NFL: Weekly Power Rankings
Week 17 of the season officially ended the regular season, with the 12 best teams in the league advancing to the postseason. After this weeks results, there were three teams that were eliminated from contention in the final week: Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks. The New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets, 26-6, behind a 21-3 halftime lead. The Minnesota Vikings ended the season with a 13-point win over the Chicago Bears. The Pittsburgh Steelers squeaked by the Cleveland Browns, sending them to just the second 0-16 season in NFL history. Below is our NFL Staff's final regular season rankings.
1. New England Patriots (13-3, +1): The Patriots didn't want to take this game lightly because they needed a win to clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Since that was the case, QB Tom Brady started. His favorite target for most of the season has been WR Brandin Cooks, and they connected frequently once again. Cooks finished with five catches for 79 yards and one score. RB Dion Lewis had a good game as well, rushing for 93 yards on 26 carries. New England finished the season 6-2 at home with losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers. The Pats are the favorites to take home the Super Bowl again.
Team MVP: Tom Brady (QB) - 4,577 Yards & 32 TDs.
2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3, +2): The Vikings were even better on their home field than New England, and they showcased that again this week. In Week 17, Minnesota defeated the Bears, 23-10, after leading by nine at halftime. The Vikings finished the season 7-1 at home. QB Case Keenum didn't have his best game, but it was another efficient day for the former Houston quarterback. He went 21-29 for 189 yards and one touchdown. RB Latavius Murray ran for 111 yards on 20 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Minnesota will wait and see who they play in two weeks. It'll likely be either the Los Angeles Rams or New Orleans Saints.
Team MVP: Case Keenum (QB) - 3,547 Yards & 22 TDs.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3, +0): The Steelers didn't have their best game, by any means, but they were able to slip past the winless Browns, and keep pace with the Patriots in terms of their respective records. However, given the head-to-head tiebreaker, Pittsburgh finishes second in the AFC and if the two teams meet in the conference title game, it'll be in New England. In Week 17, the Steelers beat the Browns, 28-24, and as WR Juju Smith-Schuster caught nine passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers get a week off in the Wild Card Round, and then they'll likely play either the Kansas City Chiefs or Jacksonville Jaguars.
Team MVP: Le'Veon Bell (RB) - 1,291 Yards & 9 TDs.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, -3): The Eagles have spent most of the season at the top of these rankings, but they just haven't been the same team since QB Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury. They have tried to adjust to QB Nick Foles taking over the starting job, but it simply hasn't been the same. Wentz was likely going to be the NFL MVP and playing without him has changed the likelihood of this team going to the Super Bowl. Philly lost 6-0 this past week against the Dallas Cowboys and allowed 103 yards on 27 carries from RB Ezekiel Elliott. The Eagles can still make the NFC title, but that may be their ceiling.
Team MVP: Carson Wentz (QB) - 3,296 Yards & 33 TDs.
5. Los Angeles Rams (11-5, +1): The Rams sat a bunch of their starts - QB Jared Goff and RB Todd Gurley - just to name a couple, so it wasn't surprising that they lost, 34-13, to one of the hottest teams in the league, the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams fell to 4-4 at home with this loss. But Gurley is still one of the best running backs in the NFL, and the possible NFL MVP this year. And the Rams actually climbed one spot in our rankings because of other teams like the Carolina Panthers and Saints. Los Angeles will host the defending NFC champions, the Atlanta Falcons, with a chance to move on in the playoffs.
Team MVP: Todd Gurley (RB) - 1,305 Yards & 13 TDs.
6. New Orleans Saints (11-5, +1): The Saints had an opportunity to clinch the division as well as the No. 3 spot in the NFC with a win, but instead, they were only able to clinch the division because of a Panthers loss. In Week 17, New Orleans slipped up and lost 31-24 to the Buccaneers. They only an offensive onslaught from the Bucs. QB Jameis Winston threw for 363 passing yards on 51 attempts, and 111 yards were to WR Chris Godwin. It wasn't a good way to finish the season for the Saints, but it doesn't mean they can't turn it around. They host Carolina in the Wild Card. The Saints won both games against the Panthers this season.
Team MVP: Drew Brees (QB) - 4,334 Yards & 23 TDs.
7. Carolina Panthers (11-5, -2): The Panthers, along with four teams in front of them, also lost this weekend. They went down, 22-10, against the Falcons on the road. It seems like the trio of Atlanta, Carolina, and New Orleans have been playing constantly over the last three weeks, battling for the NFC South title, and it's going to continue in the Wild Card. Carolina will travel to New Orleans to face the Saints. Carolina's improved running game has been the reason they're much better this year, but QB Cam Newton led the team with 11 carries for 59 yards last week. That must be better if they want to beat the Saints.
Team MVP: Cam Newton (QB) - 3,302 Yards & 22 TDs.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6, +0): The Jaguars are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and they'll be at home. The Jags didn't have anything to play for this past week, though, so it's tough to knock them for a loss against the Titans. But their QB Blake Bortles has to take care of the ball if they want to be able to defeat the Buffalo Bills, who are making their first playoff appearance since 1999, the longest drought in the league. Titans' DL Jurrell Casey said "If the game's in his hands, he's going to choke" about Bortles, and it's going to be up to him to prove everyone wrong.
Team MVP: Leonard Fournette (RB) - 1,040 Yards & 9 TDs.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6, +0): The Chiefs may have righted the ship after going 3-6 in the middle of the season and ended the year on a four-game winning streak, which ended with a 27-24 win over the rival Denver Broncos. QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 284 yards on 22-35 in his first career start, but QB Alex Smith will be the starter in the playoffs against the Titans, when the two teams meet at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday. The Chiefs are favored and will be playing on their home field, so they're likely going to advance to the Divisional Round for the second year in a row. They're led by RB Kareem Hunt, who has 1,327 yards in his rookie year.
Team MVP: Kareem Hunt (RB) - 1,327 Yards & 8 TDs.
10. Atlanta Falcons (10-6, +1): The Falcons had to win last week just to make the playoffs, but given how explosive their offense can be, no one is looking at them as a dark horse. With that said, it's not going to be easy to play on the road against another great offense, in the Rams. Atlanta is 5-3 on the road, though, and L.A. is just 4-4 on their home field. In Week 17, the Falcons played a full game for the first time in a few weeks and it resulted in a 22-10 win over the Panthers. QB Matt Ryan went 28-45 for 317 yards and one touchdown. RB Devonta Freeman had nine catches for 85 yards and a score.
Team MVP: Matt Ryan (QB) - 4,095 Yards & 20 TDs.
11. Buffalo Bills (9-7, +3): The Bills haven't been in the top tier of our rankings for most of the year, but when it counted, they came through with a tough road victory, which clinched a playoff spot. Buffalo is officially going to the postseason for the fist time since 1999, ending the longest playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues (pressure is now on the Seattle Mariners). Buffalo escaped Miami with a 22-16 win to improve to 3-5 on the road. Which is enough to earn a bid in the back end of the AFC playoffs. But they also needed help elsewhere, which they got, as the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Baltimore Ravens, 31-27.
Team MVP: LeSean McCoy (RB) - 1,138 Yards & 6 TDs.
12. Tennessee Titans (9-7, +1): The Titans are a playoff team, as a lot of people predicted before the season even began, but they're not nearly as good as projected. They have struggled on the road all year long, to the tune of a 3-5 record. But even more than that, it's been QB Marcus Mariota playing horribly in road games. It's not that they lose tight games when away from home, but it's that their star(?) quarterback throws way too many interceptions in hostile environments (i.e. six combined picks against the Steelers and Arizona Cardinals). If he turns the ball over more than twice against K.C., the Titans have no chance of beating the Chiefs.
Team MVP: Marcus Mariota (QB) - 3,232 Yards & 13 TDs.
Second Tier:
13. Detroit Lions (9-7, +3)
14. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7, +1)
15. Seattle Seahawks (9-7, -3)
16. Dallas Cowboys (9-7, +1)
17. Baltimore Ravens (9-7, -7)
18. Arizona Cardinals (8-8, +2)
19. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9, +2)
20. Green Bay Packers (7-9, -2)
21. Washington Redskins (7-9, -2)
22. San Francisco 49ers (6-10, +2)
The Detroit Lions squeaked into the playoffs last season, but they couldn't do the same thing this year, despite finishing with the same record. In Week 17, they defeated the Green Bay Packers, 35-11, behind 323 passing yards from QB Matthew Stafford. However, after the game, HC Jim Caldwell was let go. The Seattle Seahawks and Ravens were in playoff contention before the week began, but a pair of losses to the Cardinals and Bengals, respectively, knocked them out altogether. The San Francisco 49ers have climbed from 1-10 all the way to the second tier with a five-game winning streak, led by QB Jimmy Garoppolo's 292 yards and two scores.
Third Tier:
23. Oakland Raiders (6-10, -1)
24. Miami Dolphins (6-10, -1)
25. Denver Broncos (5-11, +0)
26. New York Jets (5-11, +1)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11, +1)
28. Chicago Bears (5-11, -2)
29. Houston Texans (4-12, +0)
30. Indianapolis Colts (4-12, +0)
31. New York Giants (3-13, +0)
32. Cleveland Browns (0-16, +0)
The Oakland Raiders' down season has finally come to an end, and so has HC Jack Del Rio's tenure with the team. He was fired, finishing with a 25-23 record in three years, leading the team to a 12-4 record last season and a playoff berth. It looks as though Jon Gruden may return to the Raiders, according to Sports Illustrated. That could be a great move for the franchise. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns lost for the 17th straight game, sending them to just the second 0-16 season in NFL history, along with the 2008 Lions. But there is some good news, I guess, at they're have their pick of which quarterback to take in the upcoming draft.
Player of the Week:
W1 - Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) - 148 Yards, 1 TD, 42-27 win vs. Patriots.
W2 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) - 447 Yards, 3 TDs, 36-20 win vs. Saints.
W3 - Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) - 292 Yards, 3 TDs, 41-39 win vs. 49ers.
W4 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 283 Yards, 4 TDs, 57-14 win vs. Titans.
W5 - Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 304 Yards, 4 TDs, 34-7 win vs. Cardinals.
W6 - Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans) - 225 Yards, 3 TDs, 33-17 win vs. Browns.
W7 - Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) - 210 Yards, 2 TDs, 31-30 win vs. Chiefs.
W8 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 451 Yards, 4 TDs, 41-38 win vs. Texans.
W9 - Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) - 361 Yards, 2 TDs, 30-17 win vs. Packers.
W10 - Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) - 254 Yards, 4 TDs, 45-21 win vs. Dolphins.
W11 - Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 144 Yards, 3 TDs, 40-17 win vs. Titans.
W12 - Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) - 253 Yards, 2 TDs, 34-20 win vs. Buccaneers.
W13 - Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) - 227 Yards, 3 TDs, 24-10 win vs. Eagles.
W14 - Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 506 Yards, 2 TDs, 39-38 win vs. Ravens.
W15 - Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) - 152 Yards, 3 TDs, 42-7 win vs. Seahawks.
W16 - Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) - 158 Yards, 2 TDs, 27-23 win vs Titans.
W17 - Juju Smith-Schuster (New Orleans Saints) - 143 Yards, 1 TD, 28-24 win vs. Browns.
Top Ranked Team:
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys.
Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs.
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 8: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 9: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 13: New England Patriots.
Week 14: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles.
Week 17: New England Patriots.
Photo Credit: CBS Sports.
