The Dallas Cowboys were the only team to have clinched a playoff spot heading into Week 15. Three teams joined the Cowboys this past weekend as four of the 12 playoff spots have now been taken. The Oakland Raiders will play in the postseason for the first time since 2002. A dominant performance on Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams punched the Seattle Seahawks ticket to the playoffs as they clinched the NFC West. No postseason party would be complete without the New England Patriots joining as well. The Patriots clinched the AFC East title with a win over the Broncos. This still leaves eight spots that are up for grabs, and six divisions that have not been wrapped up. All this should lead to an exciting finish to the NFL season. There are several teams riding hot streaks that will make them a tough out in the postseason if they make it. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins are three of the hottest teams in football. Each team is fighting for one of the remaining spots but all three will make a tough out if they make it given the momentum they are enjoying. Feel free to share your thoughts on the latest rankings by reaching out on Twitter @JonDAdams or leaving a comment here. Click the arrow on the right side of the above image to see Heavy's latest NFL power rankings for Week 15. (Getty)
No. 10 Miami Dolphins
Record: 9-5
Last Week's Ranking: Not Ranked
Last Game: Won 34-13 Over Jets
Outlook: Miami did not skip a beat without quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Matt Moore stepped in and picked apart the Jets defense. Moore looked like a solid quarterback and proved that all is not lost if Tannehill is forced to miss the rest of the season. Miami has won eight of their last nine games. They go on the road this week to take on the Bills and host the Patriots to finish up the season. If the season were to end today, the Dolphins would get the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. (Getty)
No. 9 Atlanta Falcons
Record: 9-5
Last Week's Ranking: Not Ranked
Last Game: Won 41-13 Over 49ers
Outlook: The Falcons have been on the cusp of re-entering our rankings and the Bucs loss to the Cowboys opened up the window for Atlanta to sneak back in. Atlanta has won three of their last four games, but has had a lighter schedule over the past month. Tampa Bay's loss put them a game up in the NFC South. The Falcons travel to Carolina this week then host the Saints to close out the season. Atlanta is still in the running for a first round bye but would need some help to have a chance at the two seed. Matt Ryan is having one of the finest seasons of his career, and its leading to wins in Atlanta. (Getty)
No. 8 Green Bay Packers
Record: 8-6
Last Week's Ranking: 10th
Last Game: Won 30-27 Over Bears
Outlook: Green Bay followed up their route of Seattle with a narrow win over the Bears. It may not have been the prettiest game, but it was enough to win despite Aaron Rodgers battling a calf injury. After their early struggles, the Packers have won four straight games. They host the Vikings in Week 16 and travel to Detroit for the final game of the season. They fall into the category of another team that no one wants to play in the playoffs given how well the team has been playing over the last month. (Getty)
No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 9-5
Last Week's Ranking: Not Ranked
Last Game: Won 24-20 Over Bengals
Outlook: After losing four straight games in the middle of the season, the Steelers find themselves on a five-game win streak. What is even more impressive is four of the five games have been on the road. They get to host their final two games including a Christmas matchup against the Ravens. The game has big implications for the AFC North. The Steelers close out the season against the Browns. Pittsburgh has the offensive weapons that makes them dangerous in the playoffs. It also helps they are peaking just in time for the postseason. (Getty)
No. 6 Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 10-4
Last Week's Ranking: 3rd
Last Game: Lost 19-17 to Titans
Outlook: The Chiefs lost to the Titans in heartbreaking fashion. After controlling much of the game, Tennessee came up with a fourth quarter comeback and kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. The bad news is the loss dropped the Chiefs to second in the AFC West, and Kansas City no longer controls its own destiny in terms of winning the division. Kansas City finishes off the season against two AFC West foes. They host the Broncos on Christmas Day and travel to San Diego the final week of the season. The Chiefs are still firmly in the playoff picture but will need the Raiders to stumble to take back the division. The good news for Chiefs fans is Kansas City owns the tiebreaker between the two teams since they sweeped the season series. (Getty)
No. 5 Seattle Seahawks
Record: 9-4-1
Last Week's Ranking: 6th
Last Game: Won 24-3 Over Rams
Outlook: Seattle is officially NFC West champions and punched a ticket to the postseason with their win over the Rams. It was a bit anti-climatic given the current state of the division. The focus for the Seahawks now turns to securing a first round bye. With the Lions loss to the Giants, the Seahawks jumped up to the two seed with two games remaining. As for the game itself, it was a nice bounce back performance after getting dominated in Green Bay. Seattle has two winnable games left as they host the Cardinals before heading to San Francisco to take on the 49ers to close out the season. (Getty)
No. 4 Oakland Raiders
Record: 11-3
Last Week's Ranking: 5th
Last Game: Won 19-16 Over Chargers
Outlook: The Raiders punched their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2002. Oakland got additional good news as the Titans defeated the Chiefs on a last-second field goal to put Oakland back in front in the AFC West. The Raiders have been gradually climbing and finally turned the corner this season by making the playoffs. Oakland has a good chance of securing a first round bye. They host the Colts in Week 16 and close out the season in Denver against the Broncos. (Getty)
No. 3 New York Giants
Record: 10-4
Last Week's Ranking: 4th
Last Game: Won 17-6 Over Lions
Outlook: All the Giants continue to do is win and against great competition. Last week, they took down the NFC East leading Cowboys. New York defeated the Detroit Lions in Week 15 who sat atop the NFC North. They have won eight of their last nine games. The Giants have a challenging final two weeks. They take on the Eagles and Redskins with both games on the road. New York still has a chance to win the NFC East but need the Cowboys to lose their final two games. Regardless of their seeding, no team wants to face the Giants in the playoffs. (Getty)
No. 2 New England Patriots
Record: 12-2
Last Week's Ranking: 2nd
Last Game: Won 16-3 Over Broncos
Outlook: The Patriots are AFC East champions once again. It was not the greatest demonstration by the New England offense but the team did enough to come away victorious. The Patriots clinched a first round bye and hold the top seed in the AFC with two games to go. New England hosts a struggling Jets team and head to Miami in Week 17 to close out the season. Questions continue to swirl around the Patriots offense without Rob Gronkowski. (Getty)
No. 1 Dallas Cowboys
Record: 12-2
Last Week's Ranking: 1st
Last Game: Won 26-20 Over Bucs
Outlook: Dallas has not had to bounce back much this season but found themselves coming off a loss for only the second time this year. Amidst speculation that the Cowboys needed to go with veteran quarterback Tony Romo after Dak Prescott's struggles the last two weeks, Prescott and the Dallas offense answered the call. The Cowboys own one of the best records in football but have yet to clinch their division. The Giants continue to win and are right behind them. Dallas hosts Detroit next week on Monday Night Football then takes on the Eagles on the road. (Getty)
NFL Power Rankings Week 16