NFL Power Rankings Week 17- An Unenviable Position

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Ab Stanley

Senior Writer at The 3 Point Conversion

Atlanta, GA

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With the NFL regular season winding down, there’s no shortage of intrigue as to who this year’s champion will be. The playoff field is almost set and we now know who the major players will be, but the actual title itself is still up for grabs.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)

Kansas City once again escapes with a victory. The fact that they are starting to get some of their injured players back should be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.

2. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)

I don’t think we’re taking Minnesota seriously enough. Nobody is picking them to win the Super Bowl or even represent the NFC, but they’ve given out some serious beat downs this season.

3. Buffalo Bills (12-3)

A win is a win I guess, but Buffalo didn’t look like they were playing their “A” game against the Patriots.

4. Detroit Lions (13-2)

The Lions haven’t lost consecutive regular games since the 2022 season. This is the first season in franchise history that the Lions have won more than 12 games in the regular season.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3)

With Jalen Hurts suffering a concussion in the first quarter, the Eagles had to turn to backup quarterback Kenny Pickett. Philadelphia is hoping Hurts has a full and speedy recovery, because Kenny Pickett shouldn’t be a guy you turn to in regard to winning NFL games.

6. Green Bay Packers (11-4)

The Packers are way too good of a team to be third in their division. Could you imagine if they were in the West or South divisions?

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)

The Steelers sorely miss George Pickens on offense. They’re averaging 15.0 points per game and they are currently riding a two game losing streak.

8. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

The Ravens clinched a playoff spot with their victory over Pittsburgh. They also trail the Steelers atop the AFC North division with two games to play.

9. Washington Commanders (10-5)

Jayden Daniels is trying his hardest to win that Offensive Rookie of the year award. 339 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns against first place Philadelphia should help a little.

10. Houston Texans (9-6)

Houston couldn’t refocus on the game again Kansas City after Tank Dell went down with a nasty knee injury. The team will most likely be without Dell for the rest of the regular season.

11. Los Angeles Rams (9-6)

The Rams now control their own destiny to win the NFC West. Win out and you’re the champs, simple.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)

The Chargers were hoping to claim Diontae Johnson off of waivers after Baltimore released him, but Houston beat them to the punch. The Chargers could use another quality wide receiver going into the playoffs.

13. Denver Broncos (9-6)

Sean Payton needs to make sure his rookie quarterback doesn’t get killed out there with too many drop backs and passes.

14. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)

Seattle dropped the ball with another loss and could fall all the way out of the playoffs. If the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle loses to the Bears, they’re eliminated.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)

Tampa Bay couldn’t find a way to knock of Dallas and it’s has put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. They’ll need to win their last two games and an Atlanta loss to win the NFC South.

16. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)

Did Michael Penix Jr. do anything extraordinary in his first start of his career? The answer is no, but I do think it points to a bigger picture. The Falcons had more problems than the quarterback position.

17. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)

Arizona has been officially eliminated from the playoffs after losing to Carolina. Tough break for a team that was 6-4 a few weeks ago.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)

If the Bengals somehow makes the playoffs, then Joe Burrow should win the MVP in a landslide victory.

19. Indianapolis Colts (7-8)

Jonathan Taylor made up for his foolish play last week to have a monster game this week. The Colts still have a slim chance at the playoffs.

20. Miami Dolphins (7-8)

Miami kept their slim playoff hopes alive with their win over San Francisco. This Mike McDaniel versus Kyle Shanahan matchup was supposed to be a bit more epic, but both teams probably thought they’d be in a better place at this point in the season.

21. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)

San Francisco has been eliminated from playoff contention. They snap a two year division title reign and they’ll miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.

22. Dallas Cowboy (7-8)

Cooper Rush is now 9-4 as a starting quarterback in the NFL after an improbable win over Tampa Bay. Dallas has won four out of their last five games.

23. New Orleans Saints (5-10)

The Saints picking in the top ten of the NFL draft, after averaging 45.5 points per game in the first two weeks of the season, seems like a crazy turn of events.

24. Carolina Panthers (4-11)

Weeks ago, we thought Carolina was on their way to another first overall pick and they’d be ready to draft another quarterback. Now they’ve actually climbed out of the bottom of the barrel and they seem to be set at quarterback.

25. New York Jets (4-11)

Aaron Rodgers needs time at the end of the season to decide if he wants to play next year or not. The Jets shouldn’t give him any.

26. Chicago Bears (4-11)

Caleb Williams is extremely close to passing the Bears’ single season record in passing yards. Erik Kramer holds the record with 3,838 passing yards in 1995. Williams already holds the Bears record for passing yards as a rookie.

27. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)

The Raiders dropped themselves out of the race to get one of the top two picks in the draft. Maybe one of the quarterbacks they want might fall to them.

28. Tennessee Titans (3-12)

Tennessee has zero identity and no real semblance of a leader. Do they even have a real go to guy?

29. Cleveland Browns (3-12)

Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a terrible outing with two interceptions and 157 passing yards against Cincinnati. Kevin Stefanski has already stated that Thompson-Robinson will be the starter in week 17 for some reason.

30. New England Patriots (3-12)

The Patriots currently hold the number two pick in the 2025 NFL draft. That pick would be key in this draft because it would have the highest trade value if everything stays the same and the team with the first pick takes the signal caller of their choosing. The Patriots won’t need a quarterback this time around.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)

Jacksonville is projected to pick fourth in the NFL draft. The Jaguars sure looked like a team that should be picking high in the draft this year, especially this past Sunday.

32. New York Giants (2-13)