WEEK 16 NFL Power Rankings

 

Yes, the Indianapolis Colts lost on Sunday, but they didn't have much on the line in that contest. As a result, they stay atop the Power Rankings yet again this week. That lofty position could be in jeopardy at this point next week, however, as Indy hooks up with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday

The Seahawks have won 10 straight games, and would tie the Colts at 13-2 if they could pull out a win on Christmas Eve. Would an Indy loss cause them to drop below Seattle on the list heading into the final week of the regular season? We'll think about that scenario if it comes to pass; maybe the Colts will send Power Rankings an early Christmas present and roll to a convincing victory.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos remain at No. 3 and No. 4 this week, as both are coming off easy wins in Week 15.

Moving up into the top five this week are the New York Giants, who took care of the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday and took control of the NFC East division in the process. Dropping out of the top five are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; in fact, the blanking they were subjected to by the New England Patriots sees them tumble all the way to No. 13 in the rankings this week. The Pats climb from No. 13 to No. 10 because of that victory. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, and San Diego Chargers are the rest of the top-10 clubs this week.

The 2005-06 NFL Week 16 Power rankings. Click your favorite team for their NFL Team Resources Page.

Week 16 NFL Power Rankings:				Last Weeks Power Rankings >>
05 Record	Rank	Team		2005 NFL Power Rankings - Comments
13-1-0	1	Colts		The best part about the Colts losing is that we no longer have to hear about their streak on all the pre-game shows.
12-2-0	2	Seahawks		Have clinched a first-round bye, but should still be looking to send a message versus Indy on Saturday afternoon.
11-3-0	3	Bengals		The AFC North champions have now won four games in a row, and are battling the Broncos for a first-round bye.
11-3-0	4	Broncos		The Broncos host the Raiders this week, and they can wrap up the AFC West title with their third straight victory.
10-4-0	5	Bears		Rex Grossman returned to lead them to a win over the Falcons last week, and the NFC North title is almost clinched.
10-4-0	6	Giants		Have won three in a row, and are in position to clinch the NFC East title with a win in Washington this weekend.
10-4-0	7	Panthers		Took care of business versus the Saints in Baton Rouge Sunday, and got a boost when the Bucs and Falcons lost.
9-5-0	8	Patriots		Have won three in a row and are starting to look like a contender again; have wrapped up the AFC East division title.
10-4-0	9	Jaguars		Close to clinching a playoff berth, but also came close to losing to the 49ers last week after only scoring 10 points.
9-5-0	10	Chargers		Impressed everyone with their win over Indianapolis last week, but still have work to do in order to reach the playoffs.
9-5-0	11	Buccaneers		Their loss to the Patriots on Sunday was huge; are now a game back in the NFC South, with the Cowboys up next.
9-5-0	12	Steelers		Cooled off a red-hot Vikings team on the weekend, and managed to keep their playoff hopes alive in the process.
8-6-0	13	Redskins		Their win over the Cowboys on Sunday was huge; have won three straight heading into their matchup with New York.
8-6-0	14	Vikings		Need to beat the Ravens on Christmas Day and hope other teams lose to be able to control their own playoff fate.
8-6-0	15	Falcons		Managed to score only three points in the cold of Chicago Sunday, and could be frozen out of the playoffs as a result.
8-6-0	16	Chiefs		Couldn't get past the Giants on Saturday, and will now need a lot of help in order to grab an AFC Wild Card spot.
8-6-0	17	Cowboys		Allowing the Redskins to put up 35 points in a crucial game was a back-breaker; now need to get past the Panthers.
7-7-0	18	Dolphins		Are the only team in the league sitting with a .500 record after 14 games; can move over that mark versus the Titans.
6-8-0	19	Eagles		Need to win their final two games of the year to reach the .500 mark in 2005; first up are the Cardinals on Saturday.
5-9-0	20	Browns		Three Phil Dawson field goals was all the scoring they could do in Week 15, but it was enough to beat the Raiders.
6-8-0	21	Ravens		Kyle Boller in win over the Packers on Monday night: 19-of-27 for 253 yards passing and three touchdown strikes.
4-10-0	22	Rams		Spiraling Rams have lost three games in a row; at least they get the sad-sack 49ers on Week 16 of the sched.
4-10-0	23	Titans		The only question left for them is whether they'll move ahead of the Browns or end up last in the AFC North division.
4-10-0	24	Cardinals		Kurt Warner's sprained MCL will likely make him miss the team's final two games; Josh McCown will be the starter.
4-10-0	25	Lions		Trounced by the Bengals on Sunday, with Jeff Garcia and Joey Harrington both getting some time at quarterback.
4-10-0	26	Raiders		Kerry Collins started at quarterback on Sunday, going 14-of-30 for 132 yards with one TD pass and one interception.
4-10-0	27	Bills		Loss to Denver on Saturday night was their fifth straight defeat; can make it six versus the Bengals this weekend.
4-10-0	28	Packers		Brett Favre in loss to the Ravens on Monday night: 14-of-29 for 144 yards passing, no touchdowns, two interceptions.
4-10-0	29	Jets		Brooks Bollinger was actually solid in their loss on the weekend: 28-of-42 for 327 yards passing and two TD strikes.
4-10-0	30	Saints		Move their operations to the Alamodome in San Antonio for Week 16, where they'll play host to the visiting Lions.
2-12-0	31	49ers		Scored only field goals against the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Sunday, and even then had to hold on for the loss.
2-12-0	32	Texans		What are the Texans thinking, winning games at this point in the Reggie Bush sweepstakes? Move up as a result.