NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Latest Standings, Team Records and More

It might sound like a cliche, but the Week 17 NFL schedule has a little bit of something for everyone, as does the playoff outlook. 

Want to watch an offensive-minded display that looks like a video game? Check the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Oakland Raiders. Want to see how rolling the dice on a rookie quarterback can actually wreck the league? Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens say hello. Supreme balance? New Orleans Saints. Old-school powerhouse defense? Chicago Bears. 

Don't forget underdogs, win-and-in scenarios and more as the NFL unleashes all 16 games over the course of Sunday. No cutesy Thursday game. No Saturday affairs. Simple football with everything at stake. 

Before it all unfolds, let's take a look at where each teams stands in the power rankings. 

2018 NFL Power Rankings 

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

Pittsburgh Steelers  

Don Wright/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Steelers only have themselves to blame for their current predicament.  

Maybe that isn't entirely fair, but the Steelers have tied Cleveland and found ways to lose to Denver and Oakland this season. Erratic play isn't anything new for the Steelers, but the flip side of the same coin is beating teams like New England. 

Now the Steelers have to hope they can beat the Cincinnati Bengals while the Ravens lose, which would give them the AFC North. That, or they get the sixth seed via a win and a tie between Indianapolis and Tennessee. 

They also have to hope Antonio Brown is good to go: 

The Steelers can't afford to go without Brown, who has 1,297 yards and 15 scores next to 1,389 and six from JuJu Smith-Schuster as the pair attempt to compensate for the lack of Le'Veon Bell. James Conner was at one point, but he hasn't played since the first week of December. 

Defense isn't guaranteed to help balance things out either. One week before allowing just 10 to Tom Brady, it coughed up 24 in a loss to Oakland. 

Granted, beating a hobbled Bengals team with Jeff Driskel under center shouldn't be too difficult. The Bengals are a tough given the rivalry, but it isn't exactly competitive and the Steelers already beat them in Cincinnati once this year. 

Should the Steelers slip in, the explosive ability of the offense and the random-seeming elite play against teams like New England could help the team make a serious run. 

Indianapolis Colts 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

On paper, the Indianapolis Colts could end up being the most dangerous team in the AFC playoffs.  

After all, they have Andrew Luck. 

Luck is back to elite form after a readjustment period to start the season. He's completed 67.2 percent of his passes with 36 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. By an apparent miracle, the Colts front office took the offensive line issue seriously and the result is him only suffering 17 sacks so far. 

In a surprise to no one, the attention to the trenches has helped the running game produce 4.2 yards per carry despite a hodgepodge of names getting looks. Luck getting time has helped him pepper nine different targets with multiple touchdowns this year. 

That's impressive considering Luck has had to overcome the following:

The Colts have everything to play for in Week 17, with anything from a third to sixth seed still possible bar the fifth. The obstacle muddying the picture is a late showdown against a Tennessee Titans team they already beat once 38-10. However, the Titans continue to find ways to be dangerous despite seemingly serious problems. 

Owners of wins over teams like Houston and Dallas, the Colts have the upside to gun with anyone in the playoffs regardless of seeding. 

Minnesota Vikings

Rey Del Rio/Associated Press

Win and in sounds so simple. 

But with the Minnesota Vikings, nothing is simple: 

Kirk Cousins sounds great. He's completing 70.7 percent of his passes with 29 touchdowns and just 10 picks, which means he's being productive in a system utilizing Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. He's even getting a complementary defense which allows just 21.1 points per game, good for top-10 status. 

Yet, the above record against quality teams still sticks out. The Vikings haven't just failed to beat anyone of note, they have put up losses to a team like Buffalo in the now-infamous 27-6 debacle in Week 3.  

If the Vikings were any other team, winning two in a row entering Week 17 would look great. But...the two losses before that were blowouts at the hands of New England and Seattle and the wins were over 7-8 Miami and 5-10 Detroit. 

This isn't meant to write the Vikings off entirely. A win or a tie means the Vikings get into the playoff dance. The Bears, a team that already beat them once this year, might ease off the gas and protect starters for the playoffs. 

The question is, if the Vikings get in, can they trump an overwhelming negative narrative around their quarterback in big games?