There are seasons when the best team in the NFL never changes from wire-to-wire during the regular season.
Then there are unpredictable seasons like this one.
The Broncos are the seventh different team in the first 16 weeks to sit atop The Post’s NFL power rankings.
Who were the others? The Patriots, Rams, Colts, Bills, Buccaneers and Lions.
Now, three of those six predecessors could miss the playoffs if things break a certain way over the final three weeks.
Week 15 was all about major comebacks – a single-week NFL-record-tying six 10-point come-from-behind victories – and major injuries (to the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Packers’ Micah Parsons).
What will happen this week?
Beware, Broncos. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Here are the Week 16 power rankings:
1. Broncos 12-2 (2)
Bo Nix tied a career-high with four touchdown passes and the playoff-bound Broncos scored 20 of the final 23 points in a 34-26 victory against the Packers. Four different receivers scored, but Courtland Sutton led the way with seven catches for 113 yards. A stellar second-half defensive effort was highlighted by interceptions by Riley Moss and Patrick Surtain II.
2. Rams 11-3 (3)
Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns against his former team and Kyren Williams ran for two more scores in a 41-34 victory against the Lions. Cody Parkinson caught both of Stafford’s touchdowns, and the Rams scored 20 straight points to turn a 24-14 deficit into a 34-24 lead en route to clinching a playoff berth.
3. Bills 10-4 (7)
The Bills spotted the Patriots a 21-point first-half lead but rallied to win, 35-31, behind Josh Allen’s three touchdown passes and James Cook’s three touchdowns from scrimmage (two rushing, one receiving). It was the third double-digit comeback by the Bills, who reached 10 wins for the seventh straight year. Joey Bosa sealed the win by batting down a fourth-down pass.
4. Patriots 11-3 (1)
Still in the driver’s seat in the AFC East, the Patriots’ 10-game winning streak went up in the smoke of the collapse against the Bills. Not even four rushing touchdowns – two by Drake Maye and two of 52 and 65 yards by TreVeyon Henderson – was enough to keep from blowing the 21-0 lead. With the Patriots clinging to a 24-21 lead, Maye was intercepted.
5. Seahawks 11-3 (5)
Jason Myers’ franchise-record sixth field goal with 29 seconds remaining ruined 44-year-old Philip Rivers’ comeback story and finished off a game where he did all his team’s scoring in an 18-16 victory against the Colts. Sam Darnold threw for 271 yards and engineered his 13th career game-winning drive. Rashid Shaheed was clutch with 131 kickoff return yards and 74 receiving yards.
6. Bears 10-4 (6)
One of the coldest games ever at Soldier Field (eight degrees at kickoff) didn’t stop the Caleb Williams-D.J. Moore connection from heating up with two touchdowns in a 31-3 punishing of the Browns. The Bears reached 10 wins for the first time since 2018 as D’Andre Swift ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Three interceptions were turned into 17 points.
7. Packers 9-4-1 (4)
Not only did the Packers fall to the Broncos – their first loss this season by more than three points – but Parsons is out for the season with a torn ACL. The Packers managed just three points on their final six possessions, with two turnovers on downs, two giveaways and a punt mixed in.
8. 49ers 10-4 (8)
There was no bye-week rust for the 49ers, whose offense fired on all cylinders in a 37-24 victory against the Titans. Brock Purdy tossed three touchdowns, including two to Jauan Jennings and a jump-pass score to George Kittle by the goal line. The 49ers converted 9-of-15 third downs, including a key third-and-11 late in the fourth quarter.
9. Jaguars 10-4 (9)
Trevor Lawrence sure looked like a generational prospect against the Jets, as he accounted for six touchdowns (five passing and one rushing) in a 48-20 blowout victory. The Jaguars scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of a game for the first time since 1998 and hung 41 points through three quarters for the first time since 2005.
10. Chargers 10-4 (10)
Derwin James sealed a 16-13 win and a season sweep over the Chiefs with an interception of Gardner Minshew, who replaced Mahomes after he suffered a torn ACL in the final two minutes. Justin Herbert threw for 210 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Cameron Dicker’s 49-yard field goal broke a tie with 51 seconds remaining.
11. Texans 9-5 (12)
12. Eagles 9-5 (13)
13. Lions 8-6 (11)
14. Steelers 8-6 (14)
15. Ravens 7-7 (21)
16. Colts 8-6 (15)
17. Panthers 7-7 (16)
18. Buccaneers 7-7 (17)
19. Vikings 6-8 (22)
20. Dolphins 6-8 (20)
21. Cowboys 6-7-1 (18)
22. Chiefs 6-8 (19)
23. Falcons 5-9 (24)
24. Saints 4-10 (25)
25. Bengals 4-10 (23)
26. Commanders 4-10 (28)
27. Jets 3-11 (26)
The Jets were down by 14 points in the blink of an eye for the second straight week during the loss to the Jaguars. Breece Hall losing six yards on a fourth-and-1 was a microcosm of all that went wrong as undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook made his first start. The Jets had Isaiah Williams’ punt-return touchdown taken off the board by penalty.
28. Cardinals 3-11 (27)
29. Titans 2-12 (29)
30. Browns 3-11 (30)
31. Giants 2-12 (31)
Make that eight straight losses for the Giants, who were the patsy for the Commanders to break their own eight-game skid. Jaxson Dart threw an interception, Younghoe Koo missed two field goals and Darius Slayton had two drops as the Giants fell, 29-21, in front of a half-filled home stadium on a snowy day. Interim head coach Mike Kafka is 0-4.
32. Raiders 2-12 (32)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
