An 11-2 record doesn’t buy what it used to in the NFL.
So many teams remain in the hunt in both conferences that no playoff spots have been clinched entering Week 15 despite a couple of AFC division leaders with 11-2 records. The two teams with double-digit win totals in the NFC share the same division, which is making for a high-stakes NFC West race.
Consider that the Bears entered Week 14 as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, lost a heartbreaker and fell all the way to the No. 7 seed. And the Lions are nipping at their heels to bump out the Bears completely.
There is some clarity forming at least: The Commanders, Jets, Browns and Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention, joining the Giants, Saints, Cardinals, Titans and Raiders as teams that are not headed to the playoffs.
Here are The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 15:
1. Patriots 11-2 (1)
Is the Patriots’ huge turnaround the product of the NFL’s weakest schedule? The product of uniting a very good head coach (Mike Vrabel) with a very good quarterback (Drake Maye)? Or a little of both? The first two games out of the bye – against the Bills and Ravens – should be telling. Maye is the most efficient quarterback in the league.
2. Broncos 11-2 (2)
The Broncos extended their winning streak against the Raiders (10 straight) but ended their NFL record of nine straight come-from-behind victories by remaining in command of a 24-17 win. Bo Nix passed for 212 yards and rushed for a touchdown, and Marvin Mims Jr. broke a 7-7 tie with a 48-yard punt return touchdown. Nik Bonitto added two more sacks.
3. Rams 10-3 (3)
Puka Nacua and Blake Corum scored two touchdowns apiece, and Matthew Stafford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-17 rout of the Cardinals. The Rams reeled off 35 consecutive points between the second and fourth quarters, and piled up 530 yards of offense. You never would’ve guessed that they trailed 7-0.
4. Packers 9-3-1 (5)
Keisean Nixon’s end-zone interception on a fourth-and-1 with 22 seconds remaining sealed a 28-21 victory against the Bears in the battle for NFC North supremacy. Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns, including two to Christian Watson, but Josh Jacobs powered across the goal line for the tiebreaking points with 3:32 to go after a spectacular 21-yard scamper into the red zone.
5. Seahawks 10-3 (4)
Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for the tiebreaking touchdown (the longest score of the NFL season) and the Seahawks exploded for 31 second-half points in a 37-9 victory against the Falcons. Including Shaheed, three different receivers scored touchdowns, including two by Jaxon Smith-Njigba and one by Cooper Kupp out of the hand of Sam Darnold.
6. Bears 9-4 (6)
The Bears came alive with scores on their first three second-half possessions but were left to rue a poor first half in their loss to the Packers. Caleb Williams, who has authored five fourth-quarter comebacks in his second season, threw the costly interception trying to pass over the top of Nixon to Cole Kmet. C.J. Gardner-Johnson had 10 tackles and an interception.
7. Bills 9-4 (7)
Christian Benford and A.J. Epenesa intercepted back-to-back fourth-quarter passes by Joe Burrow to spark a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback in a 39-34 win against the desperate Bengals. Benford returned his interception for the go-ahead 63-yard pick-six. Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns – including the knockout punch on fourth down to Jackson Hawes – and ran for another.
8. 49ers 9-4 (8)
No game necessary for the 49ers to improve their playoff position, who moved up from the No. 7 seed in NFC while enjoying a bye. One big question mark is whether receiver Brandon Aiyuk will make his season debut soon after suffering a torn ACL on Oct. 20, 2024 or if he is done with the 49ers after they voided his contract guarantees.
9. Jaguars 9-4 (11)
The Jaguars won their 11th straight home game against the Colts and took over first place in the AFC South as Travis Etienne rushed for two touchdowns in a 36-19 victory. Josh Hines-Allen had a sack for the fourth straight game – this one resulting in a safety. Devin Lloyd intercepted rookie Riley Leonard, who replaced the injured Daniel Jones (torn Achilles).
10. Chargers 9-4 (12)
Tony Jefferson’s interception in overtime capped a spectacular defensive performance that included five takeaways (two on one play!) in a 22-19 victory against the Eagles. Playing with a broken left hand, Justin Herbert threw for 139 yards and ran 10 times for 66 more. Cameron Dicker went 5-for-5 on field goals with a long of 54 yards to win the game.
11. Lions 8-5 (13)
12. Texans 8-5 (15)
13. Eagles 8-5 (10)
14. Steelers 7-6 (21)
15. Colts 8-5 (9)
16. Panthers 7-6 (16)
17. Buccaneers 7-6 (14)
18. Cowboys 6-6-1 (17)
19. Chiefs 6-7 (18)
20. Dolphins 6-7 (20)
21. Ravens 6-7 (19)
22. Vikings 5-8 (24)
23. Bengals 4-9 (22)
24. Falcons 4-9 (23)
25. Saints 3-10 (29)
26. Jets 3-10 (25)
So much for the Jets’ advantage against the Dolphins in the cold weather. The Jets allowed 21 first-quarter points en route to a 34-10 loss with undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook making his NFL debut after Tyrod Taylor was injured early. The offense didn’t get a first down until 93 seconds remained in the first half.
27. Cardinals 3-10 (26)
28. Commanders 3-10 (27)
29. Titans 2-11 (32)
30. Browns 3-10 (28)
31. Giants 2-11 (30)
The Giants are 0-8 on the road, extending a franchise-record losing streak away from home to 13 straight games (with one more to go). Overall, the Giants have lost seven straight and are threatening to challenge the franchise record of 10 straight losses (set just last season). Jaxson Dart’s development (and health) is paramount over the final four games out of the bye.
