DTTWSB Week 15 NFL Power Rankings

This week seems like it's the biggest week of the NFL season. We should have a clear picture of which teams will be in the playoffs and which ones will be watching at home with the rest of America. For some reason there are a lot of pretender teams this season. With the exception of a couple teams, nobody wants to step up and assert themselves as a dominate team. My rankings are taking all that into account. See where your team is at in this week's edition of the DTTWSB NFL power rankings.

1. New England Patriots (11-2): The past two weeks, the Patriots have looked like far and away the best team in the NFL. They have put the hurt on two quality teams. Quarterback Tom Brady has been an assasin this season; he's out there performing surgery on the opposing team's secondary. I'm not sure if they'll lose another game this season.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3): What I like so much about the Steelers is that their quarterback and offense doesn't have to play well for them to win. That will go a long way this January in the playoffs. Even though I don't think quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will play poorly in the playoffs, it's nice to know he doesn't have to carry the team for them to win.

3. Atlanta Falcons (11-2): I've been highly critial of this team all season and all they've done is prove me wrong week after week. I don't think they'll be in the Super Bowl in February, but I do think they'll make some noise in the playoffs this year. Head coach Mike Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan are tough to beat at home and it looks like they're close to wrapping up home-field throughout the playoffs.

4. New York Jets (9-4): This team looks like they're in shambles right now. A lot of people are quick to jump off the bandwagon but I'm staying right where I am. The problems with this team are fixable in my opinion. Quarterback Mark Sanchez needs to stop thinking so much and just play. What happened to the ground and pound philosophy we saw throughout Ocotber? If they get back to the little things, they'll be fine.

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-4): Although the Ravens survived last Monday night, I still think this team is not a serious contender. They're a good football team but they just don't have the pieces to go all the way. The most alarming thing about the Ravens is that their defense isn't what it used to be. Middle linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed seem older. I don't see the season ending well for this team.

6. New Orleans Saints (10-3): All the Saints do is win no matter what. Last Sunday they had a solid team win over the inferior St. Louis Rams. Their defense is still sketchy though; I'm not sure if they can hold up on the road against a quality team. The offense is looking real good though so we'll see if they have enough to get the Saints back to the Super Bowl.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (9-4): This week the Eagles have a huge matchup against the division-rival New York Giants. All the Eagles need to do is win and they should win the NFC East. This team has a very explosive offense, it may be the fastest offense I've ever seen. At any moment they can strike which makes them dangerous. Their defense is leaky though.

8. New Giants (9-4): The Giants have a must-win game this Sunday as they host Philadelphia. Sort of like the Steelers, they don't need their quarterback to play well to win games. In my opinion, the Giants have the best running game in the NFL. It doesn't help that they lost wide receiver Steve Smith for the season to a knee injury but that running game should help ease that pain.

9. Chicago Bears (9-4): Oh did the Bears get humbled last Sunday. All the dominoes had fallen into place for them to win and they came up very small against New England. The defense has to be better for them to beat good football teams. I expect this team to win the NFC North since the Packers have given them a gift by losing to the Lions. Keep an eye on this team though.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5): I don't think the Jaguars have appeared in my power rankings at all this season. Someway somehow this team keeps stacking on wins. Like the Giants, they have a lethal running game. They're able to keep the opposing teams offense off the field by chewing up the clock. This Sunday they have a chance to win the AFC South when they take on the Colts in Indianapolis. I'm looking forward to seeing if they have the proper killer instinct to win a tough game.