NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Seahawks reclaim No. 1 spot, while Jaguars hit top 5; Rams plummet

I couldn't have imagined vaulting the Seahawks into the top spot after a game in which they allowed 581 yards and lost the turnover battle, 3-0, but here we are. Seattle has been here before, and I clearly have served as the team's white knight for various stretches, but I admit I am making this elevation with sincere hesitation. These Seahawks scare me, too, as good as they truly are. Sam Darnold deserves a ton of credit for bouncing back after throwing two bad interceptions on the prime-time stage, and there's undeniable fight/grit to this squad. Even still, the NFC West and the No. 1 seed are not locked up yet, and Nick Emmanwori, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen all suffered injuries in last Thursday's big win. The 'Hawks can wrap everything up with two more victories, but games against the Panthers and 49ers will be no cakewalk.

Down 11 points in the fourth quarter, on the road, with several key players injured, Drake Maye and the Patriots refused to die. Maye caught fire in the final quarter, leading two long touchdown drives, with Rhamondre Stevenson's TD romp giving the Pats a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The comeback win clinched a playoff berth for New England, moving the team into a dominant position to also claim the AFC East crown in the next two weeks. Losing Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate TreVeyon Henderson (concussion protocol) for any length of time would be a worry, and as mentioned above, that wasn't the only notable health setback the Pats suffered in the game. They're very thin on both lines of scrimmage right now but should eventually get help from players returning from IR, including OT Will Campbell and DT Milton Williams. They'll be warmly welcomed back to a team that has outplayed all expectations and will be a fascinating case study in the postseason. 

The Bills survived a tough game at Cleveland. The Browns had two fourth-quarter possessions while facing a three-point deficit, but Sean McDermott's defense got a pair of much-needed stops. Before that, it was a fire drill, as Cleveland ran the ball efficiently and Shedeur Sanders made some wild plays. The Bills' D remains a concern, and they're still going to need more from players not named Josh Allen and James Cook. But let's also give credit where it's due: This is Buffalo's sixth consecutive season with 11 or more victories, the longest active streak in the NFL. It really hasn't been easy at times this year, but there's a mental toughness baked into this roster that can't be dismissed. Unfortunately for Buffalo, New England came back to beat Baltimore on Sunday night, slimming down the Bills' already-lean chances of winning a sixth straight AFC East crown.

The Broncos' celebrated defense had its hands pretty full with the Jaguars for most of a frustrating day, while Bo Nix and the offense never found that fourth-quarter magic we're so used to seeing them summon. In a game that felt like a Divisional Round playoff matchup, Jacksonville took a few early punches and fought back hard. Missed tackles were a problem for Denver's defense. Jags QB Trevor Lawrence took some sacks but also hit some big plays against the blitz. LB Dre Greenlaw's late injury also bears watching. It was a disappointing result all the way around, especially with the top seed in the AFC there for the taking. Now, even the division is in some doubt. This Thursday's Christmas night game in Kansas City looks far easier, with both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew out, but the Week 18 showdown with the Chargers suddenly looms very large.

What a statement performance from the barnburning Jaguars, who keep one-upping themselves en route to a potentially historic season. First, there was the monumental win (at the time) over the Chiefs. Then the stomping of the Chargers at home. But Sunday's triumph felt different, with Jacksonville going into Denver's den and really seizing control of the game. Trevor Lawrence turned in one of his best performances, and he's been on fire lately with 19 TDs (16 passing, three rushing) in the Jags' six-game win streak, including a whopping 10 in the past two. The defense also served up a reminder against the Broncos that it's better than people realize, coming up with some big stops and heating up the pass rush late. Who says Jacksonville can't make a Super Bowl run in Liam Coen's first year? The AFC is wide open.

With Saturday night's thrilling OT victory over rival Green Bay, Chicago now has 11 wins -- with six of them coming after the Bears trailed in the final two minutes of regulation. They needed a face-mask penalty on third-and-20 and a recovered onside kick, among other things, in order to pull out that miracle against the Packers, which demonstrates both their extraordinary resilience and their propensity to make things harder than they need to be. The reward for those late-game heroics is that the Bears have clinched a playoff spot, they are the overwhelming favorites to win the NFC North, and the No. 1 seed remains possible. Simply beating the 49ers and Lions might not get it done, however, and as Ben Johnson said in the locker room after Saturday's win: "We need to get better." If the Bears do, Chicago might not know what to do with itself.

When this 49ers offense is on, it can be an absolute buzzsaw. San Francisco has a punter who hasn’t kicked since November! The Colts are pretty battered defensively, but the 49ers had their way with them all night until Brock Purdy’s late pick kept the door open for a minute. Otherwise, Purdy was terrific on Monday night, throwing a career-high five TD passes and some absolute beauts. The flip side is that Philip Rivers kind of made mincemeat of San Francisco's defense, at least until Dee Winters ended it with his pick-six. The Niners made sure not to let Jonathan Taylor get going, but Rivers had open receivers from which to choose. If the 49ers can get back to that Panthers game level of performance, I’d like them a bit more. But there’s still a decent pathway toward stealing the NFC West and putting themselves in a very favorable spot. If that happens, I’ll gladly slide them up.

The Rams went from blowing the Seahawks out of their own building midway through the fourth quarter ... to ultimately dropping five slots to the NFC's No. 6 seed. Coughing up a 30-14 lead last Thursday and eventually losing when Seattle TE Eric Saubert caught a two-point conversion in overtime, Sean McVay's team suffered a setback that was simply shocking, especially on a night when it rang up 581 yards of offense and didn't turn the ball over. There certainly were plenty of missteps, including those on special teams that led to the somewhat-stunning firing of coordinator Chase Blackburn. Not that the Rams' special teams have been good on the whole -- they haven't -- but how often do we see Super Bowl contenders axe coaches in late December? Had Los Angeles stopped Seattle's final two-point try, would Blackburn have kept his job? Who knows? But all of a sudden, everything we thought about the Rams and their playoff path -- even with Matthew Stafford offering up another MVP-worthy performance -- has been thrown into the blender.

There have been plenty of times recently where the offense has really labored to put together consistent performances, but Sunday was not one of those days. Justin Herbert was terrific, and the offense survived yet another injury at left tackle, with Jamaree Salyer going down early in the game. Whether the Chargers' ease of execution was more about themselves or about facing Dallas is debatable, but it was good to see, nonetheless. Quentin Johnston was back, Ladd McConkey got back in the end zone, and Herbert played at a playoff-ready level. The defense took a few early shots but really finished well. The next two games are barnburners -- vs. Houston, at Denver -- so there's no rest for the weary, but that's now four straight wins and another move up.

The Texans won their seventh straight game on Sunday, but the close-shave victory over the lowly Raiders induced several rounds of boos from the NRG Stadium crowd. Houston's ballyhooed defense gave the team an early lift with Derek Stingley Jr.'s pick-six, but it also allowed Las Vegas to score 21 points and rip off a surprising number of big plays. Meanwhile, the Texans' offense didn't score a touchdown until midway through the fourth quarter, resurfacing concerns about the shape of that unit. The Jaguars' win in Denver also kept the chances higher that the Texans will have to go on the road if and when they clinch a postseason bid.

It wasn't pretty, but beating Washington iced the NFC East crown for Philadelphia, ending a two-decade run of the division never having back-to-back champs. The Eagles played good defense against the Commanders without Jalen Carter, and the offense has slowly started to regain something of an identity in recent games against lesser opponents. Saquon Barkley found some lanes and helped close it out, while Dallas Goedert caught his 10th TD pass of the season. Sure, Philly needed some help from Washington in this one, but the Super Bowl LIX champions took care of business in the end. Just how viable the Eagles are as Super Bowl LX contenders is ripe for debate, but they're at least trending back in the right direction prior to a tough test and playoff tune-up at Buffalo.

It was nothing short of a demoralizing loss in Chicago. The Packers seemed to be in complete command, up 10 late in the fourth quarter, before eventually falling in overtime. And QB Jordan Love left the game with a concussion, making his status unclear for the final two weeks of the regular season. The division-title dreams aren't completely dashed, but Chicago is now firmly in the captain's chair. It's easy to point to the slew of late-game errors -- the face mask, the onside kick, the bomb TD in OT -- as to why the Packers lost, but they also made their bed early in the game. A 16-6 lead should have been much larger, with the Packers coming up short in the red zone. They were 0-for-5 scoring touchdowns down there, including 0-for-3 in goal-to-go situations. They were stopped on downs on the opening drive at the Chicago 7-yard line and fumbled inside Chicago's 5 in the third quarter. Those shortcomings ended up being just as damaging in the end.

You can make a strong case that Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are co-MVPs for this team, combining for 279 of the team’s 481 yards and scoring all three touchdowns at Detroit. The Steelers were in trouble just before the half, down 10-3 prior to Gainwell’s miracle TD, and they controlled the next quarter and a half to take a 22-10 lead. Warren ripped off a pair of 45-yard TD runs to put the game away, although Pittsburgh had to hang on for dear life, surviving a missed chip shot by Chris Boswell and two OPI calls negating Detroit touchdowns. After the Ravens blew their Sunday night game, the Steelers moved into a dominant position in the division race, but they'll be without receiver DK Metcalf for the final two games of the regular season, after he was suspended by the league for a testy midgame altercation with a fan. Always something interesting with this team.

In an electric environment at Bank of America Stadium, the Panthers primed their fans for a home playoff game with a stirring win over the rival Buccaneers to take control of the NFC South. Win out, including the Week 18 game at Tampa, and the Panthers will be hosting in Round 1 -- possibly against a Rams team they beat in Charlotte less than a month ago. Bryce Young is starting to earn a reputation as a late-game finisher, logging his 12th game-winning drive over the past three seasons. Young made several big throws and escaped pressure with some timely scrambles, and Tetairoa McMillan had his biggest game in a month. There were also heroes on defense, including Lathan Ransom -- Week 15's goat with a late penalty -- who intercepted Baker Mayfield to ice the game.

The Lions’ season, for all intents and purposes, might have come to an end on a failed fourth-and-goal play -- one of the wilder ones you’ll see -- and it was somewhat fitting for a frustrating campaign in Detroit. Their playoff chances aren’t completely gone, but it’s going to take something miraculous to get them in now. Two more road games remain, and the Lions need to win one just to avoid finishing below .500. They just never caught fire after the bye, and on Sunday, they suffered a second straight loss for the first time in more than three years. Detroit’s run game has stalled, and a beat-up offensive line has something to do with that. The Steelers also had their way with the Lions' defense, which has been competitive but unable to stop the bleeding. It’s a tough finish for a team that had taken the league by storm the past two seasons. It doesn’t appear to be in the cards this time around.

Lamar Jackson left Sunday night's game against the Patriots with a back injury, the Ravens blew an 11-point lead with 10 minutes left and now their playoff hopes are on life support. Simply winning the final two games doesn't guarantee a playoff spot, thanks to Pittsburgh's win in Detroit. Now comes the big-picture question that I've held back on asking until now: Are we sure John Harbaugh will return in 2026? The Ravens will finish this season 3-6 at home -- more losses in Baltimore than they had in the two previous seasons combined. With Jackson's status unknown and Baltimore traditionally struggling without him in the lineup, the Ravens could be headed for a 10-loss campaign. The future of this proud franchise feels like it's hanging in the balance right now.

Even with Philip Rivers’ late pick-six, he wasn’t the reason the Colts lost Monday night. The defense couldn’t get a stop for the first three and a half quarters, looking helpless against the Niners’ high-powered attack. It hurt that Sauce Gardner remained sidelined, but DeForest Buckner’s return couldn’t lift this beleaguered unit at all. The D played well at Seattle in Rivers’ debut but otherwise has had a tough run recently. Rivers was making throws and nearly matching the 49ers, score for score, until the late mistake. It’s clear he’s been game-ready, even if the Colts dropped both games, ending all realistic hope for a miracle playoff run. What a strange, fascinating but ultimately disappointing season in Indianapolis. 

The Buccaneers might still have the statistical edge to make it into the playoff field over Carolina, but anyone who has seen this team lately is sure to have a different opinion about how the next two weeks will play out. Todd Bowles did his best Lee Elia rant after the botch job against Atlanta, and his team still suffered another crushing loss. Driving for the game-tying field goal or the go-ahead touchdown against the Panthers, Baker Mayfield threw a back-breaking interception to put the Bucs in a win-or-else situation heading into Weeks 17 and 18. Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t allow many yards, but it was way too loose at the ends of both halves, allowing the go-ahead scores to give Carolina the momentum it needed. The Bucs can still take this division by beating the Panthers in the final regular-season game, but a loss at Miami this Sunday could end it early.

The Vikings have now won three straight and will have a chance to finish above .500, with two home games remaining. That’s all fine and nice, but the win over the Giants also came with QB J.J. McCarthy suffering a throwing-hand injury, leaving his availability in doubt -- again. McCarthy undoubtedly has had some bad injury luck in his two NFL seasons, but it calls into question whether his sometimes-reckless playing style can make him an unquestioned NFL starter. How the Vikings approach the QB position this offseason will be fascinating. On the one hand, they likely haven't seen enough to know one way or another whether McCarthy's the future, but on the other, it would be tough to go into next season without another higher-quality alternative. 

The defense had a little flourish after the trade-deadline acquisition of Quinnen Williams, but the afterglow is gone following another stinker on that side of the ball. It's fair to point out that the personnel is still quite lacking in multiple spots, but the Cowboys can't be happy with 140 points allowed in their past four games. The temperature's rising around coordinator Matt Eberflus, but if the franchise makes a change, it would introduce Dallas' fourth defensive coordinator in as many years. You saw Brian Schottenheimer's lack of faith in the unit when he opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Chargers' 16-yard line in a seven-point game late in the third quarter. Los Angeles stopped Dallas on the play and then scored the final 10 points of the game.

The Chiefs’ season was already slipping away before Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL, but watching them struggle mightily against the Titans after Gardner Minshew suffered his own knee injury was quite revealing. There was a time when the mighty Chiefs could have absorbed losing Mahomes and still managed to beat an opponent near the bottom of the standings, but that time is not now. Say what you will about Kansas City not having something to play for, but it’s hard not to notice that Mahomes -- even with his warts, and as tough as this season has been -- often has covered up the team's other shortcomings. Perhaps this clarity will seep into the offseason plans, because bouncing back next season won’t be any finger snap.

My unsolicited advice to the Falcons: ride Bijan Robinson and be smart with Drake London. The Falcons aren’t going to the playoffs, and it was clear Sunday in London’s return to the field that he didn’t look right. Head coach Raheem Morris chalked it up to the star receiver being rusty, but the Falcons don't gain much by working him full throttle in these final two games. Robinson should be the workhorse down the stretch as he chases an All-Pro bid and keeps adding to his league-leading scrimmage-yards total (2,026). Even with the Falcons being stuffed on two fourth-quarter fourth-and-1s in the win, Robinson is their best chance to play spoiler against the Rams and beat the suddenly competent Saints. Atlanta needs to be competitive down the stretch, with owner Arthur Blank reportedly set to evaluate the futures of Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after the season went off the tracks quickly. 

Amid all the doom and gloom and speculation about Joe Burrow, the quarterback followed up his bad game in a shoutout loss with one of his best performances of the season in a blowout win. Tee Higgins also brightened the mood with his return, kicking off the scoring in Miami. Throw in a big game from Chase Brown and a strong rebound from the Bengals' defense following a tough start, and there were a surprising number of positives coming out of Sunday -- or as many as there could be for a team out of the playoffs. It also helps out Zac Taylor's case as the Bengals weigh what changes to make in the offseason. I suspect they'll be keeping the core in place, hoping for better luck in 2026. Sunday was a reminder it can work, even if the weight of the opponent must be taken into account.

Rookie QB Tyler Shough became the Saints' first 300-yard passer in two calendar years, and he did it while throwing to Chris Olave and a host of backups at receiver, with New Orleans' top three running backs also out. Things were a little sluggish early, but after Taysom Hill converted a fake punt, Shough warmed up and the offense started rolling as Olave tore up the Jets time and time again. The wide receiver's future in New Orleans was once cloudy, but now he projects to being Shough's go-to target next season. Hill also got in on the fun Sunday with a TD pass, and a pair of 36-year-olds, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, led a dominant defensive performance against the Jets. All three players are longtime Saints stalwarts whose futures are up in the air. Was Sunday their final game as Saints in the Superdome?

Quinn Ewers' first start wasn't nearly as bad as the final score (45-21) indicated, but a solid first half was followed by two interceptions and a failed fourth-down sneak. On the rare occasions the Bengals pressured Ewers, he struggled; otherwise, he sort of looked the part, albeit against one of the league's worst defenses. Mike McDaniel made the call to bench Tua Tagovailoa and elevate Ewers over QB2 Zach Wilson, and his decision hasn't backfired on him yet. Sadly, the defense was beaten like a drum by Joe Burrow and Co. That's two rough games in a row on that side of the ball after the unit had shown some promise against the Saints and Jets. Draw whatever conclusions you want, but it's hard not to think the competition mattered.

The Commanders came out strong against the Eagles and even appeared primed to pull an upset in the first half, but the game -- just like Washington's season -- crumbled remarkably fast. Every team has dealt with significant injuries this season, but the Commanders' woes have been particularly painful. Marcus Mariota left with a hand injury, and several others were also hurt: Jaylin Lane, Brandon Coleman, Sam Cosmi and Jer'Zhan Newton. Making matters worse, Javon Kinlaw and Quan Martin were both ejected, putting them in line for potential fines/suspensions. At 4-11, that only means so much, but it's tough to see things come so unglued, even after Washington ended the eight-game losing streak in Week 15.

The Cardinals started the season 2-0, but now they're trending toward a top-five draft pick. Seven straight losses (and 12 in the past 13 games) will have that kind of effect on a team. The fact that eight of Arizona's defeats -- including Sunday’s setback to the Falcons, which dropped the Cards to 1-7 at home -- have been by one score is no anodyne for what’s become a pretty miserable campaign. Sunday also added pain in the form of another disappointing performance by Marvin Harrison Jr. in his return to the field, including a TD drop, and an injury to Josh Sweat, who’s been one of the few bright spots on defense. Calais Campbell continues to defy age with a blocked extra point that kept the game tied at halftime, and Michael Carter made plays for a struggling backfield, but the negatives far outweigh the positives in the big picture.

Don’t look now, but that’s three straight multi-TD passing performances from Cam Ward after he’d failed to throw for more than one in any of his first 12 games. Beating the Chiefs deserved celebration for the downtrodden Titans, even if the win came against a team that was a shell of itself after losing both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew. Jeffery Simmons continues to play hard for the Titans, notching a safety, two pass breakups and a pair of tackles for loss, and the defense followed suit with its best statistical outing since at least Week 1. Winning two of the past three has helped lift the mood in the building, and beating Kansas City had to carry extra weight for GM Mike Borgonzi (with the Chiefs in 2009-2024), even if there are still a lot of holes to plug and the victories have severely damaged the Titans’ chances of landing a top-three draft pick for next April.

Shedeur Sanders was better against the Bills than he was against the Bears one week prior, ripping some confident throws and conjuring up some magic in a game the Browns had legitimate chances to win. But on the flip side, he also turned the ball over twice and was guilty of a grounding penalty deep in Cleveland territory in a one-score game late. He was good but not quite good enough. The Browns are in position to land a top-five draft pick in 2026, and they have the ammunition (also owning the Jaguars' first-rounder) to make a big push for a quarterback. Sanders hasn't yet done enough to assure the team will pass on one. How he finishes the season and whether Myles Garrett breaks the sack record -- he's one full sack away -- are the best reasons to tune into Cleveland in its final two games, which is more watchability than most teams in this range can boast. 

Although Brady Cook wasn't terrible, he had another two fourth-quarter turnovers in the Jets' loss to the Saints, turning a 16-6 deficit into a blowout. Cook will start again this Sunday against the Patriots, but it's clear that the Jets will enter the offseason as one of the teams most in need of solving their long-term QB issues. Aaron Glenn made a change at defensive coordinator last week, and it resulted in some better play (for a while, anyway) on that side of the ball. But how the Jets have gone this entire season without an interception -- an NFL-record 15 straight games -- deserves a well-funded study. It's something that feels nigh impossible -- or, at the very least, only capable of happening to the Jets.

It’s now virtually a dead heat for who’ll get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, with the Giants and Raiders leading the way and the Browns and Jets still in contention. That’s what nine straight losses have done to the G-Men, whose season clearly peaked with the Week 6 win over Philadelphia. Even with six of those defeats coming by one score, including Sunday's 16-13 loss to Minnesota, it’s hard to find much silver lining with the Giants now, as beat up as they are. This Sunday’s game at Las Vegas is essentially both teams’ Draft Super Bowl, and it’s possible that both head coaches in that showdown are in their penultimate contests with their respective clubs. Mike Kafka hasn’t won as an interim coach, and his offense has gone from moderately promising in his first few games to pretty disappointing over the past few. 

Pete Carroll might be embattled, and the Raiders might have lost their ninth straight game, but they came out and battled the Texans for four quarters in Houston, nearly pulling out what would have been a shocking win. The most encouraging aspect, regardless of what happens after the season, was seeing Ashton Jeanty break out for his best game of the year, with a 60-yard TD catch to give the Raiders a third-quarter lead and a 51-yard TD run that made it a two-point game with under six minutes remaining. The Raiders couldn't pull it out, but seeing Jeanty thrive was one of the more welcome developments in a lost season.