Week 16 of the 2015 NFL season is officially a wrap following a wild Monday Night Football game. The Denver Broncos edged out the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime. The Broncos had a chance to ice it as time expired, but Denver's kicker shanked the field goal attempt badly. They scored first in overtime, and a fumble closed it out. The Broncos clinched a playoff berth, and suddenly have a shot at a first round bye.
The San Francisco 49ers dropped to 4-11 following a 32-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. I dropped them one more spot following the Baltimore Ravens win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. We could make an assortment of arguments why the Cowboys, Ravens, Browns and 49ers all belong down there with the Titans. It's a whole lot of bad football.
As for the top of the rankings? We had several upsets over the weekend, including Carolina dropping from the ranks of the unbeatens. The Panthers and Cardinals remain the top two teams in the league, but there will be a lot of contenders come playoff time. I had thought the Steelers would be one of the teams to beat in January, but they are now on the outside looking in following Sunday's upset in Baltimore. The Seahawks were looking hot, but stumbled at home against St. Louis. Seattle is in the playoffs, but a potential trip to Washington could be tough against a Kirk Cousins-led offense that is on a role. It's going to be a wild time in January.
| Team | LW | |
| 1 | Carolina Panthers (14-1) | 1 |
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals (13-2) | 2 |
| 3 | New England Patriots (12-3) | 3 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) | 7 |
| 5 | Denver Broncos (11-4) | 8 |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs (10-5) | 9 |
| 7 | New York Jets (10-5) | 10 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) | 4 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers (10-5) | 5 |
| 10 | Minnesota Vikings (10-5) | 11 |
| 11 | Seattle Seahawks (9-6) | 6 |
| 12 | Washington (8-7) | 13 |
| 13 | Houston Texans (8-7) | 12 |
| 14 | Oakland Raiders (7-8) | 14 |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts (7-8) | 16 |
| 16 | Buffalo Bills (7-8) | 17 |
| 17 | Atlanta Falcons (8-7) | 19 |
| 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-9) | 15 |
| 19 | St. Louis Rams (7-8) | 21 |
| 20 | New York Giants (6-9) | 18 |
| 21 | Detroit Lions (6-9) | 22 |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles (6-9) | 20 |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints (6-9) | 24 |
| 24 | Chicago Bears (6-9) | 25 |
| 25 | Miami Dolphins (5-10) | 23 |
| 26 | Jacksonville Jaguars (5-10) | 26 |
| 27 | San Diego Chargers (4-11) | 27 |
| 28 | Dallas Cowboys (4-11) | 28 |
| 29 | Baltimore Ravens (4-11) | 31 |
| 30 | Cleveland Browns (3-12) | 29 |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers (4-11) | 30 |
| 32 | Tennessee Titans (3-12) | 32 |