2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
Updated: December 14, 2010, 2:24 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
The New England Patriots are the unanimous pick to top the latest edition of ESPN.com's NFL Power Rankings.
Our four pollsters crowned the Patriots, who flip-flopped places with the Week 14 kings, the Atlanta Falcons. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens round out the top 5.
The Patriots' 36-7 pasting of the host Chicago Bears helped push QB Tom Brady's squad over the top. Next week, the No. 10 Green Bay Packers will test the host Patriots' hold on the top ranking.
In other Week 15 games that could alter the penthouse, the No. 4 Saints visit the No. 5 Ravens and the No. 6 Philadelphia Eagles meet the No. 7 New York Giants at the Meadowlands.
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Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking in the Week 14 edition of the 2010 Power Rankings.
| 2010 Power Rankings: Week 15 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 1 Last Week: 2 | Pats fans should start to book flights to Dallas. This appears to be a Super Bowl team. (Clayton) | |
| 2 |  | 1 Last Week: 1 | Falcons' second-ranked third-down offense has converted at least 50 percent in six of past seven games. (Sando) | |
| 3 |  | -- Last Week: 3 | Pittsburgh's D is allowing an average of only nine points per game in its past four. (Walker) | |
| 4 |  | 1 Last Week: 5 | Yes, Drew Brees has too many picks, but Saints lead NFL in third-down conversion rate. (Sando) | |
| 5 |  | 1 Last Week: 4 | Baltimore beat Houston in overtime. But the Ravens' lack of killer instinct is concerning. (Walker) | |
| 6 |  | 3 Last Week: 9 | Andy Reid could seal the deal for the NFC East if his Eagles can beat the Giants. (Clayton) | |
| 7 |  | 3 Last Week: 10 | The short week from the unexpected Monday night game and the injury list could make playing the Eagles even tougher. (Clayton) | |
| 8 |  | 1 Last Week: 9 | Does Brian Urlacher still think the Bears are better than the Patriots? (Walker) | |
| 9 |  | 3 Last Week: 6 | The Jets still might make the playoffs, but opponents have figured out the Jets' defense and QB Mark Sanchez. (Clayton) | |
| 10 |  | 3 Last Week: 7 | With no running game, the Packers proved they cannot thrive without QB Aaron Rodgers (concussion). (Walker) | |
| 11 |  | 1 Last Week: 12 | Now the Jags travel to Indianapolis for the AFC South game of the year. How many saw that coming? (Kuharsky) | |
| 12 |  | 2 Last Week: 14 | The way the Chargers played against the Chiefs, no one would want to face them in the playoffs. (Kuharsky) | |
| 13 |  | -- Last Week: 13 | The Bucs are running out of players when they need them the most. (Sando) | |
| 14 |  | 3 Last Week: 11 | Would things have been different against San Diego with Matt Cassel? (Kuharsky) | |
| 15 |  | -- Last Week: 15 | Titans were good medicine for Peyton Manning. Now can the Colts stop Maurice Jones-Drew in huge game? (Kuharsky) | |
| 16 |  | 2 Last Week: 18 | Tony Sparano's conservative style has the Dolphins hanging around at a respectable 7-6. (Clayton) | |
| 17 |  | 1 Last Week: 16 | Raiders wasted a great day by Darren McFadden by failing to stop the Jaguars' running game. (Kuharsky) | |
| 18 |  | 1 Last Week: 17 | Winning twice during three-game road trip put Rams in NFC West driver's seat. (Sando) | |
| 19 |  | -- Last Week: 19 | The Texans made the Ravens look like an offensive juggernaut, which they are not. (Kuharsky) | |
| 20 |  | 4 Last Week: 24 | Jason Garrett could be in good shape to be the full-time coach until Jeff Fisher is freed from Tennessee. (Clayton) | |
| 21 |  | -- Last Week: 21 | Watching this team play offense can be bad for your health. (Walker) | |
| 22 |  | -- Last Week: 22 | A big finish could still help Jeff Fisher's cause, but even 8-8 might not be good enough.(Kuharsky) | |
| 23 |  | 3 Last Week: 26 | Division games against Rams and Cardinals trump Thursday night matchup with San Diego. (Sando) | |
| 24 |  | 4 Last Week: 20 | All seven of the Seahawks' defeats have come by double-digit margins. (Sando) | |
| 25 |  | -- Last Week: 25 | Mike Shanahan isn't on the coaching hot seat, but a lot of his players are on their own hot seats. (Clayton) | |
| 26 |  | 3 Last Week: 23 | The Brett Favre streak is over, but will he play another game? (Walker) | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 29 | Kicker Jay Feely's 25 points Sunday were more than Cardinals have scored in 10 of their games. (Sando) | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 27 | The only bad luck for the Bills is that their third win could cost them a chance at Andrew Luck. (Clayton) | |
| 29 |  | 2 Last Week: 31 | The Lions finally got over the hump and got a big win over Green Bay. (Walker) | |
| 30 |  | 2 Last Week: 28 | Life in Studesville didn't appear any different than "McDanielsville." They're getting worse by the week. (Kuharsky) | |
| 31 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | QB Carson Palmer has six multi-interception games this season. (Walker) | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | Opponents have outscored Carolina 100-32 in the fourth quarter this season. (Sando) | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
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