What a game last night folks. There was truly a playoff feel to New England’s win over Baltimore in possibly the best Monday night game we’ve seen all year. Tom Brady vaulted himself back into the lead of the MVP race while putting the Patriots in sole possession of the AFC’s top seed. Just when you thought the Ravens were going to erase a 20-point deficit and take the lead last night, Brady made Baltimore pay for its biggest mistake of the night. One 79-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hogan took all of the momentum away from Baltimore and left New England with a large enough lead to secure a huge home victory.

It was quite a way to finish one of the most pivotal weeks of the season. That primetime slate I was raving about last week certainly lived up to the billing. We saw top teams go down, a few division races tighten up, two division leads change hands, and both wild card races become wide open. Week 14 leaves a lot in play heading into this week.

Currently there are 26 teams mathematically still in contention for the playoffs. Of those 26 teams, six will need a miracle to get into the playoffs (San Diego, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Carolina, and Arizona). Only the Cowboys have technically clinched a spot in the playoffs, but a few teams should secure playoff bids as soon as this week. As crazy as it may sound, ten wins might not guarantee a playoff berth in either conference. For us, it means that every game from here on out will feel like a playoff game. Buckle in folks, it is going to be one wild ride to January.

We could get into all of the clinching scenarios, but at this point some are too ridiculous to even talk about. By the time I get through them all, I definitely would have lost most of you (I try to keep these posts around 1500 words, those scenarios would easily double that mark). Trust me, things are a bit too crazy to even delve into right now. Looking at the standings, you have a pretty good idea of what is realistic and what are just high hopes.

So for today, I’ll reveal my latest power rankings and watch list to set up the weeks ahead. We can delve into potential clinching scenarios once some of the long shots inevitably clear themselves out of the picture. For now though, here are the lists heading into Week 15.

(1) New England Patriots (11-2) – Last Week: 2

I’m sure this should come as no surprise, but the Patriots have reasserted themselves as the top dog in the NFL. Tom Brady, at 39 years old, is dominating this season and could become the first player in history to win the MVP despite missing four or more games. Quite the accomplishment for a guy who has few milestones left in his sights. We are also seeing this defense rounding into playoff form even if this is a group of so called “role players.” Now with New England in sole possession of the top seed in the AFC, the road to Super Bowl LI becomes clearer for the Patriots. As for this week, New England gets Denver in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game.

(2) Dallas Cowboys (11-2) – Last Week: 1

The Cowboys slip to #2 in my rankings for two reasons. First, is obviously the loss to the Giants on Sunday night, leaving the door open in the NFC East. The second reason is that Dallas hasn’t looked like an unstoppable force in recent weeks. Dak Prescott is going through some rookie struggles, but these growing pains are part of the process. This offensive line may be the best in the NFL, but we have seen in the last two weeks that a top-notch defense can cause some serious issues. Dallas should be okay, but these last two weeks give me cause for concern for a deep playoff run from the Cowboys. No time for licking wounds though as the Cowboys face the red-hot Buccaneers on Sunday night.

(3) Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) – Last Week: 4

It seems like an eternity since we saw the Chiefs hold off the Raiders on Thursday. The 21-13 win for Kansas City gave them first place in the AFC West and more importantly the season sweep over Oakland (the key tiebreaker for divisional races). This defense is looking scary good right now, and is getting healthier with each passing week. Kansas City’s defense is looking like this season version of Denver’s vaunted defense. On the other side of the ball, we witnessed that Tyreek Hill is no fluke for this offense. He is the x-factor every week with his homerun ability. Jeremy Maclin’s return is another welcome sight for the Chiefs. This week is setting up for a slugfest against Tennessee, who just defeated Denver last week.

(4) Oakland Raiders (10-3) – Last Week: 3

A tough loss for Oakland drops them down one spot this week, but the outlook for the Raiders is still looking good for a playoff berth. If anything, the Raiders may actually fare better as a wild-card team since they seem to play better on the road. I do have some concerns about how far this team could go since they would have to go through potentially both New England and Kansas City to reach the Super Bowl, assuming they get through the wild card round. That being said there is still a lot to like here especially with the way Derek Carr has played this season. Oakland will have a chance to right the ship this week with a trip to San Diego to face the Chargers.

(5) New York Giants (9-4) – Last Week: Watch List

Regardless of the outcome of the Seattle game, New York’s win over Dallas was enough for me to put the Giants in the power rankings this week. I could get into my issues with this offense because there are plenty. The reason I think the Giants are potentially one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL is this defense. Landon Collins, Janoris Jenkins, Eli Apple, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are proving to be one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Olivier Vernon and the rest of this front-seven looked dominant against the best offensive line in football, causing them fits all night on Sunday. Don’t look now folks, but these Giants are looking eerily similar to those Super Bowl winning teams from 2012 and 2008. As for Week 15, we get a potential playoff preview between the Giants and Lions.

Watch List: Seattle (8-4-1), Detroit (9-4), Pittsburgh (8-5), Atlanta (8-5), Tampa Bay (8-5), Denver (8-5), Green Bay (7-6), Baltimore (7-6), Tennessee (7-6), Miami (8-5)

Alright folks, that is it for me today. Enjoy all of the games tonight, plenty of basketball and hockey to wet the palate. I’ll be back tomorrow with “Heat Check” and Thursday will be wall-to-wall NFL coverage. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.