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Jarrett Bailey

NFL power rankings, Week 15: Here come the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills kept their playoff hopes alive by winning their third consecutive regular season game in Kansas City. Plus. the Dallas Cowboys took over the NFC East lead by keeping the Eagles’ offense out of the end zone.

As the playoff races in each conference heat up, here are the NFL power rankings ahead of Week 15.

32. Carolina Panthers

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Last Week: 32

It’s beyond painful watching the Panthers’ offense, and you have to wonder if they are kicking themselves about taking Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud.

31. New England Patriots

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 31

Everyone looks great against the Steelers. Bailey Zappe and Hunter henry looked like Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham. Unfortunately for the Patriots, but very fortunately for viewers, the Patriots don’t play the Steelers every week.

30. New York Giants

(Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 30

I’ll be the fun crusher and say that I’m over the whole Tommy DeVito thing. But it is more entertaining when an awful team makes a cult hero out of a bad player.

29. Washington Commanders

(Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 29

The final four weeks are just job interviews for guys currently on the roster. Whether it be with Washington or elsewhere.

28. Arizona Cardinals

(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Last Week: 25

The Cardinals are just trying to get to April. They have a ton of capital to utilize and build for the future. The interesting part will be seeing if Kyler Murray is part of those future plans.

27. Atlanta Falcons

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 23

Kyle Pitts scored a touchdown, which means an angel got its wings. Unfortunately, the Falcons didn’t get the win and are still unbearable to watch. But Goldberg hit some poor sap with a spinebuster beforehand, so that was cool.

26. Tennessee Titans

(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 28

Will Levis is a poor man’s Carson Wentz, and “poor man’s Carson Wentz” and if- oh my goodness they just beat the Dolphins on the road. Well. My apologies, Mr. Levis.

25. New York Jets

(Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 26

Good for Zach Wilson. Does that performance mean he’s the future of the Jets (or any franchise)? Absolutely not. But it’s nice to see someone who’s dealt with a lot this season have a nice game.

24. Las Vegas Raiders

Candice Ward/Getty Images)

Last Week: 21

The people who paid to attend Raiders-Vikings should be entitled to financial compensation because that was awful. Chalk the Raiders up as another team just waiting for the offseason so they can build toward the future.

23. Chicago Bears

(Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 27

I don’t know where Justin Fields is going to play next season, but there are signs of a guy who can be a superstar that come out of him more and more as time goes on. If he can land with a competent head coach and good system, the sky is the limit.

22. New Orleans Saints

(Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 24

The Saints offense is miserable. They just happened to play a far more miserable team this past weekend that made them look a little bit better.

21. Los Angeles Chargers

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Last Week: 20

What exactly does Brandon Staley have to do to get fired? Sincerely. This team is a mess in every facet, and now we’re being treated to Easton Stick vs. Aidan O’Connell this week.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 22

The Bucs now lead the division with a 6-7 record because the NFC South is the division of the damned.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers

(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Last Week: 18

Steelers fans want Mike Tomlin gone and honestly, it may be time. They haven’t won anything of note since the Obama administration, they might be the most boring team in the NFL, and they just lost consecutive games to two-win teams. Sometimes change is necessary for both parties, and it feels that way in Pittsburgh.

18. Minnesota Vikings

(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

Last Week: 16

The Vikings won, but good Lord was that an awful offensive performance, and it seems like the clock has struck midnight on Josh Dobbs’ Cinderella story.

17. Indianapolis Colts

(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Last Week: 11

That was a bad loss for Indy, and now they’ll host Pittsburgh in what will basically be a loser leaves town match, as whomever loses this game will be all but eliminated from the playoffs.

16. Seattle Seahawks

(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 14

Credit to Drew Lock for doing his darndest to give the 49ers a run for their money, but it ultimately wasn’t enough and the Seahawks have lost four straight.

15. Green Bay Packers

(Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 15

Jordan Love seems to be the guy going forward for the Packers, but they need to get a real defensive coordinator because Joe Berry is costing them games.

14. Cincinnati Bengals

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star

Last Week: 19

UPS- what can “Browning” do for you?

Jake Browning has had one hell of a two-game stretch and the Cincinnati Bengals are on the rebound after everyone thought they were out of the postseason race following Joe Burrow’s season-ending injury.

13. Los Angeles Rams

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 13

Matthew Stafford has been balling this season, and Sunday was his finest work. Unfortunately, the Ravens were able to make one more play than the Rams. However, they are still very much alive in the NFC playoff race.

12. Cleveland Browns

(Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 17

Behind the power of three touchdown passes from Father Time, Joe Flacco, the Cleveland Browns hold the top Wildcard spot in the AFC after winning a game with their fourth different quarterback of the season.

11. Denver Broncos

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 11

Denver defeated the Chargers rather handedly and currently sit as one of the boat load of AFC teams that are 7-6 and in the hunt.

10. Houston Texans

(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Last Week: 9

That was Houston’s worst loss all season, but it came on the road in bad weather and without their best receiver. They will have to adjust to life without Tank Dell.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 8

The Jaguars need to clean it up, man. Playing that sloppy at this point in the year is not a good sign, and their pass defense made Jake Browning and Joe Flacco look like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

8. Detroit Lions

(Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 7

The Lions have taken a major step back over the last month. They’ve lost two of their last three, and turnovers have started to become a problem for the offense.

7. Miami Dolphins

(Syndication: Palm Beach Post)

Last Week: 6

Well that was weird. I still can’t quite figure out how the Dolphins blew a 14-point lead with under three minutes to play, but they sure did. And when you look at the respective schedules of the Dolphins and Bills, the Week 18 matchup between the two teams could be for the division.

6. Buffalo Bills

(Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 10

Josh Allen made one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen when he hit a fadeaway pass over to Chiefs defenders like he was Reggie Miller in the Garden. The Bills’ defense came up huge in the end, as well. Despite all of the self-inflicted wounds this season, Buffalo has taken a lickin’ but they’ve kept on tickin’.

5. Kansas City Chiefs

(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 3

Never in my life have I seen a team so angry at officials for making a correct call. It’s like being mad at a cop for pulling you over for going 72 in a 55- if you were driving the speed limit, you wouldn’t be in this situation. The Chiefs are still going to win the AFC West, but they have a lot of issues to clean up offensively.

4. Baltimore Ravens

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Last Week: 5

The Ravens offense was in full force, and Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers led the charge late before Tylan Wallace did his best DeSean Jackson impression and won the game on a punt return. A fantastic ending to a fantastic game.

3. Philadelphia Eagles

(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 1

The Eagles were embarrassed for the second consecutive week and now find themselves as the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

2. Dallas Cowboys

(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)

Last Week: 4

Rayne Dakota Prescott is your MVP, boys and girls. He leads the NFL in touchdown passes, and since Week 6 he has played as close to flawless football as a quarterback can get with Dallas now sitting at the No. 2 seed with a trip to Buffalo on the horizon.

1. San Francisco 49ers

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Last Week: 1

Deebo Samuel has gone off with five touchdowns over his last two games, and the 49ers look like an absolute tank that cannot be stopped.

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