NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Week 17

Happy New Year!  The playoffs are here, so the power ranks below represent the final regular season standings.  As always, the ranks will continue into the playoffs.  This week, the Seahawks remained as the #1 ranked team, even though they didn’t score 40+ points and win.  Losses by the Falcons, who only sort of mailed it in, and the Packers, who blew their NFC first round bye, caused them to each drop 6 spots to #6 and #7.  This allowed for the Broncos and Patriots to move up to #2 and #3.  The 49ers first round bye clinching win caused them to pass Atlanta, Green Bay, and Houston, who also had a bad loss, and leapfrog the Redskins, who beat Dallas to win the division.  The Redskins settle in at #5.

On the low end of things, I guess the Raiders aren’t quite as bad as the Lions and Eagles, so they jumped 2 spots.  The Jaguars and Chiefs are really glad their seasons are over.

This week’s biggest gainer was the Giants, who did too little, too late to move up 5 spots but miss the playoffs.  The biggest losers were the Texans, who look just awful heading into the playoffs.  They were #1 2 weeks ago and now sit at #12.

Let’s use the Power Ranks to make predictions for this weekend’s games:

#1 Seahawks over #5 Redskins: This is a great matchup between 2 teams that came out of nowhere at the end of the season.  The Seahawks have won 7 in a row and are in the top 10 in scoring and turnover ratio along with having the top defense on points allowed.  Combine all of that, and that’s why they are #1.  The Redskins have been even more impressive with scoring and turnover ratio, but their defense has struggled

#7 Packers over #8 Vikings: Seems like these teams just played 2 days ago, doesn’t it?   The Vikings won 4 straight to end the season, including that win over Green Bay in Week 17.  However, the ranks and Green Bay’s home field advantage still point to a Packers win this weekend.

#9 Bengals over #12 Texans: About 5 weeks ago, this pick would have seemed like a no-brainer for the Texans, but things have changed a lot recently.  The Bengals stepped up and eliminated the Steelers to clinch their spot, and then turned around and beat a Baltimore team that didn’t really try that hard in Week 17, but a win’s a win.  The Texans ended the season by being dominated by the Vikings and losing home field throughout the playoffs by losing to a Colts team that had nothing to play for (at least in the Standings).

#14 Ravens vs. #15 Colts: The Colts have played inspired football over year, and the Ravens have looked pretty flat late this season, but the ranks only measure numbers, not intangibles.  On paper, the only thing that looks good about the Colts is their 11-5 record, because they finished in the bottom half of the league in scoring offense, scoring defense, and turnover ratio, along with having the 3rd easiest schedule of anyone in the league this year (only the Falcons and Bengals had it easier).  Despite all of that, I still like the Colts in this one even though the ranks point to Baltimore.

Full Ranks: