Week 17 NFL Power Rankings: A New No. 1, Vikings Stand Pat
Josh Frey
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For Christmas this year, Santa brought multiple days of NFL football, and while the actual Christmas Day slate wasn’t all that exciting, Christmas Eve Saturday brought more close finishes. We now have some major shakeups in the standings, and here are the updated Week 17 NFL power rankings as we head past Christmas and into New Year’s.
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1. Buffalo Bills, 12-3
- Last Week: 35-13 win @ CHI
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 1/2 @ CIN
Buffalo had all the answers for Chicago this weekend, and they’ve now won six straight games as they attempt to hold onto the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
2. Philadelphia Eagles, 13-2
- Last Week: 34-40 loss @ DAL
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 1/1 vs. NO
Gardner Minshew filled in well at QB this week for Jalen Hurts, but in the end, it was the defense that truly let Philly down, allowing Dak Prescott to get whatever he wanted through the air.
3. San Francisco 49ers, 11-4
- Last Week: 37-20 win vs. WSH
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 1/1 @ LV
Brock Purdy still has never lost an NFL game nearly a month into his tenure as the San Francisco 49ers starting QB. Not bad for “Mr. Irrelevant”.
4. Dallas Cowboys, 11-4
- Last Week: 40-34 win @ PHI
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 12/29 @ TEN
The Cowboys defensive performance limits them from entering the top 3 again this week, but their offensive attack was as explosive as ever on Christmas Eve. The new addition of T.Y. Hilton seems to be paying dividends as well.
5. Kansas City Chiefs, 12-3
- Last Week: 24-10 win vs. SEA
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 1/1 vs. DEN
It wasn’t an overly impressive win for the Chiefs on Saturday; they largely just took care of what needed to be done on both ends of the field. Nonetheless, this team’s ability to put up 24 points somewhat nonchalantly is terrifying for the rest of the league.
6. Cincinnati Bengals, 11-4
- Last Week: 22-18 win @ NE
- Trending: -4
- This Week: 1/2 vs. BUF
Again, not an overly showstopping victory for the Cincinnati Bengals. Like the Chiefs, they just took care of business and got out of New England.
7. Minnesota Vikings, 12-3
- Last Week: 27-24 win vs. NYG
- Trending: —-
- This Week: 1/1 @ GB
For the third straight week, the Vikings hold steady at the No. 7 spot in the power rankings. The Vikings keep finding new ways to win games, and this week it involved Greg Joseph kicking a franchise record 61-yard field goal.
8. Los Angeles Chargers, 9-6
- Last Week: 20-3 win vs. IND
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 1/1 vs. LAR
Austin Ekeler scored multiple touchdowns for the first time since Week 9, and the Chargers defense held up their end of the bargain against the Colts as well, forcing Nick Foles into 3 INTs.
9. New York Giants, 8-6-1
- Last Week: 24-27 loss @ MIN
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 1/1 vs. IND
The Giants look like a good team right now, but they just ran into a better one this week in the Minnesota Vikings. On offense, Saquon Barkley continues to be a star that leads the way, but Daniel Jones is progressing in a way that New York may have to give him a lucrative contract this offseason.
10. Baltimore Ravens, 10-5
- Last Week: 17-9 win vs. ATL
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 1/1 vs. PIT
Without Lamar Jackson, the Ravens offense clearly is not nearly as dynamic. However, Tyler Huntley remains just enough to get them over the hump against the subpar teams in the NFL.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars, 7-8
- Last Week: 19-3 win @ NYJ
- Trending: + 4
- This Week: 1/1 @ HOU
Jacksonville’s defense has multiple playmakers on it, and this team continues to look more and more dangerous as the weeks go bye. Now, they have the lead in the AFC South, and with two games to go, Week 18 against Tennessee is looking like a crucial one.
12. Washington Commanders, 7-7-1
- Last Week: 20-37 loss @ SF
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 1/1 vs. CLE
After a big run to get themselves into the playoff picture, the Commanders now have back-to-back ugly losses on their resume, and they haven’t won a game since November 27th. They have a great chance to end that streak at home against the Browns, but we’ll see if they can actually get it done.
13. Miami Dolphins, 8-7
- Last Week: 20-26 loss vs. GB
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 1/1 @ NE
Tua Tagovailoa had a very rough game against the Green Bay Packers defense trying to throw the ball. He had 3 INTs, and now Miami is fighting for their playoff lives as they head to New England for a matchup with the Patriots.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-8
- Last Week: 13-10 win vs. LV
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 1/1 @ BAL
Perhaps the dream of Mike Tomlin leading another team to a winning record isn’t dead after all. Pittsburgh has won four of their last five games after starting 3-7, but they now face their toughest test of this recent stretch when they head to Baltimore.
15. Detroit Lions, 7-8
- Last Week: 23-37 loss @ CAR
- Trending: -6
- This Week: 1/1 vs. CHI
The Lions had an amazing opportunity to get into the playoff picture due to losses by all three of the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Commanders, and all it would have taken was beating the Carolina Panthers. They weren’t able to get that job done, though, and they were blown out by Carolina.
16. New York Jets, 7-8
- Last Week: 3-19 loss vs. JAX
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 1/1 @ SEA
Zach Wilson just seems to suck the life out of this New York Jets offense. In the past three games that their former second overall pick has started, the Jets have managed a total of 23 points.
17. Green Bay Packers, 7-8
- Last Week: 26-20 win @ MIA
- Trending: +5
- This Week: 1/1 vs. MIN
These pesky Packers just keep hanging around, and suddenly, they find themselves half a game out of the seventh and final seed in the NFC. If the Vikings don’t want to see Green Bay make the playoffs, they will need to go into Lambeau and end the Packers hopes themselves.
18. Carolina Panthers, 6-9
- Last Week: 37-23 vs. DET
- Trending: +6
- This Week: 1/1 @ TB
The Detroit Lions defense reared its ugly head this weekend, and Sam Darnold took full advantage of the opportunity. Carolina remains the best hope for an NFC South team to usurp the Buccaneers in the division, and they’ll need to beat them this week to fully take over the division.
19. New England Patriots, 7-8
- Last Week: 18-22 loss vs. CIN
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 1/1 vs. MIA
New England’s offense didn’t cross midfield until the third quarter, and their defense looked absolutely horrendous during the first portion of this game as Cincy jumped out to an early lead. They made it interesting down the stretch, but ultimately, the initial hole was just too deep to dig out of.
20. Seattle Seahawks, 7-8
- Last Week: 10-24 loss @ KC
- Trending: —
- This Week: 1/1 vs. NYJ
Is the dream dead in Seattle? The Seahawks lost again this week, and once again they were relatively uncompetitive against a good team. They’ve now lost five of their last six games after a hot start to the 2022 season.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-8
- Last Week: 19-16 @ ARI
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 1/1 vs. CAR
This guy Tom Brady may just be invincible. Right when it seemed like Tampa was going to forfeit their lead in the NFC South, the 45-year-old QB led another of his countless 4th quarter comebacks.
22. New Orleans Saints, 6-9
- Last Week: 17-10 win @ CLE
- Trending: +4
- This Week: 1/1 @ PHI
For whatever reason, both the Saints and Browns began this game by trying to throw the ball in whipping winds. Then, Dennis Allen seemed to remember that he has Taysom Hill on his roster, and New Orleans was able to run the ball down Cleveland’s throat.
23. Cleveland Browns, 6-9
- Last Week: 10-17 loss vs. NO
- Trending: -5
- This Week: 1/1 @ WSH
The Deshaun Watson trade is not offering much return for the Browns early on, and he looks like one of the worst QBs in the entire league right now. Combine that with a defense that hasn’t been able to do much against opponents, and this team has a lot of work to do before next year without many assets.
24. Tennessee Titans, 7-8
- Last Week: 14-19 loss vs. HOU
- Trending: -5
- This Week: 12/29 vs. DAL
Things have officially hit rock bottom in Tennessee as the Titans squandered their division lead by losing to the lowly Texans. This loss feels very reminiscent to the Colts loss to the Jaguars at the end of last season that eliminated them from playoff contention. The Titans aren’t out yet, but it feels like their hopes of being threats in this year’s playoffs are done.
25. Las Vegas Raiders, 6-9
- Last Week: 10-13 loss @ PIT
- Trending: -4
- This Week: 1/1 vs. SF
The Raiders offense continues to be an anomaly. With so much firepower on that side of the ball, it makes very little sense that they haven’t been able to muster much production.
26. Los Angeles Rams, 5-10
- Last Week: 51-14 win vs. DEN
- Trending: +3
- This Week: 1/1 @ LAC
The Baker Mayfield redemption arc is back on after a massive Christmas Day victory over the Denver Broncos. The Rams QB was terrific in this game, and the Rams defense had Russell Wilson running all over the field.
27. Atlanta Falcons, 5-10
- Last Week: 9-17 loss @ BAL
- Trending: —
- This Week: 1/1 vs. ARI
It was an ugly game in Baltimore on Saturday, and the Falcons simply have been unable to get anything done with Desmond Ridder at QB. They mustered just nine points this week, and their rookie QB has combined for just 315 passing yards in back-to-back weeks.
28. Houston Texans, 2-12-1
- Last Week: 19-14 win @ TEN
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 1/1 vs. JAX
The Texans continue to show their true colors, and this week they weren’t able to let their opponent take the lead down the stretch of a game. Houston still holds the worst record in the league, but we’ve been on to them for awhile.
29. Arizona Cardinals, 4-11
- Last Week: 16-19 loss vs. TB
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 1/1 @ ATL
Arizona jumped out to a lead, but like so many teams over the past 20+ years, they couldn’t keep Tom Brady at bay this week.
30. Denver Broncos, 4-11
- Last Week: 14-51 loss @ LAR
- Trending: -7
- This Week: 1/1 @ KC
This was an ugly game, both on the field and during the sideline fights, and it led to the ultimate demise of Nathaniel Hackett as Denver’s head coach.
31. Chicago Bears, 3-12
- Last Week: 13-35 loss vs. BUF
- Trending: —
- This Week: 1/1 @ DET
Justin Fields was limited in terms of a rusher in ways that we haven’t seen for much of this season. Meanwhile, their own defense couldn’t stop Buffalo’s offense at all.
32. Indianapolis Colts, 4-10-1
- Last Week: 3-20 loss vs. LAC
- Trending: —
- This Week: 1/1 @ NYG
The Colts went to Nick Foles this week, but even the former Super Bowl MVP couldn’t find answers to help this team get a win.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.