Wednesday 16 December 2009
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Date:
Time:
08:30 until 16:30 (GMT)
2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
The Week 15 ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings marquee is flickering with one powerhouse matchup.
The No. 4 San Diego Chargers will try to extend their winning streak to nine games against the invading Cincinnati Bengals. The Philadelphia Eagles replace the Bengals at No. 5 in the latest poll of our experts. The Eagles vaulted three places after surviving a wild shootout with the host New York Giants.
The undefeated New Orleans Saints remain No. 1, edging fellow unbeatens the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings hold steady at No. 3. The Saints and Colts play intriguing Week 15 games against the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively. Read more about the voting here.
The streaking No. 6 Green Bay Packers, once ranked as low as No. 16, visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defending champs, who enjoyed the No. 1 ranking earlier, are mired in a five-game losing streak and rate No. 19.
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Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 14 edition of the Power Rankings.
| 2009 Power Rankings: Week 15 | ||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | COMMENT | |
 | 1 (1) | Saints | 13-0-0 | The high-flying Saints have scored 51 more points than the Panthers and Bucs combined. (Sando) |
 | 2 (2) | Colts | 13-0-0 | The Colts won't go down easily at Jacksonville, but this game still means more to the Jaguars. (Kuharsky) |
 | 3 (3) | Vikings | 11-2-0 | After a Week 13 beatdown in Arizona, the Vikings recovered nicely against the Bengals. (Chadiha) |
 | 4 (4) | Chargers | 10-3-0 | They will put an eight-game win streak on the line against Cincinnati in a game we could see again in the postseason. (Kuharsky) |
 | 5 (8) | Eagles | 9-4-0 | The NFC East is there for the Eagles to take. They are grabbing it with a big-play offense and defense. (Clayton) |
 | 6 (7) | Packers | 9-4-0 | The Packers are beginning to resemble a dangerous wild-card team. (Chadiha) |
 | 7 (5) | Bengals | 9-4-0 | QB Carson Palmer hasn't thrown for more than 230 yards in a game since Oct. 25. (Chadiha) |
 | 8 (6) | Cardinals | 8-5-0 | Bill Bidwill owns the Cardinals 363 days a year. The 49ers own them the other two days. (Sando) |
 | 9 (11) | Patriots | 8-5-0 | After his halfhearted effort against Carolina, Randy Moss should put on a show in Buffalo. (Clayton) |
 | 10 (9) | Broncos | 8-5-0 | There's no shame in losing at Indianapolis, but a slip against Oakland would make qualifying for a playoff berth more precarious. (Kuharsky) |
 | 11 (10) | Cowboys | 8-5-0 | Any home-field advantage the Cowboys might have in their new palace disappears in December. (Clayton) |
 | 12 (16) | Ravens | 7-6-0 | Their postseason chances seem good with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Oakland left on the schedule. (Chadiha) |
 | 13 (14) | Dolphins | 7-6-0 | By climbing over the Jags, the Dolphins have a decent shot at a wild-card berth. (Clayton) |
 | 14 (12) | Giants | 7-6-0 | Send out a missing-persons alert for the Giants' defense. The unit has been missing since the team's 5-0 start. (Clayton) |
 | 15 (13) | Jaguars | 7-6-0 | They're still in control of the sixth AFC playoff seed, but there's no easy road now, as the Colts intend to play their starters to get to 14-0. (Kuharsky) |
 | 16 (19) | Jets | 7-6-0 | The Jets' playoff hopes could be helped if the Colts and the Bengals rest their starters in the final two weeks. (Clayton) |
 | 17 (17) | Titans | 6-7-0 | Running room for Chris Johnson against the Dolphins will shrink if VY is out with a hamstring injury. (Kuharsky) |
 | 18 (18) | Falcons | 6-7-0 | The Falcons rank last in third-down defense, 29th in total defense and 31st in yards allowed per play. (Sando) |
 | 19 (15) | Steelers | 6-7-0 | So much for hell being unleashed. (Chadiha) |
 | 20 (22) | Texans | 6-7-0 | The 27-point rout of the Seahawks was the first step on the Texans' path to feeling better about themselves. (Kuharsky) |
 | 21 (23) | 49ers | 6-7-0 | Getting Frank Gore involved in the offense again had to feel good for Mike Singletary & Co. (Sando) |
 | 22 (20) | Panthers | 5-8-0 | Everyone should be good at something. For the Panthers, it's analyzing opposing receivers' effort levels. (Sando) |
 | 23 (24) | Bears | 5-8-0 | Even if coach Lovie Smith isn't in trouble, offensive coordinator Ron Turner definitely is. (Chadiha) |
 | 24 (21) | Seahawks | 5-8-0 | This team has no stars and no identity on either side of the ball. Its latest performance could foreshadow changes. (Sando) |
 | 25 (26) | Bills | 5-8-0 | Buffalo's victory over Kansas City might have set football back 10 years, but interim coach Perry Fewell liked it. (Clayton) |
 | 26 (27) | Redskins | 4-9-0 | At least when Jim Zorn leaves the Redskins after the season, he'll know his players cared for him by playing hard each Sunday. (Clayton) |
 | 27 (25) | Raiders | 4-9-0 | Will Bruce Gradkowski's injury send the Raiders back to the future at quarterback? (Kuharsky) |
 | 28 (28) | Chiefs | 3-10-0 | They couldn't beat Buffalo, and now playing Cleveland seems a lot tougher than it did a week ago. (Kuharsky) |
 | 29 (32) | Browns | 2-11-0 | Even if the Steelers are reeling, that was a huge win for Eric Mangini. (Chadiha) |
 | 30 (29) | Lions | 2-11-0 | Not much to be said here after a 45-point loss to the Ravens. (Chadiha) |
 | 31 (30) | Buccaneers | 1-12-0 | The 2007 NFC South champs are one of four NFL teams without a division victory this season. (Sando) |
 | 32 (31) | Rams | 1-12-0 | The Rams are making a strong argument against expanding the regular season from 16 to 18 games. (Sando) |
