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ESPN is slow getting their power rankings up today, so I'm going to post what I've got, and update when I see ESPN's rankings. Update: done.

• A "power index" is computed for each team, based on the final scores of all games each team has played; higher is better. Teams are then sorted by power index to generate power rankings.

• Read this journal entry for a more detailed explanation.

• ESPN's power rankings

APR Power Rankings:

1. 1.6912 NE. (14- 0) (L= , E= 1)

2. 1.6130 IND (12- 2) (L= , E= 2)
3. 1.5664 GB. (12- 2) (L-1, E= 4)
4. 1.5630 DAL (12- 2) (L+1, E= 3)
5. 1.5405 JAC (10- 4) (L= , E= 5)

6. 1.4826 SD. ( 9- 5) (L-1, E= 6)
7. 1.4542 MIN ( 8- 6) (L-1, E=11)
8. 1.4247 PIT ( 9- 5) (L+2, E= 8)
9. 1.4110 PHI ( 6- 8) (L-3, E=18)
10. 1.3995 TB. ( 9- 5) (L-1, E= 9)
11. 1.3969 TEN ( 8- 6) (L-2, E=13)
12. 1.3916 SEA ( 9- 5) (L+3, E=10)
13. 1.3841 WAS ( 7- 7) (L-2, E=16)
14. 1.3728 NYG ( 9- 5) (L+4, E=12)
15. 1.3663 NO. ( 7- 7) (L-2, E=14)
16. 1.3639 HOU ( 7- 7) (L-2, E=15)
17. 1.3629 CLE ( 9- 5) (L+3, E= 7)

18. 1.3145 DET ( 6- 8) (L+2, E=22)
19. 1.3035 CHI ( 5- 9) (L= , E=24)
20. 1.2967 BUF ( 7- 7) (L= , E=17)
21. 1.2661 ARI ( 6- 8) (L-2, E=20)
22. 1.2627 CAR ( 6- 8) (L-4, E=21)
23. 1.2587 DEN ( 6- 8) (L+2, E=19)
24. 1.2510 CIN ( 5- 9) (L+2, E=23)
25. 1.2352 OAK ( 4-10) (L= , E=25)
26. 1.2211 KC. ( 4-10) (L+2, E=26)
27. 1.2168 NYJ ( 3-11) (L= , E=30)
28. 1.1788 BAL ( 4-10) (L= , E=27)
29. 1.1526 ATL ( 3-11) (L-1, E=31)
30. 1.1476 STL ( 3-11) (L+1, E=29)
31. 1.1185 SF. ( 4-10) (L= , E=28)
32. 1.1058 MIA ( 1-13) (L= , E=32)

Week 15 Notes:

• Teams ESPN likes way more than APR:
  Browns (A=17, E=7 /+10). ESPN pushes the Browns up 3 spots.

• Teams APR likes way more than ESPN:
  Eagles (A=9, E=18 /-9). Benefitting from yet another big road win.

• The Patriots' power index drops down below 1.7 for the first time since week 7. Because they play the very weak Dolphins next week, their power index is going to drop again no matter what. Depending on how well the Colts do, they could close the "gap" between them and the Patriots for the first time since week 10.

• The Jaguars 7-point on-the-road win over the high-powered Steelers gives them a big boost, and they cross the gap to join the Colts, Packers and Cowboys.

• The Saints have gone 7-3 since thier 0-4 start. If the Vikings can't close the deal on the #6 seed, I think New Orleans is the team best positioned to step up.

• APR gives extra emphasis to winning on the road, and playing good teams close on the road. This is benefitting the Eagles tremendously, who have 4 road wins (@NYJ, MIN, WAS, and DAL), and a close loss to the dominating Patriots. The Eagles would drop down to 17th place if these were all home games.

• The Browns did increase in power since last week, but not enough to stay ahead of the Saints, Texans, and Redskins, all coming off bigger wins.

• The Browns' power index is suffering from a weak schedule and close wins:

  • They are 1-3 against teams in the top half of the power rankings (beating only the Seahawks).
  • 6 of their 9 wins are by 8 points or fewer, and they only have one win by more than 10 points.

  Other than the Panthers, the Browns are the lowest-ranked team still alive for the playoffs.