NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Latest Standings, Team Records and More
Final positioning in the NFL power rankings is one of many details at stake in Week 17.
While the playoff picture has just a handful of details up for grabs—especially on the NFC side of things—there are plenty of ranking implications.
For those teams out of the playoff hunt, keep in mind that slots in the power rankings generally reflect draft futures as well, which is where most of the league's fans will next look with so many teams missing the playoffs.
Let's take a look at updated power rankings ahead of the giant Week 17 slate.
Week 17 NFL Power Rankings
| 1 | New England Patriots |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 3 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 5 | Detroit Lions |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 8 | Oakland Raiders |
| 9 | New York Giants |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 12 | Denver Broncos |
| 13 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans |
| 15 | Washington |
| 16 | New Orleans Saints |
| 17 | Houston Texans |
| 18 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers |
| 20 | Indianapolis Colts |
| 21 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 22 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 23 | Buffalo Bills |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 25 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 26 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 27 | San Diego Chargers |
| 28 | New York Jets |
| 29 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 30 | Chicago Bears |
| 31 | Cleveland Browns |
| 32 | San Francisco 49ers |
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.
NFL Standings
| * -New England Patriots | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| y -Miami Dolphins | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| z -Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| z -Houston Texans | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| x -Oakland Raiders | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| x -Kansas City Chiefs | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| ** -Dallas Cowboys | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| y -New York Giants | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| z -Atlanta Falcons | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| z -Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 13 | 0 |
Teams to Watch in Week 17
Miami Dolphins
Week 17 looks like a good time for the globe to catch up on the Miami Dolphins.
After all, most fans probably recall the Dolphins stumbling to a 1-4 start, as many people questioned the future of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Fast-forward to now, though, and those same Dolphins are a 10-win team, having lost only one game since Week 5.
Miami has smacked around the non-New England portion of the AFC East, sweeping the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. The Dolphins also downed a notable Pittsburgh Steelers team to start this run of good fortune.
Now the Dolphins seek revenge on the Patriots, who sound more than ready for the challenge.
"They've been the best team in the second half," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com). "There's got to be something to it."
Indeed, the Dolphins have won their last two games despite starting Matt Moore under center after Tannehill suffered a knee injury. The veteran backup has thrown six touchdowns against two interceptions over that span.
Part of Miami's success stems from a defense that allows just 23 points per game and boasts 16 interceptions and 33 sacks. Miami lost to New England on the road in Week 2 despite the absence of Tom Brady. Beating the Patriots now would send quite the warning shot to the rest of the AFC playoff bracket.
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins look like a dangerous team—should they make the playoffs.
All Washington has to do is take down the New York Giants and hope an encounter between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers doesn't end in a tie.
The first part of the equation is much harder than the second. A tie doesn't seem likely, but beating the Giants again is quite the task. Washington did the trick back in Week 3, but only by two points thanks to Kirk Cousins throwing two touchdowns and no picks.
Much has changed since then, with the Giants not having much to play for other than spoiling Washington's playoff bid. The Giants hit Sunday on an 8-2 mark to close the season, including posting recent wins against Detroit and the Dallas Cowboys.
So no, Sunday isn't a cakewalk for Cousins, who has 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions on the year but has looked shaky in the team's ongoing 2-2 run.
In fact, Washington has been erratic at best to close the year, losing to disappointing teams such as Arizona and Carolina but taking care of business against rival Philadelphia on the road.
Washington can't afford to look ahead because the Giants might rest starters at some point. Having a playoff bid spoiled by a fierce rival would add insult to injury and tank any remaining good vibes the team has in the power rankings.
Detroit Lions
It doesn't take long to figure out how the Lions sit on nine wins and lead the NFC North.
Matthew Stafford has been electric this year with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions, leading crucial late drives while being backed by a defense that is permitting just 21.8 points per game.
The Lions head into Sunday lacking crucial momentum thanks to a brutal schedule that had them play the Giants and Cowboys in consecutive weeks before welcoming Green Bay to town. Despite the skid, the Lions have a 5-2 mark over their last seven.
In fact, one of the only major feats the Lions didn't accomplish this year was beating the Packers on the road in Week 3. The 34-27 loss didn't work out because while Stafford tossed a trio of scores, Aaron Rodgers threw four, nullifying a second-half rally by Detroit.
Stafford and the Lions have a shot at redeeming themselves by containing Rodgers this time around. It's not an easy task considering the Packers look like one of the best teams in the league on their current tear, but this contest does take place at home.
Speaking of home-field advantage, the Lions have won six straight at Ford Field. As for Stafford, he has directed eight fourth-quarter comeback wins this year, an NFL record.
If Stafford can pull off some magic again to defeat the Packers, the Lions—already a dangerous team—would look that much scarier going into the playoffs.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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