Do you know which teams are good now? No? Me neither, but we do have one final week of regular season action. There appears to be very little consistency amongst the teams fighting for playoff spots, which should make the postseason very interesting. Before we get to that, let’s go over the Week 18 NFL Power Rankings, which are our final rankings for the season.
The 32 teams below are ranked both on where they stand and where they are projected to go. This means that the injuries of today do play a major factor. The NFL is a short season and every loss matters.
With that being said, let’s jump into the Week 18 NFL Power Rankings!
NFL Power Rankings For Week 18
1) Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 1)
The Baltimore Ravens clinched the top seed in the AFC and silenced any remaining doubters they had. Lamar Jackson is the NFL MVP, Isaiah Likely has earned the respect to be mentioned amongst the league’s best young tight ends, and the defense has dogs all over it. The only thing that could stop Baltimore right now is them losing momentum during their bye. Still, there is no doubt they are the top seed in our Week 18 NFL Power Rankings.
2) San Francisco 49ers (2)
It was far from an easy win against the Washington Commanders, despite what the final score says, but it was a win nonetheless. The 49ers defense is allowing teams to move the ball all over them, which is a major concern. An even greater concern was Christian McCaffrey injuring his leg (seemingly hamstring). As I’ve said multiple times, this offense struggles when they don’t have their full cast of star weapons. Will health derail another season in San Francisco? Only time will tell, but for now, they hang onto the second spot in our NFL Power Rankings.
3) Dallas Cowboys (5)
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t really win the game against the Detroit Lions, but it still counted as a win. Dallas showcased how good CeeDee Lamb is, but not much else inspired confidence. Tyron Smith hurt his foot, the Cowboys couldn’t run the ball, and the defense fell apart when it mattered most. They are a talented team, but are the Cowboys winners? They seem like a team that will get bullied in the playoffs.
4) Philadelphia Eagles (3)
The Philadelphia Eagles suffered another loss, and this time it was to the Arizona Cardinals. Yikes. Now, there is a strong chance they will be on the road in the playoffs, which could be bad news. The defense continues to struggle mightily while the offense is out of sync. They don’t have much time to figure this out.
5) Kansas City Chiefs (6)
Harrison Butker was the MVP for the Kansas City Chiefs this past week. His leg helped them defeat the Cincinnati Bengals and lock up the division. This isn’t to say the worries about the Chiefs are cured. The defense is still talented and capable of shutting down just about anyone. The offense, however, is still struggling. We said Kansas City needed to find a running game, and they did exactly that. Still, the passing game is out of sync and in need of new talent.
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6) Miami Dolphins (4)
The Miami Dolphins lost another pass rushing in their blowout loss to the Ravens. Bradley Chubb is lost for the season, which is terrible news. Matters would be made much worse if they lose next week to the Buffalo Bills, as that would mean Miami would be on the road for the entire playoffs, requiring them to see some cold weather and poor playing conditions. They need that win to have a chance in the playoffs.
7) Buffalo Bills (7)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Buffalo Bills found a way to beat the New England Patriots. This puts them in a position to win the AFC East despite their poor start to the season. The Buffalo defense is playing pretty well overall right now, but now it’s the offense that is slumping. Josh Allen is struggling and Stefon Diggs isn’t involved enough. We’ll see if that changes in the AFC East Championship next weekend.
8) Cleveland Browns (9)
The Cleveland Browns have had a Super Bowl-winning defense all year long. Now, with Joe Flacco behind center, they have an offense to be respected as well. As long as Amari Cooper can get back healthy and they can keep running the ball effectively, the Browns will be capable of beating absolutely anyone in these NFL Power Rankings.
9) Detroit Lions (8)
The Detroit Lions should’ve beaten the Dallas Cowboys, but at the end of the day, they didn’t. The Lions’ offensive line seems to be slowing down as the season goes along, which isn’t a good sign. It’s especially scary since Jared Goff is horrendous when he is under pressure. The good news from this past week is that the defense showed it can step up. With the strong possibility of Matthew Stafford coming to town in the playoffs, the defense will need to be ready.
10) Los Angeles Rams (10)
The Los Angeles Rams have clinched a playoff spot thanks to a terrible missed kick from Mason Crosby and a loss from the Seattle Seahawks. And now, the storyline I’ve been talking about on the FlurrySports Podcast may come to fruition — Matthew Stafford comes back to Detroit for a playoff game. Will Jared Goff get his revenge against Sean McVay, or will Stafford show the Lions fans that he wasn’t the reason why Detroit couldn’t win playoff games?