless in a loss that saw the team trail by 56 points in the fourth quarter.

As for the game itself, Las Vegas won the total yardage battle, 378-326. Most of that came in the first half as the Bolts were outgained, 283-89, and trailed 42-0. Staley’s coaching record (including a playoff loss) reads 24-25.

So much for last week’s shocking 30-6 rout of the Texans. The Jets were in South Florida looking to surprise the Dolphins. Zach Wilson came off the best game of his career but he and the team were overwhelmed by a shorthanded Dolphins’ squad. New York was down 24-0 at halftime and was outgained 197-4 in total yardage.

Trevor Siemian would replace Wilson and things would only get worse. The two quarterbacks were sacked six times and the duo combined for all four of the team’s turnovers. The Jets’ offense has scored 13 TDs in 14 games.