It's been a wild season in the AFC so far and week 15 was no different. Several teams at the top of last week's AFC power rankings won this week but did they hold their spot or was there any movement? Last week's number one team, the Baltimore Ravens took care of business against the Jacksonville Jaguars, winning 23 - 7. The Jaguars never looked like a competitive team, let alone a playoff team.
The AFC was 3 - 1 against the NFC this week, with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals all winning their respective games. The lone NFC win was the Detroit Lions defeating the Denver Broncos, 42 - 17. After an impressive five-game winning streak against the likes of the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos have dropped two of their last three.
Speaking of Kansas City, they kind of rebounded after a tough loss to the Bills and defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 27 - 17; however, Kadarius Toney continues to be a problem for the Chiefs. They might be better off with him on the bench. The Dolphins got back to winning football, as did the Texans. The most impressive AFC win of the week belongs to the Bills, dominating the Cowboys, 31 - 10. Alright, enough chatter, it's time for the rankings, so let's get it.
16. Los Angeles Chargers (5 - 9)
I realize the Chargers have more wins this season than the Patriots but is there seriously a worse team right now than the Chargers? They were crushed by the Raiders by a score of 63 - 21. They are bad, plain and simple. Justin Herbert is out, and so is their former head coach, Brandon Staley. Personally, Staley should have been gone months ago. The team appointed linebackers coach Giff Smith as the interim head coach and will now face the surging Bills on Saturday.
15. New England Patriots (3 - 11)
The Patriots had the Chiefs down at one point, 10 - 7 but couldn't hold on. The Chiefs proceeded to outscore New England 20 - 7 after that. New England is still one of the worst teams in the league and now rumors are swirling about Coach Belichick leaving the team after this season. It will be very interesting to see if he does and where he might coach in 2024.
14. New York Jets (5 - 9)
The Jets were blanked by the Miami Dolphins, who aren't exactly a juggernaut of a defense, but this Jets team is abysmal on offense. I don't even think Aaron Rodgers could have saved the Jets this season, due to their offensive line and I don't see Rodgers trying to come back this season. Why risk further injury behind a suspect offensive line? Also, Coach Saleh should be on the hot seat, period.
13. Las Vegas Raiders (6 - 8)
What is going on this year with the Raiders? One week they lost to the Minnesota Vikings by a 3 - 0 score, then the next week, they put up 63 in a dominating win against the Chargers. I hope the Raiders keep Antonio Pierce as the head coach though. The team seems to respond well to him and plays hard. The question this offseason for the Raiders will be whether they believe Aidan O'Connell is the future or if they will target a quarterback in next year's draft.
12. Tennessee Titans (5 - 9)
I think the Titans have their future quarterback in Will Levis. He's played well in his rookie season, and I wonder if the Titans would have won a couple more games this season, had they gone with Levis from the start. He brings a physicality to the position; however, it won't be long before fans and media start telling him to learn to slide or get out of bounds, the same they do with Josh Allen. Tennessee couldn't pull it out against the Texans this week, in a nailbiter and lost by a score of 19 - 16. The Titans still have some rebuilding to do but they are a competitive team.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (7 - 7)
Wow, the Steelers have done a complete 180 over the last few weeks. It wasn't that long ago that they were sitting in the fifth seed in the playoffs with a 7 - 4 record. Three games later and three losses, they now sit in the tenth spot in the AFC. The Colts had their way with Pittsburgh, with the Steelers losing 30 - 13 and that was after they took an early 13 - 0 lead.
10. Denver Broncos (7 - 7)
The Broncos are another team that was on a roll for a while. After putting together an impressive five-game winning streak, that included the Chiefs and Bills, the Broncos have come back down to earth a bit, having lost two of the last three. This time, it was the Lions who completely crushed the Broncos, 42 - 17. This is the real Broncos, and it baffles me that they were somehow able to win against the Chiefs and Bills. The Broncos will be on the outside of the playoffs and watching from home this season when it's all said and done.
9. Indianapolis Colts (8 - 6)
The Colts continue to win games with backup Gardner Minshew and Jonathan Taylor on the sidelines with an injury. Indianapolis has a terrific offensive line and a very underrated receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. We'll see if Pittman can play this weekend, after taking a big-time hit (illegal hit) and was knocked out of the game. In Taylor's absence, Trey Sermon made an appearance and had a nice game, to the tune of 17 carries for 88 yards.
8. Houston Texans (8 - 6)
The Texans were probably left for dead by many fans, with star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, and receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell out. However, Houston was able to lean on their rushing attack and pulled out an overtime win against the Tennessee Titans, 19 - 16. It's unknown at the moment if Stroud will be able to return. We know Dell is out for the season, but Collins may be able to return soon too.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (8 - 6)
One week the Jaguars look like a playoff team and the next, they look like a team that will be drafting in the top ten come the 2024 NFL Draft. This week they weren't very good, losing to the Baltimore Ravens 23 - 7. It's wild to think that at one point this season I had the Jaguars as one of the top teams in the AFC and now they could find themselves outside of the playoffs. They still lead the AFC South but all three teams, Jaguars, Texans, and Colts, are 8 - 6, so the conference is up for grabs.
6. Buffalo Bills (8 - 6)
The Bills are rolling right now and after a 31 - 10 drubbing of the Cowboys, the Bills have become that team that no one wants in the playoffs. Buffalo isn't in control of their destiny technically but if they continue to win, they'll find themselves in the playoffs and it's a whole new season at that point. The Bills dominant win would normally have moved them further up these rankings but all five teams ahead of them on this list came away with wins. But is there a team in the league playing better right now?
5. Cincinnati Bengals (8 - 6)
The Bengals might actually look better right now with Jake Browning at the helm but at what point will he come back to earth? Or will he? I've said before that I don't believe Joe Burrow is a top-five quarterback in the league and what Browing is doing right now only proves my point. Bengals quarterbacks benefit from those skill players around them and the coaches call a great offensive game. Regardless, this is a solid team and may find a way into the playoffs, even without Burrow.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (9 - 5)
This Chiefs team may not be the same team we've seen in years past but it's still the Chiefs. Last time I checked, Patrick Mahomes was still the quarterback and Andy Reid was the head coach. Unfortunately for Chiefs fans, they don't have any wide receivers. You could make an argument that rookie Rashee Rice is starting to come into his own and giving Mahomes another target but he's still inconsistent, as is the whole offense.
3. Miami Dolphins (10 - 4)
The Dolphins were without Tyreek Hill this week but putting up points was not a problem, defeating the Jets 30 - 0. Raheem Mostert continues to find the end zone, scoring two more touchdowns, adding to his league-leading 18 rushing touchdowns. However, this team still has not beaten a team with a winning record in nearly two years. The Dolphins aren't a lock for the playoffs either with the Cowboys, Ravens, and Bills coming up to close out the season. They'll have a chance to put that narrative to rest.
2. Cleveland Browns (9 - 5)
The Browns keep winning and they are doing it with Joe Flacco behind center. Flacco has played well in his return to the NFL and has made enough plays on offense to lead this team to back-to-back wins against the Jaguars and Bears. Cleveland has the Texans coming up next and likely pick up their third consecutive win unless Stroud can get back under center this week. Should be a good game between two teams battling for a playoff spot.
1. Baltimore Ravens (11 - 3)
The Ravens might be the AFC's best team, having won four in a row. They dropped the Jaguars 23 - 7 in a game where Lamar Jackson had nearly 100 yards rushing. Baltimore has a huge game coming up this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, also known as Christmas. Many will say this game could be a Super Bowl preview, and rightfully so. These have been the two most consistent teams over the past month.