As the NFL gets closer and closer to determining their playoff order for the 2022 season, the league had some interesting outcomes during a holiday week. The Week 17 NFL Power Rankings saw no changes at the top, but there was other movement throughout.
The Buffalo Bills clinched their division with their latest victory, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys engaged in an exciting shootout without Jalen Hurts. The Jacksonville Jaguars now shockingly lead the AFC South over the slumping Tennessee Titans, while the Detroit Lions and New York Jets suffered ugly losses to hurt their playoff chances. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins are hanging on for dear life after a fourth consecutive defeat.
Previous NFL Power Rankings: Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8
Let’s now go ahead with the Week 17 NFL Power Rankings.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
A tough, tough loss to the Cowboys was still impressive with Gardner Minshew leading the charge, so the Philadelphia Eagles stay on top of these Week 17 NFL Power Rankings. Their shootout loss saw both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith go over 100 receiving yards on the day, so the Eagles should be just fine without Jalen Hurts — for now.
2. Buffalo Bills (no change)
A convincing win over the Chicago Bears helped the Buffalo Bills earn their third consecutive AFC East division title, even in an off game for Josh Allen. Missing his connection with Stefon Diggs for another week may be concerning, but the Bills continue to hold down the top spot in the AFC.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (no change)
The Kansas City Chiefs held the Seattle Seahawks and their offense to only 10 points in their Week 16 win, keeping a hold on the second spot in the AFC Playoffs. Needing a slip-up from the Bills to jump into the conference’s lone bye, Patrick Mahomes continues to be on track for a career passing year.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (no change)
It was a tale of two halves for the Cincinnati Bengals. Staked out to a 22-point halftime lead, the Bengals allowed the New England Patriots to get back into the game, only holding on due to a forced fumble in the final seconds.
Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase both had big games and were direct beneficiaries of a big Joe Burrow performance, and this offense was fully locked in for much of the game until some weirdness in the second half. The Bengals have won seven in a row and will look to win the AFC North.
5. San Francisco 49ers (no change)
The San Francisco 49ers earned their eighth straight victory by handling the Washington Commanders. Brock Purdy produced another strong outing, Christian McCaffrey was able to have his load managed, and George Kittle produced a 120-plus-yard, two-TD outcome. This team is firing on all cylinders as the playoffs approach.
6. Minnesota Vikings (no change)
It took a career-long field goal from Greg Joseph to earn the win, but the Minnesota Vikings became the second NFC team to have 12 wins on the year. Another big game from Justin Jefferson was a huge reason the Vikings earned the victory, an NFL-record 11th by one score this season.
7. Dallas Cowboys (no change)
Their impressive shootout win over the Eagles showcased exactly how well this team can play, as the Cowboys were mostly humming on all cylinders Saturday. They are locked into the postseason again but still two games behind the Eagles in the division.
8. Baltimore Ravens (+1)
It certainly was not pretty, but the Baltimore Ravens were able to secure a postseason berth in Week 16, aided by their low-scoring win over the Atlanta Falcons. The lone 10-win team in the NFL has been able to keep its head above water even with Lamar Jackson’s injury, even though Tyler Huntley has struggled in relief.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (-1)
Their Monday Night Football matchup with the Indianapolis Colts has a ton of importance — seeing as how it is a win-and-in situation for the Los Angeles Chargers. Justin Herbert and company are on the precipice of making their playoff introduction, which should scare the AFC.
10. Miami Dolphins (no change)
Their early-season winning ways have gone by the wayside for the Miami Dolphins, and their Christmas Day loss to the surging Green Bay Packers is a perfect example of that. Tua Tagovailoa was responsible for three of Miami’s four turnovers, and their status in the top 10 of the NFL Power Rankings is hanging on by a thread.
11. New York Giants (no change)
Their heartbreaking loss to the Vikings on a last-second field goal really does encapsulate their season as a whole, always being close to winning those important games but failing to pull through at the end. Daniel Jones and the offense had strong showings, but their spot in the NFC Wild Card race is getting muddier by the week.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (+6)
It is safe to say that expecting the Jacksonville Jaguars to be fighting for the AFC South divisional title at this point in the year was not on many people’s bingo cards. The emergence of Trevor Lawrence has been the biggest reason why this team can win the division still, seeing as how the Tennessee Titans have struggled.
13. Seattle Seahawks (+3)
Their Week 16 loss to the Chiefs puts the Seattle Seahawks just on the outside of the NFC playoff picture looking in, only boasting around a 30 percent chance of making the playoffs. Geno Smith has cooled off, Tyler Lockett may miss the rest of the year, and the defense has struggled lately. The only reason the Seahawks move up in these Week 17 NFL Power Rankings is because of what’s going on behind them.
14. Tennessee Titans (-2)
Their hold on the AFC South divisional lead has disappeared, and their Week 18 matchup with the Jaguars is for all the marbles. With Ryan Tannehill out for the remainder of the season, rookie Malik Willis will need to produce much better games if the Titans want to actually make the playoffs.
15. Washington Commanders (no change)
In their lackluster loss to the 49ers, the Commanders re-opened their starting QB role, with both Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz earning substantial playing time. Needing to figure things out fast, it likely will take a miracle from Ron Rivera and his coaching staff to turn this roster around and shape them back into postseason contenders.
16. Detroit Lions (-3)
The surging Detroit Lions seem to have hit a wall lately in their climb into the Wild Card race, and their blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers certainly does not help. Jared Goff has not been the problem for this team (their defense has been), but their playoff hopes are definitely not looking good through 16 weeks.
17. New England Patriots (no change)
Their second-half comeback attempt against the Bengals was all for naught, as their late-game turnover burned any shot of earning a win. Their playoff hopes took a hit with the loss, but the Dolphins’ collapse is keeping them alive.
18. New York Jets (-4)
You can use the weather as much as you’d like as an excuse, but the New York Jets have too big of an issue at QB to actually be a competent threat to make the playoffs. Only putting up three points is a tough way to show up on Thursday Night Football, but the Jets have put all of their struggles on full display the past few weeks, contributing to falling in the Week 17 NFL Power Rankings.
19. Green Bay Packers (+1)
Needing to win out this season (plus get some help from others), the Packers went down to Miami and held off the Dolphins for their seventh win of the year. A win over the Dolphins was led by a solid Aaron Rodgers performance, and the defense forced four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble), including a Rasul Douglas final-drive INT of Tagovailoa.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (+1)
The final game of the Saturday slate saw the Pittsburgh Steelers make a final-drive comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders, earning their seventh win of the year. Kenny Pickett’s return to the lineup was good enough, and a game-winning George Pickens TD reception helped cap off a game where the Steelers were mostly dead in the water.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2)
While they may have won, and while they may have gotten one step closer to clinching the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed overtime and to face an opponent starting a third-string QB to earn their seventh win of the season. Tom Brady struggled against the Arizona Cardinals, but heavily relied on Leonard Fournette (162 total yards) and Chris Godwin (eight catches for 63 yards) for the win.
22. Carolina Panthers (+2)
While they are not out of the running at this current time, the Carolina Panthers have to win the NFC South division if they want to make the postseason — and it’s still possible. Their outstanding rushing performance (320 yards) helped bury the Lions, which was the biggest reason why they won.
23. Las Vegas Raiders (-1)
After holding the lead for most of the game, the Raiders and their defense let the Steelers march down the field and score on the final drive of the game. Derek Carr and the entire offense struggled, and their 6-9 record puts them in a position that has them playing for 2023.
24. New Orleans Saints (+1)
The final team in the entire league standings still eligible for the postseason, the New Orleans Saints can only make the playoffs by going after their divisional race. Andy Dalton and the passing attack mightily struggled in the cold weather in Cleveland, and a showdown with the Eagles awaits them next week.
25. Cleveland Browns (-2)
The Browns suffered an ugly home loss to the Saints to officially be eliminated from postseason contention. They will be looking ahead to 2023 and a full season of Deshaun Watson.
26. Los Angeles Rams (+1)
A surprisingly dominant win for the Los Angeles Rams over the Denver Broncos showed that while this team certainly is not good, they may have found a potential QB solution if Matthew Stafford cannot return to good health for next season. Baker Mayfield has looked extremely competent leading this team after joining them, and he could very well become the future QB for the Rams if they somehow move on from Stafford.
27. Atlanta Falcons (-1)
Rookie Desmond Ridder has struggled ever since he was anointed starter by head coach Arthur Smith, but his 218-yard performance was one of the lone positive takeaways for the Atlanta Falcons. Fellow rookie Drake London’s 7/96 performance was another impressive notch in his belt, showing that the future may be bright for the Falcons.
28. Indianapolis Colts (+1)
Heading into their Monday Night Football matchup with the Chargers, the Colts have little to play for, having been eliminated from playoff contention. Their four-win season has been filled with plenty of ups and downs, and even with Jeff Saturday’s ascension to head coach, there has been little to celebrate.
29. Chicago Bears (-1)
A hapless 22-point loss to the Bills unfortunately was expected, but the Chicago Bears still looked worse than many expected they would. Justin Fields struggled mightily against both the Bills and the wintry elements, wiping away any sort of momentum he has produced over the past few weeks and keeping them in the bottom five of the Week 17 NFL Power Rankings.
30. Arizona Cardinals (+1)
Even with Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy being out, Trace McSorley kept the Arizona Cardinals in the game against the Buccaneers. Their overtime loss was hard fought, but a loss is still a loss. With the Cardinals earning their 11th loss of the year, they’ve more than earned their spot near the bottom of these Week 17 NFL Power Rankings.
31. Denver Broncos (-1)
Allowing the struggling Rams to put a 50-burger on their head certainly was not expected, but the Denver Broncos had absolutely no chance at winning the second game of the Christmas slate. Russell Wilson constantly ran himself into sacks and committed too many turnovers, and the defense was run through by Baker Mayfield and company. The Broncos could threaten to wind up on the bottom of the NFL Power Rankings if things get uglier.
32. Houston Texans (no change)
While they may have secured only their second win of the year, the Houston Texans are still very bad, so they maintain their spot on the bottom of these NFL Power Rankings for now. Having the Titans starting a rookie QB ultimately worked out in Houston’s favor, but the Texans still have a lot to look forward to…in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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