Let’s dive right into the Week 17 NFL power rankings ahead of a full week of holiday games. Merry Christmas!
1. Denver Broncos (12-3) | Last week: 1
Despite the home loss to the Jags by two touchdowns, the Broncos remain in the top spot in the power rankings. An 11-game winning streak is highly impressive and had to end at some point, and off days happen—neither side of the ball played well, particularly with too many huge plays allowed by the defense.
2. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) | Last week: 7 (+5)
I mentioned last week about the Seahawks certainly moving up if they beat the Rams, and they vault all the way up to No. 2 after getting contributions from all three phases (with the defense eventually making enough stops in the fourth quarter) last Thursday night. Also, it was great for Sam Darnold to be clutch late versus a defense he’s struggled mightily against.
3. Chicago Bears (11-4) | Last week: 4 (+1)
The talent, confidence, and clutch factor for Caleb Williams have carried over from his rookie campaign to pair with the new coaching staff led by Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen, immediately making the Bears a force.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) | Last week: 5 (+1)
The Eagles clinched the NFC East as the first repeat winners since 2004, and they did it with a target on their backs at the defending Super Bowl champions.
5. Buffalo Bills (11-4) | Last week: 3 (-2)
The defense for Buffalo remains a concern and leads to a drop in this week’s power rankings after escaping Cleveland with a victory. With a matchup against the Eagles this Sunday, Josh Allen’s foot issue (which he’s playing through, but likely at not 100%) is something to watch.
6. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) | Last week: 6
Brock Purdy was outstanding with five touchdowns in the Monday night win over the Colts, and—though it included a December bye week—it’s crazy that the offense hasn’t punted this month yet.
7. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) | Last week: 2 (-5)
The play up front and the connection between Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua helped the Rams offense play at a high level despite no Davante Adams (hamstring) in the lineup, but the punt return touchdown allowed and the defensive issues late are a concern for a team with obvious Super Bowl aspirations.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) | Last week: 11 (+3)
The theme for the Jaguars in Year 1 under Liam Coen has been that of aggressiveness. They play extremely hard and with a chip on their shoulder, bringing an us-against-the-world mentality to win pretty emphatically at Denver.
9. New England Patriots (12-3) | Last week: 8 (-1)
The comeback win for the Patriots at a Baltimore squad fighting for their playoff lives could be one that boosts confidence as the postseason approaches.
10. Houston Texans (10-5) | Last week: 10
The Raiders shockingly gave the Texans a battle, but C.J. Stroud made enough key throws while kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was clutch with field goals of 55, 50, and 49 in the 23-21 victory.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4) | Last week: 12 (+1)
Both the pass game and the run game were on for Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense overall in what turned into a comfortable win at Dallas, with this Saturday versus the Texans a much bigger challenge after Herbert threw four interceptions in last January’s playoff loss.
12. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) | Last week: 9 (-3)
I want to use this space to give recognition to Malik Willis, who stepped in at quarterback for Jordan Love and—as was the case last season when he played—steadily operated the offense with arguably no drop off. One win (or a Lions loss) and the Packers are in the postseason despite now needing some help in the NFC North.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6) | Last week: 14 (+1)
The DK Metcalf suspension over the final two games for throwing a punch at a fan ups the degree of difficulty, but the Steelers have yet another winning season under Mike Tomlin and are close to clinching the AFC North after getting away with a controversial win in Detroit. Despite the iffy calls at the end in their favor, Pittsburgh deserves credit for the way they ran the ball.
14. Carolina Panthers (8-7) | Last week: 18 (+4)
The numbers (21/32, 191 yards, two touchdowns, along with 20 rushing yards) probably don’t do justice for how well Bryce Young played in a critical win over the Bucs. He’s so calm and comfortable in big spots, and Lathan Ransom sealed the win with a clutch interception on the final drive.
15. Detroit Lions (8-7) | Last week: 13 (-2)
We’ve seen this story too many times with the Lions, with the officiating going against them. The first offensive pass interference call (also coming late) on what looked like the game-winning touchdown was especially poor in my opinion. That said, the defense not getting stops at home was disappointing.
16. Baltimore Ravens (7-8) | Last week: 15 (-1)
Speaking of disappointing, the Ravens looked primed to get to 8-7 after Derrick Henry’s fourth quarter touchdown run put them up 24-13. To not touch the ball for the rest of the game after that is just nuts. Defensively, Baltimore was burned by not coming away with enough interceptions on a handful of opportunities with their hands on the ball.
17. Indianapolis Colts (8-7) | Last week: 16 (-1)
It’s a shame the Colts defense couldn’t make a stop, as Philip Rivers was dealing early. Indy’s postseason hopes are hanging by a thread, but they finish the regular season with AFC South showdowns against Jacksonville and Houston.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8) | Last week: 17 (-1)
I could have the Bucs higher based off their path to the postseason, but the team simply hasn’t played well for several weeks now—including quarterback Baker Mayfield struggling late in games the past two weeks.
19. Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1) | Last week: 19
That midseason juice for the Cowboys looks long gone, but they’ll look put up a strong showing on Christmas Day at Washington.
20. Minnesota Vikings (7-8) | Last week: 22 (+2)
At Detroit with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer at quarterback will be a challenge, but it’s impressive (and surprising, as it doesn’t feel that way) that the Vikings are 7-8 with all the issues they’ve had at quarterback in 2025.
21. Atlanta Falcons (6-9) | Last week: 23 (+2)
Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts again paced the offense as the Falcons (who don’t have their first-round pick in 2026) face the Rams (who own that pick) this Monday night while looking to play spoiler for seeding and not give LA too high of a draft selection.
22. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) | Last week: 20 (-2)
All the injuries for Kansas City made it a tall task even versus the Titans, and we’ll see if they were sort of gearing up to make Christmas Night against the Broncos their Super Bowl—which speaks to how odd of a season this has been for the back-to-back-to-back AFC champs.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (5-10) | Last week: 24 (+1)
It’s not surprising that Joe Burrow bounced back the way he did, with the entire offense including three touchdowns by Chase Brown dominating in the 45-21 win at Miami.
24. Miami Dolphins (6-9) | Last week: 21 (-3)
Playing catch-up is a difficult spot for a rookie quarterback making his first start, but Quinn Ewers showed some good signs to build on. The Dolphins are in position to play spoiler the final two weeks when taking on the Bucs and Pats.
25. New Orleans Saints (5-10) | Last week: 25
After handling the Jets, the Saints are now 4-3 with rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback. Given all the injuries at running back, they’re coming off a pass-heavy game that included a lot of Taysom Hill when they did take to the ground.
26. Washington Commanders (4-11) | Last week: 26
Marcus Mariota’s hand injury in the Saturday loss to the Eagles was unfortunate, and the Commanders did compete early and show fight throughout the loss. The defense will really have to step up with Mariota out tomorrow.
27. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) | Last week: 27
The injury hits keep coming, with first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen III and cornerback Garrett Williams suffering season-enders. Elijah Higgins had a big game at tight end for the Cardinals, catching seven passes for 91 yards as a complement to Trey McBride, who had a rare quiet game in the loss to Atlanta.
28. Tennessee Titans (3-12) | Last week: 29 (+1)
Tony Pollard went over 100 yards again, and Cameron Ward again worked off the run game to have a strong outing in his first career home win.
29. New York Jets (3-12) | Last week: 28 (-1)
Obviously, the Jets are far away from the postseason, but they have a late-season opportunity to be a factor in the AFC East race when they host the Patriots this Sunday.
30. Cleveland Browns (3-12) | Last week: 30
The season-ending injury to stud rookie runner Quinshon Judkins was tough to see, and a lot was built around him in the Cleveland offense. The Browns put the Bills on the ropes and will look to do the same versus the Steelers.
31. New York Giants (2-13) | Last week: 31
Take your pick with the order of the final two spots. Jaxson Dart is visibly frustrated with his rookie season and all the losing, despite some encouraging signs before his rushing upside was reined in.
32. Las Vegas Raiders (2-13) | Last week: 32
While a lot of the talk is about getting the No. 1 overall pick and that importance, the Giants and the Raiders just want to win a game. Las Vegas showed fight in the loss to the Texans and was boosted by two long touchdowns by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.