There’s only three weeks left in the 2023 NFL season. That’s a lot of football left to play, to say nothing of the minefield that is the playoffs. All that said, two teams have distinguished themselves as the clear favorites in their respective conferences.
Whether they get to the Super Bowl or not is anybody’s guess, but right now nobody is playing better ball than the 49ers and the Ravens, who occupy the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in our latest rankings, respectively. This past week they both boosted their standing as the heaviest heavyweights in the league. San Francisco dropped another 40+ points on their latest victims, the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Baltimore took down a potent Jaguars team on Sunday night. As it happens, the Niners and Ravens are scheduled to play next Monday night on Christmas. The winner of the game will have a very strong claim to be the Super Bowl favorite.
Trending up: Raiders, Bengals, Colts
The three teams that made the most progress this past week were all in the AFC. The biggest jump belonged to the Raiders, who dropped 63 points on the Chargers in their win on Thursday night. Vegas is up 10 spots from last week. Further up the list, the Bengals and Colts both jumped four spots each after scoring clutch wins in the playoff race on Sunday.
Trending down: Broncos, Cowboys, Packers, Falcons
Several teams took huge tumbles this week, as well. The worst of it happened to the Broncos, who got destroyed by Detroit on Saturday night. Denver is down six spots from last week. The Cowboys also fell by six spots after getting dominated on both sides of the ball by the Bills, who have risen all the way up to No. 3. Meanwhile, the Packers lost their second-straight game, dropping them five spots from last week. Perhaps most-embarrassing of all, a talented Falcons team found a way to lose to the Panthers. Atlanta is now down from No. 18 to No. 23.
Look out next year
A few teams held steady at their positions despite losing tough games – the most unlucky of which were the Bears. If Justin Fields’ hail Mary ball had managed to stay still in Darnell Mooney’s hands it would have resulted in a massive up set over the Browns. Overall, Chicago has been playing much better since they traded for Montez Sweat and may be a team to watch next season.
Seattle up four spots
As for the Seahawks, they finally snapped their losing streak and kept their playoff hopes alive with a huge upset win over the Eagles on Monday night. Seattle is up four spots to No. 15, while Philadelphia sank another three spots down to No. 9 after their third-straight loss.
Let’s get to the full list.. Here’s how we place all 32 teams heading into Week 16.
Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick embraces Kansas City…Dec 17, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) acknowledges the crowd…Dec 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera watches game action against…Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Ariz, United States; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) escapes from San…Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) sacks New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the…Dec 17, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) signs…Dec 14, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick (2) runs against the…Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) reacts to a missed catch late in the fourth…Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) celebrates the team’s…Dec 17, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) breaks a tackle…The Minnesota Vikings prepare to take the field prior to a Week 15 NFL football game…Nov 12, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee (23) runs out of bounds…Dec 14, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) smiles after…Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleuer talks with wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) during the…Dec 17, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) is congratulated…Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (6) defends Denver Broncos tight end Lucas Krull (85) during the…Houston Texans quarterback Case Keenum (18) throws against the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at…CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 15: Jake Bobo #19 of the Seattle Seahawks warms-up prior to a…Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes the ball against the Green Bay Packers on…Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins (2) celebrates in the end zone with teammates after his early…Dec 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) following the victory…INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 16: Gardner Minshew #10 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates after his team's…Jake Browning has helped the Cincinnati Bengals get back in the playoff hunt by leading them…PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: A.J. Brown #11 is congratulated by Dallas Goedert #88 and Olamide…Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) signals during the…Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50).…Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Mike Ford (28) celebrates with fans after…Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) takes the field for the game against Denver Broncos…Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert (31) spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown past New…Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) breaks s tackle by Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell (14).Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws the ball during the third quarter of a regular…Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Ariz, United States; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) poses…
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