And then there were 19…four more teams were eliminated from the playoffs this week (The Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, and Saints). With only two weeks to go in the season, nine of the 14 playoff teams have already punched their ticket. There are now 10 teams vying for the final five spots.
And there are still some intriguing things left to be decided. The No. 1 seed in each conference is still up for grabs. And only three out of eight divisions have their division winners. And in the NFC South and NFC West, not only is the divisional winner not established, but the team that doesn’t prevail will be watching the playoffs from home.
With that in mind, here are this week’s rankings:
Kansas City Chiefs:
They just keep chugging along.
Buffalo Bills:
The Bills were bound to have a letdown game…they did, but they survived the Patriots valiant effort.
Minnesota Vikings:
The division is setting up to be decided in wk.18 against the Lions.
Detroit Lions:
The division is setting up to be decided in wk.18 against the Vikings. The loser will have 14 wins and be the No. 5 seed.
Green Bay Packers:
And the Packers just keep winnings and are the quietest 11-4 team in history.
Baltimore Ravens:
The Ravens finally vanquished the Steelers, but are still only the No. 5 seed in the AFC North.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Their last-second loss to the Commanders could prove very costly in the postseason. They are realistically out of the race for the top seed and now have to play on wildcard weekend.
Washington Commanders:
Last year, CJ Stroud was the rookie phenom. This year, that honor goes to Jayden Daniels. The future looks very bright for the Commanders…heck, the present looks pretty good, too.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Steelers have now lost two in a row but still control their destiny. If they win out, they win the AFC North. But the fat man in red is coming to Pittsburgh on Christmas. No, not Santa…Andy Reid.
Houston Texans:
The Texans are a resilient bunch, suffering injury after injury in their dynamic passing game. The latest to go down is Tank Dell. They quickly replaced him with recently released WR Diontae Johnson.
Denver Broncos:
The Broncos looked great for three quarters against the Chargers but fell apart in the fourth quarter. They still have about a 75% chance of making the playoffs but have fallen to the No. 7 seed. Either way, they are looking at a first-round road game.
Los Angeles Rams:
The Rams keep winning and are now on a four-game winning streak. They still haven’t clinched a playoff spot, though. The slumping Seahawks are on their tail, only one game behind.
Los Angeles Chargers:
The only major difference in this year’s Chargers team is with HC Jim Harbaugh. He purged a lot of the team’s skill positions and went to a more balanced offensive attack, and Justin Herbert is having a fantastic season, leading the team to a probable playoff berth.
Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons made the bold move of switching QBs, benching Kirk Cousins, and replacing him with rookie Michael Penix Jr. In his first start, so far, so good…he’s now 1-0 and has as many wins as fellow rookie QB Drake Maye.
Seattle Seahawks:
The Seahawks have now lost two games in a row and find themselves outside of the playoffs. But they are still only one game behind the Rams. Ultimately, the Rams have the edge at QB, WR, and RB and should prevail.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
With Atlanta’s win and Tampa’s inexplicable loss to the Cowboys, the Bucs are in the same spot as the Seahawks.
Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins, Bengals, and Colts are all 7-8 and need a ton of help to make the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Out of the three teams, the Bengals are playing the best at the right time, but it’s probably going to be too little, too late. They have won three in a row.
Indianapolis Colts:
The Colts beat up the lowly Titans on Sunday 38-30 to keep their slim playoff chances alive.
For the other 13 NFL teams, it’s not going to be a very Merry Christmas or Happy New Year…hopefully, 2025 will bring new hopes for a successful season.