2022 NFL power rankings, Week 17: Bengals rolling, Titans reeling

There were plenty of late-game heroics around the NFL this past week. How did some of the results affect the newest NFL Power Rankings?

The holidays made for an interesting NFL schedule for Week 16. The Jets hosted the Jaguars on Thursday night, followed by 11 games on Christmas Eve two days later. There was a Christmas tripleheader with games in Miami, Los Angeles and Arizona. Finally, the Chargers visited Indianapolis on Monday night.

It was also another week where a few more teams could clinch playoffs berths. There were also three clubs (Colts, Eagles and Cardinals) who debuted a new quarterback. It all added up to another fascinating edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

NFL Power Rankings after Week 16

Matt Eberflus’ squad took a seven-game losing streak into their clash with the Bills at Soldier Field. The Bears kept their guests in check in the first half and owned a surprising 10-6 lead after two quarterbacks.

Chicago managed only 88 total yards after intermission and was outscored a combined 29-3 in the second half. During their current eight-game losing skid, the Bears have surrendered a combined 261 points and given up 30 offensive touchdowns.

It’s been another long year for this team but for the second straight season the Texans knocked off the Titans at Nashville. The league’s worst run defense once again had a rough outings as Tennessee’s Derrick Henry finished with 126 of his club’s 184 yards on the ground.

Lovie Smith’s team wound with three takeaways, including a Henry fumble and two interceptions of Titans’ rookie Malik Willis. It was just the second win of the year for the Texans.

The Broncos made their way to SoFi Stadium for the second time this season, this time taking on the Rams. Just over 10 minutes into the game, Denver found itself down 17-0 as quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pair of interceptions that set up two Los Angeles’ touchdowns.

Wilson would finish his day with 214 passing yards, one score and three picks while being sacked six times. On Monday, the Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

The Cardinals host the Buccaneers on Christmas night and Trace McSorley became Kliff Kingsbury’s third different starting quarterback this season. Arizona’s defense stood tall for most of the game and the club owned a 16-6 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Kingsbury’s club was done scoring for the evening and McSorley actually finished with three turnovers. While veteran J.J. Watt had another strong game, Arizona dropped its fifth consecutive contest.