NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Latest Outlook Ahead of Regular-Season Finales

Teams have spent the entire season showing what they can do, but after a week full of upsets it is time to re-evaluate what we know about the squads at the top.

With five of the top six teams from last week's power rankings all losing, including then-No. 1 Carolina Panthers, it shouldn't be a surprise to see some major movement heading into Week 17. The Arizona Cardinals are now the league's most consistent team and arguably the favorite to win the Super Bowl, creating a new No. 1.

The next handful of positions are full of teams heading to the postseason, although there are still plenty of question marks about which are the best. The outlook for each squad can easily change by next week, but here is a look at the latest power rankings going into Week 17 along with a breakdown of the biggest risers among the top squads.

Rank	Team	Record	Prev.
1	Arizona Cardinals	13-2	2
2	Carolina Panthers	14-1	1
3	New England Patriots	12-3	3
4	Denver Broncos	11-4	9
5	Kansas City Chiefs	10-5	7
6	New York Jets	10-5	10
7	Cincinnati Bengals	11-4	4
8	Seattle Seahawks	9-6	5
9	Pittsburgh Steelers	9-6	6
10	Minnesota Vikings	10-5	11
11	Green Bay Packers	10-5	8
12	Washington Redskins	8-7	12
13	Houston Texans	8-7	13
14	Atlanta Falcons	8-7	18
15	Buffalo Bills	7-8	16
16	Oakland Raiders	7-8	17
17	St. Louis Rams	7-8	19
18	New York Giants	6-9	14
19	Indianapolis Colts	7-8	22
20	Detroit Lions	6-9	21
21	Philadelphia Eagles	6-9	15
22	Chicago Bears	6-9	23
23	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6-9	20
24	New Orleans Saints	6-9	25
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	5-10	24
26	Baltimore Ravens	5-10	29
27	San Diego Chargers	4-11	26
28	Dallas Cowboys	4-11	27
29	Miami Dolphins	5-10	28
30	San Francisco 49ers	4-11	30
31	Cleveland Browns	3-12	31
32	Tennessee Titans	3-12	32

Top Risers

Denver Broncos

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Although the Denver Broncos did need overtime to beat a Cincinnati Bengals team playing without Andy Dalton, they still proved a lot in the comeback victory.

After struggling in second halves over the past few weeks, Denver looked awful in the first half on both sides of the ball. Bengals backup QB AJ McCarron seemed to have no problem moving up and down the field against this defense, building up a 14-0 lead in two possessions. However, both the offense and defense turned things around in the second half to pull out a 20-17 overtime win.

Head coach Gary Kubiak was certainly proud of the change in effort, per the team's official Twitter account:

The defense forced punts on five of six second-half possessions for the Bengals, including three different three-and-outs. Only a field goal stopped a near-perfect half from the suddenly aggressive unit. In the meantime, quarterback Brock Osweiler took over to make big plays when it mattered.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network discussed what this could mean going forward:

Whether Osweiler or Peyton Manning is under center for the playoffs, this game proved there is still a lot of talent on this roster that should help this team contend in the AFC. 

New York Jets

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

A lot of discussion after the game centered around the New England Patriots' decision to kick the ball away in overtime. This overshadowed an impressive job from beginning to end by the New York Jets to pull off an impressive upset.

Injuries continue to be a problem for the Patriots, but the Jets defense still held Tom Brady in check, holding the dynamic New England offense to just a single touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Ryan Fitzpatrick was as good as he has been all year with 296 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

This pass for the game-winning touchdown in overtime was also a thing of beauty, as the NFL shared on Twitter:

Aside from a fumble returned for a score, the quarterback played almost mistake-free football. This continues an incredible run to end the year with 13 touchdowns and just one interception during a five-game winning streak. With the weapons the Jets have around him, if Fitzpatrick can continue playing at this level, this squad is a legitimate contender to reach the Super Bowl.

Of course, even reaching the playoffs is not yet guaranteed. The Jets still need a win or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss in Week 17 to clinch the final wild-card spot, and an old friend stands in the way in the form of former head coach Rex Ryan. If New York plays with the same intensity it did against the Patriots, though, it should keep rolling into January.

Atlanta Falcons

John Bazemore/Associated Press

With the Minnesota Vikings winning Sunday night, the Atlanta Falcons' victory over the Carolina Panthers ended up being meaningless for the standings. They will miss the playoffs, as the recent turnaround was all too little, too late.

However, the Falcons should still be proud of their finish after a dreadful second half of the season. They began the year 5-0 and won six of their first seven games. Many assumed they would be a shoo-in for the playoffs, but six losses in a row had them looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL. The offense averaged just 14.3 points per game during this slide, ending with a 38-0 loss to the Panthers in Week 14.

Fortunately, this group was able to turn things around with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars before upsetting the Panthers in a rematch which featured a lot of positives to build around. Julio Jones is still one of the top receivers in the sport, while Vic Beasley helped provide reasons to have faith in the defense going forward.

The players were also emotional while beating a previously undefeated team, according to ESPN's Britt McHenry:

Obviously, this is a disappointing year considering the team's start, but after winning just 10 total games in the last two seasons, Atlanta is clearly heading in the right direction. 

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