Merry Christmas! Let’s dive right into the 2024 NFL Week 17 power rankings.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1) | Last week: 2 (+1)
The journey and set-up for the Chiefs feels eerily similar to past years—the Patrick Mahomes ankle injury that he plays through with no issue, elite defense, and simply an ability to win games.
2. Detroit Lions (13-2) | Last week: 4 (+2)
I think the Lions wanted to show that the cold does not affect them one bit, and they succeeded as Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout win at Chicago.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3) | Last week: 1 (-2)
An uncharacteristic drop by wide receiver DeVonta Smith led to a different story for the Eagles—but it still doesn’t excuse the defense not being able to get a stop late at Washington. The odds of the NFC playoffs running through Philadelphia have quickly dropped.
4. Buffalo Bills (12-3) | Last week: 3 (-1)
They started slow, but the Bills ultimately took control against the Patriots to remain in the No. 1 seed mix in the AFC.
5. Minnesota Vikings (13-2) | Last week: 5
Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson were incredibly clutch with their game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter at Seattle. We’ll see what happens over the next month, but I’m not sure how Minnesota can let Darnold go this offseason.
6. Baltimore Ravens (10-5) | Last week: 7 (+1)
Pittsburgh’s turnovers and injuries helped, but the Ravens got over the hump against their division rival to have a shot in the AFC North.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) | Last week: 6 (-1)
George Pickens (hamstring) is going to be a massive boost for the Steelers after he missed the previous three games, but hopefully the secondary can also get to full health soon—with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) now out for the Christmas Day matchup with Kansas City.
8. Green Bay Packers (11-4) | Last week: 8
The Packers defense notched the first shutout of the 2024 NFL season on Monday night, and they look like a complete team that won’t be an easy out as a wild card.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) | Last week: 12 (+3)
We saw the first made free kick field goal since 1976 by Cameron Dicker, sparking the Chargers’ comeback victory and setting up a prime opportunity to make the postseason with one more win in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh.
10. Houston Texans (9-6) | Last week: 11 (+1)
The loss of wide receiver Tank Dell to a severe knee injury was very tough to watch, and the degree of difficult for the Texans is increased with him joining Stefon Diggs as out for the year. Houston claimed receiver Diontae Johnson from Baltimore, so we’ll see how quickly he can get acclimated.
11. Los Angeles Rams (9-6) | Last week: 13 (+2)
The Rams are showing they can win gritty games, which is a prerequisite for going on a championship run.
12. Denver Broncos (9-6) | Last week: 10 (-2)
Denver started red-hot with three consecutive touchdown drives at the Chargers last Thursday night, but they couldn’t keep it going and were on the wrong end of the momentum shift from the free kick field goal. Now the Broncos must head to rainy Cincinnati with the hope of cornerback Riley Moss (knee) returning to the lineup.
13. Washington Commanders (10-5) | Last week: 15 (+2)
Jayden Daniels showed poise in bouncing back from two interceptions before ultimately leading a game-winning drive versus a typically-tough Eagles defense, as the Commanders continue to exceed expectations and have things go their way in 2024—including an opportunity to build a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site.
14. Atlanta Falcons (8-7) | Last week: 17 (+3)
I suppose you can’t take too much from beating a team like the Giants, but Michael Penix Jr. looked solid in his first NFL start, bringing visible juice on his throws. The Atlanta defense had two pick-sixes to support the rookie quarterback.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) | Last week: 9 (-6)
The Bucs were up to the top 10 in last week’s power rankings, but they drop six spots after their disappointing Sunday night loss to the Cowboys. Tampa Bay is at its best when playing through Bucky Irving and Mike Evans.
16. Seattle Seahawks (8-7) | Last week: 14 (-2)
They couldn’t pull off the upset victory, but I was encouraged by how the Seahawks went toe-to-toe with the Vikings. Seattle must take care of business versus the Bears tomorrow night to set up an awesome Week 18 matchup with the Rams.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8) | Last week: 18 (+1)
Geno Stone has an interception in three consecutive games for a defensive unit that’s taking advantage of plus matchups and playing much better at the right time. Paired with the explosive offense, the Bengals are favored to beat the Broncos this week to give themselves a shot (with a lot of help) heading into the final week.
18. Indianapolis Colts (7-8) | Last week: 21 (+3)
Talk about a bounce back effort from Jonathan Taylor a week after his fumble before crossing the goal line—the star runner went for 218 yards and three touchdowns in a shootout win against the Titans. Now the Colts take on the Giants and Jaguars with a good chance to get to 9-8 and hope for two Denver losses.
19. Miami Dolphins (7-8) | Last week: 20 (+1)
The Niners of course have their own issues this year, but the Dolphins still deserve credit for winning a late-season game against a proud and talented opponent. Road trips to Cleveland and the Jets will be two more key tests to end the regular season.
20. Dallas Cowboys (7-8) | Last week: 22 (+2)
The Cowboys appear to have gotten rid of the ghosts they were facing at home dating back to last postseason. Micah Parsons and company are a dangerous spoiler over the final two games against the Eagles and Commanders.
21. Arizona Cardinals (7-8) | Last week: 16 (-5)
The disappointing overtime defeat at Carolina ended Arizona’s playoff hopes, unfortunately making this Saturday night’s showdown with the Rams not as high stakes. Again, the Cardinals might be a team that needs to learn how to win games.
22. San Francisco 49ers (6-9) | Last week: 19 (-3)
The 49ers have now lost five of their past six games—clearly just in a funk and not as sharp as we’ve seen from them in recent seasons.
23. Carolina Panthers (4-11) | Last week: 25 (+2)
He’s not in a spot to put up huge passing numbers, but second-year quarterback Bryce Young has consistently played extremely well since his re-insertion into the starting lineup. Carolina is another fun spoiler team heading to Tampa and Atlanta the final two weeks.
24. New York Jets (4-11) | Last week: 24
The loss was by 10, but the Jets moved the ball and did a nice job on defense—they just couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the end zone after a first-quarter touchdown to Davante Adams.
25. New Orleans Saints (5-10) | Last week: 23 (-2)
Lambeau Field is a very difficult environment in December, and it was not surprise that the Saints were handled by the Packers. I’m sure Derek Carr (hand) would like to face his former Raiders team this Sunday, but it sounds like an uphill climb.
26. Cleveland Browns (3-12) | Last week: 26
There’s again a quarterback question in Cleveland following Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s calf injury, but they’ll likely need to win a low-scoring game against the Dolphins this week.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12) | Last week: 27
Going on a run of a few wins to end the regular season was a path for Jacksonville to potentially not make big changes this offseason, but a loss to the Raiders likely makes it a lock that something—whether GM, head coach, or both—changes soon.
28. Chicago Bears (4-11) | Last week: 28
I’ll keep them here in the power rankings, but a case can be made for the Bears to be as low as No. 31 with the way they’re playing right now as a team. Caleb Williams is somewhat quietly showing positive flashes and is taking care of the ball, though.
29. Tennessee Titans (3-12) | Last week: 29
The Titans battled back to make it a game after it looked like they would get blown out, backing up head coach Brian Callahan, who defended any talk of his team being “soft” heading into the week.
30. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12) | Last week: 31 (+1)
Much of the discussion in Vegas after ending a 10-game losing streak is about draft positioning, but I admire the stance Antonio Pierce and his players are taking. The locker room doesn’t care about draft positioning; they rightly want to win games.
31. New England Patriots (3-12) | Last week: 30 (-1)
Drake Maye had an up and down game that included a dime touchdown throw and a lateral that gave Buffalo a touchdown, and these tests—next up is the Chargers before facing the Bills again—are good for the rookie quarterback.
32. New York Giants (2-13) | Last week: 32
The Giants have lost a franchise record 10 consecutive games, and the way they are doing it—getting blown out—speaks to how bad of shape everything has gotten there.