Rick Gosselin's Week 16 NFL Rankings: Here Come the Raiders

The Green Bay Packers are still No. 1 ... but here come the Dallas Cowboys and hte Las Vegas Raiders are on the march upward.

Editor's note: Rick Gosselin is in his 49th season reporting on the NFL in 2021. He has covered the Lions, Giants, Chiefs, and Cowboys in his career plus 38 Super Bowls. He has served on the Hall of Fame selection committee and is a member of both the senior and contributor sub-committees. Gosselin also is one of the 12 voters for the AP 32, the weekly ranking of NFL teams conducted by the Associated Press. Here is his 15th week ballot:

1. Green Bay. How important is homefield advantage to the Packers? Green Bay is the only NFL team still unbeaten at home this season at 7-0. The 12-3 Packers close out their home schedule this weekend against the Vikings. Green Bay has won its last 12 regular-season games at Lambeau. The last team to beat the Packers? Minnesota on Nov. 1, 2020. Last week: 1

2. Dallas. The Cowboys are the highest-scoring team in the NFL thanks in large part to their division. Dallas has feasted on the NFC East. The 11-4 Cowboys are the only team in the NFL still unbeaten in division play at 5-0, outscoring their NFC East foes 186-81 this season. Dallas slapped 56 points on Washington, 44 points on the Giants, and 41 on the Eagles in games this season. When the NFC East had Hall of Famers Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Johnson, and Bill Parcells coaching in the 1990s, this was the best division in football. No longer. Now it’s arguably the worst. Last Week: 5

3. Kansas City. The 11-4 Chiefs close out their season trying to nail down the top seed in the AFC with a pair of road games, traveling to Cincinnati and Denver. That’s good news for Pro Bowl WR Tyreek Hill. Seven of his nine touchdown receptions this season have come on the road as have two of his three 100-yard games. Last week: 2

4. Tampa Bay. The 11-4 Buccaneers and Chiefs are the only two teams still unbeaten in interconference play. Kansas City has completed its schedule against the NFC with a 5-0 record. Tampa Bay is 4-0 and closes out its interconference slate at the New York Jets this weekend. Pencil in a sweep. Tom Brady is 29-7 all-time against the Jets with 57 TD passes and only 15 interceptions. Last week: 4

5. LA Rams. Cooper Kupp is having a season for the ages. He leads the NFL in catches (132), yards (1,734), and touchdowns (14). Even more impressive than the quantity is the consistency. He has had at least 90 yards in receiving in 11 consecutive games and 14 of his 15 games this season. He takes a streak of four consecutive 100-yard games into Sunday’s contest at Baltimore and leads the NFL with 10 100-yard games. The only game he managed fewer than 92 yards receiving was against Arizona in Week 4 when he caught a season-low five passes for 64 yards. Last week: 3

6. Indianapolis. Jonathan Taylor needs 374 yards in the final two games of the season to become the ninth 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history. He’s capable of big numbers, having rushed for 185 yards against the Bills, 172 yards against the Jets, and 170 against the Patriots this season. Taylor takes a streak of three consecutive 100-yard games into this weekend’s home date against the Raiders. His 9-6 Colts then close the season at Jacksonville. Taylor leads the NFL with nine 100-yard rushing games this season. Last week: 8

7. Buffalo. The 9-6 Bills have the chance to win consecutive AFC East titles for the first time since 1990-91. The Bills and Patriots are both 9-6 but Buffalo holds the tie-breaker. The Bills can close the deal by winning out – and the schedule favors them. The final two games are at home and Buffalo will be heavily favored against both the Falcons and the Jets. Last week: 9

8. Tennessee. The Buccaneers lead the NFL with 12 individual 100-yard receiving games and Tom Brady has spread the wealth among four receivers: Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski. The 10-5 Titans have half as many 100-yard games as the Bucs, but Ryan Tannehill has done as good a job spreading the wealth around his receiving corps as Brady. Four different receivers have combined for those six 100-yard days for the Titans – A.J. Brown, Marcus Johnson, Julio Jones, and Nick Westbrook. Brown has three of the 100s and the others one apiece. Last week: 10

9. New England. The 9-6 Patriots have gone to the playoffs 17 times in the Bill Belichick era. If they don’t catch the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, the Patriots will do something they have never done under Belichick – qualify for the playoffs as a wild card. The other 17 playoff appearances all came as AFC East champions. The last time the Patriots reached the post-season as a wild card was 1998 under Pete Carroll. The only other time Belichick took a team to the playoffs as a wild-card was the Browns in 1994. Last week: 6

10. Cincinnati. It’s safe to assume that Joe Burrow received Baltimore’s Pro Bowl vote at quarterback. In two games this season, Burrow passed for 941 yards and seven touchdowns against Baltimore, allowing the 9-6 Bengals to take control of the AFC North at the expense of the defending champions. Burrow became the first quarterback to pass for 500 yards in a game this season when he threw for 525 yards against Baltimore last weekend – this after lighting the Ravens up for 416 yards in the first meeting. Last week: 13

11. Las Vegas. Josh Jacobs was one of only nine backs to rush for 1,000 yards in 2020. But he won’t rejoin that fraternity this season. Not with only 677 yards through 15 weeks. Jacobs didn’t rush for 70 yards in a game until the eighth week against the Giants, then didn’t hit 80 yards in a game until the 11th week against Dallas. Jacobs finally rushed for his first 100-yard game in the 15th weekend against Denver, gaining 129 yards on 27 carries to help keep the playoff hopes alive for the 8-7 Raiders. Last week: 19

12. Philadelphia. The Eagles have won three in a row and five of their last six to return to the playoff chase at 8-7. Philadelphia has done it with defense, holding five of its last six opponents under 20 points. The Eagles have not allowed a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver, or a 100-yard rusher during that stretch. Philadelphia has climbed from 15th in the NFL in defense all the way to fifth in these last six weeks. Last week: 20

13. Arizona. 10-5 Despite a three-game losing streak that has dropped the Cardinals into the wild-card range, Arizona is one of only four teams that ranks in the Top 10 in both offense and defense this week, joining Buffalo, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. The 10-5 Cardinals are also one of only two teams that ranks in the Top 10 offensively in both rushing and passing along with the Cowboys. Last week: 7

14. LA Chargers. For a defense that features Joey Bosa, the Chargers need more from their pass rush than they are getting. Los Angeles ranks 21st in the NFL with 31 sacks. The Chargers have been held to one sack or less in seven games this season. They have only one sack in each of their last two games against Kansas City and Houston and lost both to fall to 8-7, leaving their playoff hopes on a ventilator. Bosa has 9 ½ sacks but needs some help. Last week: 11

15. Baltimore. Josh Johnson has thrown passes in only three games this NFL season and started just once – yet he has a 300-yard passing performance for two different teams. He passed for 317 and three touchdowns for the Jets off the bench in a November game against the Colts, then passed for 304 yards and two touchdowns in a starting assignment last weekend for the Ravens against the Bengals. Interestingly, Johnson, 35, played his college football for Jim Harbaugh at San Diego and delivered last weekend on an NFL field for John Harbaugh. Last week: 12

16. Miami. The only team hotter in the NFL right now than the Dolphins are the Chiefs. Kansas City has won eight in a row and Miami’s winning streak stands at seven. That’s allowed the Dolphins to overcome a 1-7 start and thrust them into playoff contention at 8-7. If Miami reaches the playoffs, the Dolphins will have earned it. They face AFC South leader Tennessee and long-time AFC East nemesis New England in their final two games. Last week: 18

17. San Francisco. Deebo Samuel ranks third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage behind only running back Johnathan Taylor of the Colts and wide receiver Cooper Kupp of the Rams. Samuel is both a running back and a wide receiver. He has rushed for 301 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 70 passes for 1,247 yards and five scores. He was voted to his first Pro Bowl as a wide receiver. Last week: 14

18. Pittsburgh. Does Ben Roethlisberger have one last hurrah in him? He has thrown only 20 touchdown passes, his fewest in a full season since 2010. Roethlisberger, 39, has passed for fewer than 160 yards in each of his last two starts, losses to Tennessee and Kansas City which have damaged the playoff hopes of the 7-7-1 Steelers. Pittsburgh finishes with division games against Cleveland and Baltimore, two more playoff bubble teams. Last week: 15

19. Minnesota. RB Dalvin Cook was voted to start in the Pro Bowl for the NFC – but it’s the two starts he has missed recently that have jolted Minnesota’s playoff hopes. In the last four games, he rushed for 205 yards in a victory over Pittsburgh and 89 more in another win over Chicago. But injuries kept him out of games against the Lions and Rams and the Vikings lost both to fall to 7-8. He leads the NFC in rushing with 1,067 yards, so any absence creates a huge void in the Minnesota offense. Last week: 16

20. Atlanta. Quarterback Matt Ryan has done all he can to keep a 7-8 Atlanta team without much offensive star power in the playoff hunt. He has not thrown an interception in his last four games covering 125 passes. His only interception in the last five weeks came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against Jacksonville. Last week: 23

21. Cleveland. Speaking of interceptions, Baker Mayfield threw only two in the month of September and one in the month of October. But he threw four last weekend at Green Bay and now has eight in his last five starts…and the Browns are doing a fast fade from the AFC playoff race with a 7-8 record. Last week: 21

22. Denver. Like the Steelers and Browns, Denver’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread with just seven victories heading into the final two weekends. And the Broncos may have the tallest task of the three with season-ending games against the 8-7 Chargers and 11-4 Chiefs. The task grows even taller without quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He missed last week’s loss against Las Vegas and remains in the concussion protocol this week. Like Last week: 22

23. New Orleans. Ian Book became the 60th different quarterback to start an NFL game this season Monday night for the Saints. It marks the first time since 2010 that the NFL has needed to go to the bench to start 60 different quarterbacks in a season. Book became the fourth quarterback to start for the 7-7 Saints this season, following Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Taysom Hill. Last week: 17

24. Washington. The offensive line was supposed to be a strength for Washington this season. But center Chase Roullier and right tackle Sam Cosmi have missed eight games apiece and Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff six games. Quarterback Tyler Heinicke has paid the price. He’s been sacked five times in a game by both Denver and Tampa Bay and four times by both Dallas and Green Bay. Last week: 24

25. Chicago. Defensive end Robert Quinn has been one of the few bright spots in this lost season for the 5-10 Bears. Quinn leads the NFC in sacks with 17, just a half a sack behind NFL leader T.J. Watt with two games to play. The Bears rank fifth in the NFL with 42 sacks and have a Top 10 defense. But an offense that can’t pass (32nd in the NFL) and can’t score (28th in points) has let the Bears down. Last week: 27

26. Seattle. The Seahawks are down to their third running back – and Rashaad Penny is proving to be the best option. Seattle opened the year with Chris Carson, but his season lasted only four games before suffering a neck injury. Then it was Alex Collins’ turn. But an abdomen injury plus a positive Covid test turned the position over to Rashad Penny in December. He has rushed for 130-plus yards in two of his three starts for the 5-10 Seahawks. Last week: 25

27. Carolina. The pass rush has become an issue for the 5-10 Panthers, particularly at home. Carolina has not had a sack at home since Nov. 21. In the two home games since then, the Falcons and Buccaneers both kept their quarterbacks upright. The Panthers have failed to sack the quarterback in four games this season and three of them have come at home – all losses. Last week: 26

28. NY Jets. The Jets have allowed a league-worst 449 points this season – 173 more than they have scored. The Patriots slapped 54 on the Jets, both Buffalo and Indianapolis rang up 40, and Cincinnati, Miami, New Orleans, and Philadelphia hit 30 – and all those point explosions against the 4-11 Jets have come in the last 10 weeks. Last week: 30

29. Houston. Trevor Lawrence was drafted first overall in the 2021 NFL draft, Zach Wilson second, Trey Lance third, Justin Fields 11th, and Mac Jones 15th Davis Mills was the 67th player selected overall and the eighth quarterback. But he has most 300-yard passing games in this draft class with three. Lawrence and Jones have two apiece while Wilson, Lance, and Fields all have none. Last week: 31

30. NY Giants. Rex Burkhead gave the Houston Texans their first 100-yard rushing game last weekend as did rookie Michael Carter for the New York Jets. That leaves the Giants as the only team in the NFL still without an individual 100-yard rushing game this season – and that’s with Saquon Barkley standing in their backfield. Last week. 28

31. Detroit. The Lions have shown glimmers of hope in this 2-12-1 season. They have beaten the Cardinals and Vikings and tied the Steelers. All were in playoff contention at the time. The Lions also lost by a field goal or less to Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, and Minnesota. First-year coach Dan Campbell has established a running game – or at least he did before D’Andre Swift went down in the 11th week with a shoulder injury. He was coming off back-to-back 130-yard rushing games. He’s not Barry Sanders but Swift does give the Lions a chance to run the ball going forward. Last week: 29

32. Jacksonville. As high-scoring as both his Florida and Ohio State teams were, Urban Meyer-coached teams had a lot of practice covering kickoffs. You’d think that would be one area of strength for the Jaguars in Meyer’s debut season in the NFL. Not so. There have been eight kickoffs returned for touchdowns this season and the Jaguars have been victimized for three of them. Meyer is gone but the poor kickoff coverage remains. The Jaguars have allowed a kickoff returned for a touchdown each of the last two weeks. Last week: 32 

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Rick Gosselin has covered the NFL for 49 years for United Press International, the Kansas City Star, and the Dallas Morning News. He has covered the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys. He has been a Hall of Fame voter for 26 years and, in 2004, won the Bill Nunn Award for "long and distinguished reporting on professional football." He is a dear friend, and mentor to Hondo S. Carpenter, who runs this site.

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