The top-ranked teams have been determined and four of the divisions have been decided, but there are still many uncertainties heading into Week 18.
The AFC East is the most interesting division yet to be determined.
After their loss to the Ravens, the Dolphins must defeat the Bills in the final game of the season on Sunday Night Football in order to win the division.
NFL Power Rankings, 2023:
PowerRank TEAM CHANGE
1 Ravens 0
2 49ers 0
3 Bills +1
4 Cowboys +2
5 Browns +3
6 Lions -1
7 Dolphins -4
8 Chiefs +1
9 Rams +1
10 Eagles -3
11 Jaguars +2
12 Texans +2
13 Steelers +2
14 Colts +5
15 Buccaneer -4
16 Saints +1
17 Seahawks -5
24 Raiders -3
25 Patriots +1
26 Cardinals +3
27 Titans -2
28 Chargers -1
29 Giants -1
30 Jets 0
31 Commander
NFL Team Rankings:
1. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore solidified its authority here with a 56-19 rout of the Dolphins. Lamar Jackson looked quite the “quarterback” on his way to 321 yards and five touchdowns on just 21 attempts. With the bye already over, it will be interesting to see how much effort Baltimore will put forth against the Steelers, who are still fighting for their playoff lives.
2. San Francisco 49ers
It wasn’t as comprehensive as fantasy players would have liked, but the 49ers took care of business against the Commanders and are currently in first place thanks to the loss to Philadelphia. It’s still unclear if Brock Purdy is 100% healthy, and Christian McCaffrey has a calf injury. The good news is that you have two weeks to prepare for the next big game.
3. Buffalo Bills
They got the win, but now the Bills are struggling to beat two bottom-place teams in back-to-back weeks. Buffalo is the team of the year that could beat anyone or lose to anyone in any given week. This pleases a neutral observer, but makes predictions difficult. It also makes this week’s game against the Dolphins exciting. Depending on what happens the rest of the weekend, Buffalo may need a win to make the team.
4. dallas cowboys
Although some of the luck of the refs was on their side, Dallas pulled out a win over the Lions and Philadelphia’s struggles suddenly put them in pole position for the second seed. However, it is somewhat concerning that they have scored just 20 points against this Lions defense, especially since CeeDee Lamb has posted a 13-227-1 line. They’ll need their mid-season offense to show up over the next few weeks.
5. Cleveland Browns
Imagine if someone told you in August that Joe Flacco would be the quarterback of the hottest team in the league making the playoffs. Plus, imagine this person saying the Browns were that team. Oh, and they take a break in Week 18 because they essentially have nothing to play for. It’s a really rough season.
6. Detroit Lions
The official report says they lost, but the Lions played a close game against a good Cowboy team and would have won had it not been for a refereeing error. Considering how the season has gone since then, this is a huge step forward for this team. Detroit could still finish second if things go well, but they don’t have much to play for in the season finale.
7. Miami Dolphins
Shortly after the Dolphins got a much-needed good win, the Ravens kicked them out of the building. Miami has more likely lost Bradley Chubb than lost this season, and saw Xavien Howard leave the game early and Tua Tagovailoa suffer a shoulder injury. Despite all these setbacks, Miami will still be a No. 2 seed if they beat the Bills this week.
8. Kansas City Chiefs
They won, clinched the division and will advance to the playoffs, but the Chiefs’ offense still isn’t where it needs to be. The numbers against the Bengals look pretty good (8.4 yards per pass, 7.2 from Isaiah Pacheco), but they were forced to make six field goals against one of the worst defenses in the league. Much like the Eagles, it’s hard to see further progress from this team unless things move forward in a hurry
9. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams won and are now officially in the playoffs, but it almost didn’t happen. In fact, if Tyrod Taylor simply tries to convert a two-point attempt instead of attempting to throw, the Rams will likely face a must-win game against the 49ers this week. The offense is good when everyone is healthy, but there have been cracks in the defense over the last few weeks and those issues could keep them from playing against the best teams in the NFC. But making the playoffs is a huge success for this squad and great for the coaching staff and Matthew Stafford.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
As it turns out, if the defense can’t get off the field, it’s not easy to win. The Cardinals won the battle of possessions against the Eagles 2-1, won the play-in battle 72 to 47, and won the game 35 to 31. At 10-1, the Eagles have now lost four of five and are likely to win. Heading out on the road in the first round of the playoffs. If the defense suddenly doesn’t improve much, it will be difficult to try again. 11. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars’ defense has stepped up, CJ Beathard has done enough, and the Jaguars are now in a good position in the division. If the Jaguars beat the Titans, they would win the division and host a playoff game. If Trevor Lawrence can return this week, they’ll feel better about this game.
12. Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud didn’t have to do much in his return as the defense shut out the Titans for the easy win. The win began an undefeated run against the Colts in the season finale. The Texans have the best quarterback and possibly the best defense, but the game is in Indy.
13.Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers still need help, but the win in Seattle kept their playoff dreams alive and gave Mike Tomlin another winning season. What’s better for them is that the Crows are already top of the table and have nothing to play for in the season finale. Additionally, the running game is in play and Mason Rudolph appears to have unlocked George Pickens.
14. Indianapolis Colts
It wasn’t a convincing win, but the Colts handled the game against the Raiders and earned a home win over the Texans in the season finale. I’m skeptical about how good this team actually is, but there’s no doubt about how good career coach Shane Steichen is in his first year. In any other season, he would have made a great case for Coach of the Year.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is a really strange time to be a no-show. The Bucs lost by 10 points at home to the Saints, and the game wasn’t even over. Baker Mayfield had his worst game in weeks. The good news is that these results don’t mean much for the division going forward. Tampa only needs to beat the Panthers in the season finale to secure the NFC South and a playoff spot.
16. New Orleans Saints
If the Bucs beat the Panthers next week, it won’t be enough to win the division, but the Saints did what was necessary by shutting down the Bucs in Tampa. If the defense plays this strong again against the Falcons in the season finale, they will at least have a chance to make the playoffs.
17. Seattle Seahawks
There was no comeback this week for the Seahawks, who lost 30-23 at home to the Steelers and are out of the playoffs as things stand. They’re not dead, but they need to beat the Cardinals and get some help from the Bears to make the playoffs. Even if that happens, Seattle will have to figure out if it wants to make a real breakthrough.
18. Green Bay Packers
The Packers lost to the Giants and Bucs before facing the Panthers from Weeks 14 to 16. In Week 17, they went into Minnesota and routed them 33-10. It’s the perfect way to end 2023 in the NFL. The Packers are currently in the playoffs, but need to beat a good Bears team in the season finale to maintain that spot. 19. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings, who had a good chance at making the playoffs, were upset Sunday night with a 33-10 loss at home to the Packers. They’re still technically in playoff contention, but they’re going to need a lot of help. It will be interesting to see how good this team would have been if Kirk Cousins hadn’t been injured.
20. Chicago Bears
The Bears are better than teams that will make the playoffs, and they likely would have been in the postseason themselves if they just finished off wins against the Lions and Browns. The good news is they have the No. 1 overall pick. The bad news is there is no clear answer on what to do with Justin Fields.
21. Atlanta Falcons
While they are technically still alive, the Bears may have put an end to the Falcons season with a 37-17 obliteration that might not have even been that close. Atlanta will continue to be a Jekyll and Hyde team until they find an answer at quarterback. They have enough talent on offense and a strong defense to win this division.
22.cincinnati bengals
They are now officially out of the playoff race, but being able to compete for a spot at this point in the season is impressive considering the injuries the Bengals have suffered throughout the year. They will come back strong in 2024.
23. Denver Broncos
A fight with Jarrett Stidhams won a fight with the Easton Styx, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Broncos’ playoff dreams alive. Now they have an interesting offseason ahead of them as they try to move on from Russell Wilson.
24. Las Vegas Raiders
The playoff dream may be gone, but the Raiders deserve credit for what they’ve accomplished so far considering their terrible start to the season. Now they have some interesting decisions to make with interim coach Antonio Pierce and another offseason to find a quarterback.
25. New England Patriots
The Patriots’ defense remains strong and the offense did enough to make the game against the Bills interesting. New England has perhaps the most meaningless Week 18 game against the Jets before the offseason was even concluded. Show it on the CW.
26. Arizona Cardinals
Don’t look now. But the Cardinals felt good again. They dominated time of possession against a terrible Eagles defense en route to their fourth win of the season. This win didn’t do anything for the draft, but it’s a good result for the new coaching staff. The Cardinals had another opportunity to play spoiler this week against the Seahawks.
27. Tennessee Titans
The Titans haven’t actually played against the Texans, but they’ll get another opportunity to play spoiler this week at home against the Jaguars. This could be Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry’s last game in a Titans uniform.
28. Los Angeles Chargers
The season finale home game against the Chiefs means nothing to either team. I’m sure this is what everyone was hoping for this season. The good news is that the Chargers currently own the sixth overall pick.
29. New York Giants
On Sunday, the Giants gave the Rams a scare by moving the ball, which raised questions about why Tyrod Taylor hasn’t always started when healthy. But none of this really matters. They open the season against the Eagles this week.
30 New York Jets
Breece Hall made another play in a tough game against the Browns, but it wasn’t enough to avoid another loss for the Jets. They end a nightmare season in New England this week.
31.Washington Commanders.The Chiefs only gave up on the 49ers until they were 27 years old. It’s essentially a win. More importantly, they now have the second overall draft pick. They have a game to lose this week against the Cowboys.
32. Carolina Panthers
A week after giving the Packers all they could handle, the offense failed against the Jaguars’ worst defense, adding a shutout loss to its list of 2023 failures. Oh yeah, that loss cemented the Bears’ spot at No. 1 overall… and the team owner gave some fans a drink. Things are going well.
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