Welcome to Week 16 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 Deputy Editor Adam Beasley, Betting Editor Brian Blewis, Audience Engagement Director Mike Gambardella, COO Matt Infante, NFL Analyst Dalton Miller, Bengals Reporter Jay Morrison, Cowboys Reporter Jess Nevarez, and Fantasy Editor Kyle Yates.
Which teams are too high or too low as we enter Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season?
Pro Football Network’s Week 16 NFL Power Rankings
Week 15 rank listed in parentheses.
32) Carolina Panthers (32)
31) New England Patriots (31)
30) Washington Commanders (30)
29) Arizona Cardinals (29)
28) New York Jets (T-25)
27) New York Giants (27)
26) Los Angeles Chargers (24)
None of the teams are going anywhere fast. The Chargers became the third NFL club to fire its head coach this season, parting ways with Brandon Staley (and GM Tom Telesco) after Los Angeles’ embarrassing 63-21 prime-time defeat on Thursday night. While the Bolts are in shambles, the Chargers’ job — which includes the opportunity to coach Justin Herbert — should be one of the league’s most attractive 2024 vacancies.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have already fired Frank Reich, while the Patriots and Commanders will likely hand Bill Belichick and Ron Rivera, respectively, their pink slips at the end of the season. The only other team in this tier that might get rid of its head coach is the Jets, but Aaron Rodgers voiced his support for Robert Saleh and the rest of New York’s decision-makers on Tuesday
25) Tennessee Titans (T-25)
24) Atlanta Falcons (22)
23) Las Vegas Raiders (28)
22) Chicago Bears (23)
21) Pittsburgh Steelers (19)
What a disparate set of teams. On the plus side, the Titans and rookie quarterback Will Levis pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 before losing a tight game to the Case Keenum-led Houston Texans last week.
Interim Raiders HC Antonio Pierce is doing everything he can to garner Vegas’ full-time role, and the Bears’ defense looks like a legitimately talented unit.
Then we have the Falcons and the Steelers, two of the NFL’s most disappointing teams. Pittsburgh can point to injury issues, but some of Mike Tomlin’s magic appears to have worn off this season.
Atlanta is an even bigger problem. Losing to the one-win Panthers is beyond concerning, especially when head coach and offensive play-caller Arthur Smith gives RB Tyler Allgeier 14 rushing attempts to No. 8 overall pick Bijan Robinson’s seven.
20) Green Bay Packers (15)
19) Minnesota Vikings (18)
18) New Orleans Saints (21)
17) Denver Broncos (13)
16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20)
The NFC South appears to be a two-team race entering Week 16. The Saints and Bucs will head into Sunday’s action with matching 7-7 records. If they emerge from this week with identical marks, Week 17’s TB-NO showdown could determine who wins the NFL’s weakest division. Atlanta is still hanging on by a thread but would need a lot of help to capture the NFC South crown.
One of the Packers or Vikings will likely claim a Wild Card entry, and the two clubs will face each other in Week 17. Minnesota won their first matchup, but Green Bay has an easier schedule moving forward. The Packers get the Panthers and Bears for their other two games, while the Vikings have to play the Detroit Lions twice.
15) Seattle Seahawks (17)
14) Indianapolis Colts (16)
13) Los Angeles Rams (14)
12) Houston Texans (11)
11) Jacksonville Jaguars (10)
10) Cincinnati Bengals (12)
9) Cleveland Browns (9)
As the only team in this tier to lose in Week 16, the Jaguars stand out like a sore thumb. Jacksonville has lost three straight and is now tied with the Colts and Texans for first place in the AFC South. But all three of those losses came against stiff competition (Bengals, Browns, Baltimore Ravens), and the Jags will have a chance to right the ship while facing the Bucs, Panthers, and Titans to close the season.
Resiliency was the story of Week 16 for the remainder of the clubs in this tier. Backup quarterbacks Drew Lock, Jake Browning, and Joe Flacco led the Seahawks, Bengals, and Browns to comeback wins, while Colts QB2 Gardner Minshew guided Indy to a dominant victory over the Steelers.
8) Detroit Lions (8)
7) Philadelphia Eagles (4)
6) Kansas City Chiefs (6)
5) Buffalo Bills (7)
4) Dallas Cowboys (2)
3) Miami Dolphins (5)
2) Baltimore Ravens (3)
1) San Francisco 49ers (1)
If one of the eight teams in this tier doesn’t win Super Bowl 58, we’d be pretty surprised.
The Eagles were the NFL’s last undefeated team and resided in the top spot in our power rankings for most of the season. But Philadelphia hit its nadir this week, dropping to seventh after giving up a game-winning fourth-quarter drive to the Seahawks on MNF. Even if the Eagles’ defense isn’t fixable, Jalen Hurts and the rest of the club’s offense must find their groove against a cakewalk of a closing schedule (vs. NYG, vs. ARZ, at NYG).
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket 2023
Meanwhile, there may be no hotter team in the NFL than the Bills — and they’re not even guaranteed a playoff spot. Buffalo moved to 8-6 by taking down the Chiefs and Cowboys over the past two weeks, but they’re still the AFC’s No. 9 seed heading into Week 16.
The Bills should be favored in their next two games (at LAC, vs. NE) and could still have a shot at the AFC East title in Week 18. If Buffalo wins out, it would need Miami to lose one of its next two games for the Bills to win the division in the regular-season finale. The Dolphins’ next two contests are against the Cowboys and Ravens, so dropping one of two is well within the realm of possibility.
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!