NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Latest 2014 Standings and Reaction for All 32 Teams

The 2014 NFL regular season is one week from completion, so the general hierarchy of the league is known. There won't be too many surprises by the time Week 17 wraps up.

Although the vast majority of playoff spots have been decided, a few different divisions remain up for grabs, while an AFC wild-card spot is also on the line on Sunday. Football fans should have plenty to look forward to as the campaign wraps up.

Heading into the final slate of games, it's a good time to discuss where the various playoff contenders stand in relation to one another, while also examining which teams are truly the league's worst.

Below is the full playoff picture before Week 17, followed by the league power rankings. (Note: The teams italicized are playoff contenders who looked the worst in defeat in Week 16).

Playoff Picture

Teams Eliminated from Playoff Contention

32. Tennessee Titans

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

The bad news is that the Tennessee Titans are completely awful and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, running their losing streak to nine games. The good news is that they continue positioning themselves well in the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes. It's all about perspective.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By itself, losing to the Green Bay Packers isn't a big deal. The problem arises when you lose to the Packers and only manage to gain 109 yards of offense. What else needs to be said about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at this point? If they fail to get the No. 1 overall pick, it would be the cherry on top of a dismal campaign.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

You can say this for the Jacksonville Jaguars: They can beat the teams worse than them. Everybody knew that Jacksonville would be terrible this year. The big thing for the Jags is nailing the upcoming draft and making visible strides in 2015. If Gus Bradley goes something like 4-12 or 3-13 for another season, the front office will be asking some big questions.

29. New York Jets

If there is such thing as a moral victory, then the New York Jets got one in Week 16. Alas, moral victories don't count in the standings. It's hard to get excited about anything with this franchise. Rex Ryan probably doesn't deserve to be fired, and whomever his likely replacement is won't do much better based on the franchise's recent history.

28. Washington Redskins

The Redskins could've completely packed it in and let the Philadelphia Eagles walk all over them. Instead, Washington pulled off the upset and helped eliminate Philly from the playoffs. That at least adds some satisfaction to an otherwise frustrating campaign.

27. Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are 3-2 in their last five games. They eliminated the Bills from the playoff picture, thus preserving what is the one postseason drought longer than theirs, per NFL on ESPN:

Who needs Jim Harbaugh when you've got Tony Sparano?

"I think he's done a strong job for us," said Charles Woodson of Sparano possibly taking the head coaching job on a more permanent basis, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. "Of course I'm not privy to those decisions, but up until this point, he's definitely made his case."

26. Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler will start in Week 17, per SportsCenter:

That should at least add some entertainment for Chicago Bears fans who are just hate-watching the team at this point. Why not at least have some fun with the team's ineptitude? Pitchers and catchers will report to Chicago Cubs spring training in February, so there's that to look forward to.

25. New Orleans Saints

Where do the New Orleans Saints go from here? Do they really consider firing Sean Payton or moving away from Drew Brees at quarterback? Changes seem necessary with the team's disappointing year, but Grantland's Bill Barnwell described in depth how New Orleans' finances present so many problems for the future.

No team played below expectations more than the Saints. It's hard to believe that they were considered a Super Bowl contender before the year began.

24. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns couldn't be finishing the season much worse. They've lost their last four games, and in doing so have created a major question as to whether Johnny Manziel can be the franchise quarterback going forward. This offseason will be very interesting for Cleveland.

23. St. Louis Rams

Jeff Fisher hasn't won more than seven games in his three seasons with the St. Louis Rams. There shouldn't be questions asked about his job security, but at the same time, mediocre is only good enough for so long. How Fisher handles the quarterback position in the offseason will be key to St. Louis' potential in 2015.

22. Minnesota Vikings

There isn't much you can do when a blocked punt-turned-safety decides the game. The Minnesota Vikings did well to compete with the Miami Dolphins on the road last Sunday, and Teddy Bridgewater's performance is a reason for optimism. The NFC North's gonna be tough in 2015, but don't be surprised if Minnesota's hanging around the wild card with nine or 10 wins this time next year.

21. New York Giants

If nothing else, the New York Giants at least found a potential All-Pro wideout in Odell Beckham Jr. this year. When was the last time the franchise had a player like Beckham? Victor Cruz is a former Pro Bowler, but Beckham has the potential to be a cornerstone for the franchise for years to come. In 11 games this year, he has 79 receptions for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns.

20. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers looked listless at times on Saturday night. They had a 21-point halftime lead over the San Diego Chargers but somehow managed to lose. There was something inevitable about the collapse, too, after Corey Liuget's fumble recovery in the end zone. Harbaugh's been wildly successful with the team, but the timing might be right for a change.

19. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins may have won on Sunday, but it wasn't enough to salvage their playoff hopes. It's kind of tough to grade Miami's season because it feels like the team should've done more, but none of its losses are all that bad in retrospect—in terms of the quality of the opponent. A 9-7 record would seem fitting for a team that was good but just not good enough.

18. Buffalo Bills

Having your playoff lives on the line in a game against the Raiders is far from a worst-case scenario. Then the Buffalo Bills went and lost to Oakland. The bigger problem is EJ Manuel. It's still too early to make a concrete decision as to his viability—everybody knew he was a project before the draft. With that said, Bills fans would surely like to see something good from him in Week 17, right?

17. Philadelphia Eagles

At least the Philadelphia Eagles have very defined areas that need to be addressed in the offseason: quarterback and secondary. That should allow head coach Chip Kelly an easier time patching up the holes in the team and making Philly a playoff contender again.

Playoff-Eligible Teams

16. Atlanta Falcons

It seems a bit unfair that a losing team will find its way into the playoffs, but sometimes, that's just how life shakes out. It would also be entertaining to see a team make the postseason despite finishing 1-9 outside of its own division. The Atlanta Falcons are nothing if not unconventional this year.

15. Carolina Panthers 

There's something to be said for getting hot at the right time. The Carolina Panthers might be 6-8-1, but they've also won their last three games and could enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. Playing the Panthers in Charlotte wouldn't be a gimme in the Wild Card Round. The Seattle Seahawks went 7-9 and beat the New Orleans Saints as "Beast Mode" was born in the 2012 playoffs, so it would be foolish to count out either the Falcons or the Panthers.

14. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans need a lot of help to make the playoffs on Sunday, but missing out won't change the job that Bill O'Brien did this year. From 2-14 to 8-8 or 9-7 is an impressive turnaround and laid the foundation for what will be a dangerous team in 2015.

13. Kansas City Chiefs

Maybe the Kansas City Chiefs have been running an experiment all season to determine the true value of a top-end wide receiver. The results overwhelmingly reveal that, yes, it is a good idea to have a great wideout. It doesn't matter what your opinion of Alex Smith is, he didn't exactly have a wealth of options in the passing game. It's amazing that in today's NFL, any team could go 15 games without a WR catching a single touchdown pass.

12. Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens only have themselves to blame for their current predicament. A victory over the Texans would've meant they're holding on to the last playoff spot in the AFC. Instead, they have to hope the Chargers slip up in Week 17. That Week 13 home loss to San Diego could prove extremely costly.

11. San Diego Chargers

After his team's come-from-behind victory over the 49ers, Philip Rivers commented that the Chargers are playing these last two weeks like they're the playoffs, per NFL on ESPN:

You could sense that desperation as San Diego slowly overcame that 21-point deficit. Rivers in particular improved as the game unfolded, and like a fine automobile, the Chargers' final drive was engineered to perfection.

10. Arizona Cardinals

No playoff contender looks worse after Week 16 than the Arizona Cardinals. They gained 216 yards while giving up 596 yards on the other end. Ryan Lindley completed 41 percent of his passes and had a QBR of 14.8, according to ESPN.com:

ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello highlighted just how bad the Cardinals offense has been since Carson Palmer's injury:

Arizona's offense is a complete mess, and it's hard to see any solutions arising between now and the playoffs. With Palmer under center, the Cardinals were serious Super Bowl contenders. That's just not the case anymore, especially with Andre Ellington out as well.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

It feels a little too risky to put too much faith in Andy Dalton, who's one of the more consistently inconsistent quarterbacks in the league. He didn't look great on Monday night in that win over the Denver Broncos, but he wasn't terrible, either. Cincinnati's strategy against Denver should be the formula in the playoffs: Ride Jeremy Hill and the running game and play excellent defense. The less pressure heaped upon Dalton, the better.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers get the slight edge over the Bengals because Cincinnati still has to go to Heinz Field in order to win the AFC North. Pittsburgh's dominated the rivalry of late and enters Week 17 on a three-game winning streak. Also, one night doesn't erase all of Dalton's previous issues during prime-time games.

7. Indianapolis Colts

At least things can't get much worse for the Indianapolis Colts. And they're playing the Titans in Week 17, so that's pretty much an automatic victory.

Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star captured the sentiment that should surround the Colts right now:

There's a time and place to get worked up about the defeat, but the feeling shouldn't continue to linger for weeks. Even the best teams have a bad day at the office. Now if the Colts lose or struggle against Tennessee, then questions can begin to be asked.

6. Detroit Lions

Week 17 will be a great litmus test for the Detroit Lions. Beating the Packers at Lambeau Field would be a major marker to lay down. It will have also given the Lions a season sweep of Green Bay, which is no easy feat. Detroit had plenty of detractors when it announced the hiring of Jim Caldwell, but the Lions are getting the last laugh.

5. Green Bay Packers

The health of Aaron Rodgers will be an ongoing storyline to follow as the week continues to unfold. He injured his calf on Sunday, and it's no guarantee that he'll be there against the Lions. Rodgers remains confident that he'll play, though.

"It's too early to give a 100 percent guarantee, but it would definitely take a lot to hold me out of that game," he said, per ESPNWisconsin.com.

If Rodgers isn't at 100 percent, the Lions might have the opening necessary to upend the Packers.

4. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning has long withstood criticism about a perceived performance drop late in the regular season and in the playoffs. On Monday night, he was really bad, throwing four interceptions. Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar believes that this might be the year that Father Time catches up with Manning:

There's also the issue of allowing Jeremy Hill to rush for 147 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. With A.J. Green almost nonexistent, the Bengals still racked up 353 yards of offense.

Denver also lost out on home-field advantage with the defeat. Monday night wasn't a complete disaster, but it was pretty close for the Broncos.

3. Dallas Cowboys

You could make a strong case that the Dallas Cowboys should be ranked second or even first in the NFL's pecking order. Nobody expected Dallas to so overwhelmingly dominate the Colts. That comprehensive victory signaled that this is a different Cowboys team. Jerry Jones has deserved plenty of criticism in the past, but you have to credit him for at least some of the team's success this year.

2. Seattle Seahawks

No team is hotter than the Seahawks right now. Defensively, Seattle's returned to the level it enjoyed during its Super Bowl run:

When the Seahawks are playing this well, they're almost impossible to beat. And who from the NFC is going to stop them if they clinch home-field advantage?

1. New England Patriots

Say what you want about the New England Patriots only beating the Jets by a point, but a win is a win. New England's lost one game since Week 4, and it came on the road to the Packers by five points. With home-field advantage secured, the Pats should be the overwhelming favorite to advance out of the AFC.