Week 16 NFL Power Rankings

A bit of a shake up at the top this week as the Colts stayed perfect while the Saints tasted their first defeat and swapped places. The Chargers and the Vikings also swapped spots as the Chargers continue to win and the Vikings have stumbled a bit lately. The Eagles round up the top 5 and the Cowboys jumped up with a big win to right outside the top 5. The playoff teams aren't much clearer in the AFC with many 7-7 and 8-6 squads.

2009 Power Rankings (going into Week 16):
1.(2) Colts (14-0): The Colts now stand alone and control if they want to go for history.
2.(1) Saints (13-1): They met a tough defense and a determined Dallas team that played unstoppable against a previously unbeaten team.
3.(4) Chargers (11-3): From 2-3 to 9 straight. Hard to argue that this might be the hottest team going towards the postseason.
4.(3) Vikings (11-3): After a 10-1 start, they are now 1-2 in their last three and their might be some cracks between the QB and coach.
5.(5) Eagles (10-4): They are start to get hot and are on a bit of winning streak and the Vikings have opened the door for them to get a bye.
6.(10) Cowboys (9-5): Talk about a big win for a desperate team. They now know they can play up to talented teams.
7.(8) Patriots (9-5): The Patriots showed some life on both sides of the ball.
8.(6) Packers (9-5): They are probably a little upset at giving up the game on the last play and also giving up all those points.
9.(7) Bengals (9-5): A tough loss to close out a tough week.
10.(9) Cardinals (9-5): Not exactly a dominant performance against one of the worst teams in the Lions.
11.(12) Ravens (8-6): They are playing well enough now to outlast many wildcard contenders.
12.(14) Giants (8-6): They knew they had to make a statement and did.
13.(11) Broncos (8-6): They are slipping away and are in danger of missing the playoffs after that great start.
14.(15) Titans (7-7): They are surging and could still sneak into the postseason with a couple big wins to close out.
15.(19) Steelers (7-7): They didn’t quite play as well as they wished in December thus far, but might make some noise after all.
16.(18) Falcons (7-7): Still can get those back to back winning seasons by winning out.
17.(13) Dolphins (7-7): A few errors downed them and possibly their playoff chances.
18.(16) Jaguars (7-7): They gave the Colts a challenge and will need to be aggressive again this week against the Patriots.
19.(17) Jets (7-7): They are fading again and their postseason lives lie in two teams that could rest players if they want.
20.(21) Texans (7-7): They are still in this big AFC wildcard picture and need to win out to give themselves a great chance.
21.(22) Panthers (6-8): They have showed some dominance with another big win.
22.(20) 49ers (6-8): They made strides and will have a great chance to finish strong.
23.(27) Raiders (5-9): Another stunning win. Can they finish on a win streak?
24.(25) Bears (5-9): More offensive struggles for a team that was supposed to be better on that side of the ball.
25.(23) Bills (5-9): Couldn’t get much done against a not so great Patriots’ defense.
26.(24) Seahawks (5-9): Another bad loss in another tough season.
27.(29) Browns (3-11): They now have two wins in a row and are getting some plays from the ground game.
28.(27) Redskins (4-10): Change might be coming soon again to D.C.
29.(28) Chiefs (3-11): More disappointment for a team suffering a lot of it.
30.(31) Buccaneers (2-12): Another win has to make them feel good.
31.(30) Lions (2-12): They showed some live against the very good Cardinals.
32.(32) Rams (1-13): Not much is going good for this team on and off the field this year.

Should be an exciting week as the picture can become clearer. Will the Colts continue to pursue history or will they pull up? We shall see.