NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Bears on Rise While Cowboys & Patriots Fall

No. 9 Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks threw away an opportunity against a bad 49ers team to punch their ticket to the postseason. Seattle was haunted by penalties both at the end of the fourth quarter and once again in overtime. The Seahawks had 14 penalties for 148 yards, and it was too much for the team to overcome on the road.

Seattle's pass rush is starting to show shades of their defense from past years, but the offense has struggled to find consistency. The Seahawks have solidified their run game, but there are still question marks surrounding the rest of the offense. The offensive line made critical penalties and the unit as a whole still needs some work before the postseason.

Chris Carson rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Niners. Carson also was active in the passing game with six receptions for 29 yards. If you do not count running backs, the Seahawks wide receivers and tight ends only had a total of nine receptions against San Francisco.

The Seahawks have what it takes to win a game or two in the playoffs, but the current roster would have its work cut out for them against teams like the Saints and Rams.

Seattle gets to stay at Century Link Field for the next two games. The Seahawks will need to lean on their home crowd as they take on the Chiefs in a big-time Sunday Night Football matchup. Seattle squares off with the Cardinals in Week 17 in a matchup where they will be favored.

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No. 10 Dallas Cowboys

While there was no guarantee the Cowboys would beat the Colts, Dallas entered Week 15 in prime position to secure a playoff spot. Instead, the Cowboys offense looked dreadful as they were shutout in a blowout loss in Indianapolis. The Cowboys are still in a good position to make the postseason, but the way they lost to the Colts should be cause for concern.

The Cowboys offense has been much improved since the team traded for Amari Cooper, but the team showed it still has plenty of holes. Dallas had less than 200 yards passing against the Colts. Dak Prescott finished with a QBR of 20.4. Prescott is far from the only issue with the Cowboys offense, but Prescott has struggled with his accuracy throughout the season.

The Dallas defense also deserves part of the blame as the Cowboys allowed Marlon Mack to rush for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett believes their run defense was a big reason for the loss.

"Obviously, we didn't play well enough in any phase of our game to win," Garrett told ESPN. "We can't allow them to run the ball the way they want to run it."

Prescott noted the Cowboys struggles in the red zone have to be addressed.

“A competitor never wants to get shut out,” Prescott said per the Cowboys website. “The shutout definitely hurts. The shutout pisses you off, especially when you’re down there early in the red zone and you have opportunities to score and you don’t...We’ve just got to find a way to get in the end zone. And when you don’t, you give a team like that momentum.”

With the Bears notching another win, the Cowboys are unlikely to climb higher than No. 4 in the NFC. Dallas hosts Tampa Bay in Week 16 as they try to clinch a playoff berth. The Cowboys travel to New York to take on the Giants in their regular season finale.

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