Brad Biggs' Week 16 NFL rankings

Last week's rankings in parentheses.

1. Saints 12-2 (2). It wasn't pretty and the Saints aren't quite the same outside of the dome, but they were able to grind out a win at Carolina on Monday night to take firm control of NFC race.

2. Chargers 11-3 (5). Running back Melvin Gordon could return from a knee sprain against the Ravens and Los Angeles is gunning for the top seed in the AFC.

3. Chiefs 11-3 (1). Despite blowing a 14-point lead in loss to Chargers, Kansas City can still claim top seed in AFC playoffs by winning out. The Chiefs go to Seattle this week.

4. Bears 10-4 (4). After avenging season-opening loss to Packers, Bears are eyeing playoffs with hope they can secure a first-round bye.

5. Texans 10-4 (9). J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney are the engine that runs the defense, but safety Tyrann Mathieu has added energy to the back seven.

6. Rams 11-3 (3). Offense stumbled in loss to Bears and did the same again against the Eagles while the defense was out of sorts. Los Angeles is slumping at the wrong time.

7. Steelers 8-5-1 (12). Brief skid was ended with victory over their longtime nemesis the Patriots.

8. Patriots 9-5 (6). Uninspiring loss at Pittsburgh has New England as No. 3 seed in AFC right now. They've never reached the Super Bowl under Bill Belichick after playing on wild-card weekend.

9. Ravens 8-6 (10). Hats off to the Ravens for doing whatever it takes. They've run for more than 200 yards in four of the last five games to remain in the hunt.

10. Colts 8-6 (14). Frank Reich stayed the course during a 1-5 start and now the Colts have won seven of their last eight to prove they're back with Andrew Luck, a stout O-line and an emerging defense that shut out Dallas on Sunday.

11. Cowboys 8-6 (7). If the Cowboys didn't reside in the lowly NFC East, the face plant they performed in Indianapolis might have cost them.

12. Titans 8-6 (11). With wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. out, the Titans loaded up vs. the run and limited Saquon Barkley to 31 yards on 14 rushes in a 17-0 shutout.

13. Vikings 7-6-1 (13). Mike Zimmer got what he finally wanted from fill-in offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as the Vikings ran a season-high 40 times for a season-high 220 yards in blowout of Dolphins.

14. Seahawks 8-6 (8). Seattle was its own worst enemy in overtime loss at San Francisco, committing 14 penalties for a club record 148 yards.

15. Eagles 7-7 (16). The defending champs are alive after a rousing upset of the Rams in Los Angeles and they're talking about getting the dog masks out again to signify they're underdogs.

16. Browns 6-7-1 (21). Some folks are connecting the dots with Mike McCarthy to GM John Dorsey but interim coach Gregg Williams is performing well in his audition for the job.

17. Dolphins 7-7 (15). Running back Frank Gore, 35, will miss the final two games with a sprained foot, ending a streak of 122 consecutive starts. He's been noncommittal about next season and if this is the end of the line, it's been a hell of a run.

18. Broncos 6-8 (18). With 12 sacks, first-round draft pick Bradley Chubb is 2 { shy of tying Jevon Kearse's rookie record set in 1999 with the Titans.

19. Panthers 6-8 (19). Rumor mill is churning and chatter is deep second-half swoon could lead to total overhaul by owner David Tepper.

20. Packers 5-8-1 (20). Interim coach Joe Philbin danced around the topic of whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in the final two games now that Green Bay is eliminated from the playoff race.

21. Giants 5-9 (17). Coach Pat Shurmur has made it clear he wants Eli Manning, who turns 38 next month, back next season. That's fine provided New York also searches high and low for his successor.

22. Bengals 6-8 (26). Rookie defensive end Sam Hubbard had two sacks in win over Raiders, giving him six for the season and third-round pick from Ohio State looks like nice piece for future.

23. Bills 5-9 (25). In a messy season with a depleted corps of receivers, undrafted rookie Robert Foster has emerged. The former Alabama product has three 100-yard games.

24. Falcons 5-9 (27). Offense has been out of rhythm nearly entire season but things got going with Tevin Coleman's career-high 145 yards rushing in win over Arizona.

25. Redskins 7-7 (29). Their season remained alive when fourth quarterback Josh Johnson, in his first start since 2011, won for the first time as a starter in the NFL.

26. Lions 5-9 (22). Special teams have been a mess all season and it got worse in a one-point loss at Buffalo as Matt Prater missed a 48-yard field goal and long snapper Don Muhlbach bounced a snap costing an extra point.

27. Buccaneers 5-9 (23). Tampa picked up the fifth-year option on Jameis Winston's contract in the spring but it's guaranteed for injury only so a decision on him will be huge this offseason.

28. Jets 4-10 (24). Sam Darnold is the main selling point for the Jets when they search for a new coach. The question is will they be working to find a GM first.

29. 49ers 4-10 (30). Solomon Thomas, the player drafted No. 3 in 2017 with the Bears' pick, has four career sacks, one coming this season.

30. Jaguars 4-10 (28). Losing to Josh Johnson at home shows the Jaguars are back to their old ways of doing business, finding new and creative lows.

31. Raiders 3-11 (31). Christmas Eve could mark the Raiders' final game in Oakland as they're being booted from the Coliseum. Where they play in 2019 remains up in the air.

32. Cardinals 3-11 (32). At one point in the drubbing at Atlanta, the Cardinals had seven rookies on the field on offense at the same time. Youth wasn't served it was stuffed.