Week 17 NFL Power Rankings (2019)

We have arrived at the final week of the NFL regular season, and while there is still a lot up in the air, only two playoff spots have yet to be determined. The Cowboys fell to the Eagles, meaning the division will not be wrapped up until the end of Week 17, while the Titans, Steelers, and Raiders are all alive for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. The Patriots, Texans, and Packers all clinched their divisions, while the NFC West will come down to the last Sunday Night game of the season when the Seahawks take on the 49ers. The loser will be a Wild Card. The winner could get a first-round bye.

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32) Cincinnati Bengals (Prev: 32)
Cincinnati trailed 35-12 in the fourth quarter before mounting one of the most exciting comebacks in the NFL this season. But while they made things exciting, they ultimately fell to the Dolphins in overtime and have officially wrapped up the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

31) Detroit Lions (Prev: 31)
The Lions dropped yet another game and fell ATS for the ninth time in their last 10 games. Detroit managed just 191 yards on offense, but they did hold the lead in the fourth quarter before giving up the last 14 points of the game. Jamal Agnew had a 64-yard punt return touchdown in the defeat.

30) Washington Redskins (Prev: 28)
As if losing wasn’t bad enough, Dwayne Haskins got carted off the field, and the extent of the injury is still unknown. Case Keenum rallied Washington late to force overtime, but the defense couldn’t stop the Giants’ offense all day, as they gave up 552 total yards and 41 points.

29) Miami Dolphins (Prev: 30)
The Dolphins looked dominant all game, and they held a 35-12 lead in the fourth quarter — before they fell apart against the Bengals. They needed all of overtime to get the win, but the Dolphins have somehow managed four wins on the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick had 419 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the win.

28) Carolina Panthers (Prev: 27)
The Panthers’ pitiful run continued this past weekend with another blowout loss, this time to the Colts. Christian McCaffrey broke his own NFL record for receptions by a running back as he continues to be the only bright spot for the Panthers. With 67 receiving yards in the season finale, he would become the third player in league history with 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season.

27) Jacksonville Jaguars (Prev: 24)
After a good second half last week against the Raiders, the Jaguars’ offense resorted back to their old ways this week against Atlanta. They scored just 12 points and were outgained 518-288. Gardner Minshew completed a career-low 41.9 percent of his passes in the loss.

26) New York Giants (Prev: 29)
Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley showed the Giants what their future could look like. Jones threw for five touchdowns, while Barkley rushed for 189 yards and one touchdown. The Giants have avoided last place in the NFC East, but they will likely pick in the top 10 of next year’s draft.

25) Los Angeles Chargers (Prev: 23)
The Chargers continued their sloppy play in their final home game of the season. The support from fans certainly wasn’t there, as even though it was a home game, the Chargers actually had to use the silent count on offense because of the crowd noise from Raiders fans. Melvin Gordon scored two rushing touchdowns but had only 15 yards.

24) Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 26)
The Cardinals absolutely dominated the Seahawks in every facet of the game on Sunday. They outgained them 412-224, didn’t turn the ball over, and rushed for 253 yards. Kenyan Drake accounted for 166 of those yards and two touchdowns. Kyler Murray was injured in the second half, but Brett Hundley replaced him perfectly and actually built on the Cardinals’ lead when he was in the game.

23) New York Jets (Prev: 25)
The Jets never trailed as the defense was able to control the Steelers’ offense all day long. They ran Duck Hodges from the game early, but they saw him again late after Mason Rudolph went down with an injury. LeVeon Bell had 72 yards rushing against his former team.

22) Cleveland Browns (Prev: 19)
Finally, the Browns’ 2020 season is over. By losing to the Ravens in Week 16, they are officially eliminated from playoff contention and will go down as the most disappointing team of 2020. The Browns led 6-0 for most of the first quarter, but they collapsed after that by giving up 21 unanswered. They were outgained 481-241 in the loss.

21) Denver Broncos (Prev: 22)
The defense was outstanding on Sunday as the Broncos moved to 3-1 with Drew Lock as a starter. They held the Lions to 191 total yards and sacked David Blough four times. DaeSean Hamilton had six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown and was one of nine Broncos to catch a pass in the win.

20) Indianapolis Colts (Prev: 21)
Nyheim Hines returned two punts for touchdowns as the Colts routed the Panthers 38-6. Marlon Mack added 95 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Colts moved to 7-8, and they still have a shot at a .500 record in their first season without Andrew Luck.

19) Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 20)
The Falcons jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead that they never relinquished as they won their fifth game in their last seven tries. Atlanta continues to play hard under Dan Quinn, and while they’re still going to finish below .500, the season could have gone a lot worse than it has considering how it all started. Julio Jones had 10 catches for 166 yards in the victory.

18) Chicago Bears (Prev: 16)
There’s not much to say about the Bears that hasn’t already been said. The offense achieved nothing on Sunday night, while the defense did their best to keep the game alive. Mitchell Trubisky passed for 157 yards and registered a QBR of 5.4.

17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 14)
Jameis Winston threw four more interceptions and was lucky that only one of them was a pick-six. The Bucs’ defense played hard and continued to improve as a unit, but Winston’s errors proved too much for Tampa to overcome. Winston leads the league in passing yards, but also in interceptions, so there will be questions circling this offseason about whether or not he is actually the right guy for Bruce Arians’ offense.

16) Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 12)
Now it’s time to panic. The Cowboys just needed to win, and, for at least one week, all the struggles could have been pushed aside as they celebrated an NFC East crown. But they lost, and now they need to win and root for the Giants to upset the Eagles just to get into the playoffs at 8-8. Even if they get in, Jason Garrett should not feel comfortable in his position.

15) Pittsburgh Steelers (Prev: 13)
The Steelers blew a huge opportunity on Sunday, and with their loss to the Jets, they now no longer control their own playoff destiny. Duck Hodges will be the starter this week, as Mason Rudolph is out with an injury. If the Steelers somehow do get into the playoffs, the defense will be ready for the challenge. But will the offense be able to do enough to make them competitive?

14) Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 15)
The defending NFC champions have officially been eliminated from the playoffs after their 34-31 loss to the 49ers. LA did record six sacks of Jimmy Garoppolo, but they couldn’t get off the field twice on third and long late in the game. Todd Gurley had two rushing touchdowns in the loss.

13) Oakland Raiders (Prev: 18)
The Raiders are still, somehow, someway, alive for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. They needed four things to go right on Sunday and they all happened. Now, they need to finish the season with a victory, then hope that the Colts win while the Steelers and Titans lose. If all four of those outcomes play out, the Oakland Raiders will be the sixth seed in the AFC.

12) Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 17)
Philadelphia were home underdogs against the Cowboys in the battle for the NFC East, but they took care of business with strong defensive play. Now they just need to defeat the Giants in Week 17 to win the division and host a playoff game. Rookie running back Miles Sanders stepped up big recording 156 total yards and one touchdown in the victory.

11) Tennessee Titans (Prev: 11)
Tennessee lost this week, but they actually moved into a playoff spot because of the Steelers’ loss to the Jets. They now find themselves in a win-and-in scenario this week. Derrick Henry sat out Week 16, but he should be back for their rematch with the Texans this week.

10) Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 9)
Monday night showed just how important Dalvin Cook is to the Vikings and how bad Kirk Cousins can be when he’s off. In a home game to stay alive for the NFC North crown, the Vikings offense mustered 139 yards and achieved just seven first downs all game. Minnesota is locked in as the second Wild Card, but they won’t know their opponent until after Week 17’s games.

9) Buffalo Bills (Prev: 7)
The Bills put up a valiant effort against the Patriots on Saturday night, but they fell short and are now locked into the fifth seed heading into the playoffs. They will be traveling to either Kansas City or Houston on Wild Card weekend, depending on outcomes this week. In their loss to the Patriots, Josh Allen completed just 50% of his passes, but he also threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

8) Houston Texans (Prev: 10)
The Texans’ defense forced five turnovers, but their offense managed just 229 total yards in the victory over the Buccaneers on Saturday. They clinched the AFC South in the victory and will be either the third or fourth seed on Wild Card weekend. Carlos Hyde averaged just 1.6 yards per carry against the staunch Bucs’ defense.

7) Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 4)
Now is not the time for Seattle to start falling apart. All season long, they’ve been playing worse than their record, but they have now dropped two of their last three — and they looked terrible against the Cardinals at home. Chris Carson went down with an injury and is going to miss the rest of the season. To replace him, Seattle signed Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin. 

6) Green Bay Packers (Prev: 8)
The Packers’ offense turned the ball over three times, but the defense was so incredible that the Vikings were barely able to do anything with the turnovers. Aaron Jones rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers are still alive for the first seed in the NFC and can earn it with a win and a 49ers loss.

5) San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 5)
The 49ers got the win, but something isn’t right with this team heading into Week 17. Since their 37-8 victory over the Packers in Week 12, the defense has looked like a completely different unit. In their last four games, they’ve given up 123 points for an average of 30.75 per game. In their first 11 games, they gave up an average of 14.82.

4) New England Patriots (Prev: 6)
It wasn’t always pretty, as New England trailed Buffalo into the fourth quarter, but they found a way to win and are still in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye. Tom Brady threw for 271 yards and a touchdown as the offense outgained the Bills 414-268. If the Patriots beat the Dolphins this week, they will wrap up the second seed.

3) New Orleans Saints (Prev: 3)
The Saints fell behind 14-0 early, but they scored 24 unanswered and never relinquished the lead in their 38-28 win over the Titans. The offense was impressive across the board, as Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns, Alvin Kamara rushed for two, and Michael Thomas broke Marvin Harrison’s single-season receptions record. The Saints will be either the first, second, or third seed in the NFC.

2) Kansas City Chiefs (Prev: 2)
The Chiefs demolished the Bears on Sunday Night Football in a game that was never entertaining. Kansas City could finish with the second, third, or fourth seed depending on the results next week. The Chiefs’ defense continued to play well, as they gave up fewer than 10 points for the third time in four games.

1) Baltimore Ravens (Prev: 1)
The Ravens have locked up home-field advantage for the duration of the playoffs with their dominant victory over the Browns on Sunday. Lamar Jackson threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns and added 103 yards on the ground. The only bad news for the Ravens is that Mark Ingram went down untouched with an injury. He will undergo more testing this week.

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