Week 15 was full of pure chaos as we saw both playoff pictures from both the AFC and NFC starting to take form. The Chicago Bears fall from the one seed all the way to the 7th seed, the Packers reclaim the NFC North, Aaron Rodgers ran it in for a rushing touchdown as the Steelers beat the Ravens, and the Indianapolis Colts after starting 9-1 seem to be sinking really really fast. There is a twist with the Colts as well but with the playoffs coming very soon, this was the hardest list to make to date. Get ready guys as playoff season approaches us and pretty soon we will be crowning a champion.
The best part of this list still is that it will be refreshed so if you do not like where your team is placed they will probably end up higher on this list at some point during the season. I tried my best to not put teams that had a bye that high on the list versus teams that won, I wish everyone a continued great 2025-2026 NFL season. Happy Football once again!
1. Patriots: While the Patriots may have been snubbed out of the number one seeding in the AFC, in my eyes they are still #1 to me and potentially have the best quarterback in the league on their roster. While some might disagree with that statement, we have to remember also that Drake Maye is still a super young quarterback in this league and it will be easy to see him succeed in the future. The Patriots reached 10 wins in a row for #10 and the rest of their schedule is a cake walk. With most of the teams in their remaining schedule being in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, could New England lock in the #1 seed? They will have to outduel Denver but in my eyes Denver still has much to prove. Stefon Diggs has had a much better season than we have anticipated along with the various other weapons for Maye. This week for the Patriots they host their divisional rival Buffalo Bills to potentially officially dethrone them atop of the AFC East and even SWEEP them! Let the Chaos begin.
2. Rams: The Los Angeles Rams completed their much needed bounce back victory against the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday and it was a bloodbath. The Rams held no mercy on Arizona as Matthew Stafford kept on making his own MVP case and he does this week in and week out. The quarterback threw for over 280 yards and 3 scores, absolutely torching the Cardinals defense. One thing is for certain and that is this Rams team is clearly one of the best this year and if not THE best in the NFC. Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense continues to explode with its plethora of weapons that we have heard about all season like Puka Nacua, Devante Adams, Kyren Williams, and more. Next up for Los Angeles as they try and defend the #1 seed Matthew Stafford travels to face his former team that he spent 10 plus seasons in Detroit. Give me the Rams!
3. Seahawks: The Seattle Seahawks continue their season of winning and it is hugely thanks to that defense. Sam Darnold had another bounce back game this week and this time it was against the Atlanta Falcons. The first half started pretty slow but as time went on the game sort of fixed itself. On the opposing side the Seahawks had the hard task of stopping the run with facing running back Bijan Robinson and also Tyler Allegri and they were successful in that aspect preventing them from scoring. The Seahawks defense did not let up a touchdown all game and it was a landslide for the Hawks. I see this team making it pretty far in the NFC and their run game is also starting to take form. I would like to see either Kenneth Walker or Charbonet really claim that RB1 role like our buddy Adam says over here from Insidethelocerroomtv, it will be interesting to see if anyone emerges. This week for Seattle is interesting as they face a 44 year old Quarterback in Phillip Rivers this week who is coming out of retirement making a comeback into the league. Should be a cakewalk for them right?
4. Packers. Lambeau was defended as the Green Bay Packers defeated their divisional rival foe this past Sunday afternoon. It was a great contest from both sides as both quarterbacks dueled it out and it was pure cinema as is always between Packers vs. Bears. Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson had a day with catching two touchdowns and Jordan Love LOVES feeding him the ball. It is disappointing to see some of this offense’s weapons still missing like tight end Tucker Kraft and Matthew Golden both out due to injury, but we knew this Packers offense ran deep with weapons and that is what I have been preaching all season. This Green Bay defense has also been historical thus far as they aim to keep their streak alive and stay atop of the NFC North. GO PACK GO.
5. Broncos: Quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos still have some to prove in my eyes. They are only the second team other than the New England Patriots to reach 10 wins in a row and while one may argue that their resume has been more important than the teams the Patriots have beaten, I just don’t see that as much. Bo Nix has been above average this season and that is not to take away from his game at all. Sean Peyton has proven yet again how much of a quarterback whisperer he is and he elevates this squad as also this Denver defense is still known league wide for being very fast and fierce. That has always been the culture in Denver and they aim to extend their win streak to a whopping eleven games this Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers.
6. Bears: Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears were so close in defeating their divisional rivals like I had just mentioned before. This is not to take away anything from this team at all as I expect them to take a game from the Packers at home and split games with them. This hybrid west coast offense and this running back group is finding their rhythm and former Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai is doing an excellent job with running the rock.
7. Lions: The Detroit Lions have possibly their biggest test of the season yet with their seeding also on the line as well. This week they have a very familiar foe in Matthew Stafford as he played over 10 years for their franchise. It will be a duel for the ages as we know both quarterbacks Jared Goff and Stafford are both top 5 in passing yards in the league and these offenses both contain some of the league’s best. Will it be a multi touchdown game for say Gibbs or Adams? I think the X factor will be the defenses and I think Los Angeles might have the edge over them in that category. The Lions had started us off in week 14 with a W over the Cowboys but can they keep up this momentum versus my #2 ranked Rams?
8. Bills: The Buffalo Bills have the possibility to underachieve this year and it already seems like that might be the case due to them having to catch the New England Patriots. Quarterback Josh Allen to this point has not been close to what he was last year during his MVP season but they still grabbed the comeback victory over the Bengals this past Sunday. It was a good day for the run defense and also for running back James Cook as he had 80 yards rushing. This team needed this moral victory and they have the possibility to make things that much closer in the AFC East if they manage to split their games with the Pats. This defense has been mediocre for the most part of the season and they will be put to the test this Sunday at Foxborough.
9. Chargers: Chargers and the Eagles may have been the craziest game of the week. In fact it WAS the craziest game of the week. This game was filled with turnovers from both teams and honestly it was a very entertaining watch. This Chargers offensive line crumbled under pressure and Herbert only finished with one passing touchdown. We are used to this offense being a little bit more explosive but they managed to still get the win during primetime. I thought this receiving core this time had a harder time with Keenan Allen finishing with less than 30 yards receiving. Justin Herbert is playing with an injury on his non throwing hand but it seems like the quarterback is a warrior and also had the most rushing yards for the day on his team rushing for 66 yards! Even with Hampton finally back from injury, the run game was not that effective especially in the second half. The Chargers managed to send the game to overtime and they have not lost a primetime game at home and that stat moves to 4-0. This week they travel to Arrowhead once again to hopefully sweep the Chiefs. Will they assert their dominance?
10. Jaguars: Jacksonville got their revenge against the Colts and for them it was an easier contest due to opposing quarterback Daniel Jones tearing his achilles. The AFC South becomes that more interesting with the Texans also starting to heat up but for Jaxsonville I think they can only get so far with a first year head coach. If their first round draft pick Travis Hunter was also healthy I would like this team’s chances a lot more but that is not the case. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had nothing short of a huge bounce back year for him and it will be interesting to see how the rest of their schedule goes. Currently the Jags stand at the #3 seed but in my opinion that is way too high for this team. Their defense is more than serviceable but can their offense stay consistent?
11. Eagles: Oh boy the Eagles this week, not only losing to the Chargers in overtime but Jalen Hurts not finishing with a single passing touchdown and 4 interceptions was just simply insane to witness. Saquon I think reset the tone of the game with his huge rushing touchdown but after that it seemed as if the Eagles offense just kept missing opportunity after opportunity. After this loss Jalen Hurts says it stings extra but it’s all about how you respond. The Eagles have had a chance to respond for three weeks now and nothing has changed. The offensive playcalling is still inexcusable and this team seems to be on the fall off for now. Luckily for them they face potentially the worst team in the league this week traveling to Las Vegas to face the Raiders.
12. 49ers: The 49ers had a very much anticipated BYE week for them as they had the week off. Up until this point if you would have told me in the offense that the 49ers would still be this high on my list, I would have laughed at you. Despite all the adversity this team has faced so far on both sides of the ball I might add, this team keeps finding ways to win and a huge part of that is the coaching. If Brock Purdy can start to play even better and if Christian McCaffrey can keep running the rock solidly, I like this team’s chances to be a trouble for some come playoff time. The big question though is what will their quarterback play be like?
13. Texans: Houston completed the upset over the Kansas City Chiefs and they proved me wrong. Houston’s defense is quietly top 3 if not the best in the league and they have been physical all season long. This defense led by Will Anderson Jr. and Dereck Stingley Jr. has been elite and they all come crashing to the line of scrimmage with extreme physicality. C.J Stroud sometimes has been inconsistent but this game proved that he is ready to take the Texans far still. I expect Houston to make a really nice playoff run and they could easily move up in my rankings even more.
14. Bucs: Baker Mayfield’s problems against the Saints continue and their defense seems like his kryptonite. The Bucs still are at the #The 4 seed and their playoff hopes are far from dead but this offense is definitely supposed to be more explosive. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka seemed to not be in the game after finishing with 2 catches for the day. Perhaps teams are figuring out how to dial in against this Bucs offense? Bucky Irving however also had a mediocre day running the rock and this Saints defense seems to be sneakily good. Personally I see the Bucs bouncing back this week starting us off in week 15 playing at home against the Falcons and hopefully, head coach Todd Bowles has a good gameplan against one of the league’s best in Bijan Robinson.
15. Colts: The worst thing imaginable happened to the Colts as I predicted that their season was hanging on the thread of Daniel Jones’s health. Star Quarterback Daniel Jones after starting 9-1 unfortunately tore his achilles this past Sunday and it was a terrible sight to see. After that the offense lost all of its life and not even rushing leader Jonathan Taylor could do anything about it. The common theme of J.T not scoring and the Colts losing continues and this stings super bad for Indy. Fortunately for them former Colts and Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers decides to retire and return to the helm. This is no unfamiliar territory for Rivers as he has been running this offense the whole time he has been retired coaching his son’s high school football team and even that in itself is amazing. Imagine being a high school football player and being able to run a NFL offensive playbook. Unfortunately for the Colts and for Rivers they face one of the league’s top defenses in the Seahawks and it will be anything but a cakewalk for this offensive line. Rivers should protect himself at all costs and potentially brewing could be the biggest upset of the season yet? The Colts defense and Jonathan Taylor would have to come up huge.
16. Panthers: The Panthers were another team that had off last week and for the Panthers it was a week off greatly well deserved. I’ve preached all season about how quarterback Bryce Young has taken a huge leap like I said he would and his rookie receiver Ted McMilan continues to shine and make his case for WR1. This week for the Panthers they face a divisional foe in the Saints and I think it will be a closer matchup than people might think. Like I had just mentioned before with the Saints defense quietly being way above average. This could be yet another test for this offense and especially running back Rico Dowdle. I would like to see his consistency back and hopefully he can have a bounce back game this week versus New Orleans.
17. Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys had opened us up in Week 14 as I had mentioned before and for them it was too much too late against this Detroit Lions team. Sure they had to play away but after a late touchdown thrown by Dak, the Cowboys had some life. This offense is still one of the league’s best and in my opinion this defense has improved immensely. This week for the Cowboys they have an easier opponent in the VIkings and also CeeDee Lamb aims to make his comeback from injury a second time. The fact that the Cowboys acquired George Pickens for what they did as well from the Pittsburgh Steelers is massive. He has had a top 5 season for a wide receiver arguably this year.
18. Bengals: The Bengals choked the game away against the Buffalo Bills and even though the snow game was visually appealing, the Bengals defense is sometimes not. Trey Hendrickson being out due to injury is obviously huge but this team has the same excuses for me I feel like every time. Explosive offense that could put you in any game but the defense cannot stay off the field. I think personally all the Bengals are missing are a couple good secondary players and a defensive line badly but with their money going to all of their offense it is hard to see them learning their lesson and them trying to do anything really this offseason on the defensive side of the football. I still think they have a shot at the AFC North title surprisingly due to how the division has shaped up but it will be a tight race between Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson.
19. Steelers: Steelers are right under the Bengals for me and I know what you’re thinking. Ben didn’t the Steelers easily take care of the Bengals a couple weeks ago? Well yes they did but for me one vintage Aaron Rodgers game does not fix your season. The Steelers defense still had the same problems it had all season and they still allowed the Ravens to comeback after Aaron Rodgers and the offense did their part. However I do have to give my flowers to D.K Metcalf after he finished with over 100 yards receiving and easily had his best game yet this season. Next week for the Steelers they face off against the Dolphins at home. The Dolphins however are on a streak of their own surprisingly and we will get to that shortly.
20. Chiefs: The Kansas City Chiefs are in trouble and officially fall to 6-7 on the year. They have no possibility to win the AFC West anymore and that has not been said in quite some time. It was another multi turnover game for Mahomes and we know you cannot win football games like that. The Chiefs might be cooked and in my opinion if Mahomes wants to win any other Superbowls he should take a page out of Brady’s book perhaps and take a pay cut to bring even more offensive weapons and defensive players. Not saying there’s none already cause there is plenty with Kareem Hunt and Rashee Rice but with players like Tight end Travis Kelce most likely retiring after this season, it will be interesting to see what the Chiefs add this offseason to help get them back on track. Is this an early reaction or are we seeing the demise of the league’s latest dynasty?
21. Ravens: The Ravens are also a team in real trouble after they dropped a game against their divisional opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Isaiah Likely’s touchdown should have counted in my opinion, and the tight end should have finished the day with two scores. That controversial play might have cost the Ravens the game but Lamar could also be playing hurt still. This quarterback wants to do everything in his power to bring his team to the promised land but now the road will be even longer. In my opinion for the Ravens to succeed their offense needs to start putting up numbers again and we need countless classic games from Derrick Henry. Can Harbaugh draw it up or is it over for the Ravens?
22. Saints: Tyler Shough not only finished the day with his first rushing touchdown of the season but he scored that way twice! It was a great outing from the quarterback and quietly like I had mentioned before, the Saints are making their defense known across the league. They are successful at applying pressure to the quarterback and this defense also creates turnovers. Wide Receiver Chris Olave as well continues to lead the way for this offense and surprisingly the Saints have had more positives than negative compared to what most had thought of them coming into the season. We all knew they would most likely not do much this year but with building a team for a new head coach, a good defense is definitely a way to start.
23. Dolphins: The Miami Dolphins had their turn on beating on the New York Jets this week and for them it was a cakewalk. Not even that much to say about this game other than runningback Devon Achane left the game before halftime but still had nearly 100 rushing yards for the day. Despite letting up one special teams touchdown, the defense did not let up any redzone points at all and they made it a miserable day for Jets fans. After a beginning of the season filled with chaos for Miami, their squad is quietly gaining confidence and some momentum here after their third win in a row. Can they keep up another win against the Steelers? Have to give your flowers to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as well as he has made a major improvement compared to a couple weeks ago. What could be concerning for this team is its potential injuries on offense with both wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back Devon Achane both banged up. Off to Pitt!
24. Giants: The New York Giants were another squad on BYE week this past week and the week before for the matchup against the Patriots had more positives than negatives like I had mentioned in the last article. Rookie Quarterback Jaxson Dart has had more than a serviceable season for the G-men and for next season they look to fill their head coaching role and they have some interesting candidates to choose from. Coach Jon Gruden could be a polarizing candidate and even names like Bill Belichick could come into conversation. This defense’s potential needs to be tapped and with wide receiver Malik Nabers and Skat returning next season, this should be a very attractive head coaching position for one to fill.
25. Vikings: The Vikings fall farther and farther and they honestly seem like one of the teams I was without a doubt right about from this past offseason. Their season rested on the shoulders of a quarterback we haven’t really seen play like that and obviously he has still not been able to stay healthy and the quarterback I am talking about obviously is project J.J McCarthy. He is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the league up until this point and I think it would be a mistake if Minnesota does not look into the quarterback market this offseason. If only Kirk Cousins had stayed!
26. Falcons: Speaking of Kirk Cousins we will talk about his squad now! It is not much new to talk about Atlanta this week after teams seem to be gameplanning pretty easy against them. It also does not help that their head coach Raheem Morris has done nothing really different to change his gameplans and Falcons fans that I am in contact with seem to be fed up with him and have been all season. It’s simple for other teams due to rookie Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. being out to injury all season, stop the run with Bijan Robinson and it should be smooth sailing from there.
27. Titans: Cam Ward has finally gotten the biggest win of his career so far and it was definitely a duel to remember between him and opposing rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders who we will get to in a second. It was a huge day running the rock for running back Tony Pollard as he finished the day with over 140 rushing yards! The Browns defense could not stop him at all and it is what helped the Titans win this game. The red zone defense clutched up at the end like it always does usually but this game should have been won by the Browns and Sanders arguably outperformed Ward. Nonetheless it was a much deserved win for either squad and I am happy that Cam Ward gets to be on the win column finally this week as it has been super hard for this squad to find wins. Get you a quarterback whisperer for Cam Ward and the Titans may have something here at quarterback.
28. Browns: Shedeur Sanders has arrived and I have anticipated this since the moment the guy got drafted! Sanders finished the day with 4 total touchdowns and he even ran it in for a score! The Browns lost to the titans by 2 points due to a failed two point wildcat conversion from rookie Quidshon Judkins but all around this team still fights week in and out. Myles Garrett is also just a couple sacks away from the all time leading sack record. I believe that Garrett will definitely achieve the record as we are witnessing history and I think he will even try and add onto it cementing his hall of fame worthy career he has had so far.
29. Raiders: Geno Smith seems still terrible at football and anything I type about this team right now will be a repeat of what I have been saying all season about them. Whatever head coach Pete Caroll is simply not working and rookie running back Ahston Jeanty has not been utilized properly due to how poor this offensive line is playing. Las Vegas hopefully will have someone else at the helm next year and they seem like one of the quarterback needy teams for this upcoming draft. Who will they end up with?
30. Commanders: The Commanders have been officially eliminated from playoff contention and many had this team falling off this year. But is this bad? I don’t think anyone had the Commanders being as bad as top 5 this year but with quarterback Jayden Daniels fracturing his elbow earlier in the year, it has been hard to recover ever since that. This team needs a running identity and a secondary on defense to be considered worthy contenders for me. Luckily they have a franchise guy already if he manages to stay healthier than what he was this year. Get well soon Jayden the game misses you! It was super heartbreaking to see Commanders tight end Zach Ertz go out due to injury as well and a speedy recovery is hoped for Ertz as we possibly saw his last snap in the NFL. Injuries are never fair, man.
31. Cardinals: Another week, another Cardinals loss. What’s new? Oh wait, they were off this week? Anyways on the bright side Michael Wilson quietly has had solid days receiving with Marvin Harrison Jr. being out due to injury but with the season coming to week 15, the Cardinals are already looking to next season.
32. Jets: This team has simply been inexcusable and this is bigger than football. The Jets extended their no-playoff drought to 15 years and still have stunk my whole life haha. This game there was nobody in the stand and the atmosphere at metlife is just always a nightmare. It’s sad not to see Justin Fields out there knowing what his legs could do but at this point this organization seems to be heading in a different direction which is super unfair to Fields. No matter what quarterback has been behind the offensive line this offense has been so poor and terrible to watch. Breece Hall finished the game with less than 50 rushing yards and the theme of him co,plaining being on this team continues to stir. You can’t complain about not winning and then not playing. Please move back to the New York Jets.
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