NFL Power Rankings: Latest Expert Consensus from Around the Web

The NFL regular season came to a close on Sunday. For a majority of the teams around the league, it marked the last action before a long offseason of questions. For the 12 squads that qualified for the postseason, it served as a final tuneup for the pressure-packed weeks ahead.

Interestingly, after a campaign where parity was often the name of the game, a consensus is seemingly forming about the top five teams. So will one of those franchises, four of which received first-round byes, claim the title, or will another one crash the party and secure the crown?

The answer will be determined during what should be a highly intriguing group of playoff games. Before the postseason gets underway, let's check out where every team stands after Week 17 based on opinions from around the web as well as a fresh batch of personal rankings.

Expert NFL Power Rankings After Week 17

Rank	Matt Miller	Frank Schwab	Hank Gola
1	Patriots	Patriots	Seahawks
2	Seahawks	Seahawks	Packers
3	Packers	Packers	Patriots
4	Cowboys	Cowboys	Broncos
5	Broncos	Broncos	Cowboys
6	Lions	Steelers	Steelers
7	Steelers	Lions	Bengals
8	Colts	Bengals	Lions
9	Bengals	Colts	Colts
10	Ravens	Ravens	Ravens
11	Eagles	Cardinals	Eagles
12	Cardinals	Eagles	Texans
13	Chargers	Chiefs	Panthers
14	Texans	Chargers	Bills
15	Bills	Texans	Cardinals
16	Chiefs	Bills	Chiefs
17	Panthers	Panthers	Chargers
18	49ers	Dolphins	49ers
19	Saints	49ers	Dolphins
20	Vikings	Vikings	Vikings
21	Giants	Browns	Giants
22	Dolphins	Giants	Rams
23	Falcons	Rams	Browns
24	Rams	Falcons	Falcons
25	Browns	Saints	Saints
26	Bears	Jets	Jets
27	Jets	Redskins	Bears
28	Raiders	Raiders	Washington
29	Washington	Bears	Raiders
30	Jaguars	Jaguars	Buccaneers
31	Titans	Buccaneers	Jaguars
32	Buccaneers	Titans	Titans

Full Analysis

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report

Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports

Hank Gola of the New York Daily News

Tim Daniels' Final Regular-Season Rankings

32. Tennessee Titans (2-14)

The sheer lack of positive signs is troubling for the Titans heading into the offseason. They lost their last 10 games, were rarely competitive down the stretch and struggled on both sides of the ball. Plenty of work to do to get back toward playoff contention.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-14)

A fourth-quarter collapse in Week 17 ensured the Bucs will draft first. The addition of a new quarterback, likely Marcus Mariota, will provide a major boost, but there are still numerous other needs to fill. That's especially true on the defensive side.

USA TODAY Sports

30. Chicago Bears (5-11)

Based purely on talent, the Bears should have been in the playoff hunt. Instead, things spiraled out of control quickly, and now they head into the offseason with concerns across the board. A change in coaching philosophy could help turn things around.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)

The Jaguars showed some signs of progress in the latter stages of the campaign. The fact remains, however, they don't feature enough talent to make noise quite yet. The need for more playmakers was evident on a weekly basis.

28. Washington Redskins (4-12)

Washington only won a single game after its Week 10 bye, and most of the losses came in blowout fashion. Finding some stability under center would obviously help, but upgrading the 29th-ranked scoring defense is also essential.

27. Oakland Raiders (3-13)

Some promising pieces emerged for the Raiders. Khalil Mack is on track to become one of the best defenders in football. Derek Carr, Latavius Murray and Mychal Rivera give hope on offense. Now comes the arduous task of building around them.

Al Bello/Getty Images

26. New York Jets (4-12)

The Jets were actually good enough in several areas to push for a .500 record or better. The total lack of input from the passing game prevented them from competing most weeks, though. And it won't be an easy place to make a major upgrade this offseason.

25. St. Louis Rams (6-10)

Being in probably the deepest division in football hurts the Rams. It can make an average or slightly above team, which the Rams were, look worse. Add them to the long list of teams needing quarterback stability in order to make the jump.

24. Cleveland Browns (7-9)

Cleveland sat at 7-4 with the playoffs on its mind before losing five straight to close out the campaign. While Johnny Manziel is the question mark that will receive the most attention, fixing a defensive front that often got dominated at the point of the attack should be the main focus for the front office.

23. Atlanta Falcons (6-10)

The Falcons stayed alive in the postseason chase until the final week thanks to the awful NFC South. Then they got crushed by the Carolina Panthers. The aerial attack is strong, but every other area is in need of an overhaul.

22. New York Giants (6-10)

A late three-game winning streak provided a brief glimmer of hope for the future in New York. That said, improvements need to get made in the trenches on both sides in order for them to make the jump back into contention next season.

21. Minnesota Vikings (7-9)

The good news for the Vikings is the steady progress made by Teddy Bridgewater. The bad news is they find themselves in a tough division where the tricky path to the playoffs may cause them to level off barring a few major upgrades.

20. Miami Dolphins (8-8)

A complete lack of consistency makes the Dolphins one of the league's most frustrating teams. One week they look ready to beat anybody and the next they make several key mistakes. It's something the coaching staff must address ahead of the 2015 campaign.

19. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)

Whoever fills the vacancy following the exit of Jim Harbaugh will be under a lot of pressure. The hoopla surrounding the former coach's status seemed to derail the season. The brass made the switch, now they are on the hook to prove it was the right call.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

18. New Orleans Saints (7-9)

More of the same for the Saints. The offense was talented enough to make some noise, the defense failed to provide the necessary support. Whether they can make all of the needed changes on that side during the offseason is a question mark.

17. San Diego Chargers (9-7)

A season that started with so much promise ends without even making the playoffs. The Chargers lost three of their last for to fall just short. Being unable to run or stop the run too often allowed other teams to control the games down the stretch.

16. Buffalo Bills (9-7)

It's not fair to place all of the blame on the quarterbacks, because the offensive line was often atrocious. But the inability to find a franchise signal-caller is the main factor in a 15-year playoff drought. The options for filling that void this offseason aren't promising, either.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

15. Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)

The Chiefs' glaring issue is being unable to win games when falling behind a couple of scores early. The offense isn't build to go uptempo, and the defense struggles against the run. Finding a way to improve the latter issue is the easier fix.

14. Houston Texans (9-7)

J.J. Watt is a one-man wrecking crew, and Arian Foster returned to form to lead the offensive charge. Still, the team ranked in the middle of the pack in total yards on both offense and defense. It highlights the need for depth around those two marquee players.

13. Carolina Panthers (7-9)

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Yes, the Panthers only reached the playoffs courtesy of the NFC South's overall weakness. But they still deserve credit for winning their final four games, including road triumphs over both the Saints and Falcons by a combined score of 75-13.

That late charge shows how quickly things can change in the NFL, as highlighted by numbers passed along by Football Perspective:

The defense ranks 10th in yards allowed, and the offense has suddenly surged over the past month. An argument can be made about whether they deserve a playoff spot, but the reset button is now pushed and they have a golden opportunity to make something out of their second chance.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)

The Eagles lost three of their last four games as they watched the NFC East slip away. The fast-paced offensive system puts a lot of pressure on the defense. In turn, the unit needs more playmakers to offset the high number of yards it's going to allow.

11. Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1)

It's hard to have a ton of confidence in the Bengals at this stage. They were merely average down the stretch, and Andy Dalton has a quarterback rating of 56 in the postseason. It's a team with enough talent to reach the playoffs but seems to fall short beyond that.

10. Arizona Cardinals (11-5)

Arizona would love nothing more than to make a run to prove people wrong after being doubted for most of the year. More likely, however, the Cardinals will bow out quickly and be left to wonder what would have happened if not for the injury woes.

9. Detroit Lions (11-5)

The Lions' late charge into the postseason is a bit deceiving. Yes, the team has a good amount of firepower on offense and made notable strides on defense. Alas, the team has only one win over another playoff team, and that came all the way back in Week 3.

8. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

If you're looking for a Super Bowl sleeper, look no further than the Ravens. They rank eighth in total defense, 12th in total offense and Joe Flacco, who's jump in play keyed their last title run, has posted a QB rating above 95 in five of his past six games.

Garrett Downing of the team's official site notes Baltimore is also used to playing the underdog role:

The Ravens open with what amounts to a tossup contest against the division-rival Steelers. If their foes are without Le'Veon Bell or if he's limited due to the injury suffered in Week 17, the edge could shift in their favor. So things could suddenly open up for them after sneaking in as the No. 6 seed.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)

Pittsburgh won its final four games to lock down a playoff spot. Now its hopes of advancing rest heavily on the status of Bell. Few players around the league were more important to their respective units than the Steelers' star running back.

6. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Of course, the Colts' chances rest heavily on the success of Andrew Luck. He must avoid making key mistakes after a season in which he tallied 16 interceptions and 12 fumbles. If he keeps those issues under control, they move firmly into the championship mix.

5. Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

As good as the Cowboys have been lately, one stat sets off alarm bells. They rank 27th in defensive third-down percentage. No other playoff team is worse. Getting off the field in key spots is crucial in the postseason. Despite all of their other positives, that negative sticks out.

Harry How/Getty Images

4. Denver Broncos (12-4)

When a team enters the playoffs with Peyton Manning as its biggest concern, it's in good shape. That said, they do need their legendary quarterback to come back from the bye in top form after a sluggish stretch if they are going to make another Super Bowl run.

3. Green Bay Packers (12-4)

The Packers' only loss after their Week 9 bye came against the Bills. They showed the formula for slowing down Aaron Rodgers and Co. Get pressure with four rushers and pound the ball on offense to control the clock. If no team can replicate that game plan, Green Bay will go the distance.

2. New England Patriots (12-4)

New England's only loss at home came in the meaningless finale. Now it holds home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The team's slow start, which led to talk about the end of the dynasty, appeared to fuel its internal fire. With few weaknesses, the Pats hold the inside track to the Super Bowl.

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

At one point, the reigning Super Bowl champions were 3-3 and looking at potentially missing the playoffs out of a tough division. Instead, they righted the ship and enter the playoffs as the team to beat once again after six straight wins to close out the regular season.

Terry Blount of ESPN passed along comments from linebacker Bobby Wagner, who feels everything is pointing in the right direction for Seattle:

"

When everybody doubted us, we showed them we're not going anywhere. I feel we're peaking at the right time. We have a lot of steam coming into this playoff run, and it's going to be scary for whatever teams have to come in here.

"

Given how well the defense has played since that lackluster start, it's impossible to place any other team atop the final regular-season rankings. The Seahawks started the season as the team to beat and that holds true heading into the playoffs.