2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

Updated: December 22, 2009, 2:05 PM ET

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

Week:

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In mid-October, the NFL's scheduled holiday showcase game seemed the equivalent of swine flu -- something you completely want to avoid.

Then, the prospect of watching the San Diego Chargers visit the Tennessee Titans on Christmas Day seemed dismal. The teams' combined record through Week 6 was 2-9.

But as we assess the Week 16 ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings, this matchup is a prime ticket. The No. 3-ranked Chargers are the league's hottest team outside of Indiana, winners of nine straight games. After an 0-6 start, the No. 14-ranked Titans have won seven of eight and have a playoff pulse.

The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts have the No. 1 ranking to themselves, thanks to the New Orleans Saints' first loss of the season to the visiting Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. The Colts needed a rally over the Jacksonville Jaguars to avoid their first loss and move up from No. 2.

The Chargers swapped spots with the Minnesota Vikings, who unraveled in a shocking loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Philadelphia Eagles remain No. 5.

Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 15 edition of the Power Rankings.

2009 Power Rankings: Week 16
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Colts 14-0	1 Last Week: 2	Now that the Colts are the lone undefeated team, there's no question which squad should be ranked No. 1. (Kuharsky)
2	Saints 13-1	1 Last Week: 1	After suffering his first defeat of the season, Drew Brees seemed a little more unnerved than expected. (Sando)
3	Chargers 11-3	1 Last Week: 4	With the division in hand, how much fervor will the Bolts bring to Tennessee for Christmas night? (Kuharsky)
4	Vikings 11-3	1 Last Week: 3	Two blowout losses in their past three games? That doesn't bode well for the recently crowned NFC North champs. (Chadiha)
5	Eagles 10-4	-- Last Week: 5	All of a sudden, the Eagles have a chance to steal a playoff bye week away from the Vikings. (Clayton)
6	Cardinals 9-5	2 Last Week: 8	The running game is coming on strong, but the Cardinals haven't been sharp in other areas. (Sando)
7	Bengals 9-5	-- Last Week: 7	A hard week for the Bengals ends with a close loss in San Diego. (Chadiha)
8	Packers 9-5	2 Last Week: 6	The Packers have to be kicking themselves after that last-second loss in Pittsburgh. (Chadiha)
9	Patriots 9-5	-- Last Week: 9	After becoming an offensively dominant team, the Patriots showed they could beat the Bills with defense. (Clayton)
10	Cowboys 9-5	1 Last Week: 11	The Week 15 victory over the Saints might have saved the Cowboys' season. (Clayton)
11	Ravens 8-6	1 Last Week: 12	The Ravens seem like they're going to snag one of those AFC wild-card spots. (Chadiha)
12	Giants 8-6	2 Last Week: 14	The Giants couldn't afford to beat the Redskins too badly, because New York needs the Skins to beat the Cowboys in Week 16. (Clayton)
13	Broncos 8-6	3 Last Week: 10	The Broncos fell back to the pack in the wild-card race thanks to a nightmarish loss to Oakland. (Kuharsky)
14	Titans 7-7	3 Last Week: 17	The Titans are thinned out by LB injuries, so the rest of the defense needs to help make up the difference. (Kuharsky)
15	Steelers 7-7	4 Last Week: 19	It wasn't quite an unleashing of hell, but the Steelers came up big against the Packers. (Chadiha)
16	Dolphins 7-7	3 Last Week: 13	The Dolphins' playoff run could be intercepted by a few more bad throws by developing quarterback Chad Henne. (Clayton)
17	Falcons 7-7	1 Last Week: 18	The first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history remain in reach for the Falcons. (Sando)
18	Jaguars 7-7	3 Last Week: 15	Can the Jags take the offensive firepower they showed against the Colts to New England? (Kuharsky)
19	Jets 7-7	3 Last Week: 16	If the Jets have any wild-card chances left, they have to hope the Colts and Bengals rest starters. (Clayton)
20	Texans 7-7	-- Last Week: 20	The physical Dolphins await the Texans in Miami. (Kuharsky)
21	Panthers 6-8	1 Last Week: 22	Victories over the Vikings and the Cardinals showed how much Carolina has underachieved overall. (Sando)
22	49ers 6-8	1 Last Week: 21	Upcoming games against the Lions and Rams should help Alex Smith finish strong. (Sando)
23	Raiders 5-9	4 Last Week: 27	They brought the hated Broncos back to the wild-card pack with a dream win. The Raiders have to like the matchup with the Browns. (Kuharsky)
24	Seahawks 5-9	-- Last Week: 24	It's been a horrible week for the team Mike Holmgren refused to rejoin. (Sando)
25	Bears 5-9	2 Last Week: 23	What's left to say about the Bears? (Chadiha)
26	Bills 5-9	1 Last Week: 25	The Bills' QB controversy is figuring out if they have a quarterback for the final two weeks. (Clayton)
27	Redskins 4-10	1 Last Week: 26	Now that new GM Bruce Allen is on board, get ready for major changes ahead for the Redskins. (Clayton)
28	Browns 3-11	1 Last Week: 29	The running game was great against the Chiefs. Still, you can't rave about the future of head coach Eric Mangini. (Chadiha)
29	Chiefs 3-11	1 Last Week: 28	In a season packed with low moments, the home loss to Cleveland was probably lowest. (Kuharsky)
30	Buccaneers 2-12	1 Last Week: 31	The Bucs' unexpected victory over the Seahawks could help the Rams emerge with the first overall draft choice. (Sando)
31	Lions 2-12	1 Last Week: 30	They displayed better effort against Arizona, but still lost. (Chadiha)
32	Rams 1-13	-- Last Week: 32	Beating swine flu last week won't show up as a W in the standings for the hard-luck Rams. (Sando)
Biggest Jump: 4 Biggest Drop: 3

Glossary

The rankings were determined by a poll of five voters on ESPN.com's NFL staff: writers John Clayton (AFC South), Ashley Fox (AFC West), Dan Graziano (NFC East, NFC North), Jamison Hensley (AFC East, AFC North), and Mike Sando (NFC South, NFC West).

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2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

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