We’re down to the final week in the NFL season, and the playoff picture is still pretty cloudy. This week, we saw the former #1 and former #3 teams in the ranks lose to the former #4 and #5 teams (Titans and Giants) which clinched them home field advantage throughout the playoffs and shot them back up the ranks. The Titans are once again #1 and the Giants are #3 while the Colts stayed at #2 after winning their 8th in a row. It’s too bad that the #1 vs. #2 matchup this coming week will basically be a preseason game since they have nothing to play for.
The Steelers, who never were ranked all that high in these ranks until last week, experienced a devastating drop, falling 8 spots all the way back to #9. The main reason behind why they have been held back this season is pretty anemic (and overrated) offense that their defense has hidden well. They are also in the middle of the pack in turnover ratio, which can hurt you in the playoffs. The Panthers only dropped to 4th with their loss. The Dolphins moved up to 5th and they are only a win away from clinching the East.
The biggest gainer this week was the Chargers, who stormed all the way back to #13 and have a chance to win the AFC West with an 8-8 record next week. The Bears, who stayed in the hunt for the NFC North moved up 4 spots to #11, and the 49ers, who all of the sudden would be tied for first if only they would have punched in that winning touchdown against the Cardinals a few weeks ago, also moved up 4 spots to #22.
If the rankings determined the playoff seeds, this is what they would be:
AFC
First Round Byes: #1 Titans, #5 Dolphins
#7 Patriots @ #6 Ravens
#2 Colts @ #13 Chargers
Top 3 Out: #9 Steelers, #16 Jets, #19 Texans
NFC
First Round Byes: #3 Giants, #4 Panthers
#10 Eagles @ #11 Bears
#8 Falcons @ #20 Cardinals
Top 3 Out: #12 Vikings, #14 Buccaneers, #15 Saints
Here are the full ranks:
1. Titans – 79.33 – +3
2. Colts – 75.85 – Even
3. Giants – 72.98 – +2
4. Panthers – 71.57 – -1
5. Dolphins – 71.31 – +3
6. Ravens – 69.76 – Even
7. Patriots – 67.27 – +3
8. Falcons – 66.60 – +3
9. Steelers – 66.36 – -8
10. Eagles – 63.83 – -3
11. Bears – 59.23 – +4
12. Vikings – 56.21 – -3
13. Chargers – 55.82 – +5
14. Buccaneers – 54.72 – -2
15. Saints – 53.67 – +2
16. Jets – 53.04 – -2
17. Cowboys – 52.81 – -4
18. Redskins – 48.32 – +2
19. Texans – 46.80 – -3
20. Cardinals – 42.61 – -1
21. Bills – 40.50 – +3
22. 49ers – 40.33 – +4
23. Broncos – 39.62 – -2
24. Packers – 38.30 – -2
25. Jaguars – 36.52 – -2
26. Bengals – 33.95 – +3
27. Browns – 33.39 – -2
28. Seahawks – 32.74 – +2
29. Raiders – 29.17 – -1
30. Chiefs – 28.48 – -3
31. Rams – 13.57 – Even
32. Lions – 11.79 – Even
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