NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Which Teams Are Still Alive in the Playoff Picture?

Christmas has come and gone and so has the NFL's Week 16—well there's still one game yet to be played on Monday night with the Atlanta Falcons paying a visit to the New Orleans Saints.

By this time of the NFL season, we usually have a clear picture of what we should expect for seeding in the playoffs—however it's not that clear. In fact, Week 16 and Week 17 are usually meaningless since teams tend to rest their starters, but the only team I could see doing that is the Green Bay Packers—everyone else is still fighting for seeding. 

With that being said, let's dive right into which teams are still alive in the AFC and NFC playoff races.

If the playoffs were to end today in the AFC, the New England Patriots would be the No. 1 seed while the Baltimore Ravens would have the No. 2 seed. The third seed Houston Texans would play host to the sixth seed Cincinnati Bengals, while the fifth seed would pay a visit to the fourth seed Denver Broncos. 

The teams that are still in the hunt but are on the outside looking in are the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and the New York Jets. 

For the NFC the Green Bay Packers have already clinched the top seed while the San Francisco 49ers are currently sitting at No. 2. The sixth seed Atlanta Falcons could be making a trip to New Orleans to take on the third seed Saints, while the fourth seed New York Giants would be taking on the fifth seed Detroit Lions in the Meadowlands.

The only team that is still in the hunt are the Dallas Cowboys. 

Rather than having a boring and meaningless Week 17, we're set to have a slate filled with action but first let's take a look at my weekly power rankings.

Tony Santorsa's Week 17 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints*

3. New England Patriots

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Atlanta Falcons*

8. Detroit Lions

9. New York Giants

10. Cincinnati Bengals

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Houston Texans

13. Denver Broncos

14. Tennessee Titans

15. Seattle Seahawks

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. New York Jets

18. Oakland Raiders

19. San Diego Chargers

20. Miami Dolphins

21. Arizona Cardinals

22. Kansas City Chiefs

23. Chicago Bears

24. Carolina Panthers

25. Washington Redskins

26. Buffalo Bills

27. Cleveland Browns

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Minnesota Vikings

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

31. Indianapolis Colts

32. St. Louis Rams

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