NFL POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 17
by Jonny Gaunt
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1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
This Week: @ (9-6) Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 PM)
Mahomes has his mojo back and the Chiefs offense is finally starting to look like themselves for the first time in weeks. The defense has found its own rhythm making plays and locking up in the red zone at critical points in games.
2. Green Bay Packers (12-3)
Last Week: 1
Arizona's fate is completely dependent on Kyler Murray's health. If he is unable to come back soon and return to form, this team will limp into the Playoffs as a wildcard. If he comes back ready to go, the Cardinals will get a number one seed.
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3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
Last Week: 4
Indianapolis gave Tampa Bay a dog fight on Sunday as the Buccaneers had to go to their third and fourth punches to finally knock out the Colts. Overall, it was an impressive win, accomplished by a primary focus on the run game.
4. New England Patriots (8-4)
Last Week: 5
The entire AFC should be scared because the evil empire of New England is back. The Patriot way of mistake-free football and forcing the opponent to win with secondary options has this team rolling right now.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
Last Week: 8
Mahomes has his mojo back as the Chiefs offense is starting to look like themselves for the first time in weeks. The defense has found its own rhythm making plays and locking up the red zone in critical moments of the game.
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
Last Week: 9
Significant injuries and a complete reliance on Lamar Jackson to carry the load is starting to take its toll on Baltimore. If Jackson isn't fantastic, they usually can't win games, and Miami's stout defense took advantage of that two weeks ago.
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7. Tennessee Titans (8-4)
Last Week: 6
There's no Derrick Henry and no receivers at this point. The Titans are "bailing water" at this point just trying to stay afloat until their star offensive weapons are able to come back. They built a division lead early, but the Colts are coming.
8. Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
Last Week: 3
Dallas is too star-centric, especially on the defensive side of the ball, relying on huge momentum plays to swing the game. On offense, Dak just never seems like quite the same player without Amari Cooper to target.
9. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Last Week: 11
There's still no run game and Josh Allen had a very uneven performance in the win over the Saints. Luckily for the Bills, New Orleans was missing both their QB and Alvin Kamara. Hopefully, this win can help them regroup on offense.
10. Los Angeles Rams (7-4)
Last Week: 7
McVay and Stafford need to recalculate. Play action off a heavy dose of run and jet sweeps is what this team is best at, and they seem to have completely abandoned that strategy. They better fix it fast because San Francisco is now on the horizon.
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11. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Last Week: 13
Officially, the torch has been passed from the Steelers and Big Ben to the Bengals and Joe Burrow. In yet another Cincinnati beatdown in the AFC North, the Bengals dominated on all sides of the ball and now are in real position for the Playoffs.
12. Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
Last Week: 10
While the Colts are 6-6 and aren't happy losing to the Buccaneers, they took their best shot and nearly pulled off the upset. This is a really good roster that still has enough time to get on a roll and push the Titans in the division.
13. San Francisco 49ers (6-5)
Last Week: 19
Perhaps no other team has improved more since the beginning of the season than the 49ers. Left for dead around Week 6, San Francisco is back and rising toward the top. Health will remain the key to this team having any staying power.
14. Los Angeles Chargers (6-5)
Last Week: 12
Herbert is still going to have his growing pains. On the road in Denver against a good secondary was a hard test for the young quarterback. In the overcrowded wild card race, these games matter especially.
15. Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)
Last Week: 18
In a game that the Raiders controlled most of the way, there are plenty of things to clean up. 28 combined penalties in the game was absolutely ridiculous. Still, Vegas stays alive with this massive win and a great performance from Carr.
16. Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
Last Week: 14
Minnesota went through another crazy game, and loss Dalvin Cook which is extremely concerning, more so than their defeat. The Vikings are still in play for that Wild Card spot, but they need him back quickly and at full strength to have any chance.
17. Cleveland Browns (6-6)
Last Week: 16
Baker is clearly hurt and should probably be sitting out right now. His unwillingness to do so is hurting his own team and probably cost them a potentially massive win on Sunday Night. There is some serious negative energy around this team.
18. Denver Broncos (6-5)
Last Week: 22
Patrick Surtain and the Bronco defense put together another fantastic performance. Young quarterbacks have really struggled in Denver this year. Just when you are ready to write off the Broncos, they find a way to get a really convincing win.
19. Washington Football Team (5-6)
Last Week: 20
Washington hasn't been winning pretty, but they are winning. Now, they find themselves right back in the thick of the playoff discussion thanks to the defense living up to expectations.
20. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
Last Week: 24
Miami looked like the rebuild was completely falling apart, but ever since the trade deadline passed and thus the Watson rumors passed, this has looked like a team playing unburdened. The AFC East might have some fight in it after all.
21. New Orleans Saints (5-6)
Last Week: 21
Without Alvin Kamara, this team has very little explosiveness on offense. With a backup quarterback and an often-injured running back, the Saints defense will not be able to carry the team on both sides of the field.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1)
Last Week: 15
It's over. The Steelers are too well coached to not finish around .500, but this team in its current form is done. The quarterback and offensive line are the biggest issues on the field, but even the "hard hat" work culture appears to be slipping.
23. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
Last Week: 17
Philly is a good draft away from being a real threat in the NFC East. Their youth makes them a volatile team capable of upsetting many teams on any given Sunday, but also losing to anyone as well.
24. Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
Last Week: 27
Atlanta has too many good skill position players to be abad team, but not enough solid players on the interior to be a consistent team. They will likely finish around .500, but what does that mean for the future of the franchise?
25. Carolina Panthers (5-7)
Last Week: 23
Cam Newton injected some much-needed energy in Carolina, but that appears to have already worn off. This season is done for the Panthers (especially considering McCaffrey's season is over) and they need to take a hard look at overhauling the offensive side of the ball.
26. Seattle Seahawks (3-8)
Last Week: 25
Even Russell Wilson looks a little lost out on the field. The season is over for the Seahawks and now there will be speculation about whether Wilson will ask to be trade as this team is old, bad, and has very few assets to improve the team.
27. New York Giants (4-7)
Last Week: 26
A nice win over the Eagles won't save the season for the Giants. This team has underachieved what was expected of them from inside the organization (even though those same people gave Daniel Jones this horrendous offensive line).
28. Chicago Bears (4-7)
Last Week: 28
Dalton made just enough plays to survive the upset loss in Detroit. Quarterback play has not been high on the list of issues this year for Chicago. The state of the offensive line is unacceptable.
29. New York Jets (3-8)
Last Week: 31
Zach Wilson is back and helped get his team the win. The Jets have had moments were they have looked awful and other moments where they have looked highly competitive. Patience is always a virtue with young teams.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
Last Week: 29
This was a winnable game for Jacksonville and with the #1 pick most likely out of reach, winning every game to create momentum moving forward is critical for Jacksonville and their extremely young team.
31. Houston Texans (2-9)
Last Week: 30
Losing to the Jets is never an acceptable outcome for any team, but the Texans are just bad. They will have to tear down whatever they think they have and start over with the compensation received from a DeShaun Watson trade.
32. Detroit Lions (0-10-1)
Last Week: 32
Another chance to secure their first victory of the year slipped right through the Lions' hands. With so many opportunities to win the Thanksgiving game, you start to worry about Campbell's job and if he will be able to turn this franchise around.