NFL Week 16 power rankings: Where do the battered Detroit Lions slot in?

Teams can smell the end of the regular season right around the corner. Struggling franchises wish they could punt on the last three games, while organizations with big dreams are hoping to round into form to make a deep playoff run. We’ve got fresh NFL team rankings out ahead of Week 16’s important matchups, starting with the worst the league has to offer right now. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Giants fans have received a lump of coal this holiday season, and the only gifts on the horizon might come in the new year if they revamp their coaching staff and front office. The New York Post’s Bridget Reilly ranked the job security of everyone on New York’s coaching staff this week, which tells you all you need to know about the state of the Giants.

Don’t let the fact that the Raiders had a chance to win on Monday night fool you. Las Vegas was abysmal against the Atlanta Falcons, registering offensive turnovers and special teams mistakes. Head coach Antonio Pierce is looking to the heavens for answers. He told the NFL’s website, “We need a break, we need a prayer.”

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Week 15’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals was a sneakily important one for Brian Callahan and Tennessee. Callahan served as the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati before taking the head job with the Titans, so he had extra motivation to show his old mates he was thriving in his new digs. The only problem is that Callahan’s stock is sinking fast, as evidenced by their 37-27 loss to the Bengals. Tennessee is now 3-11.

Patriots insider Tom E. Curran wrote on NBC Sports Boston’s website that “it’s getting harder to make the case that the Patriots are headed in the right direction.” It’s virtually impossible, actually, considering that rookie quarterback Drake Maye hasn’t consistently kept his team in games despite his draft pedigree. It’s not all his fault, though, as the team has no weapons around him.

It’s unclear whether Jacksonville owner Shad Khan is waiting for the season to end to make wholesale changes, but head coach Doug Pederson has felt like a lame duck for a while now. Sports Illustrated’s Ezekiel Trezevant wrote that the team is playing for pride in the final three weeks, but it might not be enough to prevent sweeping moves in a lost season.

Given the amount of work and resilience Nick Chubb had to put in to return to the field this season, it was terrible seeing him go down once again on Sunday with a broken foot. The turn of events summarizes the Browns season in a nutshell, as any glimmers of hope seem to be cut down at a moment’s notice.

The Panthers have somewhat flipped the narrative in the last couple of months, demonstrating that there might be reasons for optimism heading into 2025. With that said, they still have a long way to go, as their Week 15 loss against the Dallas Cowboys proved. Head coach Dave Canales will need to keep his team motivated and locked in to maintain the positive momentum they’ve established.

During ABC’s Monday Night Football broadcast, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said that there’s nothing he’s seen that makes him believe Caleb Williams won’t still be a great quarterback in the NFL someday. Double negatives aside, it seems entirely possible that Chicago might prevent him from reaching his ceiling. He’s already been sacked 58 times this season, which is amongst the most in NFL history.

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The Saints are playing with a little more spunk since interim coach Darren Rizzi toom over. New Orleans decided to go for the win at home, down one with no time left on Sunday. It didn’t work out in their favor, but it’s the type of attitude that Rizzi and his undermanned bunch are bringing week in and week out. They have a difficult test this Monday night in Green Bay against the Packers, though.

With two consecutive games in temperate Florida weather, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets seem to figured out some things. He’s been able to feed Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson in ways that weren’t coming to fruition earlier in the year. While it’s nice for Jets fans to see this, this is the definition of too little, too late.

The rest of the season in Dallas is essentially meaningless, but storylines will continue to come from the team, as they always do. Athlon Sports’ Mike Fisher covered the rumors that star defender Micah Parsons might want to be traded, and thinks Cowboys ownership can learn a lesson about how to talk about these touchy topics in the media.

Whatever glimmer of hope the Dolphins had with regard to making the playoffs has all but dissipated, as Miami once again lost to a team above .500 on Sunday in Houston. 247 Sports wrote that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is now 3-13 against winning teams during his tenure in Miami. That’s going to have to change if the Dolphins ever want to get over the hump.

Sports Illustrated’s James Rapien noted that the Cincinnati Bengals Week 16 game against the Browns has been flexed twice; first out of a primetime spot, and secondly to change networks. The point is, no one seems to care about the Bengals season anymore, despite the high-powered offense they bring to the table.

It was one of the ugliest wins you’ll ever see. Atlanta got by the Raiders on the road on Monday night, but the game should have been over about five different times. Instead, Las Vegas had a chance to win on a last-second Hail Mary that got picked off. USA Today’s Tyler Dragon accurately wrote that “Kirk Cousins, Falcons pass offense remain lethargic” as his headline.

Things went from bad to worse for Indianapolis against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. Star running back Jonathan Taylor let go of the ball just before he crossed the goal line on a surefire touchdown. Additionally, Denver ran back a pick six on a trick play the Colts tried to run, which is about as embarrassing as it gets. Like Miami’s, Indianapolis’ playoff hopes are slim to none.

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The 49ers have been beset by injuries and recent controversy involving De’Vondre Campbell’s lack of desire to play football. Despite the rough patch, they’re still two games out of the division lead, but can’t afford any more slip ups from here on out. Kyle Shanahan is generally viewed as a great coach and rightly so, but he’ll need to work his magic down the stretch to salvage the season.

It’s hard to know what to get from the Cardinals week in and week out, but they’re right in the thick of the NFC West divisional race. Perhaps their formula should include a heavy dose of running back James Conner consistently. The Arizona Republic’s Theo Mackie wrote about Conner shining once again as the lead weapon in their win against the New England Patriots.

There might not have been a more stunning defeat in Week 15 than the one the Chargers suffered at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are a good team, but for Los Angeles to get throttled 40-17 at home is somewhat concerning. It seems possible that the Chargers might have been looking ahead to Thursday night’s divisional showdown with Denver.

The Seahawks lost more than just a game on Sunday night against Green Bay. They relinquished the division lead to the Los Angeles Rams, and quarterback Geno Smith was sent off the field with a knee injury. Early returns indicate that Smith didn’t suffer a long term setback, but things are starting to look dreary in Seattle.

After a mid-season lull, the Commanders seem to be picking up the pace at the right time again. Washington acquired four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore from the Saints, who showed that he can still make impact plays against his former team in Week 15. Yahoo Sports’ Brian Manning wrote that he erased one side of the field on Sunday.

Early season injuries to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp seemed to slot the Rams in for a rebuilding year, but both elite weapons have gotten healthy as Los Angeles makes their playoff push. Nacua has been nothing short of sensational, as the Rams have schemed up ways to get him the ball down the field and in the backfield as well.

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It feels like NFL fans are waiting for the shoe to drop with Denver’s unlikely strong season, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to. The Broncos defense is swarming under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and Bo Nix can make a case that he should be Rookie of the Year. Remarkably, Denver has a chance to clinch a playoff spot in Week 16.

He doesn’t get talked about enough as one of the best players of his generation, but Mike Evans is putting together another stellar campaign. Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said, “I think he’s a guaranteed Hall of Famer. He steps up and plays big.” Evans is 251 yards away from his 11^th straight 1,000 yard receiving season.

The Texans haven’t exactly put their foot on the gas like many thought they were capable of this season, but they still find themselves sitting at 9-5. Houston looks like a sure bet to win the AFC South, but is not likely to challenge for the number one seed in the conference. They’ll need to determine what their priorities are in the last three games of the season.

The Ravens deserve a ton of credit for dismantling the Giants the way they did in Week 15. Baltimore could have easily let New York hang around as they looked ahead to a Week 16 Saturday clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they jumped on the Giants and kept up the pressure. It’ll be interesting to see how the Ravens game plan for their division rival.

The Steelers are in the midst of a crucial but challenging stretch of games. They dropped Week 15’s matchup to the Philadelphia Eagles, and will now play a Ravens team looking to stay in the hunt for the division title. Things don’t get any easier for Pittsburgh on a short week as they face the Kansas City Chiefs after that on Christmas Day.

The Vikings have continued their winning ways, improving to 12-2 after a victory on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. Minnesota now has the same record as the Detroit Lions, who may stumble to the finish line with a plethora of injuries. Their Week 18 matchup in Detroit could determine which team finishes with the top seed in the NFC.

Andscape’s Jason Reid wrote, “With Jordan Love at quarterback, the Green Bay Packers can match anyone in the NFC.” Jordan Love has come into his own, and it’s hard to know exactly how the Packers will attack opponents because of their weapons all over the field. They had a statement win on Sunday Night Football on the road in Seattle.

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The Lions lost Alim McNiell to a season-ending injury on Sunday, and Detroit’s defense took another hit as cornerback Carlton Davis was forced out with a jaw injury. To make matters worse, running back David Montgomery will also miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. These blows might be too much to overcome, but head coach Dan Campbell has kept his group together throughout adversity.

Given the way Patrick Mahomes played through an ankle injury two years ago to win a Super Bowl, it’s almost impossible to imagine his current high-ankle sprain slowing him down that significantly. Still, it’ll be something to monitor for the remainder of the season, and it might give Kansas City added incentive to chase the number one seed in the AFC to secure a bye.

Coming into Week 15, the discussion centered around whether A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts’ fractured relationship could ever be repaired. Heading out of Week 15, feelings seem to be in a good place. Despite the locker room strife, the Eagles won their 10^th straight game, and fans will have to hope the team can focus on what’s most important down the stretch, which is winning games.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wonders if Josh Allen clinched the MVP with a second-straight magnificent performance in Week 15. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said after the Bills’ victory against Detroit that the “MVP race is over.” Emmanuel Acho from Fox Sports said, “We should all unanimously agree that Josh Allen is the NFL MVP.” Allen is the best player on the planet right now, and has the Bills soaring.