Week 15 Barometer

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While fantasy players are in the midst of their postseason, NFL teams are still trying to tie the final knot on their regular season. Some teams are going for home field advantage while others are scrapping for the opportunity to even play after New Year’s Day.

We had a wild Week 14 as New Orleans stormed six spots up our rankings after demolishing the Cowboys. Jacksonville rose five spots after their surprising 44-17 win over Indianapolis, who in turn fell four spots themselves. Will we have similar shockers coming this week?

Recently, we asked several Cafe members to rank all 32 NFL teams from first to worst after Week 14 of the 2006 season. The average number for each team, based on their submissions, was calculated and the teams were ranked accordingly (to increase consistency, the highest and the lowest values for each team were disregarded).

Rank	Change	TEAM	Avg Rank	S l i m	B l u e	S n i p e r	K n a p p	M a r t i n	J a y
1 (1)		San Diego	1.0	1	1	1	1	1	1
It’s unanimous, the Chargers are alone at the top of everyone’s list. Can they retain that spot with a division game against the Chiefs?
2 (5)		Baltimore	2.8	3	2	2	3	4	3
The Ravens went in to Arrowhead and took care of business against the Chiefs. Can they avoid overlooking their rival, Cleveland, and clinch the AFC North?
3 (9)		New Orleans	3.0	2	5	3	4	3	2
After opening up a can on the Cowboys, will the Saints continue their hot streak against the struggling Redskins?
4 (6)		Chicago	4.3	6	3	4	2	8	4
Well, at least Rex didn’t lose the game. This is still a dangerous team if they can get solid quarterback play… especially if teams continue kicking to Hester.
5 (7)		Cincinnati	4.8	4	4	6	6	2	5
They’re on a roll, but with a tough schedule (at Indy, at Denver, vs. Pittsburgh) in their final three games, it is hard to tell if they can grab the Wild Card.
6 (2)		Indianapolis	6.0	5	7	5	7	6	6
Losers of three of their last four, the Colts are getting throttled in the run game. Can they step it up under the bright lights against the visiting Bengals on Monday night?
7 (12)		Jacksonville	7.0	10	8	7	5	5	8
The up-and-down, stock market team of the NFL enjoyed a “bull” session last week. However, in typical Jaguars fashion, the bottom will probably fall out this week versus the surging Titans.
8 (3)		Dallas	7.5	7	6	9	9	7	7
Tony Romo and the Cowboys came back to Earth after their beating at the hands of the Saints. They badly need this game against the Falcons this week.
9 (4)		New England	8.5	8	9	8	8	9	10
Stolen game tapes or not, they were completely handled by the Dolphins last week. Can they keep their two game lead in the AFC East with a win over Houston?
10 (14)		NY Giants	11.0	11	10	12	11	11	11
They finally ended their four game losing streak and saved their season with the win over the Panthers. Can they improve to 4-1 in their division with a victory against Philadelphia?
11 (8)		Seattle	11.8	9	13	14	10	10	15
They are basically in the playoffs by default due to their awful division, but do they deserve to be in the postseason?
12 (11)		Kansas City	12.8	12	19	13	14	12	12
A showdown of the league’s top two RBs looms on Sunday evening. Can LJ carry his Chiefs over LT’s Chargers and keep their playoff hopes alive?
13 (10)		Denver	13.5	13	11	15	13	14	14
Losers of four in a row, the Broncos need to run the table to get in the postseason. Is Shanahan questioning the move to Jay Cutler yet?
14 (16)		Atlanta	13.8	15	16	11	12	15	13
Atlanta’s RB stable is nearly empty. Look for a heavy dose of Michael Vick against the Cowboys.
15 (18)		Miami	14.0	16	14	10	18	16	9
The Dolphins have won five of their last six and are finally playing up to their potential. Unfortunately, they decided to start playing a few weeks too late.
16 (20)		Tennessee	16.8	19	15	22	17	13	16
Vince Young has led the Titans to four straight wins. Can he command his team to a victory against the streaky Jaguars?
17 (17)		Philadelphia	17.8	14	17	19	16	20	19
At 7-6, the Eagles need every game from here on out. Can they defeat their division rival, the New York Giants on Sunday?
18 (18)		Buffalo	18.8	20	20	17	21	17	18
The Bills have taken three out of four, but now they’ll face the even hotter Dolphins in an AFC East rivalry game.
18 (13)		NY Jets	18.8	22	18	18	15	19	20
The Jets looked like a lock for the playoffs, but now they need to roll off three straight wins to be playing in January.
20 (21)		Pittsburgh	19.0	18	12	20	22	21	17
The Steelers have won four out of five and are playing well. Can they make it five out of six with a win over the struggling Panthers?
21 (15)		Carolina	19.5	17	21	16	19	22	21
Without Jake Delhomme, the Panthers don’t have a prayer with Chris Weinke at the helm.
22 (22)		Minnesota	21.3	21	22	24	20	18	22
The Vikings are on the fringe of being bounced from the postseason. How will they perform against the equally desperate Jets on Sunday?
23 (23)		St. Louis	24.0	23	27	23	23	28	23
The defense is still bad, but now the once potent offense is showing signs of sluggishness. Is a game against the Raiders just what the doctor ordered?
24 (24)		San Francisco	25.0	24	24	21	25	29	27
Currently on a three game skid, can the 49ers play spoiler to the Seahawks?
25 (29)		Arizona	25.8	26	25	28	29	24	24
The once woeful Cardinals are 3-1 in the last month. Do they have anything for the struggling Broncos?
25 (26)		Green Bay	25.8	25	28	26	24	27	25
With three division games to go to end the year, the Packers could potentially go 5-1 in the NFC North. It starts with Detroit on Sunday.
27 (28)		Houston	27.3	28	23	27	28	26	28
After getting their heart ripped out by Vince Young, the Texans try to get on track with a game against New England.
27 (25)		Washington	27.3	27	26	31	27	23	29
They have lost seven of their last nine. Can Joe Gibbs get his team to end the season on a high note?
29 (27)		Cleveland	27.5	29	30	29	26	25	26
Can the Browns play spoiler against the division leading Ravens?
30 (30)		Oakland	30.0	30	29	30	31	30	30
It is simply amazing how much a bad offensive line can hold a team back.
31 (30)		Tampa Bay	31.0	31	32	25	30	31	32
They have more trouble scoring than a “mathlete” at the Playboy Mansion. Can Gruden get his guys in the end zone against a stout Chicago defense?
32 (32)		Detroit	31.8	32	31	32	32	32	31
Look at the bright side, the Lions still control the first pick of the draft.

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