With the season winding down, the NFC playoff picture is pretty set in stone while the AFC is still wide open. While teams like the Ravens and Chargers are falling out of wild card spots, the Eagles and Dolphins have clawed their way back in. Of all the teams still fighting for a playoff spot, who reigns supreme? (Note that for this week’s rankings and next week’s rankings, we are highlighting the teams that are still in the playoff race, sorry Jets fans.)
24. Washington Football Team
Not a single thing went the Football Team’s way this past weekend against the Cowboys. Every time they were on offense, the Cowboys defense would shut them down. On top of that, the WFT could not stop the Cowboys offense at all, even in garbage time. Even with this absolutely brutal loss, Washington is still somehow in the playoff hunt, if only by a thread. As the current 11 seed in the NFC, with only 2 games to go, this team not only needs to beat the Eagles, but also needs a ton of help if they want to stay in the playoff race. However, if they are going to put on a repeat performance this upcoming week, the players may as well book their winter vacations now.
23. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons should not have struggled that much with arguably the worst team in the league, but Atlanta managed to scrape and claw their way to a win against the Detroit Lions. Atlanta’s defense was able to seal the game with an interception at the goal line against Detroit’s backup quarterback. Matt Ryan played a clean game and propelled Atlanta closer to that elusive playoff spot. Granted, they are going to need a lot of help to try and get in, but if they can get the upset win against the Bills this weekend, Atlanta’s chances of getting to the 7th seed become that much better.
22. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are on thin ice when it comes to the playoff picture, and dropping their past game to the Miami Dolphins does not help their cause in the slightest. With a COVID outbreak decimating the team, the Saints signed Ian Book and started him, and naturally he struggled against a blitz happy Dolphins defense. With this loss, it’s looking bleak for New Orleans, as they fall to the 10th seed in the NFC. If they cannot defeat the lowly Carolina Panthers this upcoming Sunday, Sean Payton is going to have a lot of questions to answer, the first one being “Who’s my quarterback of the future?”
21. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings shot themselves in the foot in their game against the Vikings. On a day where the defense played lights out and picked off Matthew Stafford 3 times, the offense became nonexistent for much of the game. Kirk Cousins had a decent game, throwing for 315 yards and a touchdown, but the fact that they could not find the end zone haunted them towards the end of the game. At 7-8, Minnesota is right on the bubble as the first team out. If they want to take one of the final wild card spots, everyone is going to have to step up their game if they want to defeat the #1 seeded Green Bay Packers.
Philly’s game against the Giants was beyond ugly to start. Both teams could not get the ball moving in any capacity for most if not all of the first half. After some adjustments were made, the Eagles came alive and routed the Giants by a final score of 34-10. The Eagles defense made both Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm miserable the entire day, intercepting both of the Giants’ backup quarterbacks (one of which went to the house for 6 points). After thoroughly trouncing Big Blue, the Eagles have found themselves in the 7th seed in the NFC and lead by a game. To keep themselves cemented in the wild card, Philadelphia is going to have to play just as well as they did last week when they play the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
19. Denver Broncos
With playoff chances on the line in their game against the Raiders, Denver could not get the job done this past Sunday. With Teddy Bridgewater out, Drew Lock filled in and didn’t do much at all to help move the Broncos down the field, even though the defense was doing their best to keep the game close. Right now, Denver sits as the 13th seed at 7-8 and need serious help to even have a chance of being able to fight for a playoff berth in the final week of the season. They can help their own case by defeating the Chargers in a must-win game to try and claw their way back in. If they can’t get the win, it’s back to the drawing board for John Elway and Vic Fangio.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
There aren’t a lot of positive things to say (if any) about the Steelers when talking about last Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. This is now the 3rd straight game where the Steelers have been behind by 23 points, and this time there was no faux comeback. They were thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball. At 7-7-1, the Steelers currently sit as the 11 seed in the AFC playoff picture and have a must win game against the Browns if they want to keep any semblance of hope alive for the playoffs. Big Ben has been hinting that this may be his last home game in his career, and the Steelers are hoping that he goes out with a win.
17. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins defense and Jaylen Waddle shared the spotlight in Miami’s 20-3 win over an injury ravaged Saints team. In his return from the COVID list, Waddle made a statement by catching 10 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Miami’s defense kept newly signed QB Ian Book in absolute hell, intercepting him twice and sacking him 8 times. With this win, not only did Miami claw their way to the 7th seed in the playoffs, but they also became the first team in NFL history to win 7 straight games after losing 7 straight games. If they want to keep themselves in the playoff picture with the AFC being so close together, they are going to have to make a statement against the Tennessee Titans this upcoming week.
16. Cleveland Browns
The Browns beat themselves this past Sunday, plain and simple. Baker Mayfield threw 4 interceptions (3 in the first half) which directly led to 21 of the Packers’ 24 points. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 200+ yards on the ground, which helped the Browns battle back late in the game, where Baker’s 4th interception essentially ended the game. At 7-7-1, the Browns are the current 12 seed in the AFC. In order to stay in the playoff race, Baker is going to have to play much better if they are going to defeat the Steelers on Monday night.
15. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t play their best football this past Sunday against the Broncos, but they were able to get the job done and escape with a win. Josh Jacobs was one of the main proponents of this win, overcoming his first half miscues to finish with 129 yards on the ground and setting up the eventual deciding touchdown of the game. With this win, the Raiders are now the 9th seed in the AFC playoff standings and have identical records to the Dolphins, Chargers, and Ravens. In order to separate themselves from this pack of teams, the Raiders are going to have to fire on all cylinders against a white-hot Colts team.
14. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers lost a heartbreaker game on Thursday night, losing 20-17 to the Tennessee Titans. This team has lost back to back games, which is a major detriment considering they are desperately holding on for a wild card playoff berth. Even though Jimmy Garoppolo was able to move up and down the field, he wasn’t able to capitalize and find the end zone often. As it stands now, San Francisco is the 6th seed in the NFC, with the Vikings and Falcons only one game back of them. They will need to take care of business against the Houston Texans if they want to hold on to one of the final two spots in the NFC.
13. Baltimore Ravens
I’m not even sure the Ravens even bothered showing up to their game against the Cincinnati Bengals. To say it was an ugly loss was a complete understatement. Granted, John Harbaugh is dealing with even more injuries now, especially with Lamar Jackson still out, their backup out, and their defense being absolutely decimated by injury. At 8-7 they are on the outside looking in with 2 games to go. Just to make things that much more bleak for Baltimore, their next game is against the Los Angeles Rams, who are playing for the #1 seed. John Harbaugh’s squad as overachieved all season with so many players down and out, but it seems near impossible to overcome a setback this large.
12. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee was able to come back from a 10 point deficit this past Thursday night to defeat the San Francisco 49ers. The Titans, decimated by injuries still, got a reprieve when A.J. Brown was able to come back and make his presence felt, going for 11 catches, 145 yards, and a touchdown. With time winding down, Ryan Tannehill marched the Titans down the field, setting up the go ahead field goal to give the Titans the lead and eventually the win. The Titans are the 2 seed in the AFC and can win the division with a win against the Dolphins this week or a Colts loss to the Raiders.
11. Cincinnati Bengals
It was hard to not be stunned by what the Bengals did to the Baltimore Ravens, a division rival. In a game where the score may be a bit deceiving, Joe Burrow had his best day through the air, throwing for 525 yards and 4 touchdowns. Cincinnati had this game in hand early and never took their foot off of the gas. This win put them in the driver’s seat for the division crown and moved them up to the 3 seed in the current playoff standings. It may be difficult for the Bengals to keep this momentum up, as they have a roadblock named the Kansas City Chiefs between them and the AFC North division title this upcoming Sunday.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
It was a classic trap game scenario and the Los Angeles Chargers fell for it when they played the Texans. It honestly looked like everyone was just going through the motions the entire game. While Justin Herbert struggled to both move the ball and find the end zone when it mattered, the defense let Davis Mills and Rex Burkhead have some of the best days of their respective careers. With this loss, the Chargers are on the outside looking in as the 8th seed in the AFC. They are going to need to be alert and awake for their division game against the Broncos if they want to claw their way back in to the playoff picture.
9. Buffalo Bills
The Bills had themselves a statement game on the road against the New England Patriots, with the final score of the game being 33-21. Both the offense and defense were firing on all cylinders, with Josh Allen throwing 3 touchdown passes on offense and Micah Hyde making Mac Jones pay for his mistakes by intercepting him twice on defense. With this win, they are back in first place in the AFC East with 2 games to go and hold the tiebreaker over both New England and Miami. To stay in the driver’s seat for the division crown, the Bills are going to have to take down the Falcons this Sunday.
8. Indianapolis Colts
Whatever the Colts are paying Jonathan Taylor, it is nowhere near enough for what he means to the Indianapolis offense. He has himself another 100+ yard game as the Colts continue their red hot streak and beat the Cardinals 22-16. Carson Wentz massively improved from last game, throwing for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns while not turning the ball over. The Colts don’t back down from any challenge and play hard each and every down until the whistle blows. As it stands, they are the 5 seed in the AFC wild card race. The division may be out of the picture, but the Colts may be able to lock up a playoff spot as a team no one wants to play in the first round if they can defeat the Raiders this coming Sunday.
7. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals continue to slide and dropped another game, this time to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 22-16. On top of not having DeAndre Hopkins, Kyler Murray did not have James Conner in the backfield in this game, which meant he lost another weapon that he could have used in this game. Murray didn’t have his greatest game through the air, but his speed and mobility kept the Cardinals in the game up until the end. The Cardinals the 5 seed as of writing these rankings, and if they want to have a shot at the division crown, they are going to have to play their best game against the Dallas Cowboys.
6. New England Patriots
The Patriots have now suffered back to back losses after dropping last Sunday’s game against the Bills. Mac Jones struggled with passing the ball all day against the Bills defense, completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing 2 interceptions, which put the game out of reach. The Patriots are desperate to go back to the formula that propelled them to 1st place in the AFC East. Looking at the standings, New England is sitting in the 6 seed with 2 games to, and with only 1 game separating them from being on the outside looking in. With a game against the Jaguars this Sunday, as long as the Patriots take care of business, they should be able to hold on to their spot.
5. Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams are in the playoffs yet again after clinching a playoff spot this past Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The defining moment of the game? Brandon Powell’s punt return to the house that changed the momentum of the game in favor of the Rams. Even with a short week and despite Matthew Stafford’s errant play, Sony Michel stepped up in a big way to help the Rams by rushing for 130+ yards and a touchdown on the ground. Currently, the Rams are in 1st place in the NFC West and the 3rd seed overall, tied with both the Bucs and the Cowboys in record. If the Rams want to separate themselves from the other two, dominating a depleted Ravens squad would be a good place to do so.
4. Dallas Cowboys
What the Cowboys did to the Washington Football Team this past weekend should be illegal. They absolutely destroyed the WFT from the opening kickoff until the final whistle. Dak Prescott lit them up for 300+ yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, outside of an opening quarter score, they never relented all game and made Taylor Heinicke’s life a living hell. After manhandling the WFT, the Cowboys are now 11-4 and the #2 seed in the NFC. In order to have a chance at home field advantage, the Cowboys are going to have to continue this impressive stretch of great football if they want to be successful against the Arizona Cardinals.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay handled business quickly and efficiently against a reeling Carolina Panthers team that still cannot figure out their quarterback situation. Brady played average (based on his standards), while the real shining star of the game was Antonio Brown, who came off the COVID list and filled in nicely last week for the injured Chris Godwin. It was a far cry from last week’s dud performance on offense. With this win, the Bucs wrapped up the NFC South and became division champions for the first time since 2007 and can still try for the #1 seed in the NFC if they can beat the lowly Jets this upcoming Sunday and the Packers lose.
No Travis Kelce? No problem for Patrick Mahomes. Even without his star tight end and with Tyreek Hill limited in the passing game, he threw for 3 touchdowns while spreading the ball around to different receivers. On top of that, Kansas City’s defense was stifling, limiting the Steeler offense to 3 points until the Steelers scored a garbage time touchdown late in the game. Kansas City continues to click on all heels on both offense and defense, whether they have their top stars available or not. In order to keep their home field advantage throughout the playoffs, they are going to have to beat a Bengals team that just stomped out the Ravens.
It wasn’t the best showing for Green Bay’s offense, but their defense was the star of the show in their game against the Browns, specifically the secondary. They were able to intercept Baker Mayfield 4 times, with the last one coming with the game on the line. These interceptions directly set up Aaron Rodgers to score 3 touchdowns, which was just enough to overcome the Browns. At this current moment, the Packers are still the 1 seed in the NFC, 1 game ahead of the Cowboys. If they want to keep home field advantage, Aaron Rodgers is going to have to lead his team against the Vikings this coming Sunday.