Christmas, Hanukkah, Toyotathon. No matter how you celebrate, the holiday season is here and that means we’re just a fortnight away from playoff football. With two weeks left in the season, we have a bit more jockeying than expected, and it’s sure to be a wild finish that changes the future of a few teams. Let’s check out this week’s power rankings below.
- Detroit Lions (LW: 3) – The best season in franchise history was set in stone as they won 13 games for the first time. Wasting such a fun fumble play on the Bears seems odd (but awesome).
- Buffalo Bills (1) – Their streak of 30-point games ended and Josh Allen came out dinged up. But provided everything is good on that front, the AFC should still fear the possibility of a playoff game at Highmark Stadium.
- Philadelphia Eagles (2) – They lost their outside shot at the NFC’s top seed but remain a team no one is eager to see in January.
- Kansas City Chiefs (5) – Between the return of Hollywood Brown and Patrick Mahomes’ miraculous recovery, it sure feels like this team is about to hit another gear. As always.
- Green Bay Packers (4) -Some say the city of New Orleans will feel the effects of Josh Jacobs’ stiff arms for weeks to come.
- Minnesota Vikings (6) – They kept things a bit too close against Seattle, but with two weeks left, control their destiny for the 1 seed.
- Baltimore Ravens (7) – Dominant performance to confirm who’s top dog in the North. Lamar closed the MVP gap this week. Could a Christmas miracle deliver him the honors?
- Los Angeles Rams (9) – Holding the Jets to 9 points may not be a feat, but this defense is looking competent as we wind down the season.
- Washington Commanders (15) – After decades of having to play Heinicke-level signal callers against the Eagles, I doubt Commanders fans feel too bad about getting one in against Kenny Pickett.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8) – The only gift on this team’s Christmas wish list is a healthy George Pickens.
- Los Angeles Chargers (11) – In hindsight, it was always going to be a Harbaugh breaking the 48 year fair catch kick drought.
- Denver Broncos (12) – Saturday against the Bengals is this team’s biggest game in years. Time to see what Bo Nix and co. are truly made of.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10) – Oh, how one night can shift a mood. The Bucs are no longer in full control of the division after a disastrous loss to the Cowboys. Still, they’re the favorite here with the Falcons starting rookie QB Michael Penix.
- Seattle Seahawks (13) – The Seahawks’ late game blunders likely cost them a playoff spot; further evidence of how fast fates change in the NFL.
- Houston Texans (14) – Without Tank Dell and with Stefon Diggs already sidelined, this already struggling passing game will have to scratch and claw for big plays.
- Cincinnati Bengals (17) – Well, here they are! Everything has fallen right for the Bengals in recent weeks, and if they win out, they’ve got a solid chance at a playoff spot.
- Dallas Cowboys (19) – Hats off to Mike McCarthy. This team has no business being frisky right now, and yet they’re 4-1 since a 3-7 start. A helluva job saving effort.
- Indianapolis Colts (20) – Jonathan Taylor, take a bow. If the Colts are running like this, don’t be shocked to find them in the playoffs in two weeks.
- Miami Dolphins (21) – The weather was nice on Sunday, so the Dolphins won. It’s as simple as that! On defense, Chop Robinson is already one of the league’s elite pass rushers as a rookie.
- Atlanta Falcons (22) – The Falcons need to beat the Commanders and Panthers to secure the division crown. It’s no guarantee, but it’s as good of a spot as you can find yourself in after benching your high-priced free-agent acquisition for a rookie.
- San Francisco 49ers (18) – In a horrible season devoid of anything to celebrate, attention now turns to this offseason’s Brock Purdy extension.
- Arizona Cardinals (16) – Losing to the Panthers in that fashion is a telltale sign of a team that’s simply given up and packed it in.
- Carolina Panthers (24) – Dave Canales might really be a QB whisperer. He has Bryce Young and this team competing in every game since the bye. What a win.
- Chicago Bears (23) – Caleb Williams continues to take care of the ball. That might be the only positive in a disastrous year that has to have head coach candidates thinking twice about joining the circus.
- New York Jets (25) – Another absolutely gross performance after taking the lead early. I’m not sure anyone in this organization knows what changes lie ahead.
- New England Patriots (26) – A seven-game losing streak to close out the season will make calls for Jerod Mayo’s job even louder, but showing some fight and continued Drake Maye improvement will likely keep this staff safe.
- Cleveland Browns (27) – The decision to start DTR was predictably a disaster. Like pulling a lever that immediately snaps in half. Of all the Browns, Miles Garrett deserves better right now.
- Las Vegas Raiders (31) – Sunday’s win over the Jags ended a 10 game losing streak and dropped the Raiders out of contention for a top QB in the draft. With no clear-cut talent at the top, it could be a blessing in disguise.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (28) – The only possible downside to nailing the Brian Thomas Jr. pick is that Trent Baalke may survive another year.
- New Orleans Saints (30) – The Saints getting shutout with Spencer Rattler at the helm is somewhat expected. What hurts the most is that this team is going to kick the can down the road yet again.
- Tennessee Titans (29) – Giving up over 300 rushing yards and throwing three picks is a new level of bad for this Tennessee team that leads the league in giveaways.
- New York Giants (32) – The Giants, however, will have their pick of QBs with the top pick. It will take much more than Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward to fix this mess, though.
That’s it for our week 17 power rankings! Have a safe and happy holidays and enjoy a week of uninterrupted football. We’ll be back next week to rank every team heading into the final week of the season.
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