• Biggest riser: Los Angeles Rams (up four places since Week 15)
• Biggest faller: Los Angeles Chargers (down three places since Week 15)
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
NFL Week 16 Power Rankings
- San Francisco 49ers (no change)
- Dallas Cowboys (no change)
- Baltimore Ravens (up 1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (up 1)
- Philadelphia Eagles (down 2)
- Miami Dolphins (no change)
- Buffalo Bills (no change)
- Detroit Lions (up 1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (down 1)
- Cleveland Browns (no change)
- Seattle Seahawks (up 1)
- Cincinnati Bengals (up 1)
- Houston Texans (down 2)
- Indianapolis Colts (no change)
- Minnesota Vikings (no change)
- Los Angeles Rams (up 4)
- Green Bay Packers (down 1)
- New Orleans Saints (no change)
- Denver Broncos (down 2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (up 2)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (down 2)
- Atlanta Falcons (down 1)
- New York Jets (no change)
- Tennessee Titans (up 1)
- Chicago Bears (up 1)
- Las Vegas Raiders (up 1)
- Los Angeles Chargers (down 3)
- Arizona Cardinals (no change)
- Washington Commanders (no change)
- New York Giants (no change)
- New England Patriots (no change)
- Carolina Panthers (no change)
WEEK 15 PFF GRADES & TAKEAWAYS
The Bills beat the Cowboys decisively in Week 15. Buffalo earned a 73.7 team offense grade, the ninth-best of the week, while the Cowboys stumbled to a 26th-ranked team offense grade of 56.3, their second-lowest of the season. The Cowboys defense really struggled to stop the Bills' rushing attack, with the Bills leading the league in successful play run rate (54.4%).
The Panthers beat the Falcons 9-7 to secure their second win of the season. The team earned its second-best team offense grade of the season (66.9).
The Lions earned a 92.4 team offense grade in their win against the Broncos, the highest mark of the week. They also recorded the highest conversion rate of the week (43.9%).
Things came down to the wire on Monday night, with the Seahawks upsetting the Eagles by scoring a touchdown in the last two minutes. Seattle ranked 12th in offensive grade (72.2) and second in defensive grade (81.0).
Biggest Riser: Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams offense has caught fire over recent weeks, scoring at least 28 points each game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been playing excellent football, ranking fourth in expected points added (EPA) per dropback over the last four weeks.
The Rams have positioned themselves firmly in the playoff race and have a real shot at a wild-card spot.
Biggest Faller: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers fell to the Raiders 63-21 in Week 15, so there's no wonder why they are this week's biggest faller.
At one point, the Chargers were losing 49-0 and gifted the Raiders two defensive touchdowns. A certain drop-off was expected, with backup quarterback Easton Stick taking over from injured starter Justin Herbert, but the whole team didn’t show up to play, ultimately leading to the firing of head coach Brandon Staley.
In Week 16, they face a rejuvenated Bills team coming off one of the most impressive wins of the season.
WAR Lost to Injuries
Notable offensive injuries this week include Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell, Cowboys guard Zack Martin, Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle and tackle Austin Jackson, Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and guard Cole Strange, Browns guard Joel Bitonio, Bears guard Teven Jenkins and Packers receiver Jayden Reed.
Late-Down Decision-Making
The Panthers lost most in win probability due to kicking on fourth down in Week 15. Neither the Panthers nor the Falcons could score until the last two minutes of the first half, and both teams combined for 10 punts.
The Commanders go for it on fourth down quite often. The Washington offense remained on the field for six fourth downs and converted four of them last week, but it still wasn't enough to push them to defeat the Rams.
Game Finishers
The Buccaneers scored on all but their last second-half drives. The Buccaneers led in EPA per play in the second half this week (0.59). They also limited the Packers to one touchdown and a field goal in the second half.
Four teams — the Saints, Dolphins, Colts, and Panthers — did not allow any points to be scored in the second half.
The Giants have struggled to score in the second half this season, ranking 29th in second-half successful drive rate (26.7%) through Week 15. They were one of the four teams that did not score in the second half, and they’re not in good company, as the other teams were the Falcons, Jets and Steelers.
The Trenches
The Bills' offensive line ranked sixth in run-blocking grade in Week 15 (68.0). They didn’t allow any sacks or hits, but Cowboys edge defender Micah Parsons led the league in pressure rate (41.2%), as he accounted for seven of the eight hurries the Bills offensive line allowed.
The Cardinals' offensive line held up against the 49ers' solid defensive front, earning the second-highest run-block grade and ninth-best pass-blocking grade (76.2). The Cards' running backs averaged 3.0 yards before contact per carry, and the line allowed nine QB pressures from 45 snaps.
Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb totaled three sacks against the Jets, the first time he's tallied three or more sacks in a game since 2018. He wasn’t the only Dolphins lineman who had success this week, as Andrew Van Ginkel led the team in pass-rush win rate at 34.4%, his highest single-game mark of the season.
Defensive Success
The Seahawks posted the highest team coverage grade (90.5) this week and finished 12th in EPA allowed per pass play (-0.092). They didn’t allow any touchdowns in coverage despite going up against a strong Eagles receiving corps.
The Raiders run defense was excellent this week, as they earned the highest team run-defense grade (92.1) in the NFL. They produced 19 defensive stops against the Chargers run game, the third-most among defenses.
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