Week 15 NFL power rankings: 49ers, Ravens at the very top after clutch wins
By Peter Panacy
The two powerhouse teams in Niner Noise’s Week 15 NFL power rankings, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, pulled off wins. But where does the rest of the league stand?
Too bad Niner Noise’s NFL power rankings can’t totally sum up just how crazy a week it was around the league in Week 14.
The New England Patriots suffered their second third loss of the season, losing at home to the Kansas City Chiefs and marking the first time the Pats have lost at Gillette Stadium in what feels like forever. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos pulled off an improbable upset over the Houston Texans, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put a serious dent in the Indianapolis Colts’ dwindling playoff hopes.
Many of those games were exciting, yes. But none came close to matching the craziness from the San Francisco 49ers‘ bout with the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
At one point trailing 20-7, the Niners engineered one comeback and held a lead late in the fourth quarter, only to watch it disappear at the hands of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, which then required some crazy playmaking ways by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and Co. to engineer the high-octane 48-46 win for San Francisco, which improves to 11-2, reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the NFC playoff picture in the process.
Meanwhile, the red-hot Baltimore Ravens won again, this time on the road against the Buffalo Bills in a game which provided plenty of excitement of its own.
Needless to say, there are some shifts from Niner Noise’s Week 14 NFL power rankings, including some moves at the very top. A few teams kept their playoff hopes alive, while others continue to sink in free-fall fashion.
Let’s take a look at where each team stands, starting off with our bottom tier.