2023 NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Ravens reign supreme; sorting tight wild-card field
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours!
With the niceties out of the way, let’s commence arguing. Here are the Week 17 power rankings.
NFL Power Rankings
1. Baltimore Ravens (12-3) +1
We’ve got to give the Ravens the appropriate amount of flowers. The 49ers have been the darlings of the league for most of the season. Baltimore didn’t just beat them; they beat them down. A thorough pantsing of the mighty Niners means the Ravens deserve their time in the sun as the NFL’s best team.
2. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) -1
It’s a tough league, Niners. Join the list of Super Bowl contenders who’ve had their butts completely kicked this season. I’m not going to overreact to the loss, but it was disconcerting to see how lost Brock Purdy looked when playing from behind.
3. Miami Dolphins (11-4) +1
As big as the win against Dallas might feel, the Dolphins’ biggest opportunity yet awaits. They just proved they can beat a playoff team. If they can take down the No. 1 team this weekend in Baltimore, they’re in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed.
4. Buffalo Bills (9-6) -1
I’m dropping the Bills below the Dolphins because their win against the Chargers was lackluster. But the Bills now have the playoffs in their grasp, and there’s an outside shot at a division title. That’s not too shabby for a group that was left for dead a month ago.
5. Cleveland Browns (10-5) +2
I can’t get enough of this story. The Browns’ fourth quarterback of the season was unemployed six weeks ago, but he also has a Super Bowl MVP award in his trophy case — and Joe Flacco is playing like it. When it’s all clicking, this is a badass team.
6. Dallas Cowboys (10-5) -1
Losing at the final buzzer in Miami is an improvement from the disaster in Buffalo. I’m still not going to drop Dallas below a Philly team they beat soundly just a couple of weeks ago, but it’s looking very likely they’re going to be on the road in the playoffs. They’ve got to figure out how to win away from home.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) no change
It just shouldn’t be this hard. That’s the theme for the Eagles’ entire season. Maybe getting Avonte Maddox and Darius Slay back from injury will help the secondary. Until then, this is about as frustrating an 11-win team as I’ve seen.
8. Detroit Lions (11-4) no change
It didn’t come without stress, but are we going to hold that against the Lions when they just locked up their first-ever NFC North title and their first division title in 30 years? The defense will need to improve if they’re going to make a run, but that’s a problem for a week when they didn’t win a championship.
9. Los Angeles Rams (8-7) +2
Remember the Browns team I was gushing about back at the No. 5 spot? The Rams beat the snot out of them just a few short weeks ago. These guys are rolling, and the only team that’s slowed them down since Matthew Stafford returned from injury is Baltimore. Let them into the playoffs at your own risk.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) +4
Baker Mayfield has played more than well enough to be the Bucs QB1 in 2024. Most people pegged the Bucs as a contender to pick in the top five of the NFL draft, and instead, they’re closing in on a division title. If they secure a playoff spot, a Mayfield extension shouldn’t be far behind.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) -2
It’s a testament to what the Chiefs have accomplished over the years that I’m not giving up on them completely. The loss to the Raiders is the latest reminder that this just isn’t a very good team right now. Maybe Patrick Mahomes can find a way to carry them on a run, but it’s getting harder to see it.
12. Seattle Seahawks (8-7) +2
Well, at least they won. Nothing about the Seahawks’ slugfest in Tennessee was impressive, but they are officially part of the playoff field after their latest last-minute heroics.
13. Houston Texans (8-7) -3
I’m willing to overlook a lot of the Texans’ recent issues if C.J. Stroud can get back for these last two games. Thanks to the weakness of the AFC South, they still have life — provided Stroud is there to give them a spark.
14. Las Vegas Raiders (7-8) +7
Back in 2021, the Raiders opted for Josh McDaniels rather than taking the interim tag off of Rich Bisaccia. Will they go the same route with Antonio Pierce, or has his impressive run been enough to earn the full-time gig?
15. Green Bay Packers (7-8) +3
Imagine how much better you’d feel about Green Bay if they could stop a nosebleed defensively. I hate to pile on defensive coordinator Joe Barry, but we have a lot of evidence that suggests the Panthers shouldn’t be able to move the ball as well as they did on the Packers.
16. Atlanta Falcons (7-8) +8
Similar to the Steelers, this feels like a situation where the quarterback change came too late. Taylor Heinicke gave the Falcons the spark they needed, but they enter Week 17 with a measly 12% chance of making the postseason.
17. Denver Broncos (7-8) -4
It’s amazing how Sean Payton managed to lose the goodwill of his fanbase, miraculously gain it back and then lose it again — all in the span of one season. Hell of a roller coaster for a debut season.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7) -3
Trevor Lawrence’s injury list is about a mile long at this point, but even more concerning are the Jaguars’ continued problems on defense. There’s still time to pull out of the tailspin. But can they?
19. Chicago Bears (6-9) +3
Do you realize that the Bears would be right in the thick of the wild-card race if they didn’t melt down in Cleveland last week? For that matter, they’re about four combined snaps away from a 9-6 record. That doesn’t count for much, but it’s quite a turnaround when you remember how awful the start to their season was.
20. Indianapolis Colts (8-7) -3
Fortunately for the Colts, their entire division also lost on Sunday afternoon. It was an ugly loss in Atlanta that ultimately didn’t affect much. Flush it and aim for a better day against the red-hot Raiders.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) -5
If you’re a Bengals fan looking for silver linings, maybe the Steelers just have Jake Browning’s number. Browning has been abysmal in two games against Pittsburgh, but he’s been awesome in three other games. Maybe he can pick it back up in Kansas City next week.
22. New Orleans Saints (7-8) -2
It’s really simple for the Saints: beat Tampa Bay this weekend or the season’s over. But if I can be brutally honest for a second, would anybody be sad about not having to watch this Saints team anymore?
23. Minnesota Vikings (7-8) -4
It’s weirdly impressive that the Vikings managed to turn the ball over four times and still scare the Lions. With Justin Jefferson back in the lineup, Minnesota certainly looks capable of beating Green Bay and hanging tough in the wild-card conversation.
24. New York Jets (6-9) +1
What planet are the Jets living on? They can’t buy a win when the season is in the balance, and they decide to get a dramatic win after it’s irrelevant. All Sunday’s win did was mess up their draft positioning — which could potentially be very valuable, with Aaron Rodgers expected to return in 2024.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) +4
I respect the hell out of Mike Tomlin, but it’s a pretty rough look that Mason Rudolph played so well just two weeks after Mitchell Trubisky all but sank Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes. The Steelers are still very much alive in the wildcard hunt, so maybe it’s not too little, too late just yet.
26. New York Giants (5-10) -3
Tommy DeVito struggling against an NFC heavyweight isn’t exactly a surprise. Now I’m curious to see if the Giants stick with Tyrod Taylor the rest of the way or give the rookie another shot.
27. New England Patriots (4-11) +3
It’s fun for the current team that they keep pulling out these late-season results. I’m just fascinated by the idea that the Patriots could have a new franchise quarterback and a new head coach in 2024.
28. Tennessee Titans (5-10) -2
A perfect day in Nashville. The Titans did their Mike Vrabel thing and scared the daylights out of a favored opponent — but they didn’t play well enough to screw up their draft positioning.
29. Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) +3
Remember that the Chargers allowed 63 points the previous week, and I think it’s fair to say Giff Smith did the best coaching job of Week 16. Losing competitively to Buffalo is a far cry from where it looked like this squad was heading.
30. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) -3
We’re past the point of being disappointed that Arizona wasn’t more competitive against the Bears. The important thing is draft positioning, and the Cardinals’ collection of picks looks very good.
31. Washington Commanders (4-11) -3
This makes two straight weeks when Jacoby Brissett has sparked the Commanders in ways Sam Howell was unable to. Considering that Washington is currently slated to own a top-five draft pick, I’m starting to wonder whether they draft a new franchise quarterback.
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32. Carolina Panthers (2-13) -2
Ironically, the Panthers played their best offense of the season against Green Bay. They came a fraction of a second from potentially forcing overtime. Even still, they look like a lock to finish with the No. 1 pick in the draft — which, unfortunately, belongs to the Bears.
David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
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