2013 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16
Updated: December 17, 2013, 3:00 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
Success is fragile in the NFL. Just look at the Broncos, Saints and Patriots.
Seemingly entrenched in the top five here last week, all three teams suffered surprising losses in Week 15. Did our voters (John Clayton, Ashley Fox, Dan Graziano, Jamison Hensley, Mike Sando and Kevin Seifert) feel the need to shake things up?
Yes and no. Denver remained at No. 2, but the Patriots fell three spots to No. 7. New Orleans dropped two spots to No. 5.
Not that any of these teams should panic. Denver has already clinched a playoff spot, and New Orleans and New England are close.
Still, no one wants to slip this time of year. The goal for every contender is to be hitting its stride late in the season. But as we saw in Week 15, potential trouble lurks around every corner.
Note: The comments below are provided by ESPN Stats & Information.
• Reporters' analysis | SN: Rank 'Em | Mike & Mike 
| S&I: Saints' road woes tied to deep ball | Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2013 Power Rankings: Week 16 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | -- Last Week: 1 | A Week 16 win against the feisty Cardinals would present the Seahawks with an interesting question. Do you rest key starters in Week 17 with a two-week layoff between action? | |
| 2 |  | -- Last Week: 2 | A Denver hiccup Thursday was excused when everyone else did the same Sunday. The Broncos should have home-field advantage, especially finishing against the Raiders and Texans -- a combined 6-22. | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 5 | Four straight wins should be five against the Falcons. The 49ers will have an interesting Week 17 road matchup against the Cardinals, possibly with a playoff berth on the line. | |
| 4 |  | 2 Last Week: 6 | DeAngelo Williams had 168 total yards Sunday, the second most he has had in a game in the past four seasons. Williams' 87 receiving yards all came on screen passes. | |
| 5 |  | 2 Last Week: 3 | Drew Brees was 2-of-7 with an interception throwing at least 15 yards downfield Sunday. Rams safety T.J. McDonald caught more deep Brees passes (one) than Jimmy Graham did. | |
| 6 |  | 1 Last Week: 7 | Jamaal Charles' 172 yards after the catch were the most in a game since the start of 2006. Alex Smith averaged a ridiculous 24.4 yards per attempt targeting Charles. | |
| 7 |  | 3 Last Week: 4 | No Gronk, Dobson or Thompkins left Tom Brady throwing three passes into the end zone targeting receivers with an average height of 5-foot-11. Needless to say, it didn't work. | |
| 8 |  | 2 Last Week: 10 | The good news? At 9-5, Arizona is still technically alive in a very difficult division. The bad news? The Cardinals finish in Seattle and hosting San Francisco. | |
| 9 |  | 1 Last Week: 8 | Andy Dalton has the worst Total QBR of any quarterback on a division leader (52.8). The only other below 60 is Cam Newton (57.5). Minnesota's secondary will help him out. | |
| 10 |  | 1 Last Week: 11 | Ten Colts are averaging more yards per rush than Trent Richardson (2.93), including three with at least 40 rushes (Donald Brown, Andrew Luck and Ahmad Bradshaw). | |
| 11 |  | 2 Last Week: 9 | LeSean McCoy ran the ball eight times Sunday despite leading the league in rushing entering the day. QB Nick Foles finished the game with more rushing yards than McCoy. | |
| 12 |  | 2 Last Week: 14 | What a day for Justin Tucker, tying a franchise record with six field goals. Baltimore is the second team to win this season without scoring a touchdown (Giants in Week 8). | |
| 13 |  | -- Last Week: 13 | Jay Cutler was 6-of-13 for 95 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions when targeting Brandon Marshall and 16-of-18 for 170 yards and two touchdowns targeting all other players. | |
| 14 |  | 2 Last Week: 16 | Ryan Tannehill was excellent throwing downfield Sunday, completing 12 of 18 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown on throws deeper than 10 yards downfield. | |
| 15 |  | 2 Last Week: 17 | Thursday's win was the best game of the season for the Chargers' defense. Denver was held to season lows in points (20), total yards (295) and first downs (19). | |
| 16 |  | 2 Last Week: 18 | Green Bay ran on 46 percent of its second-half snaps Sunday, twice as often as Dallas. The Packers trailed by 23 at halftime, and Eddie Lacy had 110 second-half rushing yards. | |
| 17 |  | 5 Last Week: 12 | Matthew Stafford has completed 15 of 47 (32%) pass attempts in the fourth quarter in his past five games, worst in the league. Imagine the outrage if he played in Dallas. | |
| 18 |  | 3 Last Week: 15 | Romo was bad, but Bill Callahan was worse. Dallas ran on seven plays in the second half. With a big lead. And DeMarco Murray averaging 8.5 yards per first-half rush. | |
| 19 |  | -- Last Week: 19 | Only Houston (six) has fewer interceptions than Pittsburgh (eight) this season. The Steelers aren't mathematically out, but Sunday's win looks like too little, too late. | |
| 20 |  | -- Last Week: 20 | It was a really nice Sunday for St. Louis. The Rams didn't just beat Drew Brees and the Saints; they also watched the Redskins fall. A top-two pick looks likely. | |
| 21 |  | 1 Last Week: 22 | Ryan Fitzpatrick shredded the Cardinals' blitz Sunday, something not many quarterbacks can say. Fitz was 15-of-21 for 184 yards and three touchdowns against at least five rushers. | |
| 22 |  | 1 Last Week: 21 | Sunday was Geno Smith's ninth game with a Total QBR under 35 this season, most in the league. Does he still take snaps for Gang Green next year? | |
| 23 |  | 4 Last Week: 27 | Matt Cassel was 11-of-13 targeting Greg Jennings on Sunday. The 11 receptions were a career high for Jennings, who has caught 72 percent of his targets from Cassel this season. | |
| 24 |  | -- Last Week: 24 | Tampa Bay's defense has finally become the turnover-producing machine it looked like it would be in the offseason. The Bucs have an NFL-best plus-12 turnover margin since Week 9. | |
| 25 |  | 1 Last Week: 26 | What do the Bills have in EJ Manuel? He has thrown for 250 yards once (and never hit 300) but had a Total QBR above 50 in six of his 10 games. | |
| 26 |  | 3 Last Week: 23 | Eli Manning's 18.2 completion percentage, 36 passing yards and minus-4 TD-Int differential on throws deeper than 10 yards downfield were all his worst since the start of 2006 (min. 10 attempts). | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | There really are a lot of pieces in place for Cleveland to be successful, just not under center. An extra first-round pick should help here. | |
| 28 |  | 2 Last Week: 30 | Matt Ryan has had a Total QBR of at least 50 in 11 games this season, trailing only Peyton Manning (13). Ryan's 4-10 record doesn't necessarily reflect his play. | |
| 29 |  | -- Last Week: 29 | Even with the loss Sunday, Jacksonville is 4-2 since Week 10, a better winning percentage than 20 other teams. A good draft could do wonders for this team next season. | |
| 30 |  | 2 Last Week: 28 | The Chiefs put up 56 points Sunday, the most Oakland has ever allowed in a game. It won't get easier, closing a bad year against the Chargers and Broncos. | |
| 31 |  | -- Last Week: 31 | Hard times in Washington. RG III is done for the year, and the Rams hold their first-round pick in next year's draft. Organizational instability has the future looking bleak in D.C. | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | Houston has had a tough run of late, facing the Colts and Patriots in two of the last three games. Denver won't be easier, as a best-case scenario of 3-13 looms. | |
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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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