NFL Playoff Power Rankings after Wild Card Weekend

There are some big names and preseason favorites that are no longer around after the first round of the playoffs. First year QBs showed they are on the rise Josh Allen shined in Buffalo, and the reigning NFC Champions fell to Baker and the Bucs on Monday night. Next week the one seeds join the party, and we have some mouthwatering match ups awaiting us in the Divisional Round. Before we kickoff round two of the postseason let’s give you our Power Rankings after the first round of the playoffs.

1) Baltimore Ravens 13-4, last week 1

What did the Ravens need more than anything over the last two seasons? Their franchise quarterback under center, and 100% healthy. Baltimore made sure to get him to the playoffs unharmed by wrapping up the top seed in the second to last week of the season. Again, the only thing that worries me is the rust that the Ravens might have to shake off after having the last two weeks off. They ended the season as the top team in the league, so why should that change coming into the Divisional round?

2) San Francisco 49ers 12-5, last week 2

I’m not sure why, and it may make no sense to you, but I think the Niners are a much more dangerous team coming off a two week break than the Ravens are. This is a team that is nearly unstoppable when they are healthy and barring something disastrous in the next week of practice they are going to in tip top shape for their divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers Brock Purdy has unfinished business after getting injured in last years NFC Championship game. They have to take care of business next week, but with the Cowboys getting knocked out and the Eagles getting embarrassed by Bucs in Tampa Bay the road to the Super Bowl might have just got a little easier without San Fran even having to take a snap.

3) Buffalo Bills 11-6, last week 3

It might not have been the most effective formula, and there were certainly moments of doubt in Orchard Park, but the Bills slumped through the middle of the regular season just in time to allow them to start hitting their best stride at the perfect time. It didn’t matter if the snow moved their game against the Steelers back a day, a week or a month, Buffalo came in looking like a team with a chip on their shoulder, ready to do away with Pittsburgh as soon as possible so they can set their sights on the Kansas City Chiefs next week. Josh Allen was flawless, throwing two TDs and running for another in the first two quarters of the game. Every facet of the Bills was ready for the playoffs and it showed on Monday. The defense kept the Steelers in check, the run game went for 180 yards, Allen was able to do it in the air and with his legs. The only thing you might say is the kicking game was a bit suspect. The blocked field goal at the end of the first half almost let the Steelers back in the game, but Buffalo was never made to worry in the final 30 minutes. What a matchup we have waiting for us next week as the Bills welcome the Chiefs to Buffalo of KC’s first road game in the Patrick Mahomes era.

4) Kansas City Chiefs 11-6, last week 6

At home, in the playoffs with Patrick Mahomes under center the Chiefs didn’t need any advantages against the crumbling Miami Dolphins but the planets aligned to make it impossible Tua and that offense to do anything in Arrowhead. It would have been difficult for any team to go into KC and weather the ice storm that blanketed GEHA Field, but a team from South Florida who rely on airing it out all game long had the same chance to beat Kansas City as the weather in Kansas City, subzero. Andy Reid came out and let Patrick Mahomes throw the ball on the opening drive of the game, which set the tone and opened up the field for the rest of the four quarters. Mahomes had a good game given the circumstances, but the thing the Chiefs should be most happy about is rookie Rashee Rice who showed up just in time for the playoffs. Mahomes needs just one reliable receiver to help him anchor the offense and it might be be the first year man out of SMU.

5) Detroit Lions 12-5, last week 8

Ladies and gentleman, this is what playoff football looks like in Detroit. Many in the Motor City experienced that for the first time ever. It has been more than three decades since the Lions last home game, and while it was a long time coming, last night Jared Goff and company made it worth the wait. It was loud. It was rowdy. And it was a hell of a lot of fun. Goff was perfect on a night in which he got a little revenge over the team that traded him away three years ago. The defense locked down, and really only made two mistakes that they were made to pay for in the form of two TDs, but they bounced back and had a few goal to go stands that ended up making the difference. You can see the team has bought into what coach Dan Campbell has been trying to build, and the fans have bought into this team. In the postgame interviews it was evident how much this win meant, not just for the players and the team, but for this city. It’s a city that is starving for success, and the Lions don’t plan on ending their playoff run anytime soon. After winning their second playoff game in the Super Bowl era, Detroit will host another game next week, just a game away from the Conference Championship.

6) Houston Texans 10-7, last week 9

For as much as I love CJ Stroud, and for as impressive as he’s been I have to admit I thought the playoffs would be too big for him. That’s normally what happens to rookies in the postseason. The stage is too big, and at some point a mistake will be made and things will start to unravel. Stroud has shown us he is no normal rookie and no moment it too big for him. He was just about perfect, throwing for 274 yards and 16/21 with three TDs, and what made it even sweeter was the way DeMeco Ryans team came out and shut down Joe Flacco who was posting 300 yard game after 300 yard game. The defense scored just one TD all season, and took back two interceptions against the Browns on Saturday. Stroud has proven to be unflappable, and you know Ryans’ defense is going to be ready for each of the upcoming playoff games. This is not going to be an easy out and Baltimore know they are going to have to bring their A game next week.

7) Green Bay Packers 9-8, last week 10

The Pack went into Dallas playing with house money, and hit the jackpot. The team that was supposed to be in a transition phase after the departure of Aaron Rodgers, the team that didn’t have a receiving corp that could Aaron Rodgers could pull out of the gutter last year, the team that started the season 2-5 went into Big D and shattered the hearts of Cowboys fans. Jordan Love might be the hottest quarterback in the playoffs, maybe with the exception of Lamar Jackson, but let’s just review his stats over the last nine games: he’s thrown 21 TDs and just 1 INT while throwing for 2,422 yards. That’s 269 yards a game while completing more than 60% of his passes in each of those games. This wasn’t supposed to happen so quickly, but those in Lambeau won’t complain at all. Green Bay aren’t going to have it easy next week in San Fran but they are playing with house money so why not go into Levis Stadium looking to knock off another giant.

8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-8, last week 14

Did anyone give Baker Mayfield and the Bucs a chance in Wild Card Weekend? “The Eagles stink. They are lucky they are playing the Bucs in the first round.” I can’t tell you how many times I heard that and even said that to myself over the last week. Those of us already advancing the Eagles past the first round must have forgot that the Bucs won five of their last six to secure a spot in the playoffs with an NFC South title. Baker Mayfield has been unpredictable over that stretch, but one thing that is predictable is this dude is going to come out and fight, leaving his life on the field to get the win and his teammates love him for it. He dismantled the Eagles defense, and would have been flirting with a perfect QB rating again if his receivers wouldn’t have dropped so many balls. Todd Bowles defense rose to the occasion against an Eagles team that was licking their wounds coming into the game, and held Philly with out a third down conversion all night. In the first year of the post Tom Brady era, there weren’t many people who would have bet on the Bucs to make the playoffs, let alone win a playoff game against last year’s NFC Champs. Now the Bucs are off to Detroit looking to keep their surprise season alive for yet another week.

9) LA Rams 10-7, last week 7

You knew it was going to be tight. You knew Matthew Stafford was going to gut it out against his home team, but what we didn’t know was how much the Rams would struggle to punch the ball in once they reached the redzone. They got inside the Detroit 11 yard three different times and couldn’t cross the goal line on any of those trips. The defense got sliced up in the first half, allowing TDs in the first three Lions possessions, but LA was still in the game thanks to a couple Matt Stafford dimes that turned into long TD plays but you can’t rely on deep balls to win you playoff games. Once you get into a goal to go situation you have to punch the ball in to the end zone, and the Rams couldn’t do it against the Lions defense that was lifted by one of the loudest stadiums in the league. The light is starting to dim in LA, and you have to figure this team is a couple years away from a rebuilding phase. Matthew Stafford apparently has no plans to retire but he has been getting beaten up over the last two years. LA need to get him some more protection in the offseason while making some moves that might protect this franchise in the not so distant future.

10) Cleveland Browns 11-6, last week 4

Cleveland’s collapse was incredibly untimely, but I’m not sure if we can say it was surprising. This is a team that has been holding on for dear life for a long time. They got the top Wild Card spot in the AFC, which meant they could rest some of the guys who worked so hard to earn their 5 seed. That might have been the downfall of this team that looked out of rhythm, and no one looked more out of synch that Joe Flacco who was one of the reasons the Browns were even in the playoffs. It’s hard for a team to recover from throwing a pick six, but it’s impossible to bounce back after throwing two in back to back possessions. It was a painful end to a season in which the Browns exceeded all expectations after suffering injury after injury. This team has a base that is built to compete in the future. If they can keep healthy, if they can stay together, and if the offense continues to improve, then Kevin Stefanski might be able to bring a title to Cleveland, but that is still a few years away.

11) Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7, last week 12

The only chance the Steelers were going to have against the Bills was if the game on Sunday didn’t get pushed back. Pittsburgh needed a blizzard to even the playing field and neutralize Josh Allen with TJ Watt sidelined with injury. Unfortunately for them the city of Buffalo moved the game back for the safety of everyone, and the decision only added to the home field advantage for the Bills. It was cold on Monday night, but there was no snow. There may have been a bit of wind but Allen is used to that, much more used to it then the Steelers third string QB Mason Rudolph who had his hero run come to an abrupt end in Orchard Park. Pittsburgh cut the lead to a TD in the fourth quarter, but the Bills never looked nervous protecting their lead. The Steelers have a lot of work to do over the off season and mostly on the offensive end. They need an offensive coordinator, and will have to make a decision on Kenny Pickett who has failed to stake claim to the starting spot in the Steele City.

12) Miami Dolphins 11-6, last week 11

We could see this coming from a mile away for about a month now. Miami’s foreshadowed their playoff debacle all season long. We beat the “They can’t beat good teams” drum over and over again, and in the end they couldn’t beat a good team. The Dolphins didn’t win either of their two final games at the end of the season which meant they were forced to pack their bags and head to KC to play one of the coldest games in the history of the NFL. It didn’t matter if Miami played that game in Siberia or with an ocean breeze in a tropical paradise, they weren’t winning a playoff game this season. I don’t like to point the finger, and I certainly don’t like to say someone needs to lost their job, but Mike McDaniels style of coaching is good when you’re a coordinator. A head coach needs to prepare his team for battle. In a battle there will be highs and lows, but a coach instills that belief, and that fighters mentality to be able to claw out of those low points. The Dolphins haven’t shown the ability to punch back when they get hit in the mouth by a good team, and they never will with McDaniels as their general.

13) Dallas Cowboys 12-5, last week 5

Why is it still shocking when we see the Cowboys roll through the regular season and crumble in the playoffs? What’s that old saying? The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again, but expecting different results? I get that the delusional Cowboys fans get riled up after yet another 12-5 season and the intrusive thoughts of raising a Lomardi Trophy start getting the better of them, but why does everyone else outside of Dallas seem to believe in this team too? They got embarrassed. They got humiliated. They got dominated by a quarterback playing his in his first season, playing in his first playoff game. You can call this postseason implosion a lot of things, but what best describes the Cowboys performance on Sunday afternoon is a predictable choke job. Your telling me that Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb are the reason the Cowboys offense didn’t show up at home against the Packers? The same guy QB who was in the MVP conversation for the second half of the year, and the same WR that was posting all time records for posting three straight games of 10+ catches and 150+ yards were the ones who choked in the first round of the playoffs.

14) Philadelphia Eagles 11-6, last week 13

The Eagles were pitiful to end the season. That was no secret coming into their Wild Card game in Tampa Bay. But they were playing the Bucs! Even though they plummeted into the playoffs, they were still the favorites on Monday night. In the end the Bucs humiliated the one time 10-1 team that lost their way in the final two months of the season. Everything that got the Eagles to the Super Bowl last year disappeared in the final stretch of their season and again on Monday night at Raymond James. First of all, the defense was putrid. If anyone needs a lesson of how to cut a season short and take the express lane to Vacationtown, watch how the Eagles tackled in Tampa. They gave up big play after big play, mostly on short throws that were taken to the house by WRs you wouldn’t be able to pick out of a police line up. The run game was non existent, totaling 42 yards on 15 carries. Jalen Hurts and the offense was 0/9 on third down, and the Bucs even stopped their world famous tush push on a two point conversion from the one yard line. Everything last year’s Eagles did to get to the Super Bowl, this year’s Eagles did the opposite.