NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: Biggest risers and fallers after wild Week 15
8. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens got a pretty favorable situation on Sunday afternoon, going on the road to face off against Tommy DeVito and the Giants. It’s never a “gimme” in the NFL but this one is about as close as it gets to exactly that.
The Ravens were 16.5-point favorites on the road against the Giants and they ended up proving exactly why that matchup had one of the biggest spreads we’ve seen all season. Lamar Jackson was out there making his case for league MVP even louder this year, and the Ravens took care of business like a great team should in a situation like this.
Because of the way the rest of this season has gone, the Ravens are actually feeling a little bit of heat from both the Broncos and Chargers in the AFC Wild Card playoff race. Getting a rather easy win against the Giants was a great little buffer for Baltimore, even though it wasn’t another notch on their belt in the AFC or anything. These next two weeks will be telling with the Ravens facing off against the Steelers and Texans in back-to-back games.
That Texans matchup could end up being a Wild Card round preview as the Texans appear all but locked in for the 4th seed as the AFC South champions.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
Well, there is only so much you can do going up against the Philadelphia Eagles these days. The Eagles are the hottest team in the NFL, and even though the Steelers didn’t have to travel far to play the Eagles on Sunday, the Eagles just looked like they were in a different stratosphere as a team for most of the game.
The Steelers have clinched a playoff spot, which is not a surprise at all. Mike Tomlin teams are just inevitable.
But now, the pressure is on Pittsburgh with the Baltimore Ravens knocking at the door once again. As a matter of fact, those two teams will face off this week in a critical matchup that could determine some playoff seeding when all is said and done, even though the Steelers have already booked their ticket to the dance.
Pittsburgh has a gauntlet to end the season with the Ravens in Week 16, the Chiefs in Week 17, and the Bengals in Week 18. They will be nothing if not battle tested by the time the playoffs roll around.