Tabeek's NFL Power Rankings: Bills jump into No. 2 spot while Steelers, Saints and Falcons fall

The Falcons drop down to No. 23 with showdowns vs. the Bucs and Chiefs looming

Dec 15, 2020 at 03:17 PM

Matthew Tabeek

You hear it all of the time: That's why they play the games.

Well, the 2020 regular season is coming to a close and, at the same time, the postseason picture is coming into focus. Four teams have either clinched their divisions or playoff berths:

Kansas City Chiefs (clinched division)
Pittsburgh Steelers (playoff berth)
Green Bay Packers (clinched division)
New Orleans Saints (playoff berth)

And six teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, have been officially eliminated from playoff contention:

Houston Texans
Los Angeles Chargers
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Jets

One team that has yet to clinch playoff berth but continues to climb up these rankings are the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are on the heels of the Chiefs this week and, I think, will have a lot to say about which teams come out of the AFC in the end. While the Bills are on the way up, the Steelers and the Saints take a tumble this week, but not too far. I think both teams will be ready to go and tough outs come playoff time.

So, without further ado, it's time for the Week 15 edition of my Wildly Important NFL Power Rankings. These rankings will appear here on AtlantaFalcons.com every Tuesday morning. Enjoy!

(12-1)

Kansas City Chiefs

It was a little rough sailing early on in South Florida but Mahomes righted the ship.

(10-3)

Buffalo Bills

They stood up to the Steelers, punched them in the mouths and put the AFC on notice.

(11-2)

Pittsburgh Steelers

OK, they’ve dropped a couple of games but trust me, no one is panicking in the Steel Town.

(10-3)

Green Bay Packers

Watch out for the Packers if they can stay healthy over the next month or so. NFC’s best? Yup.

(10-3)

New Orleans Saints

They’re not so scary, especially without Brees. Will he be 100 percent when he comes back?

(9-4)

Cleveland Browns

They had no answer for Lamar Jackson on Monday night. Still, they are fun to watch on offense.

(9-4)

Los Angeles Rams

I really like this team if the run game is humming and the defense is playing well. See what I said there?

(9-4)

Indianapolis Colts

They could surprise a team or two down the stretch. Looked sharp in pounding the Raiders.

(8-5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lots and lots of talent that just hasn’t put it all together yet. Falcons hope it stays that way over the next few weeks.

(9-4)

Tennessee Titans

These guys are all business. They show up, whoop ya and move on.

(9-4)

Seattle Seahawks

They beat up on the hapless Jets, but I have some concerns about them (and that pass rush).

(8-5)

Miami Dolphins

They looked solid early on against the Chiefs, forcing turnovers. Just need to put it all together now.

(8-5)

Baltimore Ravens

If Lamar Jackson can get into a rhythm and turn it into backyard football, he’s tough to contain.

(7-6)

Arizona Cardinals

They beat up on the Giants and now the Eagles – and Jalen Hurts – are up. Should be fun to watch.

(6-7)

Minnesota Vikings

Critical next game for them against the Bears if they want to stay in this race.

(6-7)

Washington Football Team

I kept thinking the Giants would eventually win the East. Chase Young and Co. have me feeling differently.

(6-7)

New England Patriots

Their offense is hard to watch and I’ve got to believe they’re thinking about finding a new QB.

(7-6)

Las Vegas Raiders

There are contenders and pretenders and the Raiders have been exposed.

(6-7)

Chicago Bears

They beat the Texans. I can’t get excited about that win or this team right now.

(5-8)

New York Giants

Time to dust themselves because Baker Mayfield is coming to the Big Apple.

(5-8)

San Francisco 49ers

I circled the 49ers-Cowboys game at the beginning of the season as ‘Must watch!’ Now … meh.

(5-8)

Detroit Lions

They showed some fight against the Packers, which was good to see. Still, they lost. Not great, Bob.

(4-9)

Atlanta Falcons

They had a chance to seal the deal and didn’t get it done. We’ve heard that too many times around these parts.

(5-8)

Denver Broncos

If you’re a Broncos fan you have to be encouraged by what you’re seeing in Drew Lock.

(4-9)

Los Angeles Chargers

It wasn’t pretty but they found a way to win. Too many other times it’s gone the other way for them.

(4-9)

Carolina Panthers

I like that Matt Rhule wants his team to learn what it takes to win in December. Smart.

(4-8-1)

Philadelphia Eagles

How do you not get excited over Jalen Hurts right now if you’re an Eagles fan?

(4-9)

Houston Texans

Little bit of an injury scare there with Watson going down. This season can’t end soon enough for H-Town.

(4-9)

Dallas Cowboys

Nice homecoming for Andy Dalton. That’s about all you can say at this point.

(2-10-1)

Cincinnati Bengals

Can they kick the Steelers while they’re down? That might be fun to watch in Cincy this weekend.

(1-12)

Jacksonville Jaguars

They can make life much harder for the Ravens if they can upset them this weekend.

(0-13)

New York Jets

Jets fans are thinking one thing right now: Don’t screw up the draft order.

Tabeek's NFL Power Rankings: Bills jump into No. 2 spot while Steelers, Saints and Falcons fall

The Falcons drop down to No. 23 with showdowns vs. the Bucs and Chiefs looming

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