Sports

NFL Power Rankings for Week 16: Beware of the Bills

December 19, 2023

The other AFC championship contenders might be wise to work together to make sure that the Buffalo Bills are not invited to the playoff party.

It was easy to forget during their disappointing 6-6 start, but the Bills had some of the best preseason odds to win the Super Bowl — tied with the 49ers, behind only the Chiefs and Eagles.

It turns out the Bills were just a sleeping giant — awoken earlier this month when embattled head coach Sean McDermott looked likely to lose his job for a variety of reasons.

The Bills doubled down on last week’s eye-opening win against the Chiefs with a statement victory Sunday against the Cowboys.

Still on the outside of the AFC playoff picture because of tiebreakers, the Bills look like the potential low-seeded team that no one would want to face — if they manage to sneak in — as they reclaim their place among the legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Here are The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 16:

1. 49ers 11-3 (1)

Make it six straight wins for the 49ers, who clinched the NFC West behind Brock Purdy’s career-high-tying four touchdown passes and Christian McCaffrey scoring three touchdowns in a 45-29 win against the Cardinals. Charvarius Ward returned an interception for a touchdown. It was 14-13 in the second quarter before the 49ers exercised their muscle.

2. Ravens 11-3 (2)

The Ravens became the third NFL team since 1970 to lead in the final two minutes of each of their first 14 games, joining the two who went undefeated in the regular season. Another 250-yard day on the ground (led by Lamar Jackson’s 97) for the league’s best-rushing offense sparked a 23-7 prime-time victory against the Jaguars.

3. Dolphins 10-4 (5)

Tyreek Hill’s pursuit of becoming the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history took a hit when he did not play. But the offense kept humming anyway, with Raheem Mostert setting a franchise record for single-season touchdowns (20) in a 30-0 rout of the Jets. Jaylen Waddle picked up Hill’s slack with a 60-yard touchdown reception.

4. Cowboys 10-4 (3)

A letdown on the heels of an emotional win against the Eagles? Or a cause for concern? Either way, their 31-10 loss to the Bills was ugly. The Cowboys managed a season-low 195 yards of offense and MVP candidate Dak Prescott didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The Cowboys, who might not play a home playoff game, fell to 3-4 on the road.

5. Lions 10-4 (6)

Jared Goff tied a career-high with five touchdown passes — none bigger than the second of three to rookie Sam LaPorta that responded to the Broncos’ second-half-opening touchdown drive — in a 42-17 victory to move to the cusp of clinching the Lions’ first division title since 1993. LaPorta and another rookie, Jahmyr Gibbs, combined for 164 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.

6. Eagles 10-4 (4)

OK, it’s time to worry about the Eagles, whose panic move to change defensive play-callers from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia after back-to-back losses backfired. Patricia’s defense let up the game-winning 92-yard touchdown drive in a 20-17 loss to the Seahawks. Jalen Hurts rushed for two touchdowns but threw two fourth-quarter interceptions as the losing streak hit three.

7. Chiefs 9-5 (7)

The Chiefs scored 20 straight points after falling behind the lowly Patriots and won, 27-17, on the strength of Patrick Mahomes’ 305 passing yards. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and running back Jerick McKinnon threw another on a trick play, but the Chiefs’ season-long case of the drops continued with offenders Travis Kelce (surprise) and Kadarius Toney (again).

8. Bills 8-6 (9)

The craziest part of their destruction of the Cowboys? Josh Allen — who entered the week with an NFL-best 35 touchdowns accounted for — completed just seven passes for 94 yards. This win was about stifling defense and a 266-yard ground attack led by James Cook (179). The Bills chewed the clock with 20 rushing first downs.

9. Browns 9-5 (10)

The Browns put together three fourth-quarter scoring drives of 50-plus yards to erase a 10-point deficit and beat the Bears, 20-17. The win wasn’t secure, however, until a last-play Hail Mary slipped out of Darnell Mooney’s hands. Joe Flacco overcame three interceptions to pass for 374 yards, with David Njoku and Amari Cooper both topping 100 receiving yards and scoring touchdowns.

10. Texans 8-6 (12)

A steady kicker is a luxury and Ka’imi Fairbairn fits the bill. The Texans didn’t lead the Titans until Fairbairn drilled a 54-yard walk-off field goal to close out a 19-16 win. Making just his third start since 2019, Case Keenum — filling in for an injured C.J. Stroud — shook off a pick-six to throw the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

11. Bengals 8-6 (13)

12. Jaguars 8-6 (11)

13. Colts 8-6 (14)

14. Broncos 7-7 (8)

15. Rams 7-7 (16)

16. Seahawks 7-7 (18)

17. Buccaneers 7-7 (19)

18. Saints 7-7 (22)

19. Packers 6-8 (15)

20. Vikings 7-7 (20)

21. Steelers 7-7 (17)

22. Raiders 6-8 (28)

23. Bears 5-9 (23)

24. Falcons 6-8 (21)

25. Titans 5-9 (25)

26. Jets 5-9 (24)

Make it 13 straight years without a playoff appearance for the Jets, who were eliminated by a combination of factors, including their loss. Zach Wilson was knocked out with a head injury, and Trevor Siemian threw two interceptions in relief. Wilson’s lost fumble that set up the Dolphins at the 1-yard line for their first touchdown was the biggest play.

27. Giants 5-9 (26)

Press pause on Tommy DeVito Mania. DeVito looked more like an undrafted quarterback as the Giants’ three-game winning streak ended by failing to score a touchdown in a 24-6 loss to the Saints. It wasn’t just an offensive failure. The defense, which generated 11 takeaways in three games, didn’t force a turnover. Darren Waller and Saquon Barkley both were quiet.