NFL power rankings: Patriots, Packers, Steelers rise in Week 15 after big wins

While the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys are sitting atop the power rankings, some of football’s top franchises fell in Week 14, giving way to a rising middle class in the NFL. Once mired under .500 near 2016’s halfway point, teams like the Packers, Steelers, Titans, and Buccaneers have turned lost seasons into potential playoff runs.

Of the four Green Bay has the toughest path to the postseason, but it will be difficult to keep Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs if he keeps playing like he did on Sunday. The Packers wrecked Seattle, forcing Russell Wilson into five interceptions in a dominant 38-10 win at Lambeau Field. Rodgers, despite dealing with a leg injury, threw three touchdown passes and has generally looked like an MVP candidate in turning his embattled team around.

The Steelers have shaken off their own injury concerns to make a run back into playoff position. Four straight victories has Pittsburgh in solid shape after a 4-5 start, during which Ben Roethlisberger was hobbled by a torn meniscus. Though the AFC North once looked like it would only send one team to the playoffs, recent play from the Ravens (despite their 30-23 loss to the Patriots) and the Steelers could be enough to restore the division to its former glory.

Tennessee announced its arrival in the playoff race by holding the Broncos to just 10 points in an important home win. The Titans are 7-6 and have matched the Texans atop the AFC South, but they’ll need plenty of help — and some more clutch victories — to escape from the conference’s land of have-nots and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. They may need to win out to have a chance to usurp the Texans, who will finish the season with games against the No. 16 (Bengals) and No. 30 (Jaguars) teams on SB Nation’s rankings before a showdown in Nashville.

The Buccaneers may be the hottest team of all. Tampa Bay was 3-5 halfway through its season but has won five straight games to press its way to the cusp of the league’s top 10. Jameis Winston has crushed any concern about a sophomore slump, even though his performance in last week’s win over New Orleans was his first game without a touchdown since high school.

But this rising class led to a few tumultuous drops from last week’s top 10. The Cowboys ceded their hold over the rest of the league after losing to the Giants, who staked their claim as the NFC’s second-best team. They lost their spot at the top of the rankings too, which the Patriots quickly took over Monday night.

Denver, Seattle, and Oakland all also lost, clouding up seeding scenarios for the Seahawks and Raiders and putting the Broncos in danger of missing the postseason altogether.

The view from the bottom, however, remained the same, as the Browns and 49ers both blew opportunities to record streak-snapping victories. Robert Griffin III couldn’t lead Cleveland to its first win of the season after falling to the Bengals. San Francisco shot out to a 14-0 first quarter lead against a struggling Jets team, then found a way to lose in overtime, making head coach Chip Kelly officially worse than the guy he replaced.