NFL Pickwatch - Week 16 NFL Power Rankings

If the autumn wind is a pirate, what does this weekend’s winter bomb cyclone identify as? Just look at some of the expected wind speeds and “real feel” temperatures at kickoff Saturday afternoon:

Saints at Cleveland: 30 mph winds, gusts 60+ and -18 degrees with the wind chill
Bills at Chicago: 20 mph winds, gusts 32 mph and -14 degrees with the wind chill
Texans at Tennessee: gusts up to 24 mph and 7 degrees with the wind chill
Bengals at New England: gusts up 40 mph and 12 degrees with the wind chill
Raiders at Pittsburgh (night): gusts up to 30 mph and -9 degrees with the wind chill

Browns tight end David Njoku was quoted as saying that “On game day, I feel nothing at all,” in reference to his pre-game warmup sans shirt or jersey – even when the mercury drops below zero. Based on the way this season has developed, Browns fans, present company included, could echo Njoku’s feelings on game day, but for a different reason. Cleveland checks in at No. 14 in Pickwatch’s Week 16 power rankings, while the final three weeks of the regular season play out and others jockey for playoff position.

Note: these Week 16 power rankings are based on performance versus expected performance (opponent average) and are statistically based rankings versus subjective NFL power rankings you can find in every corner of the internet these days.

Also: Read Week 15 NFL Power Rankings

Week 16 NFL Power Rankings	Team	Analysis
1	Kansas City Chiefs	A week after fighting off the upstart Texans, the Chiefs remain in position where one bad bounce that goes against the Bills could mean the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
2	Philadelphia Eagles	It turns out everybody hurts, including Jalen. Priority number one for Philly is to get their franchise quarterback's throwing shoulder healthy in time for the postseason.
3	Buffalo Bills	The current No. 1 seed in the AFC might be 8-point favorites at blustery Chicago this weekend, but wrap up their season with tough matchups at Cincinnati before hosting the Patriots Week 18.
4	San Francisco 49ers	Brock Purdy is nursing some sore ribs, but NFL journeyman Josh Johnson is ready to shock the world should the Commanders knock Mr. Irrelevant out of the game this weekend.
5	Dallas Cowboys	America's Team is facing an identity crisis once again and Odell Beckham ain't walking through that door. A trust test is how they handle Minshew Mania this Saturday in Big D.
6	Cincinnati Bengals	The last time the Bengals lost, Jeff Saturday was on an ESPN set and you had just put away your Halloween decorations. Joe Burrow and company just rallied back from 17 down against Tom Brady's Buccaneers. Life is good.
7	Baltimore Ravens	Defense wins championships is being put to the test in Baltimore because without Lamar Jackson, meh.
8	New York Jets	You know the meme of the office worker pointing a gun at his foot: that's the 2022 New York Jets and, yet, they could still eke their way into the playoffs.
9	Miami Dolphins	The last three weeks have all but lost Tua the Most Valuable Player award, but a loss to the Packers on Christmas Day could bump the Dolphins out of the playoffs.
10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Tom Brady needs to catch a break this season. presses finger to ear I'm being told he faces a Trace McSorley-led offense this weekend. Good for him.
11	New England Patriots	Go watch the last play of the Patriots-Raiders game again. It's funny.
12	Detroit Lions	Lions head coach Dan Campbell started by encouraging his team to bite kneecaps and now Detroit might just mess around and nibble on a NFC postseason berth after starting off 1-6.
13	Minnesota Vikings	I don't know. No, really, I don't know. Congrats, on the comeback, I guess?
14	Cleveland Browns	The biggest what-if in the NFL this season. Four of the Browns first five losses this season came by a combined nine points.
15	Jacksonville Jaguars	Trevor Lawrence is heating up just as the wheels have come off the Titans 2022 campaign and the Jaguars have a great shot at snatching the AFC South.
16	Los Angeles Chargers	Without question we expected more out of Justin Herbert this season, but the Chargers are indeed a playoff team with three weeks to go.
17	Green Bay Packers	The Goonies and Aaron Rodgers: things that never say die. Green Bay's playoff hopes are alive with their win over the Rams.
18	Washington Commanders	Chase Young's return to the starting lineup was postponed one week and his Commanders were exposed on Sunday night by the Giants.
19	Las Vegas Raiders	The return of tight end Darren Waller is intriguing, but may be too late for the 6-8 Raiders to rally into the postseason.
20	New Orleans Saints	This is not a good football team and would need to leapfrog both the Panthers and Buccaneers to win the NFC South and get into the playoffs.
21	Seattle Seahawks	Can anybody remember the last time Seattle's backfield was healthy the majority of a season? Was it the Marshawn Lynch era? Without Kenneth Walker at 100% against the Chiefs, Seattle may lose five of their last six games.
22	Pittsburgh Steelers	Despite an upper-echelon defense, the Steelers are behind the Browns in the AFC playoff standings.
23	Denver Broncos	Something about Russell Wilson in a casino. The franchise quarterback returns to face Baker Mayfield this weekend. Fun.
24	New York Giants	Statistically speaking, the Giants are only good when Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones or both run the ball especially well. Outside of that, they need turnovers and short fields to pull off upsets like the one in Washington.
25	Arizona Cardinals	Trace McSorley szn.
26	Tennessee Titans	Ryan Tannehill is now hurt and the kings of the AFC South the past few years are on the cusp of being dethroned.
27	Indianapolis Colts	33-0.
28	Carolina Panthers	A few weeks after letting Baker Mayfield walk and following their latest loss to the Steelers, interim head coach Steve Wilks didn't immediately commit to Sam Darnold starting Week 16. It took until Monday to confirm him as starter over PJ Walker.
29	Los Angeles Rams	I don't think Baker Mayfield is going to get that extension.
30	Atlanta Falcons	How messed up is the NFC South? A Saints loss to the Browns and Panthers loss to the Lions and Falcons win over the Ravens and Atlanta is right there with Tampa Bay to win the division.
31	Chicago Bears	Justin Fields is dangerous. Help him.
32	Houston Texans	Lovie Smith is challenging the old adage of if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. Granted, both games have resulted in losses.