NFL Power Rankings: Analyzing League Standings Entering Divisional Playoffs

It takes a memorable regular season in order to get to the NFL playoffs as it is, but only the best of the best make it to the divisional round.

The Wild Card Round of the postseason always features enticing matchups, but also leaves the feeling of weeding out the teams that don't belong at the next level. You have to earn the ability to travel to a top-two conference seed off a first-round bye, and four teams did that over an interesting Wild Card Weekend.

With that said, 20 teams failed to make the playoffs altogether. Where they stood as the regular season wound down should be a big indicator as to their success early in 2015 and beyond.

Here's a look at all of the above as we break down power rankings entering the divisional round of the playoffs.

32. Tennessee Titans

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The Titans have a wealth of offseason decisions to make, undoubtedly the most important of which comes under center. Tennessee will have its pick of either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota (likely just one, if Tampa Bay goes QB), but rookie Zach Mettenberger showed signs of promise in limited play. Ken Whisenhunt needs a quarterback, but may be forced to address the defensive line at No. 2 overall.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Marcus Mariota hype is for real in Tampa Bay, but Jenna Laine of Sports Talk Florida is asking everybody to pump the brakes after his Rose Bowl performance captivated the fanbase:

The Bucs have a lot more to worry about than a franchise quarterback after Lovie Smith's arrival didn't come with a defensive resurgence as expected. Tampa could also use improvements in the league's 28th-ranked secondary over the offseason.

30. Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr showed throughout his rookie season that he's worth building around, and the Raiders defense showed signs of life as 2014 wound to a dismal close. If Oakland can surround Carr with some playmaking talent (cough, Amari Cooper) over the offseason, the Raiders could surge forward in 2015.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

For all of Jacksonville's early-season haplessness, the Jaguars showed signs of mediocrity as 2014 ended. The Jaguars defensive front was especially impressive throughout the season with 45 team sacks—sixth-most in football—and another top-five draft pick will help a developing, still-young team.

28. New York Jets

Without either a general manager or a head coach at the moment, it's hard to tell the trajectory of the New York Jets. But with decisions to make on Geno Smith, Percy Harvin and a wealth of other notable players, whoever takes the reins will have their work cut out for them.

27. Chicago Bears

Speaking of no head coach or GM, we stumble upon the Chicago Bears. An offense with Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and (fingers crossed) a rediscovered Jay Cutler in 2015 promises to be effective, but defensive improvements are needed across the board.

26. Washington Redskins

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Washington's season was brought to a dismal end with a 44-17 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, just after an upset win over Philadelphia pumped life back into the potential future of Robert Griffin III. Whether the Redskins bring back RG3 as the starter or not, a team that lost 10 of 12 games in one stretch has a lot more to worry about this offseason.

25. Cleveland Browns

There may not be a more interesting offseason situation than in Cleveland, where it feels likely that Johnny Manziel will be getting the long-term nod at quarterback one way or another. Given how ridiculously hard the Browns offense hit a wall in 2014, they'll need to surround him with a bit more if Johnny Football will be successful.

24. St. Louis Rams

Jeff Fisher has retooled the defense and found some offensive playmakers, but just can't put it all together thus far in St. Louis. Without a reliable quarterback to build around and offensive line improvements needed, this offense is going to have a tough time flourishing in the near future.

23. New York Giants

Now that Tom Coughlin's return is official, he's hard at work finding a new defensive coordinator to revamp a beleaguered defense. The Giants have the pieces defensively to be successful, and the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. and Andre Williams (mostly Beckham) has Eli Manning's future years looking a bit brighter.

22. New Orleans Saints

In the driver's seat for a home playoff game just weeks ago, the Saints sit at home despite Drew Brees throwing for a ridiculous 4,952 yards and 33 touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is going to return, per ESPN.com's Mike Triplett and Ed Werder, but he'll be out fast if the group sputters out of the gates in 2015.

21. Minnesota Vikings

Don't look now, but the Vikings won three of five (and five of nine) to round out the 2014 season. With that has come big improvements from Teddy Bridgewater, and Mike Zimmer has improved the defense to make Minnesota a team on the rise entering 2015.

20. San Francisco 49ers

As long as the 49ers don't botch their head coaching search, San Francisco should be fine in 2015 given the talent on the roster. Whether Colin Kaepernick can shake off a paltry season and rediscover the play that got his team to two straight NFC Championship Games is another issue.

19. Atlanta Falcons

Only in the NFC South can a team be one home win away from the playoffs in Week 17 and fire their head coach the day after. Such is life for the 6-10 Falcons. Quarterback Matt Ryan's passing game is about the only consistent strength Atlanta has had all season long.

18. Buffalo Bills

Since the end of the 2014 season, the Bills have surprisingly lost their quarterback Kyle Orton (retirement) and head coach Doug Marrone (opted out of his contract). Buffalo has some big-time players on the defensive side and the pieces to a potent offense, but without a signal-caller the Bills will struggle to stay afloat.

17. Miami Dolphins

For the second straight season, the Dolphins seemingly fell apart down the stretch with a playoff bid on the line. Miami lost four of six to close out the regular season, including a 37-24 defeat to the New York Jets in Week 17. 

16. Kansas City Chiefs

It took a Dwayne Bowe fumble on the goal line, but the Chiefs failed to throw a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver all season long. Given how close the Chiefs were to a return trip to the postseason, you'd have to think the front office will provided Alex Smith with one or two young weapons in the draft.

15. Houston Texans

The Texans finished with two straight wins to close out 2014, but didn't get the help they needed to make the playoffs. Given the one-year turnaround from 2-14 to 9-7 under Bill O'Brien and the unbelievable play of J.J. Watt, though, Houston may be closer than expected.

14. San Diego Chargers

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It was "win and you're in the playoffs" for the Chargers in Week 17, and, well, they lost. Quarterback Philip Rivers has shown no signs of slowing, but San Diego desperately needs some leadership in the center of the defense.

13. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles lost their offensive mojo over the second half of the season when Nick Foles got injured, but without defensive improvements, Chip Kelly will have to put up 50 a game with his offense. The secondary gave up 265 yards per game through the air in 2014, and a big step up will be needed if Philadelphia wants to be postseason-bound.

12. Cincinnati Bengals

Let the one-and-done playoff woes continue for the Cincinnati Bengals, who were trounced 26-10 by the Indianapolis Colts over Wild Card Weekend. There's no doubt that injuries took their toll on the Bengals down the stretch, and a couple of heady offseason moves will have Cincinnati contending again in 2015.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

After looking like a Super Bowl dark horse entering the postseason, the Steelers were toppled at home by a Baltimore Ravens team they beat out for the division title. It remains to be seen whether we've seen the end of Troy Polamalu and James Harrison in Pittsburgh, but either way, the Steelers have more than one defensive deficiency to fix this offseason.

10. Arizona Cardinals

No team was more ravaged by injury down the stretch in 2014 than the Arizona Cardinals, who lost two quarterbacks, a starting running back and a wealth of defensive standouts. Given how furiously Arizona began the 2014 season, it's hard to see the Cardinals not contending in the near future. 

9. Detroit Lions

The Lions were oh so close to reaching the next round of the playoffs, but fell victim to a late Cowboys comeback—and a phantom pass interference call. As if the loss isn't hard enough to swallow, Detroit fans may also have to stomach the loss of Ndamukong Suh over the offseason if he doesn't re-sign.

8. Carolina Panthers

You can't leave the Panthers out of the top eight when they're one of eight teams still fighting for the Lombardi Trophy. Carolina started the season 3-8-1, but has now won five in a row.

But none of what happened during the regular season matters now. Nor do recent struggles in the playoffs and against the Seahawks, as Cam Newton told the Panthers' official Twitter account:

The Panthers head into Seattle the only way you can, if you're hoping for victory—chock-full of confidence.

7. Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco is just made for the postseason, as his last five playoff starts have produced 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Of course, that largely includes the Ravens' 2012 Super Bowl run, but his team is one road win in New England away from making a return trip seem more realistic than ever before. That's not bad for a team that needed a win and help in Week 17 to reach the playoffs.

6. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs with a home win over Cincinnati, but to be honest, that's not what most fans and spectators are looking for in Andrew Luck and Indianapolis. Falling in Denver this weekend wouldn't be a surprise by any means, but it would also begin to raise the question of whether Luck can contend in the AFC in the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady era.

5. Dallas Cowboys

It took a furious comeback and a favorable call (or no-call), but the Cowboys are on to the next round and the dream of a Super Bowl run is still alive. In the first round of the postseason, Dallas had to grind out a win over the defensive Lions, but now Tony Romo and Co. will have to outshoot Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's potent offense.

4. Denver Broncos

You mainly hear about Peyton Manning, the Broncos offense and some impact pass-rushers on defense, but don't sleep on Denver's strong cornerback play. With Aqib Talib on one side and emerging corner Chris Harris on the other, the Broncos can shut down any receiving duo. 

Pro Football Focus' Steve Palazzolo uncovered Harris' impact:

That will likely be the X-factor if the Broncos are going to make a return trip to the Super Bowl. Manning's offense and the defensive formidability up front should be there, but continuing their strong secondary play will put Denver over the top.

3. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers got the week of rest that they and Aaron Rodgers sorely needed, but now they welcome the surging Cowboys into Lambeau Field. Rodgers and his passing offense figures to be the biggest test Dallas has faced perhaps all season, but the Packers defense will also have to hang with Romo and DeMarco Murray.

2. New England Patriots

A Week 17 loss to Buffalo did nothing to spurn the Patriots' momentum entering the playoffs. What could spurn their momentum are the Baltimore Ravens, who have had Tom Brady's number in recent postseason history.

1. Seattle Seahawks

No team looks to be on a collision course for Glendale, Arizona more than the Seattle Seahawks, who finished out the regular season winning their final six games, all by double digits. They'd better not overlook the 8-8-1 Panthers in the divisional round, but anything close to Seattle's best will have the Seahawks moving on.