NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: As playoffs loom, a Christmas wish for each team

When it comes to this week’s BSJ NFL Power Rankings, we wanted to get into the Christmas spirit. So in addition to seeing how each one of the 32 teams are stacked against each other as the regular season is close to wrapping up, we’ll see what they’re hoping Santa will bring them. Read on to see where your favorite team ended up, and what sort of gift they’ll hope to be unwrapping sooner rather than later.

1. Saints (12-2 — last week, No. 1)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Home-field advantage. Drew Brees, Sean Payton have the inside track on the No.1 seed in the NFC, which has meant bad news for the rest of the conference. The last time New Orleans had home-field advantage was 2009, when they steamrolled the field and ended up capturing XLIV. This week: vs. Steelers.



2. Rams (11-3 — last week, No. 2)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Figuring out a way to solve their recent woes. L.A. has lost two straight, and is struggling after a red-hot start. A lot of that is on the quarterback — Jared Goff has now turned the ball over as many times in the last three games (eight) as he did during the first 11. This week: at Cardinals.

3. Chargers (11-3 — last week, No. 4)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: More respect. Anthony Lynn should be getting more run as a Coach of the Year candidate, and Philip Rivers deserves to be a part of the MVP conversation. This is a team that’s clicking on all cylinders right now. This week: vs. Ravens.

4. Chiefs (11-3 — last week, No. 3)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A defensive spark. Could the D be the fatal flaw of this Kansas City team? The Chiefs have allowed an average of 35 points per game the last four contests, and are 28th in the league overall in scoring defense (27.1 ppg allowed). This week: at Seattle.

5. Bears (10-4 — last week, No. 6)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Assurance at quarterback. No questions about the defense, but young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been up-and-down over the course of the season. He’s played better as of late, but if the Bears are going to play deep into January, Trubisky has to take it to the next level. This week: at Niners.

6. Steelers (8-5-1 — last week, No. 10)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Consistency. Pittsburgh looked unbeatable earlier this year with six straight wins, but also looked vulnerable with three straight ugly losses. What sort of team are they? We’ll find out more on Sunday. This week: at Saints.

7. Patriots (9-5 — last week, No. 5)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Offense away from home. The New England offense is barely averaging more than 20 points per game on the road. Considering the fact that home-field is out the window, the Pats will have to find some answers fast if they want to get back to the Super Bowl. This week: vs. Bills.

8. Texans (10-4 — last week, No. 8)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Pass protection. Deshaun Watson has been sacked 52 times this season, more than any quarterback in the league. That’s not a sustainable formula for success in the postseason for a Houston team that has its eyes on a playoff run. This week: at Eagles.

9. Colts (8-6 — last week, No. 12)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Help from the Chargers and Saints. Indy is on the cusp of the postseason, but needs L.A. to beat Baltimore (8-6) on Saturday or New Orleans to knock off Pittsburgh (8-5-1) on Sunday. If those two things happen — and the Colts win out — they’ll be back in the playoffs. This week: vs. Giants.

10. Ravens (8-6 — last week, No. 12)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A little more from their passing game. With Lamar Jackson at the controls and a stout defense, Baltimore has distinguished itself as a physical team that likes to run and control the tempo. But the Ravens aren’t built to win a shootout — they haven’t thrown for more than 200 yards in a game since early November. They don’t need to open it up completely — just get a little more through the air to complement their ground attack. This week: at Chargers.

11. Cowboys (8-6 — last week, No. 9)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Bounceback ability. Dallas was shocked by Indy last week, as the Cowboys suffered their first shutout since 2003. In Dallas, it was a loss no one saw coming, especially after it had won five straight. Two straight wins to finish the season might set things straight when it comes to the playoffs. This week: vs. Bucs.

12. Seahawks (8-6 — last week, No. 7)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Cutting down on penalties. Seattle has flagged 28 times in the last three games, including 14 times last week against the Niners. (The Seahawks are third in the league in penalties.) The Legion of Boom teams were annually among the league leaders in penalties and penalty yardage, but this team doesn’t have that sort of margin for error. This week: vs. Chiefs.

13. Vikings (7-6-1 — last week, No. 13)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A continued commitment to the run. Mike Zimmer wanted to run the ball, and the Vikings did just that Sunday against the Dolphins. Dalvin Cook led a rushing attack that ended with 220 yards on the ground. Look for more of that down the stretch. This week: at Lions.

14. Titans (8-6 — last week, No. 14)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Some offensive production from someone other than Derrick Henry. Henry has rushed for 408 yards over the last two games, more than half the Tennessee total offense in that time. If they can get anything out of anyone else, the Titans will have a good shot at that last postseason spot in the AFC. This week: vs. Redskins.

15. Eagles (7-7 — last week, No. 16)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A little magic. Philly has been counted out of the postseason picture a handful of times, but in the NFC East, it’s not over till it’s over. A pair of wins in their last two games and some help could mean the Eagles (and Nick Foles) will be back in the playoffs. Stranger things have happened. This week: vs. Texans.

16. Dolphins (7-7 — last week, No. 15)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Road success. Miami is 6-1 at home and 1-6 on the road. No mystery there — if the Dolphins were just a little better away from home, they might be dangerous. This week: vs. Jaguars.

17. Browns (6-7-1 — last week, No. 21)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: The answers to a few important questions. Regardless of how the last two games play out with the Browns — and whether or not they make the playoffs — this is a team on the cusp that is facing an important offseason. Where do they go with their coaching search? Can they find the right personnel pieces this offseason to help augment a talented young core? And can they legitimate start thinking about printing playoff tickets sooner rather than later? This week: vs. Bengals.

18. Redskins (7-7 — last week, 22)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Stability at quarterback. Alex Smith was released from the hospital this week, but what’s his long-term prognosis? If he’s not a possibility for 2019, they need to address the position sooner rather than later, either in free agency or the draft. This week: at Titans.

19. Giants (5-9 — last week, No. 19)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A post-Eli action plan. New York coach Pat Shurmur seemed to indicate he’s committed to Manning in 2019, but that doesn’t erase the fact the Giants needs to start thinking about life after Eli. They passed on the quarterbacks this offseason to take Saquon Barkley, but need to focus on a signal-caller this time around. This week: at Colts.

20. Packers (5-8-1 — last week, No. 17)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Harmony between the coach and quarterback. Green Bay will be in the market for a new coach this offseason, and how well that coach can get along with Aaron Rodgers will (presumably) play a big role in who gets hired. This week: at Jets.

21. Broncos (6-8 — last week, No. 20)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: To get the quarterback position right. He was a Hall of Fame signal-caller as a player, but John Elway has struggled to make the right call when it comes to quarterback. Could Case Keenum be that guy if, he had more dependable parts around him? Denver topped 300 yards passing just twice this season. This week: at Raiders.

22. Panthers (6-8 — last week, No. 18)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A mulligan for the second half of the season. Carolina has lost six straight, the quarterback is banged up, and the one feasible idea of matching the Saints for NFC South supremacy is a fading memory. A forgettable stretch that could cause the new ownership to hit the reset button. This week: vs. Falcons.

23. Bengals (6-8 — last week, No. 24)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A little pride. Cincy is out of the postseason picture, but they’ll still have a big say when it comes to how the AFC North is going to shake out, as the Bengals play Cleveland and Pittsburgh over the last two weeks of the season. This week: at Browns.

24. Falcons (5-9 — last week, No. 27)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Better health for 2019. Atlanta lost a ton of really talented players to injury at various points during the season (Devonta Freeman, Deion Jones, Keanu Neal, Andy Levitre), and the Falcons couldn’t manage to piece it together while trying to keep their heads above water in a tough division. This week: at Panthers.

25. Bills (5-9 — last week, No. 28)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: More offensive pieces around Josh Allen. The Buffalo quarterback and some of the other younger players have created what appears to be a good foundation for the future in Buffalo. Keep the quarterback healthy and add a few more offensive pieces, and they could start building something there. This week: at Patriots.

26. Jaguars (4-10 — last week, No. 23)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Offensive answers. This season, they benched Blake Bortles and fired their OC, and now, Leonard Fournette is upset at the way he’s being used. For a team that appeared poised for a breakthrough at the end of the 2018 season, the Jags need to step back and re-assess things on offense. This week: at Dolphins.

27. Buccaneers (5-9 — last week, No. 26)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Figuring out the defense. Tampa was one of the worst defenses in the league — the Bucs are in the bottom five in most every defensive category, including points per game allowed, most yards allowed, most yards per play allowed, and they’re 30th in defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders. This week: at Cowboys.

28. Lions (5-9 — last week, No. 25)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: For Matt Patricia to find his defensive mojo. The former Patriots’ DC has yet to work his statistical magic on he defensive side of the ball in Detroit, which is actually allowing more points per game this year than last season. This week: vs. Vikings.

29. 49ers (4-10 — last week, No. 31)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Good health for Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco took a step back this year for a couple of reasons, not the least of which was the injury to Garoppolo. Getting him back to 100 percent for 2019 is the priority, and then, they’ll move on from there. This week: vs. Bears.

30. Cardinals (3-11 — last week, No. 29)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: Wisdom surrounding the 2019 draft. At this point, Arizona is looking more and more like the team that will have the first pick this spring. Do they take Nick Bosa? This week: vs. Rams.

31. Raiders (3-11 — last week, 30)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: A place to play in 2019. The Raiders’ plans for next year are up in the air while they wait for things to come together in Vegas. Oakland doesn’t want them back. San Diego? Los Angeles? Who knows? This week: vs. Broncos.

32. Jets (4-10 — last week, No. 32)
What they’re asking for this Christmas: More pieces around Sam Darnold. It’s a relatively small sample size, but it looks like the kid has what it takes to succeed in the NFL. He just needs more offensive options. It’s on the front office to help him load up for 2019 and beyond. This week: vs. Packers.