NFL Week 17 Power Rankings: Buccaneers Creep Up, Browns Drop Down

The final week of the 2020 NFL regular season is upon us. Can you believe it?

Week 17 proves to be an exciting slate, as multiple playoff spots and even two division crowns remain up for grabs. Without further ado, here’s how we see the 32 teams ranking out just ahead of the postseason.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1, Last Week: 1)
Sure, a narrow win over the lowly Atlanta Falcons isn’t a great sign as the playoffs near. But even when they played their worst football in recent memory, the Chiefs still managed to come out on top and secure the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

2. Green Bay Packers (12-3, 2)
Aaron Rodgers very well might have locked up this season’s MVP Award on Sunday night. The Packers picked up their most impressive win of the season to date with a 26-point beatdown over a motivated Tennessee Titans team.

3. Buffalo Bills (12-3, 3)
The Bills took care of business Monday night, completing a regular-season sweep of the New England Patriots with a blowout win in Foxboro. They can lock up the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a Week 17 victory.

4. New Orleans Saints (11-4, 4)
The Saints broke out of their brief skid with a Christmas Day win over the Minnesota Vikings. New Orleans dropping 52 points without Michael Thomas should scare the rest of the NFC.

5. Seattle Seahawks (11-4, 6)
The Seahawks have looked more like the Seahawks since their upset loss to the New York Giants. Seattle’s latest victories came over teams with legitimate division title hopes: the Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3, 8)
Talk of the Steelers’ demise might have been a bit overblown. Pittsburgh halted its losing streak at three with a comeback win over a very good Indianapolis Colts squad. If the Steelers can get the running game going even slightly, they’ll be a tough out in the postseason.

7. Tennessee Titans (10-5, 5)
The Titans simply looked outmatched under the bright lights of Lambeau Field. But at this rate, we’re not sure if any team in the league is capable of keeping Rodgers at bay.

8. Baltimore Ravens (10-5, 10)
The Ravens are getting hot at the right time. Baltimore now has won four consecutive games, and thanks to the help it received Week 16, it appears to be playoff-bound.

9. Indianapolis Colts (10-5, 7)
The Colts had a golden opportunity to strengthen their playoff chances when they jumped out to a big lead against the floundering Steelers. But Indy let it slip through its fingers, and now it will need some help in Week 7 in addition to a win.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5, 12)
The Buccaneers’ offense on Saturday reached a level of potency most were expecting to see from the unit from the get-go. Tampa Bay is humming, but maybe we shouldn’t put too much stock in a win over the beat-up Detroit Lions.

11. Miami Dolphins (10-5, 13)
Even after handing over the keys to Tua Tagovailoa, it was a little Fitzmagic that likely will be what vaults the Dolphins to the playoffs. Miami still will need to take care of business Sunday in Buffalo.

12. Cleveland Browns (10-5, 9)
The Browns were without all of their top wide receivers Sunday, but even that doesn’t excuse a loss to the New York Jets. Cleveland now is in danger of being a playoff spectator once again.

13. Los Angeles Rams (9-6, 11)
Injury was added to insult for the Rams, who watched the Seahawks claim the NFC West in Week 16. A broken thumb potentially could sideline Jared Goff for LA’s regular-season finale (and beyond).

14. Chicago Bears (8-7, 16)
Don’t look now, but Chicago’s offense actually is starting to look competent. The Bears scored at least 30 points in each of their last four games.

15. Arizona Cardinals (8-7, 14)
The Cardinals let an opportunity go by the wayside Sunday when it fell to the shorthanded San Francisco 49ers. Arizona probably will have to wait until next season for Kyler Murray to lead the team into the postseason.

16. Washington Football Team (6-9, 15)
Washington better hope Alex Smith is able to go in Week 17. Dwayne Haskins and Taylor Heinicke both have proved they’re incapable of leading WFT’s offense.

17. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8, 17)
Talk about a collapse. After looking like a lock for the postseason during the midway point of the campaign, the Raiders fell out of contention by dropping five of their last six games. Ouch.

18. Minnesota Vikings (6-9, 18)
The Vikings deserve some respect for flirting with a playoff spot for a few weeks. But the fact of the matter is, Minnesota’s defense is lousy and Kirk Cousins probably isn’t capable of winning a game with his arm.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (6-9, 20)
It’s long been known the Chargers weren’t bound for the postseason in 2020. But the continued stellar play of rookie Justin Herbert been a bright spot for the Bolts. The future is bright in LA.

20. Dallas Cowboys (6-9, 22)
Somebody has to win the NFC East. Perhaps it will be the Cowboys, who averaged 36 points per game over their last three contests. Dallas needs a win over the Giants and a Washington loss Sunday in order to advance

21. San Francisco 49ers (6-9, 23)
Kudos to the 49ers for not turning in a disastrous campaign despite their slew of injuries to key players. Much of the credit goes to Kyle Shanahan, who soon will need to decide what he believes is best for the franchise under center.

22. New England Patriots (6-9, 19)
Anyone who at one point viewed the Patriots as a potential threat to make some noise in the playoffs probably is feeling pretty foolish. New England has looked awful over the course of its three-game losing streak.

23. New York Giants (5-10, 21)
The Giants might be in trouble Sunday. They’ve dropped three straight entering Week 17, and Andy Dalton and Co. seemingly have finally found a groove.

24. Detroit Lions (5-10, 24)
In fairness to the Lions, multiple coaches weren’t available Saturday and Matthew Stafford exited the game in the first quarter. But even if Detroit was at full strength, it probably wasn’t going to be competitive with Tampa Bay.

25. Philadelphia Eagles (4-10-1, 25)
A potentially franchise-altering offseason awaits the Eagles. It might be too early to give up on Carson Wentz, but Jalen Hurts looked pretty darn impressive over his first three NFL starts.

26. Denver Broncos (5-10, 26)
Given the offensive weapons they possess, this season should be chalked up as a disappointment for the Broncos. Perhaps the franchise should reevaluate whether Drew Lock truly is the guy.

27. Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1, 28)
It would have been easy for the Bengals to completely roll over once Joe Burrow went down. But Cincy has shown respectable fight since the rookie quarterback hurt his knee, and it was rewarded with a shootout win Sunday.

28. Carolina Panthers (5-10, 30)
If you’re not going to reach the playoffs, playing spoiler can serve as a solid consolation prize. The Panthers might have done exactly that by edging out Washington in Week 16.

29. Atlanta Falcons (4-11, 29)
You’d have to go back to Week 5 of last season for the last time the Chiefs were held under 20 points. The Falcons limited Patrick Mahomes and Co. to 17 on Sunday, but it still wasn’t enough to notch an upset win.

30. Houston Texans (4-11, 27)
Given the candor J.J. Watt spoke with following the Texans’ loss to the Bengals, we don’t think he would argue with our spot for Houston on this list.

31. New York Jets (2-13, 31)
Many Jets fans probably are wishing New York held the No. 32 spot on all power rankings. Following back-to-back wins, Gang Green will not be picking first in the 2021 NFL draft.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-14, 32)
Trevor Lawrence probably should start looking for houses in the Jacksonville area.