The NFL wrapped up Week 14 with the Seattle Seahawks getting a big win on Monday Night Football. The Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings, securing their spot atop the wild card standings. They are roughly a game-and-a-half up on Minnesota and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. They have also now moved two games up on the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington, all of whom lost on Sunday.
The big story for the San Francisco 49ers was their own win, but also wins by the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. That coupled with the Arizona Cardinals leaves the 49ers, Raiders and Cardinals tied at the bottom of the NFL standings. They are all a game back of four 4-9 teams — the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets.
The 49ers and Cardinals have the edge for the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft at this point, but who is the worst team in the league right now?
I put together my Week 15 NFL power rankings, and right now I have the Cardinals at the bottom. For the past few weeks, the Raiders brought up the rear, with the 49ers a spot ahead of them. Now, it’s Cardinals at the bottom, then Raiders, then 49ers.
Arizona swept the season series over San Francisco, but the second of the two wins was back in Week 8. That was C.J. Beathard’s last start before Nick Mullens replaced him. The 49ers are 2-3 in the five games since, and Mullens has looked like a legitimate backup option. The 49ers are not a playoff contender, but they are playing some decent stretches of football.
You could make the argument that the Falcons and Jaguars are the two worst teams in the league just based on how they are performing vs. preseason expectations. The Falcons can point to injuries as a big issue, but what is Jacksonville’s excuse? They rolled the dice with Blake Bortles and have crapped out. And it’s not like the vaunted 2017 defense has looked much 2018. They’ve had some moments, with their win over the New England Patriots in the running for most inexplicable results of the season.
The Jets got a win, but have been pretty bad, so they are in the running as well. But I’m sticking with the Cardinals for the time being. They had the win over the Green Bay Packers last week, but that’s just another one of those inexplicable games of a crazy year. For now, I’m not overly impressed, but I’m sure that’ll change over the final three weeks.
Week 15 NFL power rankings
| Rank | Team | LW |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | LW |
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs (11-2) | 2 |
| 2 | New Orleans Saints (11-2) | 3 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams (11-2) | 1 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears (9-4) | 7 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers (10-3) | 6 |
| 6 | New England Patriots (9-4) | 4 |
| 7 | Houston Texans (9-4) | 5 |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks (8-5) | 9 |
| 9 | Dallas Cowboys (8-5) | 10 |
| 10 | Indianapolis Colts (7-6) | 13 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans (7-6) | 17 |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins (7-6) | 18 |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens (7-6) | 8 |
| 14 | Minnesota Vikings (6-6-1) | 11 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1) | 12 |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) | 14 |
| 17 | Carolina Panthers (6-7) | 15 |
| 18 | Cleveland Browns (5-7-1) | 23 |
| 19 | Denver Broncos (6-7) | 16 |
| 20 | Green Bay Packers (5-7-1) | 22 |
| 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-8) | 20 |
| 22 | Detroit Lions (5-8) | 24 |
| 23 | Cincinnati Bengals (5-8) | 21 |
| 24 | New York Giants (5-8) | 26 |
| 25 | Washington (6-7) | 19 |
| 26 | Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) | 25 |
| 27 | New York Jets (4-9) | 30 |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills (4-9) | 27 |
| 29 | Atlanta Falcons (4-9) | 28 |
| 30 | San Francisco 49ers (3-10) | 31 |
| 31 | Oakland Raiders (3-10) | 32 |
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals (3-10) | 29 |