NFL Power Rankings before playoffs: Eagles end on top, Bills get emotional win, Niners win 10th straight

The NFL regular season has come and gone, and it took 18 weeks to decide the final playoff spots in both the NFC and the AFC. The Miami Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks both wrapped up the final Wild Card places while the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs locked up the top seed and first round byes in their respective conferences.

Here are our final Power Rankings of the regular season

1) Philadelphia Eagles 14-3, last week 1

Jalen Hurts finally came back from a groin injury for the final tune up before the playoffs and order was restored. Hurts needed the reps after missing the previous three weeks, and he looked a little rusty at times but the Eagles offense looked exponentially better with their QB1 back on the field. The Eagles didn’t look as dominant as they have all season, but they earned a week off to be able to fine tune things before their first playoff game in two week.

2) Buffalo Bills 13-3, last week 2

You couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect start to the Bills on their return to the field after an impossibly emotional week. I’m getting goosebumps as a write this and Nyheim Hines opening kick return continues to run through my mind. The Bills saw their chances at the top seep fly out the window on Saturday night with the Chiefs win over the Raiders, but they came out and showed how tough they are mentally and physically by closing the season with a double digit win over the desperate Patriots who were in a win and in situation, and the Bills put an end to their divison rivals run towards the post season.

3) Kansas City Chiefs 14-3, last week 3

Of course the Chiefs were going to show up on a day where the top seed in the AFC was up for grabs. Kansas City had a job to do and they got it done in the first two quarters. Mahomes got to rest in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with the game in hand, and now the Chiefs will get a chance to rest the entire team as they prepare for another Super Bowl push. They have looked like the most steady team in the conference all season, and they were rewarded for their consistency with the top seed in the conference.

4) San Francisco 49ers 13-4, last week 4

There is no doubt that the Niners are the best looking team going into the playoffs. They have won their last ten games, but my question is this… Did they need to lose a game before the playoffs? It sounds like a ridiculous notion, I know. But going into the playoffs on a streak as long as the one they are on, makes me nervous. They are a defense first team, but Purdy looks great. They haven’t lost since the Christian McCaffery trade. George Kittle has become an integral part of the offense yet again. Oh, and Deebo Samuel just came back from injury and will be at 100% for the playoffs. The only question surrounding then Niners are focused around their rookie QB who has looked unflappable since taking over under center in the Bay, but will that hold up once playoff football starts?

5) Cincinnati Bengals 12-4, last week 5

The Bengals roll into the playoffs looking like one of the most in form teams in the league. Joe Burrow and the Bengals end the season on an 8 game roll, and are the three seed in the AFC going into the playoffs. They have been winning most of their games with their explosive, but when they offense isn’t clicking the defense comes up with the right plays in the right moment to make this team look like one of the most dangerous sides in the playoffs. The Bengals eased past the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens, but will face them next week in the opening round of the playoffs. This season has taken almost the same path as last year’s season for Cincy. Let’s see if the Bengals can replicate their Super Bowl run from last year on the shoulders of Joe Burrow.

6) Minnesota Vikings 13-4, last week 8

Seeing Dalvin Cook go down with a leg injury was enough for Dennis Allen to take his starters out promptly after seeing his running back hobbled off the field. Cook returned briefly, as the Vikings cruised to victory against a Bears team who looked like they had no interest in winning the game in Chicago. The Vikings go into the post season as the three seed in the NFC, and will match up against the New York Giants to set up a rematch of the Week 16 matchup that the Vikings won 27-24 on a 61 yard Greg Joseph field goal.

7) Dallas Cowboys 12-5, last week 6

It’s not alway a terrible thing to lose a game in the week leading up to the playoffs, but the way the Cowboys lost to the Commanders in Washington will no doubt bring cause for concern going into the post season. They scored just six points as Prescott hit just 14 of his 37 pass attempts and the defense let a rookie making his first start control the game to make Dallas fans more nervous then they already were going into the postseason. The Boys are notorious for crashing out of the payoffs earlier than expected and their Week 18 loss to Washington will have people in Big D fearing the worst in the weeks to come.

8) Los Angeles Chargers 10-7, last week 7

The Chargers kicked off their game in the afternoon window knowing they had already wrapped up the top Wild Card spot in the AFC. They played starters in a game they didn’t need and saw Mike Williams and Joey Bosa get injured in a meaningless game. For a team that has struggled to stay healthy all year, you would have thought that Brandon Staley would not want to risk his roster before the playoffs. He kept Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler in the game until late in a game they ended up losing to snap a four game winning streak.

9) Baltimore Ravens 10-7, last week 9

Ravens started their third string QB against the Bengals in a game they needed to win to potentially get the top Wild Card spot. While the Wild Card position wasn’t of the upmost importance, getting Lamar Jackson back under center for the playoffs is. Reports out of Baltimore say there is a “strong chance” Jackson returns for the playoff game against the Bengal next week, but putting their QB1 in after being sidelined for over a month can disrupt an offense. Luckily for the Ravens it can’t get much worse than it has been over the final six games where the offense averaged just over 10 points a game.

10) Jacksonville Jaguars 9-8, last week 11

When the Jags lost the game to the Kansas City Chiefs to go to 3-7 back in mid November, coach Pederson told his team the season was going to come down to the final week of the season against the Tennessee Titans. His prediction came to fruition after the Jags won five of their last six and the Titans went on a six game spiral to set up an all or nothing game on Saturday Night. The Jags needed 57 minutes to take their first lead of the game against Tennessee, but it was the defense that made the play of the season when Josh Allen scooped and scored a TD send Jacksonville to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

11) New York Giants 9-7-1, last week 10

The Giants took care of business last week against the Colts to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016, so their game against the Eagles didn’t mean much and it showed. Brian Daboll used Week 18 to rest his starters but the second stringers almost made a comeback in the fourth quarter to make things interesting for the final few minutes of the regular season. New York enters the playoffs with the sixth seed and will play the Vikings next week, looking to avenge a midseason, last-second loss to Minnesota.

12) Detroit Lions 9-8, last week 13

The Lions may have come up short of the playoffs, but it certainly wasn’t because of how they closed out the season in the last two and a half months of the season. Management backed coach Dan Campbell through the a tough opening of the season, and he paid them back by winning eight of their last ten games. Their efforts came up just short as their terrible start to the season came back to bite them. They were knocked out of playoff contention before the Sunday Night game with the Packers, but showed up after having their hearts broken and ruined their divisional rivals chance to make it to the playoffs. They may have had their season cut short, but the Lions will be thrilled with how the season ended and the prospects for the future.

13) Seattle Seahawks 9-8, last week 14

Seattle new the Rams were playing their Super Bowl at Lumen Field in Week 18, as LA had a chance to keep their division rivals from the playoffs. They have them a fight until the end, but Kennth Walked and the run game carried the Seahawks into overtime after Geno Smith had an off night, and it was Qundre Diggs who came up with the OT INT to set up the game winning touchdown. No one in the world would have thought the Seahawks would even have a glimmer of hope to make the post season before Week 1, but here they are in the playoffs as Russell Wilson and the Broncos will be watching from home.

14) Miami Dolphins 9-8, last week 17

The Dolphins fell a** backwards into the playoffs after winning an offensively appalling do or die game against the New York Jets. Third string quarter back Skylar Johnson and the Dolphins did just enough to snap the Dolphins five game losing streak to send Miami stumbling into the post season. This week, all the focus will be turned on Tua Tagovailoa and his status after being put on concussion protocol for the third time this season. Even if he does comeback there is no guarantee the Dolphins will look like they did to begin the season. At the moment the Dolphins look like the team that everyone wants to play in the AFC, and the Bills will have the fortune of playing them next.

15) New England Patriots 8-9, last week 15

Say whatever you want, but the Pats failed to make the playoffs because of the blunder on the final play of the Raiders game a few weeks ago. The Pats had a chance to qualify for the playoffs in Orchard Park, but the opening kickoff gave you an indication of how that game was going to go. They weren’t just battling the Bills, they were taking on the entire wave of emotion in the aftermath of the Damar Hamlin situation. The Pats were in the game until the end, but when your QB throws three picks and the special teams unit allows two kick returns for a touchdown, it’s very tough win against a team as talented as the Bills.

16) Pittsburgh Steelers 9-8, last week 18

Everyone expected the Steelers to struggle in the season the clock struck 12 on Big Ben’s career. What no one expected is for the Steelers to make a late run to have a chance to make the playoffs in the first year of the Kenny Pickett era. Pickett has done a great job of winning games that the defense keeps the team in until late. On Sunday against the Browns, there was no need for late game dramatics. The Steelers did everything possible to get to the playoffs, winning four in a row and six of their last seven, but the Jets couldn’t help them out against the Dolphins after the Bills took care of the Patriots.

17) Washington Commanders 8-8-1, last week 16

The Commanders may have been eliminated from the playoffs in the penultimate week of the season, but they put a spanking on the Dallas Cowboys to send their fans into offseason bliss. They went with their third string QB, Sam Howell as the quarterback position is still seeped in uncertainty, and Howell went 11-19 for 169 yards, a TD and an INT. His numbers won’t guarantee him a spot under center for the start of next season, but at least he gets to go into the offseason knowing he made a great case for a place on a team next week.

18) Green Bay Packers 8-9, last week 12

Have we seen the last of Aaron Rodgers? Almost immediately after the Packers were kept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Lions, attention turned not to Green Bay’s failure to take care of a must win game at home, but to Aaron Rodgers. It wasn’t the type of season that No. 12 or the Packers were expecting, but they still had a chance to make the playoffs on the final week of the season, but the offense didn’t have what it took to beat the Lions at Lambeau. Packers fans should be used to the uncertainty that surrounds Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, but this season they all might need to take ayahuasca with Aaron to calm their nerves as they wait to see what the future holds for Rodgers and the Packers.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-9, last week 19

There was nothing to play for, still started Brady as Todd Bowles wanted the offense to get as many reps as possible to try to straighten the ship before the postseason. Evans was out with an illness, so the connection that looked so good against the Panthers in Week 17 didn’t get to continue their momentum. The Bucs lost control of the game once Brady and the starters were taken off the field, but it didn’t affect their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James next weekend.

20) Cleveland Browns 7-10, last week 21

The start to the Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland had its ups and its downs. The Browns split the final six games of the season, winning three and losing three after their 28-14 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. The offense didn’t get going as expected under the former Houston Texans, but in fairness to Watson he didn’t have much time with his new team or his receivers. We have seen how good he can be in this league, so there should be more hope than despair concerning next year in Cleveland.

21) Las Vegas Raiders 6-11, last week 22

Chris Stidham’s second start in the NFL didn’t go as well as his first start. After putting up impressive numbers against the Niners top ranked defense, the Chiefs kept the fourth year QB quiet, and outmatched the Raiders in every facet of the game and. Where do the Raiders turn this offseason? This was a team that was supposed to contend for a title this season. Las Vegas has no time to go through a rebuilding phase, which means they will most likely have to make a trade for a quarterback after parting ways with Derer Carr late in the season.

22) New York Jets 7-10, last week 20

If it weren’t for the last month and a half of the season, the Jets would most likely be in the playoffs and Robert Saleh would be considered, if not the favorite, for Coach of the Year. But things in the Big Apple went south in a hurry as the Jets plummeted out of playoff contention. It all started following a 10-3 loss to the Patriots right before Thanksgiving when Zach Wilson refused to admit he and the offense let the defense down, and since then the Jets’ QB situation became a nightmare as Saleh sifted through Mike White, Chris Streveler and Joe Flacco for the last seven games of the season while losing six of those games. Saleh has committed to their former No. 2 overall pick for the future, but let’s see what the Jets do this offseason and who is starting under center in Week 1 of 2023.

23) Carolina Panthers 7-10, last week 26

The Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints had nothing to play for and it showed. Like every Sunday, I was at home watching Red Zone and I don’t think I saw a single play of that game until Eddie Pineiro’s game winning kick as time expired. Who will be the Panthers coach next year? Who will be the Panthers quarterback next year? Carolina head into the offseason with more questions than answers, but they are used to that in Charlotte by now. This is a franchise that has been in need of some stability for the last five years, and right now they need a captain who will take control of the ship and put this team back on track.

24) Atlanta Falcons 7-10, last week 25

You have to hand it to the Atlanta Falcons. This is a team that could have just bowed out once their surprising start to the season began to go south, but Arthur Smith has installed a fighting DNA into this team that will last for years to come. Speaking of years to come, rookie QB Desmond Ridder saved the best for last as the Falcons handed the Bucs a Week 18 loss in the young gunslinger’s most impressive performance of his debut year. Ridder had 224 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons gave their fans a win to hang their hats on as they head into the offseason.

25) New Orleans Saints 7-10, last week 23

Came into final weekend of the season on a four game win streak, but after seeing their chances to make the playoffs disappear last week it seemed like they had no interest in finishing off the season against the Panthers. The game was pitiful, and now the Saints go into their offseason with one priority, finding a quarterback.

26) Tennessee Titans 7-10, last week 24

Historic. Historically bad. Losing seven straight games to crash out of the playoff picture. Injuries decimated them, but no excuse to losing that huge lead in AFC South. They led for 57 minutes, but Joshua Dobbs inexperience showed late in the game as he threw a pick late in the third quarter, and his fumble led to the game winning defensive TD to hand the division to the Jags. It’s hard to imagine a team can be considered as a top seed candidate midway through the season, and fail to make the playoffs. This will be a year to not to be remembered by the Titans.

27) Los Angeles Rams 5-12, last week 27

The Rams went into Lumen Stadium looking to spoil the Seahawks season at the finish line, and almost did it after forcing Seattle to overtime. This was far from the title defense campaign that Sean McVay and the Rams were envisioning, and now the LA coach has suddenly thrown his future in to question after saying he would need time to decide whether or not to continue on the sidelines at Sofi Stadium.

28) Denver Broncos 5-12, last week 31

It has been a wretched season for the Broncos, but at least they saved face in the final two weeks of the regular season. It was evident that something wasn’t right in the Mile High City, and the last two games would suggest that it was Nathaniel Hackett who was to blame for the Broncos pitiful performance throughout the campaign. You can’t blame just one person, but since his firing they put up a fight against the Chiefs in Week 17 and beat the Chargers in the final week of the season. Reports out of Denver claim the Broncos have started talks with former Saints coach Sean Payton, which would put a reputable coach on the sideline on a team that is loaded with talent from top to bottom.

29) Arizona Cardinals 4-10, last week 28

For as much as the Cardinals wanted this season to end, the game against the Niners gave them one more chance to bid farewell to one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. J.J. Watt announced his surprising retirement weeks ago as the Cardinals continued their disappointing season. Watt had two sacks, five tackles, three of those for a loss in the final game of his career, to put a bright spot on what has been a dull season for the Cardinals. Where does this franchise go now? They have just fired their coach, and their franchise QB will most likely not be ready for the start of next season after suffering a late season knee injury.

30) Houston Texans 3-13-1, last week 32

For as boring and treacherous as it had to be for Houston fans throughout the first four months of the regular season, they ended the campaign with a bang that may have cost Lovie Smith his job. The Texans looked like the favorites to get the first overall pick in the draft all season, but a Week 16 win over the Titans and a late fourth quarter two point conversion sealed the win over the Colts and handed the top pick to Chicago. The front office of the Texans had nothing to play for, but the players and the coaching staff did. They showed pride, they showed character and they showed fight against Indy. And in the end it might be the reason Lovie Smith will not be around in Houston any longer.

31) Indianapolis Colts 4-12-1, last week 29

The Colts didn’t have anything to play for on the final weekend of the season, except a chance to bring a six game losing streak to an end against what has been the worst team in the league all season. The Colts lost in heart breaking fashion to the Texans to end their season on a seven game skid that will most likely bring the Jeff Saturday experiment to an end.

32) Chicago Bears 3-14, last week 30

Congratulations to the Chicago Bears who despite losing to the Minnesota Vikings, come out of Week 18 as one of the biggest winners in the NFL. The Bears have barley won a game all season, so why risk Justin Fields in a meaningless game when you have a chance to get the number one pick in the NFL Draft this spring? They didn’t just have to lose, they needed a favor from the Texans and Colts, and got it in Houston. The Bears need a lot, but you can bet the front offices will be hitting the scout trail hard in preparations of announcing their No. 1 overall draft pick in late April.