Welcome to Week 15 of the Pro Football Network company-wide NFL Power Rankings. While Dalton Miller ably provides his own power rankings following the conclusion of each Sunday’s action, we’ll be polling each of PFN’s NFL contributors to assemble our list.
Each week, we’ll combine rankings from yours truly, Chief Content Officer David Bearman, NFL Director Adam Beasley, Betting Director Brian Blewis, Audience Engagement Director Mike Gambardella, COO Matt Infante, NFL Analyst Dalton Miller, Bengals Reporter Jay Morrison, Cowboys Reporter Jess Nevarez, and Fantasy Director Kyle Yates.
Which teams are too high or too low as we enter Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season?
Pro Football Network’s Week 15 NFL Power Rankings
Week 14 rank listed in parentheses.
32) Carolina Panthers (32)
31) New England Patriots (31)
30) Washington Commanders (28)
29) Arizona Cardinals (29)
28) Las Vegas Raiders (24)
27) New York Giants (30)
T-25) Tennessee Titans (26)
T-25) New York Jets (27)
24) Los Angeles Chargers (20)
23) Chicago Bears (25)
Our lowest tier offered a few intriguing quarterback performances in Week 15. The Giants’ Tommy DeVito, the Bears’ Justin Fields, the Patriots’ Bailey Zappe, and the Titans’ Will Levis all finished in the top half of the league in QBR last week, while the Jets’ Zach Wilson ranked 17th.
Levis is the only signal-caller in that group virtually assured of returning as his club’s starter in 2024, but all five QBs may have opened a few eyes.
On the flip side, the Chargers are the NFL’s most disappointing team in 2023. Justin Herbert is out for the rest of the season after undergoing finger surgery on Tuesday, but Los Angeles’ playoff chances were shot before Herbert went down.
The Chargers might let Brandon Staley play out the string, but it won’t be a surprise if the Bolts fire their head coach if they lose to the Raiders in prime time.
22) Atlanta Falcons (21)
21) New Orleans Saints (23)
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22)
19) Pittsburgh Steelers (16)
18) Minnesota Vikings (18)
17) Seattle Seahawks (12)
No one wants to win the NFC South. The three teams contending for the division title are bunched together in our power rankings for the second consecutive week — which makes sense given that the Bucs, Saints, and Falcons share matching 6-7 records.
Whichever club ultimately wins the NFC South crown will likely be a double-digit home underdog to the fifth-seeded Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys in Round 1.
At least one of the Vikings or Seahawks will likely sneak into the postseason as a Wild Card entrant, but it’s hard to feel good about either team’s chances.
Nick Mullens will become Minnesota’s fourth starting QB of the season on Saturday, while Seattle has lost four straight and still has to play the Eagles on Monday night.
16) Indianapolis Colts (13)
15) Green Bay Packers (14)
14) Los Angeles Rams (15)
13) Denver Broncos (17)
12) Cincinnati Bengals (19)
11) Houston Texans (9)
At least a few teams in this tier will undoubtedly be left out of the playoffs. Unfortunately, that could include the Rams, who’ve consistently proven they can hang with the NFL’s most formidable clubs.
L.A.’s latest heartbreaker was a Week 14 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Rams’ Week 9 defeat to the Packers — in which Brett Rypien started for an injured Matthew Stafford — could end up deciding their playoff fate.
The Broncos and Bengals continued their ascendance on Sunday and remain firmly in the Wild Card race heading into Week 15.
But it’s a different story in Houston, where C.J. Stroud is in concussion protocol, rookie wideout Tank Dell is out for the season, and fellow pass catcher Nico Collins has a calf injury. Two upcoming games against the Titans should help, but can Davis Mills beat Tennessee if needed?
10) Jacksonville Jaguars (8)
9) Cleveland Browns (11)
8) Detroit Lions (7)
7) Buffalo Bills (10)
6) Kansas City Chiefs (6)
5) Miami Dolphins (T-4)
4) Philadelphia Eagles (2)
Cleveland and Buffalo were the only teams in this tier to help themselves last weekend. Joe Flacco passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars, giving the Browns the best quarterback performance they’ve had all season.
And despite their 7-6 record, the Bills are one of the NFL’s best teams. Josh Allen and Co. rank fifth in point differential and sixth in total team DVOA through 14 weeks.
While the other five clubs in this tier all lost, the Chiefs and Dolphins took the cake regarding devastation. Kansas City scored a potential game-winning TD against the Bills, only for it to be called back thanks to Kadarius Toney having lined up offsides.
But Miami outdid them on Monday night by blowing a 14-point lead to the Titans with fewer than three minutes remaining.
3) Baltimore Ravens (3)
2) Dallas Cowboys (T-4)
1) San Francisco 49ers (1)
Voting between the Cowboys and Ravens was extremely close. Baltimore’s average rank was 2.8; Dallas’ was 2.3, but the Cowboys received seven second-place votes, while the Ravens earned just three.
But there’s no doubt about who should be at No. 1; the 49ers are our unanimous top team for the second consecutive week, and how couldn’t they be?
On Sunday, San Francisco averaged 9.94 yards per play in a 28-16 win over the Seahawks. Only eight teams in NFL history have averaged more yards in a single game.
The 49ers are now 10-3 and the overwhelming favorite to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed ahead of the Cowboys and Eagles, whom they’ve already beaten in head-to-head matchups. The sky is the limit for Kyle Shanahan’s club.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!