NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

by Tim Culver

Sorry for the delay. We decided to wait until after the holiday to post our Week 17 Power Rankings.

Before you sharpen your pitchforks, a short note on how we’ve come to rank the teams as we have: all NFLTR writers have compiled their own NFL power rankings, which we’ve compiled and averaged in the list below.  We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor, and feel free to agree, disagree, or roast us in the comments below.

Pre-Draft : Post-Draft : Week 1 : Week 2 : Week 3 : Week 4 : Week 5 : Week 6 : Week 7 : Week 8 : Week 9 : Week 10 : Week 11 : Week 12 : Week 13 : Week 14 : Week 15 : Week 16

 

#1) Denver Broncos (  1)

Hottest team going into the playoffs in the AFC.  I’m not ready to put money on them over the Pats or Texans, but they’re certainly looking stronger at the moment.  They’ve got the most favorable match-up of those battling for position, so they’ve got a legitimate shot at home-field advantage.

#2) New England Patriots (  2)

Sunday’s win over the Jaguars was hardly an impressive outing for a team that’s currently sitting our No. 2 team, but they still managed to take care of business and finish off a meager Jacksonville team. NE is obviously concerned about being healthy for the playoffs in case they do end up playing in the wildcard round.

#3) San Francisco 49ers (  2)

Cracks in the wall?  I don’t care that he had a strong game two weeks ago, I don’t think Kaep is ready.  You make that move when your quarterback is struggling, not when he’s one of the top rated passers in the game.  Can they win against any given opponent because of their (usually) tough defense?  Sure.  Can they win the Super Bowl with Kaep… I’m not so sure.

#4) Atlanta Falcons (  1)

They’ve hardly looked flawless, but they’re playing strong football late and the playoffs go through ATL.  They’re essentially getting a two week bye with an unimportant match-up with the Bucs in week 17.

#5) Seattle Seahawks ( 2)

How’s that for a statement game?  This team is the hottest group not in orange and they’ve proved they can beat anyone.  You’ve got to take them very seriously in the playoffs as they’ve got an all around team and the offense has been stupid good down the stretch.

#6) Green Bay Packers 

The didn’t face any type of challenge from the Titans and capitalized the way a top team will.  There’s a number of scary teams in the NFC, so that first round bye will be critical.

#7) Houston Texans (  4)

The defense really did enough to earn a win but the offense was non-existent.  They’ve played themselves into a battle for home-field with the Broncos, who are looking far, far more impressive.  They really ought to take the Colts seriously, because the Chiefs are hardly likely to put up a fight against Denver.

#8) Washington Redskins 

Another solid game from everyone’s favorite group of rookies.  RGIII looked fully recovered and Morris was his usual self.  They’re not quite there yet, and the Cowboys can still dampen the mood with a win next week, but they’re looking miles ahead of any divisional competition.

#9) Baltimore Ravens ( 6)

They’re looking better than they have most weeks, but the defense is still susceptible and Flacco can be a bit hot or cold.  They’ve got the firepower to beat anyone, but I’m not sure if I trust them to put together 3 or 4 in a row.

#10) Indianapolis Colts 

The Colts love the late win.  They let the Chiefs hang around until late, but then put together a clinical late push to improve their record yet again.  Next week’s game is relatively unimportant, as the order of teams above them will likely change and affect the seedings more than anything they can do on their own.

#11) Cincinnati Bengals 

In a year where the offense has come and gone seemingly at random, it’s fitting that the defense clinched the playoffs for them.  Of the top four seeds, you’d have to imagine that the Bengals would prefer a pairing with the Ravens, which means next week’s game is more important than it may first seem.

#12) Minnesota Vikings ( 1) 

I feel like every week brings a new surprise with the Vikings.  AD was, for the most part, contained by the Texans defense, Ponder didn’t have a particularly strong game, but the defense absolutely stifled the Texans attack.  I never really believed this team could make it to the playoffs, and they still might not, but here they are in week 17 playing for a birth.  Hugely impressive turnaround, especially for the division.

#13) Chicago Bears ( 1) 

The Bears have the unique situation of being the best placed team “in the hunt” but don’t have the luxury of a shot at a divisional crown.  They do still need help, but they’ve got only the hard-luck Lions to beat.  There’s going to be all sorts of Green Bay fans in Chicago next week.

#14) Dallas Cowboys (  2)  

They were torn apart by Brees, but a lot of teams are torn apart by Brees.  They offense was forced to abandon the run, but Romo had a strong game and nearly did enough to win.  It’s hard to find positives after a late-season loss in a playoff race, but they’re still in a “win-and-in” position next week against the Redskins.  Huge game.

#15) New York Giants (  6)   

For a team that’s looked great at times throughout the season they sure can play like crap when they choose.  The defense couldn’t stop anyone in purple and black and now they’re an extreme long-shot to make the playoffs.  This painful late season collapse is nearing completion.

#16) New Orleans Saints ( 1) 

Broken record: Brees continues to put up stupid numbers and the defense can’t stop a thing.  Luckily they won this one, but they need to fix things on the defensive side before challenging the Falcons in the future.

#17) Pittsburgh Steelers (  1)   

This was a fitting end for a less than impressive year.  The defense played well above the norm for the year, but the offense couldn’t get started and Big Ben gave the game away at the end.  Without a few key injuries, this could have easily been a playoff group, so they’ll be a team to watch next year if they make the right changes to the defense in the off-season.

#18) St Louis Rams 

Don’t sleep on this defensive unit.  The offense is a few key pieces away a well rounded unit as well, but Jeff Fisher is halfway to a top defense.  The division looks like it’s going to be one of the best for years to come, but the Rams are going to be a threatening presence.

#19) Miami Dolphins 

Even though this one didn’t matter, they went out and played like it did.  They had a nice balanced offensive effort and refused to give up points despite allowing C.J. Spiller to gash them.  This is officially a team to watch next year, especially as the Jets and Bills flounder.

#20) Carolina Panthers ( 1)

The Panthers are really putting on quite the Rivera campaign.  It was only the lowly Raiders, but if they can beat the Saints next week they’ll be finishing on a 5-1 run.  Defense is probably be going to be put to the test.

#21) San Diego Chargers ( 1) 

Silver lining: Kendall Reyes.  Yup, I used him before and I’m using him again.  The defense is a promising group and they’re starting to rush the passer consistently for the first time since the Merriman-juiced era.

#22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (  2)  

An offense that was a true threat for the middle part of the season went dormant.  Josh Freeman put up Sanchez-esque numbers.  To be fair, the defense played some solid pass defense, but this teams needs offensive spark, and that was nowhere to be found down the stretch.

#23) Cleveland Browns (  1) 

The offense delivered about what’s expected against a top defense, but the defense performed well below their usual level.  It’s too bad they don’t have the pleasure of trying to keep the Steelers out during their week 17 match-up, but they should still be able to get motivated enough to put up a good fight.

#24) New York Jets

Well, Jets fans… at least you didn’t have to suffer through more Sanchez.  Just a bit longer until we see what changes are in store.

#25) Detroit Lions  (  2) 

Stafford threw for nearly 450 yards on Saturday and they still couldn’t score touchdowns.  Their season started bad, had a slight uptick, and then a terrible end.  Things probably aren’t going to get better against the Bears next week, but they do have the power to still put up a nasty number.

#26) Buffalo Bills ( 2) 

Lost in this weeks news because of limited scope of impact for this game will be another disappointing showing by the Bills.  They can’t score, the can’t play consistent defense.  I’ve been somewhat easy on them this year, but they are a really disappointing group.

#27) Tennessee Titans (  1) 

Chris Johnson had another forgettable game and Locker really should have done better considering he was playing from far behind.  The defense was non-existent and the overall result was that the Titans seem to have mailed it in for the second straight week.  Where are the Jets to gift you the win when you need it?

#28) Philadelphia Eagles ( 2)

Unlike a few other flailing teams, they don’t appear to have thrown the towel in quite yet.  They gave the Redskins a run and will put up a fight against the Giants next week to try and put a final nail in their coffin as well.  End of an era with Reid likely on his way out.  Happy trails.

#29) Arizona Cardinals 

I really should have paced myself with this team, as there’s not much to say.  They were beat by a solid team, but one that’s struggled lately.  The offense gave away more points than they earned, so it’s hardly a head-scratching task to determine what needs addressing in Arizona.

#30) Oakland Raiders (  3) 

Let’s focus on the positive: the defense did pretty well considering the Panthers have been playing well and they’ve looked awful at points throughout the season.  There’s still draft position to be determined, so they better not screw with things and win at San Diego next week.  They’ve got a team to build.

#31) Jacksonville Jaguars ( 1)

The Jaguars move out of the cellar for simply being in the game at halftime. We obviously have low standards for the bottom teams, but it was more than enough for them to be the 2-win team in the land.

#32) Kansas City Chiefs (  1) 

Brady Quinn was terrible again and the apparently 350 rushing yards on offense doesn’t put enough points on the board to sustain a win.  The defense did well to stymie Luck and the Colts, but gave up a late score to further mar the 2013 record.  They need a quarterback, nothing new to report.