2015 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
Updated: December 21, 2015, 4:51 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
The Steelers are coming off a big victory over the rival Bengals and have a chance to make another statement in Week 15 against the Broncos.
The bad news? The postseason is hardly a lock. In fact, Ben Roethlisberger & Co. are the only 8-5 team not currently in a playoff spot. But the situation is much different here in our Power Rankings, as Pittsburgh now sits at No. 6 -- ahead of every other 8-5 team, as well as 9-4 Green Bay.
Among the other 8-5 teams, the Seahawks, despite a four-game winning streak, have slipped to No. 8, followed by the Chiefs and Jets. The Vikings (No. 11) are the only 8-5 team not in our top 10.
At the top, the unbeaten Panthers are No. 1 for the third straight week, while the Patriots gained two spots to take No. 3. The week's biggest mover was Jacksonville (No. 21), which jumped eight spots.
Note: The comments below are provided by ESPN Stats & Information.
• Vegas Rankings 
| Football Power Index Rankings | Handicapping the AFC wild-card race | Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2015 Power Rankings: Week 15 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | -- Last Week: 1 | Cam Newton's past five games: 68.2 completion percentage, 14 touchdown passes (one interception), two rushing touchdowns and an 84.4 Total QBR. He's good. | |
| 2 |  | -- Last Week: 2 | Carson Palmer leads the NFL this season with an 83.6 Total QBR. He is one touchdown pass shy of tying his career high, set all the way back in 2005. | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 5 | Gronk is back, and all is right in the Patriots' world again. Tom Brady has a 65.4 completion percentage, 29 TDs and four interceptions with Rob Gronkowski on the field this season. | |
| 4 |  | 1 Last Week: 3 | Andy Dalton is down. Former Alabama QB AJ McCarron takes over for Cincinnati, but an Alabama quarterback hasn't won an NFL start since Jeff Rutledge in 1987. | |
| 5 |  | 1 Last Week: 4 | Brock Osweiler is turning it over much less than Peyton Manning, but he's taking sacks at nearly double the rate (8.8 percent to 4.5 percent). | |
| 6 |  | 2 Last Week: 8 | The Steelers have scored at least 30 points in five straight games for the first time in franchise history. They are averaging 494 yards of offense and 383 passing yards in that stretch. | |
| 7 |  | -- Last Week: 7 | Mike McCarthy took over play-calling duties in Week 14, and the Packers ran more than they passed for the first time this season. They finished with their most rushing yards in a game since 2004. | |
| 8 |  | 2 Last Week: 6 | Russell Wilson has 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his past four games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other quarterbacks have done that before: Tom Brady in 2007 and Peyton Manning in 2013. | |
| 9 |  | -- Last Week: 9 | Alex Smith threw an interception on Sunday after going 312 consecutive attempts without one. According to Elias, Smith's streak is the second-longest in NFL history (Tom Brady, 358 attempts). | |
| 10 |  | -- Last Week: 10 | Brandon Marshall is just five receptions shy of breaking the Jets' single-season franchise record. He has caught a touchdown in 10 games this season, best in the NFL. | |
| 11 |  | -- Last Week: 11 | Teddy Bridgewater holds onto the ball longer than all but one quarterback (Tyrod Taylor), and as a result, he takes sacks at the third-highest rate (8.4 percent of dropbacks). | |
| 12 |  | 7 Last Week: 19 | Sam Bradford has improved in the Eagles' offense this season. He has five touchdowns and one interception in his past four games after throwing nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first seven games. | |
| 13 |  | -- Last Week: 13 | Five times this season the Texans have replaced their quarterback at some point during a game. Unsurprisingly, the Texans are 1-4 in those games. | |
| 14 |  | 3 Last Week: 17 | Khalil Mack's five sacks Sunday were the most by a Raider since Howie Long in 1983. Mack has nine sacks in his past three games played. | |
| 15 |  | 3 Last Week: 18 | Kirk Cousins completed 70 percent of his passes for the sixth time this season in Sunday's win. The only quarterback with more such games is Russell Wilson (7). | |
| 16 |  | 4 Last Week: 12 | The Bills can rip the officiating all they like, but they've been flagged an NFL-high 147 times this season, which has resulted in an NFL-high 1,086 penalty yards. | |
| 17 |  | 3 Last Week: 20 | Odell Beckham Jr. has gained 100 receiving yards in each of his past six games, the longest streak this season. He has 43 receptions, eight touchdowns and no drops in that stretch. | |
| 18 |  | 4 Last Week: 14 | The Buccaneers will have to address the pass defense this offseason. They are allowing an NFL-worst 68.7 completion percentage, including a 75.6 percent mark in Sunday's loss to the Saints. | |
| 19 |  | 2 Last Week: 21 | The Bears must not like the song "Sweet Home Chicago." They are 1-6 at Soldier Field this season, tied with the Titans for the worst home record. | |
| 20 |  | 4 Last Week: 16 | The Colts have allowed at least 45 points in back-to-back games (96 points total). The last time they did that in a single season? 1953! | |
| 21 |  | 8 Last Week: 29 | Jacksonville has scored 90 points the past two weeks. That's 11 more than any other team in that time, and 84 more than the Chargers, who beat the Jaguars three weeks ago. | |
| 22 |  | 3 Last Week: 25 | That was Tim Hightower who rushed 28 times for 85 yards and a score in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. Prior to this season, Hightower hadn't played in the NFL since 2011. | |
| 23 |  | 1 Last Week: 24 | Monday's loss officially eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs. They have missed the playoffs each of the past seven seasons, the longest drought in franchise history. | |
| 24 |  | 1 Last Week: 23 | Dez Bryant has caught 42.2 percent of his targets this season -- including one of six in Week 14 -- worst in the NFL. Matt Cassel is 16-of-42 targeting Bryant this season. | |
| 25 |  | 3 Last Week: 22 | Calvin Johnson had one reception on five targets in the Lions' loss on Sunday, just the second time since 2010 he has finished with one catch in a game. | |
| 26 |  | 2 Last Week: 28 | The Rams are 4-1 this season when Todd Gurley rushes for at least 100 yards. They are 1-7 when he doesn't play or fails to reach 100 rushing yards. | |
| 27 |  | 12 Last Week: 15 | The Falcons have lost six in a row for the first time since 2007, and have no rushing touchdowns during the streak (11 rushing TDs prior to it). | |
| 28 |  | 3 Last Week: 31 | The Chargers have been held to exactly three points in three of their past four games. There have been only five other instances of a team being held to three points this season. | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | The Ravens were outscored by 29 points against the Seahawks. They had been outscored by a total of 34 points in the eight losses prior. | |
| 30 |  | 3 Last Week: 27 | Titans wide receivers have two touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards this season. QB Marcus Mariota has one touchdown reception of 40 or more yards. | |
| 31 |  | 5 Last Week: 26 | Blaine Gabbert doesn't win consecutive starts. In fact, he has not won back-to-back games in any of his 32 career NFL starts (7-25 record as a starter). | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | Johnny Manziel is 2-2 as a starter this season, and in his past two games, he has completed 71.1 percent of his passes with an average of 321 yards. | |
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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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