NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Assessing Each Team's Performance

The final week of the NFL season is here and lucky for us, there are plenty of games that are still meaningful.  As we look ahead to Week 17 and the playoffs, I would like to take a snapshot of where the 32 teams are at this point and time and what are some of the factors that got them to this point.

Good, bad or worse, it's always highly debated where a team should truly rank amongst the rest of the league.  So as to not prolong the debate (or criticism) any longer, here's my Week 17 power ranking to get you ready for the last hurrah of the regular season.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13)

The Jaguars get the bottom spot over the Chiefs solely based of the fact that they are even entertaining the idea of bringing in Tebow. 

Gabbert + Henne + Tebow = Same spot next year.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-13)

The Chiefs have scored in the single digits in four of the last six games.  They went through October and November without winning a game.  There really isn’t much else that needs to be said. 

Sorry Romeo, looks like you’re 0-2 on head coaching jobs.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-11)

There’s a good chance that Sunday’s loss to the Redskins was the last time we will see Andy Reid on the Eagles sideline.  Chants of Andy littered the stadium, but if you’ve heard Philly sports radio, you know how they really feel. 

The Eagles lost their sixth consecutive home game and their 10th overall in 11 games.  They will face a Giants team who desperately needs the win to have a shot at the playoffs and Michael Vick will be back at the forefront now that Nick Foles is nursing a broken hand.

Oakland Raiders (4-11)

The Raiders haven’t scored more than 20 points since a Week 9 loss to the Buccaneers.  Questions are arising about if Carson Palmer can lead this team to success, which is frightening considering the price that was paid for him.

Detroit Lions (4-11)

Seven straight losses have the Lions playing the spoiler role against the Chicago Bears, unlike last year when they were going to the playoffs.  Calvin Johnson will look to be the first receiver to top 2,000 yards on Sunday. 

Aside from that, there isn’t much to see here but sheer disappointment and questions of “What went wrong?”

Arizona Cardinals (5-10)

If you thought for one second that the 4-0 Arizona Cardinals were the real deal please read no further.  You clearly can’t be reasoned with.  Three mediocre quarterbacks do not equal one good one. 

Larry Fitzgerald is having one of his worst statistical seasons thanks to this situation.  The defense is one of the teams few bright spots with Patrick Peterson and Kerry Rhodes. 

The Cardinals offense is just bad and losing 10 of 11 games is not a way for a coach to keep his job.

Tennessee Titans (5-10)

It’s never good when the man who has hundreds of millions of dollars invested in a team says he simply can’t watch anymore.  After the 55-7 drubbing by the Packers, Titans head coach will have a lot to answer to in the offseason. 

Jake Locker has not progressed as rapidly as some would’ve hoped and the team is simply not playing well at all.  At this point, they are committed to Locker and going back to Hasselbeck isn’t an option. 

Although, when does moving on completely become an option?

Buffalo Bills (5-10)

Three straight losses including a 50-17 annihilation by the Seahawks assured the Bills yet another season of 10 losses or more for the fourth straight year. 

Their five wins are against teams with a combined record of 21-51, with the Dolphins leading the way with seven wins.  Could this final home game of the season also be the final Bills game for Chan Gailey?

Cleveland Browns (5-10)

The Browns will have lots of front office questions after Sunday’s game.  With new owner Jimmy Haslet and new CEO Joe Banner, it remains to be seen if GM Tom Heckert and head coach Pat Shurmur will be allowed to finish the job they started. 

For now, the Browns can revel in the gem they have in Trent Richardson who is closing in on 1,000 yards.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-9)

I think Tampa’s problem these last two seasons may be as simple as too much Thanksgiving turkey.  Last year’s 10-game losing streak was brutal; however all of the losses starting Thanksgiving weekend were by more than 10 points. 

In 2012, the Bucs went into Thanksgiving weekend 6-4 with a four-game winning streak.  They haven’t won a game since.  The secondary has gotten burned by every quarterback from Peyton Manning to Nick Foles. 

Doug Martin has been a huge asset but Josh Freeman is as inconsistent as they come and given that teams are averaging 29.4 PPG against them, they can’t afford the inability to put points on the board.

San Diego Chargers (6-9)

Unlike previous seasons under Norv Turner, there would be no late season winning streak to run for the playoffs or to get Norv a pass.  The Chargers enter Sunday’s game against the Raiders losers of five of their last seven games and long eliminated from the playoffs. 

The only hope now is to finish with a win, get the new regime in, and find out what happened to Phillip Rivers.

New York Jets (6-9)

Records aside, the Jets are the worst team in football.  They spent so much time trying to compete for headlines with the champion Giants that they didn’t realize the house was on the verge of crumbling around them. 

Mark Sanchez has worn out his welcome in New York.  Tim Tebow seems like he was only truly welcomed by owner Woody Johnson, and now that ship appears to have sailed. 

By the way, the offensive line let your rookie quarterback get sacked 11 times by one of the worst pass rushing teams in the NFL last Sunday.  Had Rex not been so successful in his first few seasons, this would be the coup de grace to end this regime.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8)

Six of their eight losses were by less than 10 points.  In addition, five of those losses were decided by three points.  The Steelers have struggled all year with winning close games. 

Winning at home is also important yet the Steelers have now lost three straight at home after winning their first four.  Injuries to Troy Polamalu and Rashard Mendenhall, as well as Roethlisberger appearing out of sync with Todd Haley’s brand of offense has aided in the team’s underachievement. 

Ineptness by the Baltimore Ravens kept the Steelers in the division title picture longer than probably necessary.

Carolina Panthers (6-9)

Weren’t the Panthers a three-win team a few weeks ago? 

A division win over the Falcons and two wins against AFC Worst opponents and the Panthers are at least trying to look slightly respectable or at least respectable enough to save a certain head coach’s job. 

It seems that since Cam Newton decided to stop moping after games and act like a leader, the team has improved. 

There are still a lot of holes and something still needs to be addressed regarding the expensive-yet-ineffective running back situation, as well as the lack of a legitimate receiving threat at wide receiver other than Steve Smith.

Miami Dolphins (7-8)

It’s another lost season for the Dolphins, although there were a few bright spots.  Reggie Bush will surpass 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season. 

Ryan Tannehill has shown some promise but is still a work in progress.  He has gone the last four games without throwing an interception and has thrown five touchdowns over his last three games.

New Orleans Saints (7-8)

The Saints poor performance is no surprise this season.  Aside from bountygate, the remaining attention has been placed on how epically bad the Saints defense is. 

The Saints’ defense is giving up 27.3 PPG this season and the number jumps to 30 when you factor out the 41-0 shutout against Tampa Bay two weeks ago.  They’re second-worst in pass defense and fourth-worst in run defense. 

With the way this season has gone in Louisiana, a win against the Panthers to finish 8-8 would be a blessing.

St. Louis Rams (7-7-1)

The Rams are looking for a strong finish to the inaugural season of the Jeff Fisher era.  Winning four of their last five has them looking at a potential finish over .500. 

Steven Jackson could be moving on after this season, but there are some good young components for Fisher & Co. to work with.  Also, in case you hadn’t noticed, they aren’t exactly the whipping boy of the NFC West either. 

They’re currently the only team in the division with an undefeated record against division opponents at 4-0-1.  They go for the season sweep on Sunday in Seattle.

New York Giants (8-7)

Tom Coughlin and the Giants have had a rough second half going just 2-5.  They’ve scored only 14 points in their last two games, one of which was a shutout loss to the Falcons. 

While the Giants can still make the playoffs with a win over Philadelphia as well as some help from several teams, it’s not likely we’ll see any playoff magic similar to 2007 and 2011. 

Although running back David Wilson has filled in nicely, their workhorse Bradshaw has started breaking down as of late. 

Defensively, the team can’t get to the quarterback, registering only two sacks in the last three games as well as giving up over 30 points in the last two games.  It is also speculated that this could potentially be the last game in a Giants uniform for Osi Umenyiora.

Dallas Cowboys (8-7)

For the second straight season the Cowboys will be playing for a division title in Week 17.  Tony Romo is having one of his best Decembers in recent memory. 

Aside from his 3-1 record, he’s averaging 332 passing yards per game and has 10 touchdowns with only one interception.  Dez Bryant has caught six of those touchdowns in that same span. 

The Cowboys were beat up on Thanksgiving by the Redskins and now Dallas will have to travel to Washington to even the odds and potentially build some good credit for head coach Jason Garrett. 

With an injured DeMarcus Ware and a secondary that was gashed for 443 yards and three touchdowns by the Drew Brees and the Saints, one must wonder how much containment they can truly put on the dual-threat that is RGIII.

Chicago Bears (9-6)

A season that started with such promise—7-1 to start the season—has taken a really ugly turn—2-5 in last seven games.  The Bears still have a chance at the playoffs.  It will take a road win at Detroit and some help from the Packers. 

The Bears have lost four critical games against NFC playoff contenders on the last six weeks—49ers, Seahawks, Vikings, Packers—and have seriously damaged their chances at scoring any tiebreaker wins. 

Brian Urlacher is still questionable for Sunday’s game due to a hamstring.  There’s also concern about Matt Forte’s health after injuring his right ankle during last Sunday’s win in Arizona. 

Fortunately for Chicago, the Packers have something to play for and will be looking for a win over the Vikings.  Otherwise, a Bears victory Sunday could prove to be moot.

Minnesota Vikings (9-6)

The Vikings are heavily involved in the playoff race after pulling off a surprising win against the Houston Texans.  Adrian Peterson has defied all odds and with a solid rushing day he can join the 2,000 yard rushing club. 

Minnesota will host the Packers on Sunday looking to secure a playoff spot with a win.  Peterson needs 208 yards to surpass Eric Dickerson for the single season record. 

It’s a safe bet that Peterson will have every opportunity to break the record given his 210-yard performance against the Packers in Week 13.  Peterson has been the primary force behind the Vikings’ playoff run. 

His 86 yards against the Texans snapped an eight game streak of 100-plus yard rushing performances.  Look for the Vikings to come out guns ablaze.

Baltimore Ravens (10-5)

For the last month, it looked as if the Ravens were deliberately trying not to win the AFC North.  They avoided an embarrassing fourth straight loss by beating the equally lame New York Giants. 

The Ravens defense gave up nearly 30 points per game in that three-loss stretch. 

As they limp into Week 17, there are a lot of questions as to if Joe Flacco and the offense will perform on a consistent basis, as well as if the defense can manage to stop some of the potent offenses that could be coming down the pike (i.e. Patriots, Texans, Broncos). 

With Ray Lewis still recovering from a torn triceps, the team appears to have lost some of its nastiness.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)

The Bengals were one emotional Cowboys win from playing for a division title this weekend. 

However, they have secured their second straight playoff berth for the first time since a man named Ken Anderson called Cincinnati home.  The Bengals have won six of seven including wins against the Giants and the Steelers. 

Andy Dalton and A.J. Green continue to be one of the best QB/WR tandems in the NFL and will be looking forward to getting another crack at a playoff win.

Washington Redskins (9-6)

At 3-6 heading into the bye week, the Redskins looked like…well, the Redskins. 

Since then, they have rattled off six straight wins, including four against division opponents and one against the AFC North champ Ravens. 

Lost in the RGIII hoopla is running back Alfred Morris, whose 1,400 yards, 10 touchdowns and 4.7 yards per carry would make their own ROY claim if the discussions weren’t already so crowded with quarterbacks. 

The defense, led by London Fletcher, has shaved a full touchdown off of their points allowed since their Week 10 bye—27.6 PPG before Week 10 to 20.3 PPG after Week 10.  Its winner takes all against the Cowboys on Sunday night.

Indianapolis Colts (10-5)

I’ll bet that the Saints would give almost anything to have the success from their interim coach that Bruce Arians has had with the Colts this season. 

Assured of a playoff spot, the Colts will now look towards playoff seeding as they face the Texans—the only team to defeat them in the last five weeks.  Andrew Luck is having a historic season, recently passing Cam Newton’s record for passing yards by a rookie. 

Luck is looking to continue the streak of home wins against the Texans—Houston has never beat the Colts in Indianapolis—started by his predecessor Peyton Manning. 

With the last three wins coming in the fourth quarter, the Colts have proven that they can never be counted out too soon.

Seattle Seahawks (10-5)

The Seahawks are arguably the most frightening team in football.  They’ve won four straight and six of their last seven. 

Quarterback Russell Wilson put on a clinic against the Niners defense and has forced people to mention his name in Rookie of the Year conversations.  The biggest concern with the Hawks is if they can perform just as well as a road playoff team. 

The Seahawks boast a 7-0 home record, but they are only 3-5 on the road.  If they can keep the road games close as they have all season—average PPG in a loss is 4.8 points, and no double digit losses in 2012—they should be able to contend with any team on any given day.

Houston Texans (12-3)

The Texans can still lock up the top seed in the playoffs with a win against the Colts, and they certainly will need it. 

The Texans have looked completely out-of-sync in recent weeks.  They have lost two of three by a combined score of 65-20.  The one that stands out is the lost to the Patriots; a potential opponent late in the playoffs. 

Quarterback Matt Schaub is averaging less than 220 passing yards and less than one touchdown per game over the last four games.  Running back Arian Foster has run for more than 50 yards only once in four games. 

Houston is still a dangerous and talented team, but they appear to have lost a step at a very inopportune time.

New England Patriots (11-4)

Prior to Week 15, the Patriots looked like the indestructible Patriots we’ve come accustomed to. 

Five 37-plus point performances in their previous six games—including a 59-24 beatdown of the Colts—had the Pats looking like the perennial AFC favorite. 

A home loss to the Niners and a near defeat to the laughable Jaguars have left people scratching their heads.  Recent games aside, the Patriots continue to give teams a heavy dose of Wes Welker and are hoping to get an “effective” Gronkowski back for the playoffs. 

A 3-1 record against AFC playoff teams is something they can hang their helmets on as well.

San Francisco 49ers (10-4-1)

Maybe it was the jet lag from the east coast flight from Massachusetts, or the 90-plus plays the defense/special teams spent on the field against the Patriots. 

Either way, San Francisco was completely pounded in hostile territory by a playoff-bound division rival.  Could the Seahawks game have been a preview of how Kaepernick could perform in tough playoff environment? 

In their defense, Seattle is undefeated at home and has been since a Week 16 loss in 2011 to these same 49ers.  The 49ers still control their NFC West destiny but now need some help to avoid playing the first playoff weekend. 

Throw in Justin Smith’s elbow, Vernon Davis’ concussion and Mario Manningham’s knee tear and the Niners will really need to buckle down to make it to New Orleans in February.

Green Bay Packers (11-4)

After a rocky 2-3 start—say what you wish, the Seattle debacle counts as a loss—the Pack have won nine of 10 and four in a row. 

A 55-7 butchering of the Tennessee Titans paired with an almost equally bad loss by the 49ers has put the Packers in the driver’s seat for a number two spot in the playoffs and a first-round bye. 

Aaron Rodgers leads the NFL with a passer rating of 106.2 and has a touchdown to interception ratio of nearly 4.5 to 1.  A win this week in Minnesota will secure the bye.

Atlanta Falcons (13-2)

Matt Ryan and his trio of Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzales have managed to take the Falcons to the top of the NFC despite having the fifth-worst rushing offense in the NFL. 

They have won 11 straight home games and locked up the top-seed in the playoffs with a 13-point road win against the Lions. 

They have held their last four home opponents to under 20 points, including a 34-0 shutout to playoff contender New York Giants. 

Streaks like that are the best a team can hope for heading into the postseason.

Denver Broncos (12-3)

The Broncos have won 10 straight games and 11 of their last 12.  In the 10-game span, they are averaging 30.8 PPG and have scored less than 30 only twice. 

While Manning has gotten much of the credit for the Broncos’ impressive streak, kudos needs to be given to their defense, more importantly the pass rush. 

Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil have been giving quarterbacks fits all season, combining for 28.5 sacks.  Road wins against two playoff teams during the streak—Bengals and Ravens—should provide plenty of proof that the Broncos will have no problem playing against top teams in the playoffs.

Follow Walt J as he comes to you on his blog “Live From AREA 49″ with his rants on the world of sports from the fan perspective.  Whether it’s picks against the spread, fantasy football tips or sheer frustration with your team, AREA 49 has a place for you.  Follow him on Twitter at @a49_waltj and @area49sports and on Facebook.