Wildcard Weekend NFL Power Rankings: How Do the 14 Playoff Teams Stack Up? Final Ranks for the Outside Looking In

We have made it! The NFL playoffs start NOW and I could not be more excited. With the conclusion of the regular season not only comes the best time of the season, but so much content is about to be released on this site. I will have the game picks for the weekend, my overall playoff bracket predictions, mock draft 2023 1.0, and my All-Pro teams coming out within the next few days! What a time to be a football fan. Today I will rank the 14 playoff teams in my opinion along with the final rankings for the 18 teams that did not get in. In addition to seeing where a team was in the ranks LAST week, we are going to throw in their rank from week 1 to see how far they have come!

1. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
Last week: #4
Week 1: #5

What a season it has been for the Eagles. For much of the year they have been considered the best team in football, and aside from a slight falter without Jalen Hurts in the lineup, they should still be considered that. With the 1st-round bye, they will have the chance to get key players like Hurts, Lane Johnson, Dallas Goedert, and others completely healthy before trying to win two HOME games to reach the Super Bowl. I really like their chances of coming out of a weak NFC.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)
Last week: #1
Week 1: #2

Full circle for the Chiefs. After week 1 they were #2 and now heading into the playoffs they stay at #2. For what feels like the millionth time in the past 5-6 years, the Chiefs are the #1 seed in the AFC. They will play all their games at home OR at a neutral site (pending their opponent if they make it to the AFC title game). With Patrick Mahomes (the likely league MVP), they will be the favorite in any game they play. Without Tyreek Hill this year, their offense has been arguably MORE explosive. Watch out for Jerick McKinnon in these playoffs.

3. San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
Last week: #2
Week 1: #18

These rankings should really show just how far the Niners have come. In week 1 they took a brutal loss to the Chicago Bears in which their (thought-to-be) franchise QB Trey Lance played awful. 18 weeks and two starting QBs later, the Niners are the hottest team in the league behind another young QB, just not Lance, in Brock Purdy. This team is the favorite of many to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl with their top ranked defense and offense that has been as hot as anyone with Purdy under center. It will be interesting to see how they play against their rival Seahawks on WC weekend.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
Last week: #3
Week 1: #6

Despite a rough start to the season, the Bengals have come full circle and again look like one of the best teams in the NFL heading into the playoffs. This offense truly looks better than it did last year when it took the world by storm on the way to the Super Bowl. Ja'Marr Chase catches everything. He just does. It is crazy how accustomed to it we have all become as he is just so good. The real story is their defense which stays underrated but will be able to stop ANYONE in the playoffs, even Mahomes and the Chiefs. It is looking like they too might pretty much have a first-round bye if both Lamar Jackson AND Tyler Huntley miss the wildcard game this weekend with injury.

5. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
Last week: #5
Week 1: #1

It is not all that crazy to say the Bills have stayed the #1 team in the NFL all season. The Bills were the widely considered top team in the early portion of the season, and even with everything that has happened with them, many still consider them to be the top team in the playoffs. Remember, these ranks are just my personal opinion so don't take them too hard. With the talent on this roster and the emotion they are playing with, they could very well be the Super Bowl champions. I truly could see it. I just don't like how streaky they can be on both sides of the ball.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
Last week: #7
Week 1: #29

If this doesn't show how crazy of a turn-around the Jags have had in one season under Doug Pederson, I don't know what does. The Jags, who picked #1 in the 2022 NFL draft have flipped a switch and now look like they are on the brink of being a contender for the next decade. Trevor Lawrence's development and this defense taking it to the next level has been everything as the Jags took the AFC South against the Titans this Saturday and now come in as my SIXTH ranked team going into the playoffs after opening the season #29. Call me crazy for putting them ahead of two 12+ win teams, but this team is hot.

7. Minnesota Vikings (13-4)
Last week: #8
Week 1: #7

In an upstart season with rookie HC Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings have remained in this upper echelon area all year long, as you can tell by their rankings summary. Still, they have stayed in this 5-9 zone all year because of their inability to be consistent. We have seen them win some of the craziest shootouts of the year, and even erase the biggest deficit in NFL HISTORY, but we have also seen them get blown out by lesser competition multiple times. I'm not sure how to feel about this squad that has such a good offense but such a poor defense and can get beaten badly on any given Sunday. They should be on high upset alert hosting the Giants this weekend.

8. Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
Last week: #6
Week 1: #28

The week 1 ranks should not be a major indicator of their season here. The Cowboys were a top 10 ranked team pre-season but got blown to shreds in week one by Tampa Bay (their WC opponent) which caused everyone to overreact and put them very low. Aside from that awful showing, Dallas has consistently been inside the top 8 and even as high as the top 3 at certain times. The problem: they are also wildly inconsistent. This is one of the deepest rosters in the NFL with starpower all over their O and D, but we have seen them just flat out fall apart. Their showing this past weekend at Washington was an embarrassment, getting blown out by a team with a losing record starting a rookie QB in his first career game. I am officially worried about Dallas as they gear up to head to Tampa and face Brady and the Bucs.

9. New York Giants (9-7-1)
Last week: #9
Week 1: #22

Very similar to the Jaguars, this one season turnaround behind rookie HC Brian Daboll was a miracle. The Giants have been awful over the past 5 or so seasons and they were also last season. All it took was Daboll and a little believing and this team is starting to look like the real deal. They know who they are on offense and go with that and it works. On defense they are developing into a top 10 unit as well. This is the definition of a scary wildcard team that no one wants to face. They have their duds, sure, but they can beat anyone on any given Sunday. I'm pretty excited to see them in Minnesota this weekend.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
Last week: #13
Week 1: #3

Their record combined with their rankings summary explains the Buccaneers' season fully. They were a top end Super Bowl favorite going into the year and have since disappointed greatly, yet they found their way in and all Tom Brady needs is a chance. With the division win, the Bucs will get to host one or maybe even more playoff games in the post-season. That coupled with Brady's timeless playoff magic could be a shocking recipe for another deep playoff run. They are also facing Dallas at the perfect time...

11. Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)
Last week: #10
Week 1: #4

The Chargers were my pre-season Super Bowl favorite. The is basically reflected in their week 1 ranks. It has been a very up and down season but for the most part, this team has looked average and at times, very poorly coached. I stand by my belief that they are being held back by the coaching of HC Brandon Staley. Nonetheless, this is a team that can beat anyone in any given game. They have probably a top 3 ROSTER in football, and even though that doesn't always translate, it is not a bad thing to have in the playoffs. Starting in Jacksonville, this team has a chance to make a surprise deep playoff run in Herbert's first playoff showing.

12. Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
Last week: #15
Week 1: #19

Wrote off by everyone entering the season, the Seahawks have defied the odds all year long and are IN to the playoffs in their first season without Russell Wilson. For this team, just getting in was enough and anything more is just icing on the cake. This team has a bright future ahead, but I am not convinced that we will see much more of them in THESE playoffs. I'm never counting this group out again, but it is going to be a challenge to win at Levi's stadium in SF this Saturday. Still, I think they have a shot, even if every analyst is calling for a Niner blowout. This one should be close.

13. Miami Dolphins (9-8)
Last week: #16
Week 1: #11

I cannot express my regret enough that we are not going to be seeing QB Tua Tagovailoa in Buffalo this weekend. With Tua in the lineup, this game could have been the best one of wildcard weekend. The Bills and Dolphins split their season series and both games were down to the wire. With Tua in, the Dolphins had a shot at pulling off probably the biggest potential upset of the weekend. The 'Fins have had to make do with terrible injury luck all year, and while I think the future is bright, this will not be the year for a deep playoff run, with unproven rookie QB Skylar Thompson at the helm.

14. Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
Last week: #11
Week 1: #8

Speaking of tough injury luck, the Baltimore Ravens. I am also pretty sad to hear that we will likely not see Lamar Jackson against the Bengals this weekend. Jackson has been injured for over a month and in his absence the Ravens have unraveled. With Tyler Huntley also likely missing the game, the Ravens are simply screwed against the red-hot Bengals. This will likely make for quite the interesting off-season in Bmore, with Jackson a UFA...

______________ (Non-playoff teams below)

15. Detroit Lions (9-8)
Last week: #17
Week 1: #21

If I was putting non-playoff teams in the top 14, the Lions certainly would be. In fact, they'd probably crack my top 7-9 right now. What a season it was for the Lions. They started out terribly, 1-6. It looked like the classic Lions we all know and hate. Then, Dan Campbell did what he does best and motivated his team and they finished the season out on a tear, going 8-2 and coming on the BRINK of their first playoff berth in years. Even though this team did not make it, they should feel really really really good about themselves going into 2023 and beyond. Dan Campbell is clearly their HC of the future. Jared Goff has proved he's their franchise QB. They have found multiple young defensive stars in DE Aidan Hutchinson and S Kerby Joseph. This team, starting next season, will be the NFC North favorites for years to come! Seattle owes them a big present.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)
Last week: #18
Week 1: #16

There may not be a better coach in the NFL than Mike Tomlin. 16 years as the HC and ZERO losing seasons. That streak was in SERIOUS jeopardy this season, as the Steelers were amongst the bottom records in the NFL for a good portion of the season, but Tomlin, helped by standout rookie QB Kenny Pickett willed his team back from the dead and to the brink of the playoffs. Without a last second Miami win over the Jets in week 18, his Steelers would have been dancing in the playoffs. This late season surge and a full off-season for Pickett should bring some serious excitement about 2023 to the Steel City!

17. New England Patriots (8-9)
Last week: #14
Week 1: #25

I will give props to the Pats. They started the season out with no one believing in them, and they rallied to the brink of another Belichick playoff berth, coming up just short with a loss to Buffalo on Sunday. Still, I put this team on the higher end of the teams that aren't in the playoffs because I believe the future is bright. With an easy top 5 defense, all they have to is figure out the offense, which is actually not too tall of a task given how AWFUL their offensive staff was this year (a DC calling the offensive plays 😂 ).

18. Washington Commanders (8-8-1)
Last week: #22
Week 1: #17

A pretty average, up and down team all season long, I would chalk this year as a W for them anyway. They had to deal with so much QB turmoil all year long and still finished at .500 with some huge wins. Props to them and Ron Rivera. Still, this sets up for an off-season where they will be looking to make some big time moves, particularly at the QB position once again. Either way, they MAY have something in 4th-round rookie Sam Howell, who played a great game in his first career start vs Dallas on Sunday.

19. Cleveland Browns (7-10)
Last week: #20
Week 1: #20

This 19-20 range has been where Cleveland has lived all year. Obviously that ranking and a 7-10 finish is not what this playoff contending team over the past few seasons would hope for, but there were a lot of circumstances (mostly the Watson suspension) that makes this quite respectable. In 2023 they will have a full season of Watson at QB and a NEW defensive coordinator with Joe Woods fired the other day. Both are major reasons for hope and that this team will be a top seed in the AFC in 2023.

20. Green Bay Packers (8-9)
Last week: #12
Week 1: #14

I'll give credit to Aaron Rodgers and his team for not giving up after a terrible start to the season and almost winning 5+ games in a row to storm their way back into the post-season. Still, the way they fell short has the world questioning everything. They collapsed vs the Lions and it now looks like Aaron Rodgers' career is in more doubt than ever after the way he left the field following the loss. This is going to be an interesting off-season in Green Bay, for like the 7th season in a row.

21. New York Jets (7-10)
Last week: #23
Week 1: #32

Obviously the Jets unraveled down the stretch, but this team was 6-3 at one point and looking really good. For my #32 team after week 1, that is a job well done. The Jets played stellar defense all year, but with their carousel of crappy QBs, they were not able to get over the hump and the longest post-season drought in the NFL continued. I think this season proved Robert Saleh is their coach of the future and that they are a QB away (Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson?) away from competing for real.

22. Carolina Panthers (7-10)
Last week: #24
Week 1: #31

The SECOND worst ranked team after week 1 also put up a respectable finish to the year. They were in the division race til the very end and wound up actually finishing second in a division many thought they would be runaway last place losers in. Steve Wilks is the real deal, finishing the season with a .500 record since taking over and giving his squad a new, run first identity. I'm impressed by this Panthers and think they could be a playoff contender with a new signal caller in 2023.

23. Tennessee Titans (7-10)
Last week: #19
Week 1: #23

After an unceremonious last minute loss to the Giants in week 1, the rest of the season sort of continued that way. The middle half of their season was promising and it looked like they would run away with the weak AFC South, only to lose their final 7 games and drop out of the playoffs altogether. This brings up an off-season of change in Nashville. Tannehill is likely gone. They just fired their OC Todd Downing. Could the Titans shock the world and move off of Derrick Henry? Anything and everything is in play. This team is regretting the AJ Brown trade now I'll tell you.

24. New Orleans Saints (7-10)
Last week: #21
Week 1: #12

High expectations going into the season, very low ones to end it. This first season without Sean Payton in the big easy was mostly a disaster. Michael Thomas got injured again. Jameis Winston is NOT the answer at QB. Alvin Kamara wasn't himself. And the team won just 7 games. The worrisome part is the little assets they have to fix everything. No cap space, no high draft picks, probably not even the answer at HC. The Saints will have to hope to receive an arm and a leg for the rights to Sean Payton if he is indeed hired by another team.

25. Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Last week: #25
Week 1: #13

Just like the Saints, high expectations going, very low ones to end the season. Josh McDaniels doesn't look like he is going to be fired as HC, but he really should be. Every good thing the Raiders built up at the end of last season under Rich Bisaccia, McDaniels ruined. These Raiders now face a lot of uncertainty heading into the off-season, as a divorce from Derek Carr is inevitable now. Who will replace him at QB? How will it affect Davante Adams (who came to Vegas for Carr)? Will it be Tom Brady? We will know all of these answers soon!

26. Denver Broncos (5-12)
Last week: #30
Week 1: #15

The Broncos were ranked even HIGHER before week 1, but after week 1 being up at #15 feels like a joke for how this team finished out. Still, since firing HC Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos looked much better and Russell Wilson finished the season out with two strong performances, especially this past week in which he looked REALLY good. That is very promising for a team that is going to get a new HC and hopefully some new offensive talent in the off-season. 2023 could be what we all thought 2022 might be for the Broncos. Still, they send their top 5 pick to Seattle...

27. Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Last week: #26
Week 1: #30

Pretty much where we expected the Falcons to be all year. They are, in my opinion, the team in the worst spot in the league. They don't have a ton of cap space. No super high draft pick. Their defense has countless holes. They have no direction at QB. This team is like dead in the middle and I don't know how they are going to figure it out without snagging a franchise QB somehow. Still, their offense has the pieces for a good QB, especially now that RB Tyler Allgeier has proved he is their RB of the future with how he finished off the season!

28. Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Last week: #29
Week 1: #24

The disappointing Cardinals have been hovering around this range all season long. Still, things are already looking up in the desert just a few days after their season is over. They secured the no. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and there are strong rumors linking Sean Payton to Arizona. A pairing between Payton and Kyler Murray could unlock the gifted young embattled signal caller. However, it appears DeAndre Hopkins could be on the trade block as well this off-season which Cardinal fans can't be stoked about.

29. Los Angeles Rams (5-12)
Last week: #27
Week 1: #9

The Rams ended a terrible, disappointing, no good season with a loss that encapsulates all of those terms. It would have been nice to at least knock their rival Seahawks out of the playoffs and they came close, but ultimately got embarrassed in OT and fell short. The Rams are not in a good spot. Matthew Stafford will be back but he looked aged and tired before injury this season. Sean McVay is strongly considering leaving the team for the booth which would be a killer for this squad that is so depleted of assets. What happens with McVay in the coming days will set the tone for not only next season, but really the future of a team that sold its soul for one ring. This was, record-wise, the worst season EVER for a defending champ...

30. Chicago Bears (3-14)
Last week: #28
Week 1: #27

As you can see, the Bears have been hovering around the very bottom all season long, and now they have finished with THE worst record in the league. I don't put them at the very bottom of the ranks though, because I think the Texans and Colts were worse overall, and the way those two teams finished the last week. The Bears are actually in a great spot. They appear to have their franchise QB in Justin Fields, they now have the no. 1 pick in the draft off of pure luck, and they have over $100 million in cap to spend this off-season. This is gonna be a fun rebuild for GM Ryan Poles.

31. Houston Texans (2-14-1)
Last week: #32
Week 1: #26

For the team that has spent the most time in the #32 slot this season, they finish SLIGHTLY higher than it, at 31. I really don't know what to make of what just happened with this team. Down a score to the Colts in the 4th quarter, the Texans came back and WON, converting multiple 4th and longs and a 2pt conversion. If they lost the game, they would have gotten the no. 1 overall pick in the draft. Really odd decision to not give in at the end there. The team also fired their first year HC in Lovie Smith for a second straight year. This is such a poorly run franchise but they do have a lot of assets to work with in the off-season and beyond. Odd end to the year but definitely a bright future in Houston if they can hire the right HC here.

32. Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1)
Last week: #31
Week 1: #10

For a team I thought so highly of going into the season and one ranked top 10 after week 1, what a fall from grace. The Colts had the 4th worst record in the league, so it might seem odd that they are at 32, but it just makes sense. How the hell did they blow that against the Texans. I can only guess that they were purposely losing. If not, jesus. They better get a new HC because it is clear as DAY that Jeff Saturday is not ready or equipped to be an HC. Hopefully they can figure this thing out in the off-season. I can't believe they lost to the Texans that way AND blew the biggest lead in NFL history in the same month.

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JKNFLFOOTBALL Week 18 Honors

Offensive Player of the Week: Jerry Jeudy, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
Statline: 5 receptions for 154 yards | + 39 yards rushing

Defensive Player of the Week: Kerby Joseph, Safety, Detroit Lions
Statline: 1 INT (game-winning), 2 pass deflections, 5 total tackles

Special Teams Player of the Week: Nyheim Hines, Kick Returner, Buffalo Bills
Statline: 2 KR TD's (96-yarder and 101-yarder), first player with 2 return TDs since 2010