NFL power rankings: 49ers drop, Patriots rise entering Week 16
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s NFL power rankings are close to their regular-season zenith, and the San Francisco 49ers drop a bit while the New England Patriots managed to stop their offensive bleeding. How about the 30 other teams heading into Week 16?
Week 15 around the league told us everything and nothing at the same time, as far as NFL power rankings are concerned.
The San Francisco 49ers sure were flat on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, eventually losing 29-22 at the last couple of seconds, thanks to a touchdown from wide receiver Julio Jones. And while the Niners loss stinks and hurts a bit in NFL power rankings, it essentially does nothing to San Francisco in terms of the greater playoff picture.
No, Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks is what matters there. Seriously, check out the scenarios.
The New England Patriots, who have been slipping in NFL power rankings and offensively as a whole, turned things around against the Cincinnati Bengals in a big way. It looks as if head coach Bill Belichick was able to look at the tape, see what was coming and game plan appropriately.
No underlying themes there, not at all. But who cares? The Bengals are terrible anyway.
Speaking of some of those bottom-feeding teams, some have shown a lot of pluck down the stretch and clearly haven’t given up on the season, including those Falcons. Others, like the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, appear to have fully tossed in the proverbial towel.
Both directions in this lower tier will be reflected in comparison to Niner Noise’s Week 15 NFL power rankings.
Let’s start there as we break down where each squad ranks entering Week 16.