Week 15 NFL Rankings, Where are the Raiders?

For the first time all season, the Green Bay Packers own the top spot

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. The 11-3 Packers are home the next two weeks against Cleveland and Minnesota before closing out the season at Detroit. Three winnable games, which would secure Green Bay the top seed in the NFC playoff bracket for the second consecutive season and the third time in Aaron Rodgers’ 14-year tenure as the Pack’s starting QB. Last week: 2

2. Kansas City. There have been 13 400-yard passing games this season, including two apiece by Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Dak Prescott. Daniel Jones, Mike White, Lamar Jackson, and Carson Wentz also have had all 400-yard passing games this season while Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, and Matthew Stafford have not. Last week: 5

3. LA Rams. There have been 24 field goals of 55 yards or more in the NFL this season, including one each of the last two weeks by Rams kicker Matt Gay. He is one of six kickers with at least two of those long-distance field goals, a group that includes Justin Tucker of the Ravens and Harrison Butker of the Chiefs. Teams that kick 55-yard field goals in a game benefit, posting a 17-7 record this season. Last week: 6

4. Tampa Bay. You need to protect a 44-year-old quarterback – and the Buccaneers didn’t in their shutout loss last weekend to the Saints. Tom Brady was sacked four times – the most in his 34-game tenure with the Buccaneers and the most since October of 2019 with the Patriots. The Bucs have lost four games this season and Brady was sacked at least three times in three of them. All quarterbacks are better with a clean pocket, especially quarterbacks in their 40s. Last week: 1

5. Dallas. Cornerback Everson Walls intercepted a league-leading 11 passes as a rookie with the Cowboys in 1981. Trevon Diggs became the eighth cornerback to intercept 10 passes in a season since then – but none of the previous seven got to 11. Ronde Barber, Deltha O’Neal, Ty Law, Asante Samuel, Champ Bailey, Antonio Cromartie and Xavien Howard all ended their respective seasons with 10. Diggs has three games remaining to chase the NFL single-season record of 14 interceptions set by Hall of Famer Dick “Night Train” Lane in 1951. Last week: 7

6. New England. Jake Bailey has had three of his punts blocked this season. The 9-5 Patriots have lost all three games that he has suffered a block – to New Orleans, Dallas, and, last weekend, Indianapolis. New England suffered only three blocked punts during the entire 2010 decade, and Bailey’s blocks were the first against the Patriots since 2015. Last week: 4

7. Covid. No NFL team has won every week. But Covid has, keeping key personnel on the sideline every weekend of the 2021 season. Covid forced stars Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Amari Cooper to sit. It forced head coaches Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt Nagy, and Kevin Stefanski to take a week off. And it forced the NFL to reschedule three games in Week 15. Covid is the one foe no one in the NFL can figure out how to defeat. No one anywhere, in fact. Last week: Unranked.

8. Arizona. A 7-0 start to the season has evaporated on the Cardinals with four losses in their last seven games. Two of the losses were understandable – fellow Super Bowl contenders the Packers and the Rams. But the other two losses are inexplicable – blowouts delivered by the 5-9 Carolina Panthers and 2-11-1 Detroit Lions. The Cardinals will find out if they are contenders or pretenders these next two weeks with games against Indianapolis and Dallas. Last week: 3  

9. Indianapolis.  Last week: 11.

10. Buffalo. Buffalo’s defense of its AFC East title all comes down to this week when the 8-6 Bills travel to the 9-5 Patriots. A victory would keep Buffalo on equal footing with New England with two games to play. A loss would give the Patriots a two-game sweep of the Bills and the AFC East crown. Last week: 12

11. Tennessee. It was a bad week to be a front-runner. Six of my Top 10 teams from Week 14 were defeated in Week 15. Tampa Bay (1), Arizona (3), New England (4), Tennessee (8), Los Angeles Chargers (9), and Baltimore (10) all went down. The Buccaneers lost at home and the Cardinals were blown out by the hapless Lions but the other four were all underdogs in their games. It was the third loss in the last four games by the 9-5 Titans. Last week: 8

12. LA Chargers. The Chargers moved into SoFi Stadium in 2020 with the expectation that their new $6 billion palaces would showcase a playoff team. The Chargers had their franchise quarterback in place in Justin Herbert and stars on both sides of the ball with Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler on offense and Joey Bosa and Derwin James on defense. But SoFi has not been the football paradise the Chargers envisioned. L.A. lost five games at home last season and four already this year. An inability to win at home has dented any playoff aspirations by the 8-6 Chargers these last two seasons. Last week: 9

13. Baltimore. The 8-6 Ravens have lost their last three games by a total of four points. In two of the games, coach John Harbaugh opted to go for a two-point-conversion-and-the-win in the closing seconds rather than kick the extra point and send the game into overtime. And suddenly there is a race again in the AFC North with the Ravens and Bengals both 8-6, the Steelers 7-6-1, and the Browns 7-7. Last week: 10

14. Cincinnati. When the Bengals went on the clock with the fifth overall pick of the 2021 draft, they had their choice of the best wide receiver or the best-left tackle. Both figured to benefit emerging franchise QB, Joe Burrow. Cincinnati opted for WR Ja’Marr Chase, allowing OT Penei Sewell to slide to the Detroit Lions at 7. Chase has proven worthy of that selection with his 10 touchdown receptions. But the Bengals sure could have used that left tackle to provide blind-side protection for Burrow. He has been sacked an NFL-leading 44 times this season, including 14 in the last three weeks. Last week: 14

15. San Francisco. The 8-6 49ers have won five of their last six games to make a late charge for a playoff spot. The ability to win on the road has been a key for San Francisco. The 49ers are 5-2 away from home and the pass rush has been the difference. They rank seventh in the NFL in sacks with 36 – and 23 of them have come on the road. Last week: 15

16. Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger failed to throw a touchdown pass in last weekend’s victory over Tennessee, snapping a streak of 27 consecutive games with a TD pass dating to September 2019. That left only three NFL quarterbacks who have thrown a TD pass every game this season – Kirk Cousins, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford. Last week: 20

17. Minnesota. The NFL is supposed to be a passing league, right? Not necessarily when the weather turns cold. Five NFL teams won last weekend with fewer than 160 yards passing, including the Vikings. Kirk Cousins passed for 87 yards in a victory over the Bears. Other winners: Carson Wentz 57 yards (Colts), Ben Roethlisberger 148 (Steelers), Taysom Hill 154 (Saints), and Joe Burrow 157 (Bengals). It helps to be able to run the ball and play defense in December. Last week: 17

18. New Orleans. The Saints are an enigma. They have swept the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers and also beaten both the Packers and Patriots this season. Yet they find themselves a mediocre 7-7 because of losses to the lowly Panthers, Giants, and Falcons. With home games remaining against Miami and Carolina plus a season finale at Atlanta, the Saints still find themselves in a position to run the table and secure a playoff berth. Last week: 25

19. Miami. The 7-7 Dolphins have won six consecutive games to resurrect themselves as a playoff contender. That’s because their pass rush has come to life. Miami managed only 12 sacks through the first eight games of the season on the way to that 1-7 start. But the Dolphins have assaulted quarterbacks with 25 sacks over the last six games. Eleven different Dolphins have collected sacks during that stretch. First-round draft pick Jaelan Phillips has led the way with seven sacks and now has 8 ½ on the season. Last week: 21

20. Las Vegas. Remember the days when the Raiders lined up Hall of Famer Mike Haynes and five-time Pro Bowler Lester Hayes at cornerback and competed for NFL championships? They defined the term “shutdown corners.” Hayes once intercepted 13 passes in a season and Haynes retired with 46 career picks. But those were the Al Davis Raiders, not the Mark Davis Raiders. The 2021 Raiders have a league-low five interceptions through 13 games, including only three by cornerbacks. And the Raiders are no longer competing for championships. Last week: 23

21. Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts has rushed for 13 touchdowns in his 17 career starts at quarterback for the Eagles. Ten of them have come at home, including eight of his 10 this season. Tuesday night’s home victory over Washington was his fourth multi-TD game of the season. Last week: 22

22. Cleveland. No team has suffered greater devastation from Covid than the Browns. Clinging to slim playoff hopes with a 7-6 record, the NFL forced the Browns to play Monday night with 18 players on the Covid list, including eight starters…plus their head coach. Cleveland was missing their top two quarterbacks, their top two receivers, a past NFL rushing champion, and their best pass blocker (left tackle Jedrick Wills). A victory with a makeshift lineup would have moved the Browns into first place in the AFC North. A loss would drop them to last place. Cleveland lost to Las Vegas on a long field goal on the game’s final play, all but ending Cleveland's playoff hopes. That’s because the short-handed Browns visit Green Bay Sunday. Last week: 13

23. Denver. The Chargers aren’t the only team in the AFC West with struggles at home. There’s a sign outside the visitors’ locker room in Denver that reads “Elevation: 5,280 feet above sea level.” That’s left many a foe gasping over the years in that thin mountain air, giving Denver one of the most daunting home-field advantages in the NFL. But not this season. The Broncos are a mere 4-4 at home and that thin air actually benefitted the opponent in last weekend’s home loss to the Bengals. Evan McPherson kicked field goals of 58 and 53 yards in Cincinnati’s 15-10 victory. Last week: 16

24. Atlanta. The 6-8 Falcons have held their own with the ball in the air. They have allowed only one 300-yard passer (Tom Brady) and just two 100-yard receivers (Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin) this season. Dallas and Tampa Bay are among the teams that have allowed an NFL-worst five 300-yard passers and Jacksonville has allowed a league-worst nine 100-yard receiving games. Last week: 18

25. Washington. In 2017, Kirk Cousins started all 16 games for Washington, passing for 27 touchdowns in a 7-9 season. But Washington allowed Cousins to leave in free agency after the season and the quarterbacking in the nation’s capital has been a mess ever since. Washington has started three different quarterbacks in each of the last four seasons and has a 23-39 record to show for it. As a team, Washington has failed to pass for 20 touchdowns in every season since Cousins departed. Last week: 19

26. Seattle. Even Russell Wilson couldn’t save the Seahawks this year. He has been Seattle’s starting quarterback for 10 seasons and posted a winning record in each of the first nine. He won 68 percent of his career starts, delivering eight playoff berths and four division titles. But Wilson missed three games this season with a finger injury and has managed to win only four of his 11 starts ... and the Seahawks find themselves out of playoff contention at 5-9. Last week: 24

27. Carolina. Cam Newton has played in five games since his return to Carolina and has rushed for a touchdown in each of them. But he hasn’t enjoyed as much success throwing the ball. Newton has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game and has offset his four touchdown passes with five interceptions. As a result, the Panthers are winless with Newton as the starter. Last week: 26

28. Chicago. Justin Fields has lost a fumble in three consecutive starts and five on the season. Fumbles are a fact of life for quarterbacks who become targets standing in the pocket – but not for all quarterbacks. Only four quarterbacks who are primary starters have not lost a fumble this season – Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, and Russell Wilson. But Rodgers has fumbled three times, Tagovailoa and Wilson five apiece, and Murray 10 times without ever losing possession. Last week: 27

29. NY Giants. Only three teams have not had an individual 100-yard rusher yet this season – and two of them play in the same building. The Giants and Jets both have streaks of 18 consecutive games without a 100-yard rusher. The other team without a 100-yard rusher is the Houston Texans, and their streak sits at 15 games. The best single game by a Jets back this season was 77 yards on 15 carries by rookie Michael Carter against Cincinnati. The best single game by a Giant was 95 yards on nine carries by quarterback Daniel Jones against Washington. Last week. 28

30. Detroit. It took Craig Reynolds three seasons and four teams before finally getting his chance to start an NFL game – and he rewarded Detroit’s confidence in him last weekend with a 112-yard rushing effort in the Lions’ 30-12 upset of the Arizona Cardinals. Reynolds played six games with Washington in 2019 and two more with Jacksonville in 2020. He also spent 2019 on the Atlanta practice squad. But he had only one NFL carry before his arrival in Detroit. Finally given the chance to play, Robinson has now established himself as the best player to come out of Kutztown since linebacker John Mobley in the 1990s (and Hall of Famer Andre Reed before that). Last week: 31

31. NY Jets. Rookie QB Zach Wilson is growing to hate road trips. In his six starts away from home, he was sacked six times by both Carolina and Miami, five times by Denver, four times by Houston, and twice by both Atlanta and New England. He has not thrown a TD pass in his last five road games. Wilson is 1-5 on the road this season with the lone victory at Houston in November. Last week: 29

32. Houston. It’s hard to get a read on where the Texans are in this wayward season of rebuilding under first-year coach David Culley. That’s because Houston has managed to win only three games -- and two have come against the same opponent (see below). Last week: 33

33. Jacksonville. There have been 97 interim head coaches in the NFL since 1960. There is an exclusive subset in that fraternity of two-time interim coaches – and Darrell Bevell became the sixth such member last weekend with the Jaguars. He also was the interim head coach who finished out the 2020 season with the Detroit Lions. He went 1-4 with the Lions and is now 0-1 with the Jaguars following a loss to the Houston Texans. 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."

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