Note: Rankings predate TNF game vs. Buccaneers
It’s official. The Atlanta Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention. This will make the eighth consecutive year in a row for Falcons fans to miss out
on their favorite team playing in the dance, and the fans deserve more.
More from the coaching staff, from the front office, from everyone.
This is a talented team that admittedly had some bad injury luck, but it should never have gotten to the point where the top of the division is fighting to stay above .500 heading into December, and the Falcons don’t even have a shot at the dance.
Outside of the Falcons, the rest of the league is in a heated battle throughout, with 23 teams vying for all 14 playoff spots, which are still up for grabs. But even better, we have a few teams that can clinch their spots in the playoffs: The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams can all clinch a spot in the dance this week with wins against their opponents.
As for the rankings themselves, let’s get after it:
1) Seattle Seahawks (10-3) (even)
Hanging 39 points and still looking like one of the more prolific offenses against a scrappy Falcons defense is one thing. Completely blanking the Falcons’ passing attack and having a breakout game for Nick Emmanwori is a whole other thing. The Seahawks are still playing some of the best ball in the league right now.
2) New England Patriots (11-2) (even)
After a week of much-needed rest, the Patriots suit up and head out for the potential game of the week, and a potential AFC Championship preview against their rival, the Buffalo Bills.
3) Green Bay Packers (9-3-1) (even)
A massive win against the Bears puts the Packers back in the driver’s seat in the NFC North, and a win against the Denver Broncos would validate the Packers as a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
4) Los Angeles Rams (10-3) (even)
This NFC West race is the story to watch down the stretch of the season. The Rams and Seahawks are trading blows back and forth, and don’t sleep on the 49ers. The Rams made sure to remind the Cardinals that they were not a part of the discussion with their performance on Sunday.
5) Denver Broncos (11-2) (even)
This one may go down as Denver’s ninth win in a one-score game, but this one against the Raiders was over pretty quickly. Denver’s defense is suffocating, the offense is doing enough to win ball games, and they hold the pole position in the AFC right now. It does not look pretty, and that’s just how Sean Payton likes it these days.
6) Detroit Lions (8-5) (even)
This Lions team has too much equity with me for me not to think they will find a way to edge out the Bears for that final playoff spot. That being said, they have arguably the best team in the league, the Rams in Los Angeles. If they want to make a statement that they deserve to be taken seriously this season, now is the time.
7) Buffalo Bills (9-4) (+1)
Josh Allen showed why he is the most lethal weapon at the quarterback position right now, and why the Bills will always be a dangerous team to play as long as he’s under center.
8) Los Angeles Chargers (9-4) (+4)
The Chargers are starting to look like the Chargers from earlier this season, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With a Chiefs team that is struggling to find its footing coming up on Sunday, the Chargers can get one step closer to punching their ticket into the dance.
9) Chicago Bears (9-4) (even)
The defense has some work to do. That’s just the reality of the situation. Chicago’s offense is starting to look like a cohesive, balanced unit, but the defense just isn’t consistent enough. Maybe a game against the Shedeur Sanders-led Browns is exactly what the Bears need…right?
10) San Francisco 49ers (9-4) (+1)
Leave it to the NFC West to be the division to bring in three playoff teams. The 49ers are playing stellar football right now and with the beat-up Colts and Titans in the next two gams, they have a good chance to go into those final two NFC games, especially against the Bears, with some good momentum. They may be able to steal the division if the Rams and Seahawks falter down the stretch.
11) Houston Texans (8-5) (+3)
Is there a unit playing better football right now than the Houston Texans’ defense? They are lining it up against anybody and playing smashmouth, bully-ball, and it’s awesome to see.
12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) (-2)
I mean…you can’t lose to the Saints. Not this version of the Saints, at least. But it’s fine. One of the great things about a short week is that you can get a nasty performance like that out of your head, and with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin back, the Bucs should be looking to bounce back really nicely against this fumbling Falcons team.
13) Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) (+4)
By God, I’m starting to believe again. Trevor Lawrence is playing good ball, the defense is flying around. This isn’t healthy. But with December starting, the Jags are at the top of the AFC South, and with the schedule looking very winnable down the stretch, this looks to be a playoff team.
14) Philadelphia Eagles (8-5) (-1)
I would love to dock them further, but the problem is…they’re still 2.5 games ahead of anyone else in the division. So, the Eagles are going to the playoffs, right? There will finally be a back-to-back divisional winner in the NFC East, right? Right?
15) Indianapolis Colts (8-5) (-8)
Life isn’t fair. That’s all I have to say for the Colts. Life just simply isn’t fair sometimes.
16) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) (+4)
Just when you think you can bury Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, they give you every reason imaginable to buy back in. Even if a part of it is a pure meltdown from this version of the Baltimore Ravens, that doesn’t matter. Somebody has to win this division, and right now, the Steelers are in the driver’s seat.
17) Baltimore Ravens (6-7) (-1)
Maybe Lamar Jackson isn’t all the way healthy yet. He looked a lot better than in previous weeks, but there is a clear disconnect for the Ravens, and they don’t have much time to fix it.
18) Carolina Panthers (7-6) (even)
Way to claw your way back into the NFC South race, Panthers. Now, after this bye week, they have the Saints and two important showdowns with the Bucs to finish off the season.
19) Kansas City Chiefs (6-7) (-4)
Sometimes, it’s just not your year. Maybe we didn’t expect that to ever happen to this version of the Chiefs under Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but it does happen. Sometimes, it’s just not written in the stars for you, and that’s definitely how it’s looking in Arrowhead right about now.
20) Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) (-1)
In a game where you needed to make a statement that you were ready to leap as a playoff contender, you completely laid an egg against the Lions. Now, the Eagles are in firm control of the NFC East. I should have known better than to take this version of the Cowboys seriously, even for a second.
21) Miami Dolphins (6-7) (even)
Is Miami the most polished of teams right now? Not even close, but Devon Achane is making this team watchable. He’s giving this offense a boost of life that it desperately needed.
22) Minnesota Vikings (5-8) (+2)
I don’t know whether that was ‘Nine’ or J.J. McCarthy on Sunday, but he needs to be there every week. Hopefully, this is the start of a nice run for this Vikings offense that has struggled mightily over the year with their first-year starter.
23) Cincinnati Bengals (4-9) (-1)
Yeah, they may have lost, but boy, it’s good to have Joe Burrow back playing football again.
24) Washington Commanders (3-10) (-1)
Maybe the worst defense in the league right now belongs to the Commanders. Marry that with the absolutely ridiculous idea to play Jayden Daniels, and get him hurt yet again this season…what’s happening in D.C. right now?
25) Arizona Cardinals (3-10) (even)
There’s not really much you can do against a buzzsaw like the Rams, but you do wish that the score didn’t have to reflect the stark disparity between the two teams so vehemently.
26) New York Jets (3-10) (+1)
The Jets got blown out by the Dolphins, but they beat the Falcons, so they get to move up this week by default. But this is still a bad team, a very bad team.
27) Atlanta Falcons (5-9) (-1)
Well, Falcons fans, here we are again. Back in the basement. No first-round pick, no playoff berth, just misery. It’s amazing how inept this team can be at times. How inconsistent, how back-and-forth this Falcons squad can look. We can hang with one of the best teams in the NFL for a half, just to allow 37 points in the second half. Thank God, it’s coming to an end.
28) New York Giants (2-11) (even)
Hope you rested up, Giants fans, because we got us a nice basement brawl in the NFC East against the Washington Commanders coming up.
29) New Orleans Saints (3-10) (+2)
The ultimate spoilers: The New Orleans Saints. The Tyler Shough era of the Saints may just be what this team needs to rebuild sooner rather than later. Can they keep the chaos churning with a win against the Carolina Panthers, or is that too much to ask?
30) Tennessee Titans (2-11) (+2)
What was supposed to be a stinker of a game turned out to be one of the more exciting matchups of the weekend, ending with the Titans pulling out a dub and getting out of the 32nd spot in these rankings for the first time since Week 8.
31) Cleveland Browns (3-10) (-2)
Sure, they may have lost, but the Shedeur Sanders watch was worth the price of admission.
32) Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) (-2)
Fernando Mendoza, here we come!
