2011 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15

Updated: December 13, 2011, 2:36 PM ET

ESPN.com

Week:

Who will represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI? Right now it's anyone's guess.

If the playoffs started today, the Texans, fresh off clinching their first division title, would be the AFC's No. 1 seed.

But is Houston, led by a rookie quarterback (T.J. Yates) who was a third-stringer only four weeks ago, really the team to beat? If not, who deserves the distinction? Our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, NFC West blogger Mike Sando and AFC East blogger James Walker) still hold the Ravens (No. 2) in the highest regard, but the battle for conference supremacy remains extremely tight.

The Ravens, Texans, Patriots and Steelers all boast impressive 10-3 records. Houston, despite having won seven straight games, has the lowest ranking of the four (No. 7). Will that change in the coming weeks? Maybe, maybe not. The Texans' schedule is manageable, but no one in this group faces what could be described as a daunting final stretch.

Could the AFC end up with four 13-3 teams? Crazier things have happened.

No matter how you handicap it, the race for the AFC's No. 1 seed will be exciting down to the wire. Right now, it's in the Texans' hands.

2011 Power Rankings: Week 15
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Packers 13-0	-- Last Week: 1	Losing Greg Jennings for three weeks is tough, but they will get him back for playoffs. (Clayton)
2	Ravens 10-3	-- Last Week: 2	Insert LB/DE Terrell Suggs (three sacks against Indy) into the MVP conversation. (Walker)
3	Saints 10-3	1 Last Week: 4	Drew Brees has 1,364 yards, 11 TDs and no INTs over the Saints' last four games. (Sando)
4	Steelers 10-3	1 Last Week: 5	There's no denying it: Ben Roethlisberger is the toughest quarterback in the NFL. (Walker)
5	Patriots 10-3	1 Last Week: 6	In just his second year, Rob Gronkowski is making a case to be considered the NFL's top tight end. (Walker)
6	49ers 10-3	3 Last Week: 3	The NFC's No. 2 seed could slip away if the 49ers lose at home to Pittsburgh on Monday night. (Sando)
7	Texans 10-3	-- Last Week: 7	They're not going to settle for a division crown and first playoff berth. The Texans now have their sights on a bye. (Kuharsky)
8	Falcons 8-5	-- Last Week: 8	After facing Jacksonville on Thursday, the Falcons get 10 days to prepare for a huge game vs. the Saints. (Sando)
9	Broncos 8-5	1 Last Week: 10	Attention, opponents: Put yourself out of range before the fourth quarter. (Kuharsky)
10	Jets 8-5	1 Last Week: 11	After three straight wins, the Jets control their own playoff destiny in the AFC. (Walker)
11	Lions 8-5	1 Last Week: 12	Things might not be pretty with the defense, but the Lions do have a great chance at the last wild card. (Clayton)
12	Giants 7-6	4 Last Week: 16	Who is more clutch than Tim Tebow? Eli Manning, who has six game-winning fourth-quarter drives this season. (Fox)
13	Titans 7-6	-- Last Week: 13	Three wins to end the season could still produce a playoff berth, but their margin for error has been used up. (Kuharsky)
14	Cowboys 7-6	5 Last Week: 9	Statistics show there is no such thing as icing the kicker, but don't tell that to Dan Bailey or the Cowboys. (Fox)
15	Bengals 7-6	1 Last Week: 14	The inexperienced Bengals played very tight against Houston, and it probably cost them a playoff spot. (Walker)
16	Raiders 7-6	1 Last Week: 15	They finish with Detroit, at San Diego and Kansas City. If the Raiders wake up after two bad weeks they could still be a playoff team. (Kuharsky)
17	Bears 7-6	-- Last Week: 17	How bad are things going to be if Caleb Hanie and the Bears lose to Tarvaris Jackson and the Seahawks? (Clayton)
18	Chargers 6-7	3 Last Week: 21	Back to life, but it's likely too late for them to salvage the season and prevent overhaul moves. (Kuharsky)
19	Cardinals 6-7	1 Last Week: 18	Dramatic improvements on Ray Horton's defense are making the Cardinals competitive. (Sando)
20	Seahawks 6-7	1 Last Week: 19	Marshawn Lynch leads the NFL since Week 9 with 336 yards rushing after first contact. (Sando)
21	Eagles 5-8	3 Last Week: 24	The Eagles have a pulse after beating Miami, but this isn't 2008, when Philadelphia got the help it needed to sneak into the playoffs. (Fox)
22	Bills 5-8	2 Last Week: 20	Remember when the Bills were thinking playoffs? That was six straight losses ago. (Walker)
23	Dolphins 4-9	1 Last Week: 22	Head coach Tony Sparano's third straight losing season sealed his fate in Miami. (Walker)
24	Panthers 4-9	1 Last Week: 25	The Panthers are gaining and allowing more yards per play than any team in franchise history. (Sando)
25	Chiefs 5-8	2 Last Week: 23	Scott Pioli's next coaching hire will have a huge impact on the executive's reputation. (Kuharsky)
26	Jaguars 4-9	3 Last Week: 29	The Jaguars have placed 27 players on injured reserve this year -- more than half a roster. (Kuharsky)
27	Commanders 4-9	-- Last Week: 27	Bright spot: If the season ended today, the Redskins would have the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft. (Fox)
28	Buccaneers 4-9	2 Last Week: 26	The Bucs have gone from 7-3 last season to 2-7 this season outside their division. (Sando)
29	Browns 4-9	1 Last Week: 28	You know things are ugly when there's a rift between the quarterback's father and Cleveland's head coach. (Walker)
30	Vikings 2-11	-- Last Week: 30	The Vikings' pass defense has really gone from the Cover 2 to the Cover None. (Clayton)
31	Rams 2-11	-- Last Week: 31	The Rams are 4-25 in their last 29 NFC West games dating to the 2007 season. (Sando)
32	Colts 0-13	-- Last Week: 32	Three division opponents whom the Colts have made suffer for years are all looking forward to doing their part for 0-16. (Kuharsky)
Biggest Jump: 4 Biggest Drop: 5 Make your own Power Rankings