NFL POWER RANKINGS
Week 17 NFL Power Rankings
The first official Power Rankings for 2024 in the NFL
Today’s rankings are going to be published a day earlier than normal. There is no Monday Night Football game in the last two weeks of the season. The games were on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday this week. The playoff picture is becoming clearer for the top of the conferences. For the bubble of the playoffs, there are still a few teams alive in both conferences that would need some wacky scenarios to play out as they do every year.
One team that was on the outside looking in that benefitted the most this week was the Green Bay Packers. Their dominant win over the Minnesota Vikings allows them to go into Soldier Field in Week 18 to win and be in. If they don't win, several other teams could seize their opportunity to get in. The Pittsburgh Steelers is another team that benefitted greatly from a win this week. This ensures that Mike Tomlin will still have his team alive in the playoffs entering the final weekend in every year of his coaching career since 2007. That is truly an impressive stat.
The games I predicted this week went as follows. I was 6–1 this week with my only miss being the most controversial game of the year. I correctly picked the 49ers, Steelers, Chiefs, Broncos, Packers, and Browns. I incorrectly picked that the Lions would beat the Cowboys. I will explain later why that can still be contested but it was a huge call by the referees who were told after the game that they would not be officiating the playoffs. Let’s get to the rankings this week.
Elite (1–10)
1. Baltimore Ravens (13–3): Lamar Jackson had a perfect passer rating in the dominant win over the Miami Dolphins. He threw for 321 yards and 5 touchdowns. In the 56–19 win, the Ravens looked completely in control and forced three turnovers as they locked up the #1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. They outgained the Dolphins 491–375 as well.
2. San Francisco 49ers (12–4): The 49ers and Brock Purdy bounced back from his worst performance of the season in a 27–10 victory over the Washington Commanders. The win clinched the #1 seed in the NFC for the 49ers. Brock Purdy threw for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The defense forced 2 interceptions. Christian McCaffrey suffered an injury in the game. Hopefully, it’s not too serious as he is the team’s top offensive weapon.
3. Cleveland Browns (11–5): The game was never in question against the New York Jets as they went up 27–7 in the second quarter on their way to a 37–20 win. Joe Flacco threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Even though the Browns turned the ball over three times, they also forced two turnovers and outgained the Jets 428–360. Elijah Moore suffered a nasty concussion in the second half of the game after having one of his best games of the season. I hope he’ll be all right.
4. Dallas Cowboys (11–5): Here’s where the rankings got tricky. I considered that the Miami Dolphins had previously beaten the Cowboys in Miami. The Cowboys more recently “beat” the Lions on a questionable call by the referees on a Lions' successful two-point conversion. They are now the NFC East division leader so this is the appropriate spot for them at this point. The 20–19 victory over the Lions was the CeeDee Lamb show. He had 13 catches, 229 yards, and a touchdown. During the game, he set single-season team records including the most catches and most yards. Too bad all that is overshadowed by the controversy.
5. Detroit Lions (11–5): Well, well, well, Detroit, here we are. This could’ve gone very differently and they would still be fighting for a higher seed than the 3 they are locked into at this point. Dan Campbell and several other Detroit Lions players were confused and visibly upset after the refs called back their go-ahead two-point conversion due to a penalty that they all thought the refs had confused. However you shake it, they still lost the game and can’t go back now. You might also want to look at Jared Goff’s subpar game with seeding on the line as well. He was 19–34 with 271 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. They outgained the Cowboys 420–384. This is just the way the ball rolls sometimes.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (11–5): The Eagles lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals. I don’t even know what to say to that other than they deserve to fall in the rankings. They not only fall in the rankings but they also fall in the division standings next to the Dallas Cowboys. Jalen Hurts threw for only 167 yards. He did manage three touchdowns and an interception in the 35–31 loss. They only had the ball for just over 20 minutes. The defense couldn’t stop Arizona and get them off the field. They were outgained 449–275.
7. Miami Dolphins (11–5): The absence of Jaylen Waddle was felt this week. Tua threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns but also had two interceptions. They were thoroughly outplayed by the Baltimore Ravens in the blowout loss. The fact that their defense couldn’t do anything to stop the Ravens’ offensive attack is a scary thought. Despite losing so badly, they still managed to get over 100 yards from De’Von Achane this week.
8. Buffalo Bills (10–6): Buffalo has won four in a row now. Their recent win was a 27–21 win over the cellar-dwelling New England Patriots. Their defense played well in the win. They forced 3 interceptions by Bailey Zappe. Even though they were outgained 294–281 because of an off game by a few players on offense, the turnovers were the difference. Josh Allen was overwhelming in the air, but not on the ground. He scored two touchdowns on the ground to tie Jalen Hurts for the single-season QB record at 15 apiece. They have one more game to determine the new record holder when all is said and done.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (10–6): The Chiefs finally clinched the AFC West with a 25–17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs sacked Jake Browning six times in the win. Patrick Mahomes had 245 yards passing and one touchdown. Isiah Pacheco had 165 total yards in the win along with a receiving touchdown. Rashee Rice had 5 catches and 127 yards in the win.
10. Los Angeles Rams (9–7): The Rams are catching fire at just the right time. They won their third straight game. They clinched a playoff berth with a 26–25 win over the New York Giants this week. Kyren Williams had 87 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in the thrilling victory over the Giants despite three Rams’ turnovers. Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards but had two interceptions and a lone passing touchdown.
Mid-Tier (11–20)
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (9–7): The Jaguars finally snapped their four-game losing streak at just the right time. It keeps them at the top of their division in the NFC South. They still hold the tiebreakers over both the Colts and Texans. They didn’t need Trevor Lawrence and CJ Beathard won his first start since he played in San Francisco. They shut the Carolina Panthers out 26–0. In the win, they leaned on Travis Etienne Jr as he scored 2 touchdowns and rushed for 102 yards. They forced an interception and sacked Bryce Young six times in the win.
12. Indianapolis Colts (9–7): The Colts are currently hanging on to the sixth spot in the AFC playoff race. If they win next week, they’re in. They still also have a shot at the AFC South but will need the Jaguars to lose. In the 23–20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, they led by as many as 11 points and held off a good second half by the Raiders. They lost the time-of-possession battle 34–26 and the yards 370–349 but still found a way to win. Gardner Minshew II threw for a touchdown and had 224 yards passing. Jonathan Taylor had 96 yards rushing and a touchdown as well.
13. Houston Texans (9–7): The Texans dominated the Titans on both sides of the ball in the 26–3 win. CJ Stroud played in his first game since the injury. He had 213 yards and a touchdown. The defense sacked Ryan Tannehill and Will Levis a combined six times. One of the sacks caused Will Levis to be taken out on a stretcher after a fumble.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (9–7): Pittsburgh is somehow still in the thick of the AFC playoff race yet again with one week to go. They need some help and will likely miss the postseason but you never know. In the 30–23 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the ground game provided them with 202 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, two from Najee Harris and one from Jaylen Warren. Mason Rudolph threw for 274 yards and didn’t have any turnovers, which was ultimately the difference.
15. Green Bay Packers (8–8): How is Green Bay still in the playoff race with one week to go? They looked dead in the water a couple of weeks ago. They’ve now won back-to-back games and are in the driver’s seat for the 7th seed in the NFC at the moment. The 33–10 win over the Minnesota Vikings this week looked dominant. Jordan Love threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Jones had 120 yards on the ground. And Bo Melton led the receiving corps with 105 yards and a touchdown. They never trailed in this game and outgained Minnesota 470–211.
16. New Orleans Saints (8–8): The Saints came up with one of their biggest wins of the season against the Buccaneers this week. Even though it didn’t catapult them to the top of the NFC South, they still got a major boost from the win. In the 23–13 road win in Tampa, the defense forced four turnovers. Derek Carr had 197 yards and two touchdown passes. Taysom Hill had a receiving touchdown in the win.
17. Denver Broncos (8–8): The Broncos beat the Chargers 16–9 in a game they led most of the time. Jarrett Stidham threw for a touchdown and 224 yards in the win. Lil’Jordan Humphrey scored the lone touchdown of the game. Despite their win, the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention anyway despite a solid defensive performance, forcing the game’s lone turnover.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8–8): It’s hard to win the game when you only have the ball a bit over 23 minutes and commit four turnovers. For a team that was poised to clinch the NFC South crown, they played horribly. That’s why the crown is still up for grabs in the final week of the season. They can still salvage the division with a win over the last-place Carolina Panthers in Week 18 but this was an embarrassing loss. Baker Mayfield did manage to throw for over 300 yards but also had two interceptions to go along with his two touchdown passes.
19. Seattle Seahawks (8–8): The Seahawks came out on the losing end of a game for two playoff-contending teams. They only had the ball for 22 minutes in the 30–23 loss to the Steelers. Their defense couldn’t stop the rushing attack and couldn’t get any turnovers either. Despite this, Geno Smith still threw for 290 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown.
20. Cincinnati Bengals (8–8): Can you believe the Bengals led in this game by as much as 10 points against the Chiefs until throwing the game away in the second half? They got their quarterback sacked six times and were outgained in the game. Jake Browning threw for 197 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 32 yards and another touchdown. If not for Browning, this game could’ve been more lopsided.
The Caboose (21–32)
21. Chicago Bears (7–9): Don’t look now but the Bears and Justin Fields are at least making it interesting. Despite their recent win, they were officially eliminated from the playoff picture this week. They are definitely a vastly improved team over the team we saw earlier in the year though. Now on a two-game winning streak, they destroyed the Falcons 37–17. They outgained the Falcons 432–307. Justin Fields had 268 yards passing and a touchdown. DJ Moore took in most of that with 159 yards receiving and caught the lone passing touchdown. Justin Fields also ran in for a touchdown and Khalil Herbert led the attack on the ground with 124 yards and a touchdown as well. The defense forced four interceptions in the win.
22. Atlanta Falcons (7–9): On the flip side of the Bears-Falcons game, the Falcons couldn’t muster much on the offensive end. Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder combined for four interceptions. Taylor Heinicke rushed for a touchdown. Tyler Allgeier led the receiving attack with 75 yards and a touchdown. The crazy part about all of this is that Atlanta theoretically still has a slim chance of winning the NFC South. It would take a lot of help but it’s still possible.
23. Las Vegas Raiders (7–9): The Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention this week. They lost to the Colts 23–20. Aidan O’Connell threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Zamir White led the rushing attack with 71 yards. DaVante Adams had 13 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. This team nearly came down from 11 down and 10 down with a strong second half.
24. Minnesota Vikings (7–9): The Vikings have lost three games in a row. They’re still technically alive for the playoffs. They lost 33–10 to the Green Bay Packers this week. They started rookie Jaren Hall and then went back to Nick Mullens in the second half of the game. The game was never in question and the Vikings didn’t have enough firepower against the Green Bay Packers.
25. New York Jets (6–10): The Jets trailed as much as 27–7 in this game. They came back in the second half but couldn’t overcome the large deficit as they lost 37–20 to the Browns on the final Thursday Night game of the season. Trevor Siemian threw for 261 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Breece Hall had 126 total yards and a receiving touchdown in the loss.
26. New York Giants (5–11): Despite playing a competitive game against the Rams at home this week, they lost by 1 point on a failed 2-point attempt this week. They could’ve tied the game and taken it to overtime but they were going for the win with just over 3 minutes left in the game. They forced three Rams’ turnovers and very well should’ve been on the receiving end of a win this week. Tyrod Taylor threw for 319 yards and a touchdown to go with an interception. He also led the Giants with 40 yards rushing. Darius Slayton had another strong receiving game with 106 yards and a touchdown.
27. Los Angeles Chargers (5–11): The Chargers didn’t score a touchdown in the 16–9 loss to the Denver Broncos. Easton Stick had 220 yards passing and 31 yards rushing. They were 2/11 on third down. This is now the fourth loss in a row for the Chargers. They are guaranteed to finish in the cellar of the AFC West.
28. Tennessee Titans (5–11): In the 26–3 loss to the Texans, rookie Will Levis got injured and veteran Ryan Tannehill played the rest of the game. There’s not much to say about this game. They were never in the game and the injury to the rookie is a troubling development for a team about to finish in last place in the AFC South this year.
29. Arizona Cardinals (4–12): Kyler Murray and James Conner led the Arizona Cardinals to an impressive 35–31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at the Linc. Kyler Murray is slowly looking better and better every week coming off of a terrible injury from last year. He threw for 232 yards and had three touchdown passes and an interception. James Conner had 128 yards and a touchdown. He also added 5 receiving yards and another touchdown. They got 32 first downs against the Eagles and dominated the clock.
30. New England Patriots (4–12): As I said about another team on this list, four turnovers aren’t going to get a team a win. The Bills were underwhelming on offense but the Patriots’ offense did it to themselves. Bailey Zappe threw for over 200 yards and three interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott and Bailey Zappe both rushed for a touchdown in the loss. The Patriots lost 27–21.
31. Washington Commanders (4–12): The Commanders have lost seven games in a row. Sam Howell threw two interceptions in the loss. Sam Howell threw a touchdown and had 169 yards in the loss to the 49ers 27–10. They have shown at this point in the season that they have one of the worst defenses in the league. The Commanders are likely going to finish in the cellar of the NFC East.
32. Carolina Panthers (2–14): Bryce Young was sacked six times and only threw for 112 yards and an interception in the loss. Chuba Hubbard only managed 45 rushing yards and no touchdowns in the shutout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars 26–0. The team didn’t have a chance against a team fighting for their division. They’re locked into the #1 pick in the NFL Draft which they traded to the Chicago Bears so being this bad doesn’t benefit them at all.
The Sturg’s Week 18 Picks: Steelers over Ravens, Texans over Colts, Jaguars over Titans, Saints over Falcons, Buccaneers over Panthers, Bears over Packers, Cowboys over Commanders, Giants over Eagles, Cardinals over Seahawks, Rams over 49ers, Bills over Dolphins
Source: NFL Standings
Check out the other major news sites later today to compare my power rankings. ESPN, Sporting News, and NFL.com are the usual main rankings you can refer to.
Join me next week this time to look at the final NFL Power Rankings as the playoff picture will be completely settled at the end of the regular season next week.
