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NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: 49ers Climb With Win Over Steelers

The NFL completed Week 15 and it was a topsy-turvy sort of week. We saw the Indianapolis Colts grab the first win, upsetting the Tennessee Titans, and we saw the the Green Bay Packers get shocked by the Kansas City Chiefs for the defending champions first loss of the season.

The San Francisco 49ers put together a huge win on Monday Night Football as they knocked off the briefly AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. The 49ers won 20-3 as they were able to put a hurting on a struggling Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben spent the entire game hobbling around on a busted ankle and it cost him and his Steelers in a key game for both teams. The 49ers climb back up to third in the power rankings behind the Packers and Saints.

The Oakland Raiders blew a huge opportunity on Sunday as they lost after taking a 13-point lead into the final seven minutes against the Detroit Lions. The Raiders remain a game back in the wild card and divisional race, but might have cost themselves a shot at the postseason with the loss.

On to the Week 16 NFL Power Rankings (previous week in parenthesis). As always, feel free to tweet your disagreements to @sbnbayarea:

1. (1) Green Bay Packers (13-1)
2. (2) New Orleans Saints (11-3)
3. (6) San Francisco 49ers (11-3)
4. (5) New England Patriots (11-3)
5. (3) Baltimore Ravens (10-4)
6. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
7. (8) Atlanta Falcons (9-5)
8. (7) Houston Texans (10-4)
9. (12) Dallas Cowboys (8-6)
10. (9) Denver Broncos (8-6)
11. (10) New York Jets (8-6)
12. (11) New York Giants (7-7)
13. (17) Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)
14. (15) San Diego Chargers (7-7)
15. (16) Detroit Lions (9-5)
16. (14) Oakland Raiders (7-7)
17. (18) Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)
18. (13) Tennessee Titans (7-7)
19. (22) Seattle Seahawks (7-7)
20. (21) Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
21. (19) Chicago Bears (7-7)
22. (20) Miami Dolphins (5-9)
23. (24) Carolina Panthers (5-9)
24. (28) Washington Redskins (5-9)
25. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)
26. (23) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)
27. (25) Buffalo Bills (5-9)
28. (26) Cleveland Browns (4-10)
29. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10)
30. (29) Minnesota Vikings (2-12)
31. (31) St. Louis Rams (2-12)
32. (32) Indianapolis Colts (1-13)