1. Ravens (13-2): In the final 78 seconds of Sunday's first half, they smacked the Browns with 138 yards, seven first downs and two touchdowns.
Mark Craig's NFL power rankings through Week 16
By Star Tribune
December 25, 2019 at 1:34AM
2. Saints (12-3): Trailing the Titans 14-3 on the road, the Saints woke up with four touchdowns in five possessions.
3. Chiefs (11-4): Not sure if you Bears fans have heard this or not, but Chicago could have drafted Patrick Mahomes.
4. 49ers (12-3): Young and unpredictable, but they have as many victories this year as losses last year.
5. Patriots (12-3): George Washington was a corporal the last time the Patriots didn't win the AFC East.
6. Packers (12-3): The Vikings defense taketh, but Kirk Cousins giveth back.
7. Texans (10-5): If you think you have this team figured out, sorry, you're wrong.
8. Bills (10-5): Josh Allen was just too erratic on third down as Buffalo goes 2-for-11 in a predictable loss to the Patriots.
9. Vikings (10-5): The good news: There are no playoff games on Monday nights.
10. Seahawks (11-4): We're about to find out whether Beast Mode's legs are fresh or just 33 years old.
11. Titans (8-7): Puzzling loss to the Saints saw Tennessee go up 14-0 before next five possessions produced 40 yards and five punts.
12. Eagles (8-7): Pretty is not a required attribute to win the NFC East.
13. Cowboys (7-8): Raise your hand if you're tired of hearing that Dallas has the top-ranked offense.
14. Steelers (8-7): Suddenly, Devlin Duck = Daffy Duck.
15. Falcons (6-9): Suddenly, the Falcons know how to play football again. Better late than never? No.
16. Rams (8-7): Suddenly, the Rams are like a lot of teams the year after they lose the Super Bowl.
17. Buccaneers (7-8): Jameis Winston needs two interceptions to become the first player with 30 TD passes and 30 picks in a season. We like his chances.
18. Cardinals (5-9-1): NFL sack leader Chandler Jones (19) has 49 sacks in his past 47 games. Wow.
19. Broncos (6-9): Denver is 3-8 without Drew Lock and 3-1 with Drew Lock.
20. Jets (6-9): Le'Veon Bell beat his old team, but he averaged 2.9 yards on 25 carries. And he still plays for the Jets.
21. Bears (7-8): Good news (for the Vegas Raiders): Next year's draft pick has moved up to No. 16.
22. Browns (6-9): Note to the nation: Don't pick us to win Super Bowl 55. Signed, Freddie K.
23. Colts (7-8): Nyheim Hines returned two punts for touchdowns Sunday. The Vikings want to know if he has a twin brother.
24. Raiders (7-8): Even the Oakland-London-Vegas Raiders found a way to win at the Chargers' temporary band box.
25. Chargers (5-10): At least they turned the ball over seven fewer times than they did the week before.
26. Giants (4-11): Daniel Jones returned, leaving Eli stuck in a tie with Joe Montana in wins (117). But he does lead Joe in losses, 117-47.
27. Jaguars (5-10): Starting to look like John DeFilippo will have to wait another year for that head coaching gig.
28. Dolphins (4-11): Ryan Fitzpatrick now has four touchdown passes with five different teams.
29. Panthers (5-10): Seems like forever since this team was 4-2.
30. Redskins (3-12): Since 1997, this team has had back-to-back winning seasons only once — 2015-16, Kirk Cousins' first two years as a starter.
31. Bengals (1-14): Eight of their 14 losses were by one score.
32. Lions (3-11-1): They have lost eight in a row, have the league's worst pass defense and have been outscored by 44 points the past three weeks.
about the writer
Star Tribune
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
