Week 15 Panel Picks and Power Rankings
It’s been a long week of exams and I couldn’t muster the time to write a power rankings article and a panel picks article on time. So, I’ve decided to combine the two for a big week 15 NFL preview. After this weekend, I’ll be back to regularly scheduled content. Enjoy week 15!
Week 15 Power Rankings
32. New York Giants (2-11, no change)
31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11, down 1)
30. Tennessee Titans (3-10, down 1)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10, up 2)
28. New England Patriots (3-10, no change)
27. Cleveland Browns (3-10, down 3)
26. New York Jets (3-10, no change)
25. Carolina Panthers (3-10, up 2)
24. New Orleans Saints (5-8, up 1)
23. Chicago Bears (4-9, down 2)
22. Atlanta Falcons (6-7, no change
21. Dallas Cowboys (5-8, up 2)
20. Indianapolis Colts (6-7, down 1)
19. Arizona Cardinals (6-7, down 5)
18. Miami Dolphins (6-7, down 1)
17. San Francisco 49ers (6-7, up 3)
16. Cincinnati Bengals (5-8, up 2)
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, no change)
14. Los Angeles Rams (7-6, up 2)
13. Houston Texans (8-5, down 1)
12. Washington Commanders (8-5, down 1)
11. Denver Broncos (8-5, down 1)
10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5, (down 1)
9. Seattle Seahawks (8-5, up 4)
8. Baltimore Ravens (8-5, down 1)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3, down 1)
6. Green Bay Packers (9-4, down 2)
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-2, up 3)
4. Buffalo Bills (10-3, down 2)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (12-1, up 2)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (11-2, up 1)
1. Detroit Lions (12-1, no change)
Now for the picks. Here are the standings after 14 weeks of football.
And here are the picks for week 15.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: Rahul and Theo only had two different picks this week. Thie same duo had the exact same picks last week.
Least alike picks: The duos of Josh and Jackson, Theo and I, and Rahul and I picked seven games differently.
Most upsets picked: Jackson and I both made five upset picks this week.
Fewest upsets picked: Rahul and Theo continue to be in lockstep—they were the only two panelists to pick two upsets.
Most picks with majority: Theo and Ben were in the majority 15 out of 16 times.
Most picks against majority: In an effort to make a fourth-quarter comeback, I picked against the majority five times.
What Stands Out?
In the game of the week, there’s overwhelming faith in the Lions to beat the Bills. This surprised me given that the Lions are still very banged up on defense and Josh Allen is playing like an alien at the moment. I guess these really are the “BRAND. NEW. LIONS.”
How about a lesser-mentioned, but arguably more important matchup in Denver? A Broncos win will essentially guarantee them a playoff spot and a Colts win will make the playoff picture incredibly murky. Well, the panel is in lockstep with this game, unanimously picking the Broncos to win.
In the battle for Pennsylvania, the Steelers continue to be doubted. They’ve been on the losing side of the panel vote for four of the last six weeks despite going 4-1 in those games so far. Perhaps the panel values George Pickens’ absence highly.
The panel’s pick in the Packers vs Seahawks Sunday night showdown will make the NFC playoff picture very interesting. With a win, the Packers keep themselves in the conversation to win the NFC North and with a loss, the Rams and Commanders leap the Seahawks in the playoff picture, sending Seattle to the hunt.
Don’t look now, but Ray is putting forth a Herculean effort to catch George for first place. A few weeks ago, Ray was seven games back. Coming into this week, he was only four games behind George and after the Rams’ victory over the 49ers on Thursday night, Ray has made this a three-game deficit. We’re due for an all-time finish.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here are the projected playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend.
AFC
(1) Kansas City Chiefs vs BYE | Kansas City would be 13-1 for the second time in the Mahomes era.
(2) Buffalo Bills vs (7) Denver Broncos | This is a battle of coaches named Sean. The Bills also just lost to a coach named Sean and this week, the Broncos play a coach named Shane.
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (6) Los Angeles Chargers | Jim Harbaugh won the only meeting with Mike Tomlin.
(4) Houston Texans vs (5) Baltimore Ravens | Houston beat an AFC North team by 31 points as the 4th seed in the Wild Card round last year.
NFC
(1) Detroit Lions vs BYE | Detroit has never finished the season as the one seed in their franchise’s history.
(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs (7) Washington Commanders | Philadelphia and Washington have the second and third highest point differentials in the NFC.
(3) Los Angeles Rams vs (6) Green Bay Packers | Green Bay beat Los Angeles 24-19 in week five.
(4) Atlanta Falcons vs (5) Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota beat Atlanta 42-21 last week.