NFL Power Rankings: Who's Hot Heading into the NFL Playoffs?

Everyone always talks about the need for NFL teams to "get hot" heading into the playoffs. We saw it work for the Green Bay Packers last year, as they won their final two games of the regular season before going 4-0 in the playoffs and Super Bowl.

While it isn't a set-in-stone way to walk through the postseason, playing your best football at the end of the year is still a good predictor of which teams will do well in the playoffs.

Let's take a look at the teams playing the best right now: 

New Orleans Saints (12-3)

The Saints' current seven-game winning streak has them tied with the Patriots for the NFL's longest active streak. New Orleans hasn't lost since a shocking defeat in St. Louis in Week 8, and only two of the games have been within a touchdown. A dominating offense that has scored 40 or more points three times during that streak certainly helps.  

New England Patriots (12-3)

The Patriots haven't lost since watching Eli Manning come back in the fourth quarter to beat them in Week 9, a stretch of seven games that equals the Saints' streak. New England has done it with offense, too. Only once have the Patriots scored less than 30 points in the last seven games, which is important because New England's defense has allowed 20 or more in five of seven.

It helps that only two teams (New York Jets, Denver Broncos) had winning records during the streak, but you can't discount how the Patriots have recovered from a rough mid-season patch. 

Detroit Lions (10-5)

Once Matthew Stafford's finger injury healed, the Lions started heating up. And really, Stafford is the big reason why they've won three straight games at the end of this season. He's thrown for nine touchdowns and almost 1,000 yards during the three-game winning streak, and the Lions have averaged 33.3 points. As long as their offense is playing that well, the Lions will have a chance to beat anyone. 

Week 17 Power Rankings

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