NFL power rankings entering Week 16 of the 2023 season (previous rank in parentheses):
1. San Francisco 49ers (1): Back-to-back division champions for the first time in 11 years, they’ve now won 12 straight against NFC West competition. But their quest to lock up the conference’s No. 1 seed could hit a serious speed bump on Christmas night against the AFC’s top-ranked Ravens.
2. Baltimore Ravens (3): Winners in eight of the last nine outings, their quest to lock up the conference’s No. 1 seed could hit a serious speed bump on Christmas night against the NFC’s top-ranked Niners. Didn’t help to lose speed back Keaton Mitchell to a season-ending knee injury.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (4): Yes, they’ve lost three in a row, including one to the Niners and another Monday with a less-than-healthy quarterback. Still, they should be fine with two games against the Giants and one versus Arizona and still control the path to the NFC East throne. But not having Big Dom on the bench hurts.
4. Buffalo Bills (8): Yes, it’s awfully tall cotton for a team technically in ninth place in the AFC. Yet only four teams in the conference have a better record than the Mafia’s club, which is playing as well as anybody – and against the league’s top squads. And if QB Josh Allen is going to take care of the ball, and RB James Cook is going to run it like he has been? No limit on what the Bills are capable of.
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