The Big Jab

Another insane week is in the books, here’s my top 10 entering Week 15.

1. San Francisco 49ers (10-3)
After last week’s blowout win on the road in Philadelphia, it was pretty obvious the 49ers are the best team in the NFL right now. They followed that up with a nice division victory over Seattle to all but clinch the NFC West this week, and are in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the conference. Deebo Samuel has been on a tear, and Brock Purdy is firmly in the MVP mix along with Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco faces Arizona on the road on Sunday.

2. Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
Like San Francisco last week, Dallas took it to the Eagles in a massive 33-13 victory while shutting down the Eagles’ offense to take control in the NFC East. Dak Prescott is battling Brock Purdy for MVP, the defense is playing at an elite level, and CeeDee Lamb looks unstoppable. Dallas is looking like the clear second-best team in the league but will be tested on Sunday when they travel to Buffalo to face the Bills.

3. Baltimore Ravens (10-3)
It’s truly hard to believe, but the Ravens are the top-seed in the AFC and control their destiny to get the BYE week in the AFC Playoffs. It took everything they had, but the Ravens escaped with an overtime victory on Sunday against the Rams to maintain that top spot with Miami’s loss to Tennessee. Baltimore has won 7 of its last 8 and has only turned the ball over seven times in that span. Up next is a Sunday night matchup against Jacksonville in Florida.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)
Basically by default with other top teams falling in Week 14, the Eagles maintain a spot in the top five for now. This team is very flawed, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but losses to the best two teams in the league does not punish the Eagles in my rankings as much as it maybe should. The defense and run game needs to be cleaned up or else the Eagles could lose the division, which they still control their destiny for. Philadelphia faces Seattle in the Pacific Northwest on Monday.

5. Buffalo Bills (7-6)
It’s very weird to put a 7-6 team in 11th place in the AFC in the top five, but that’s how crazy the AFC has been this season. Buffalo’s last three games have consisted of a miracle loss to Philadelphia, a beat down of the Jets, and knocking off Patrick Mahomes on the road to stay very much alive in the playoff race. Buffalo is the team I don’t want to play if they make the playoffs, but there’s still more work to do with a brutal schedule ahead. That starts Sunday when they face Dallas at home.

6. Miami Dolphins (9-4)
This team just cannot play well in big games, and that was once again on display on Monday in a stunning loss to Tennessee at home. The top seed in the AFC is now clearly up for grabs, and will likely come down to the Miami-Baltimore showdown in Week 17 in Baltimore. Miami desperately needs to bounce back when they face the Jets at home next week, something tells me they will.

7. Detroit Lions (9-4)
It’s been a very bad stretch of football for the Lions, but I still believe. Detroit is 2-2 over the past four games with two very fortunate wins at the hands of the Bears and Saints. In the middle are losses to Green Bay on Thanksgiving and the Bears in a dominant effort last week to place the Lions at 9-4. The top-seed is gone but the division is very much still in their hands after Green Bay’s loss to the Giants. Jared Goff and this defense needs to be better, and that can start on Saturday when the Lions host Denver in a big cross-conference game. 

8. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
Have the Chiefs ever been more hateable than right now? After a Patrick Mahomes temper tantrum on an obvious call, the Chiefs are now 8-5 and could be in real jeopardy to win the division with Denver streaking. The Chiefs just aren’t very good despite the magic of Mahomes and will need everything from him and this defense to win games against good teams. That might not be the case Sunday however, when they face New England on the road.

9. Cleveland Browns (8-5)
The Browns might have found their quarterback for the season, and it’s a 38 year old Joe Flacco. The defense remains elite and is the main reason this team is 8-5 as we hit the home stretch of the season. The resilient Browns will be a tough out in December and in the playoffs, if they make it there, and are a team no one would want to face in January with that hard-nosed defense. Cleveland faces Chicago at home on Sunday.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)
Two bad losses in a row see the Jags at 8-5 and in some trouble as we enter Week 15. Thankfully for them, Houston lost to the Jets to keep the Jags firmly in the driver’s seat in the division. The health of Trevor Lawrence will make or break the rest of the season for Jacksonville, who has a ceiling of an AFC Championship game or a floor of missing the playoffs entirely. A win will be necessary on Sunday night when they host Baltimore.