NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Wild Card Playoffs

Just like in previous years, the power ranks live on in the playoffs. Obviously, since only 8 out of the 32 NFL teams played last week, almost everyone stayed ranked exactly where they were. The Patriots are still #1, but the Ravens dominant win over Kansas City helped them jump over Atlanta for the #2 spot. The Steelers, Packers, and Jets remain at #4, #5, and #6. The other 2 playoff teams (that happen to be playing each other) are the Bears, who are #9 behind 2 non-playoff teams, and the Seahawks, who moved out of the bottom 5 and up to #22 after getting one of the most shocking playoff wins ever.

Last week’s playoff losers all dropped some spots. the Colts fell to #11, Chiefs to #13, Eagles to #14, and Saints #15. All of those teams dropping moves the Lions, yes the Lions, who finished the season as one of the hottest teams into the top 10.

Last week, the power ranks nailed 3 out of the 4 games. It obviously missed the Seahawks beating the Saints, but got the Ravens, Packers, and Jets correct. That might sound impressive, but my dog also went 3/4 last week as well. He only missed the Eagles over the Packers.

So without further ado, here are the power rank predictions for this week:
#3 Falcons over #5 Packers
#9 Bears over #22 Seahawks
#1 Patriots over #6 Jets
#2 Ravens over #4 Steelers

Since the Eagles loss screwed up the divisional playoff pairings for my dog, I also let him make picks this week. Here they are:
Packers over Falcons
Bears over Seahawks
Patriots over Jets
Ravens over Steelers

Here are the full ranks:
1. Patriots – 85.47 – Even
2. Ravens – 77.39 – +1
3. Falcons – 76.82 – -1
4. Steelers – 74.00 – Even
5. Packers – 70.49 – Even
6. Jets – 69.53 – Even
7. Buccaneers – 64.35 – Even
8. Chargers – 61.03 – +1
9. Bears – 60.11 – +2
10. Lions – 58.85 – +4
11. Colts – 58.31 – -3
12. Giants – 55.22 – +3
13. Chiefs – 54.37 – -1
14. Eagles – 53.50 – -4
15. Saints – 53.05 – -2
16. Raiders – 54.37 – Even
17. Cowboys – 45.36 – Even
18. 49ers – 42.76 – Even
19. Rams – 42.15 – Even
20. Titans – 40.14 – Even
21. Texans – 40.00 – Even
22. Seahawks – 39.20 – +6
23. Dolphins – 37.40 – -1
24. Bengals – 36.41 – -1
25. Jaguars – 35.60 – Even
26. Redskins – 35.58 – -2
27. Vikings – 33.45 – -1
28. Cardinals – 33.24 – -1
29. Browns – 32.68 – Even
30. Bills – 31.98 – Even
31. Broncos – 28.07 – Even
32. Panthers – 24.84 – Even