Nfl Power Rankings - NEWS POLITE

What an exciting mess the NFL playoff races have become.

Just when it looked like a rare drama-free finish, the teams on the right side of the bubble started losing and teams left for dead started winning.

The reeling Titans have lost five straight games, one more than the slumping Dolphins. The Commanders are winless in their past three. The Seahawks (1-5 in their past six games) and Patriots (1-4 in their past five games) are nearly as cold.

Suddenly, the door is open in the AFC for the Jaguars and Steelers, both of whom are 4-1 in their past five games. And in the NFC for the Packers (three-game winning streak) and Panthers (3-1 in their past four games).

Derrick Henry and the Titans have lost five straight games.

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Will any of those trends change over the last two games? It happens fast. Ask the Lions, who started 1-6, went 6-1 over their seven games, and then blew a golden opportunity to move into the playoff picture by losing as favorites to the Panthers.

Here are The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 17:

1. Buffalo Bills 12-3 (2)

Remember when the Patriots were kings of the AFC East, winning 11 straight division titles? Well, the Bills just clinched their third straight with a 35-13 win over the Bears and there’s no reason to assume the streak will end soon. Josh Allen, Devin Singletary and James Cook all rushed for touchdowns as part of a 254-yard day on the ground.

2. Philadelphia Eagles 13-2 (1)

Sound some alarms because the Eagles were torched by the best opposing quarterback they faced this season in a 40-34 loss to the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott. Don’t sound all the alarms, because MVP candidate Jalen Hurts didn’t play and the offense was still explosive enough for three touchdown drives of 75 yards or more. The NFC East is still not clinched.

3. Cincinnati Bengals 11-4 (3)

Eight years after his infamous “We’re on to Cincinnati” press conference, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is trying to move on from Cincinnati after the Bengals won, 22-18. Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes for an offense that rang up nearly 500 yards, but Vonn Bell’s forced fumble at the 5-yard line with about one minute left is what sealed a seventh straight win.

4. Kansas City Chiefs 12-3 (4)

In an effort to hold up its end of the bargain for Patrick Mahomes — whose latest jaw-dropping play was one-hand-balanced touchdown dive — the defense stepped up with two fourth-down stops and an interception in the end zone, holding the Seahawks without a touchdown until the fourth quarter of a 24-10 victory. The Chiefs have won 16 straight regular-season games against the NFC.

5. San Francisco 49ers 11-4 (5)

No team is hotter than the 49ers, who won their eighth straight by beating the Commanders, 37-20. George Kittle has rediscovered his peak catch-and-run ability, with back-to-back two-touchdown games. Brock Purdy joined Kurt Warner as the only quarterbacks since 1950 to start careers 3-0 with multiple touchdown passes in each game. Nick Bosa boasts an NFL-high 17.5 sacks.

6. Dallas Cowboys (6) 11-4

Prescott led the Cowboys back from separate 10-point deficits in both halves of the win. He overcame a first-quarter pick-six — his NFL-high 11th interception since returning from an injury in Week 7 — to throw for 347 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys made a late red-zone stand against the Eagles.

7. Minnesota Vikings 12-3 (7)

Greg Joseph’s franchise-record 61-yard field as time expired completed a 17-point fourth-quarter scoring outburst and finished off the Giants, 27-24, in a back-and-forth game. The Vikings improved to an NFL-record 11-0 in one-score games, with three game-winners from Joseph in the final minute plus two field goals in overtime. T.J. Hockenson and Justin Jefferson combined for 242 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

8. Los Angeles Chargers 9-6 (8)

After a playoff spot slipped away on the final play of the NFL’s regular season in 2021, the Chargers clinched their second berth since 2014 with two weeks to go by beating the Colts. It will be a wider introduction to quarterback Justin Herbert’s brilliance, but head coach Brandon Staley’s defensive background made the biggest difference down the stretch.

9. Baltimore Ravens 10-5 (10)

Playing a third straight game without Lamar Jackson, the Ravens clinched a return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus and stayed alive in the race for the AFC North title. Tyler Huntley threw a touchdown pass and ran for the ensuing two-point conversion, Gus Edwards ran for 99 yards and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals.

10. New York Giants 8-6-1 (12)

Toss away the script the Giants used all season. Conservative on offense? Not with Daniel Jones throwing for 334 yards. Smart, don’t-beat-yourself football? Not with two turnovers, a dropped interception, a blocked punt and seven penalties. It all added up to a missed opportunity to clinch a playoff spot (but the feel of a moral victory) in the loss to the Vikings.

Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins’ playoff hopes are at risk.

11. Miami Dolphins 8-7 (9)

12. Detroit Lions 7-8 (11)

13. Jacksonville Jaguars 7-8 (18)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-8 (19)

15. Green Bay Packers 7-8 (23)

16. Washington Commanders 7-7-1 (14)

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-8 (20)

18. Tennessee Titans 7-8 (13)

19. Seattle Seahawks 7-8 (15)

Geno Smith and the Seahawks have struggled after a hot start to the season.

20. New England Patriots 7-8 (16)

21. New York Jets 7-8 (17)

It felt like the end of the disastrous Zach Wilson Era when the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft was booed through a rainstorm and benched for a second time this season — for practice-squad call-up Chris Streveler, no less — in a 19-3 loss to the Jaguars. Remarkably, after four straight losses, a reasonable path to the playoffs still exists.

22. Carolina Panthers 6-9 (24)

23. New Orleans Saints 6-9 (25)

24. Cleveland Browns 6-9 (21)

25. Las Vegas Raiders 6-9 (22)

26. Los Angeles Rams 5-10 (26)

27. Atlanta Falcons 5-10 (27)

28. Indianapolis Colts 4-10-1 (28)

29. Denver Broncos 4-11 (29)

30. Arizona Cardinals 4-11 (30)

31. Houston Texans 2-12-1 (32)

32. Chicago Bears 3-12 (31)

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Original Source

Maybe the legacy-minded members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins will be able to celebrate a little earlier this season.

The alums from the NFL’s only perfect team always breathe a little easier after the last undefeated team loses each year. It took eight weeks last season.

Well, after just two weeks of the 2022 season, the group of unbeatens is down to six. In fact, there are more winless teams (seven) remaining. For the non-math wizards, that means 19 of 32 teams have split their first two games.

Here are The Post’s power rankings for Week 3, sorting through the logjam in the middle:

1. Buffalo Bills 2-0 (Last week: 1)

What was more impressive? An offense that scored 41 points and threw for 313 yards, with Stefon Diggs catching three touchdown passes? Or a defense that held two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry to 25 yards and limited the Titans to seven points? Hard to believe the Bills lost to the Titans each of the last two years.

Josh Allen and the Bills improved to 2-0.

USA TODAY Sports

2. Kansas City Chiefs 2-0 (2)

There has been a lot of talk about an improved defense to go with the explosive offense. Not a lot of it focused on rookie seventh-round draft pick Jaylen Watson, whose 99-yard interception return for a touchdown broke a fourth-quarter tie and sparked a win against the Chargers. Justin Watson (no relation) caught a touchdown pass.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0 (4)

Tom Brady threw a tablet to the ground in the bench area when it looked like the Buccaneers were headed to a fifth straight regular-season loss against the Saints. But then he threw a touchdown to Breshad Perriman during a decisive 17-point fourth-quarter outburst after his favorite receiver, Mike Evans, was ejected during a brawl.

4. Los Angeles Chargers 1-1 (3)

Two concerns moving forward: First, Justin Herbert suffered a fracture to his rib cartilage that severely limited his mobility — but not his ability to throw darts — late in the loss to the Chiefs. Second, head coach Brandon Staley punted twice on fourth-and-2 near midfield. The NFL’s biggest fourth-down gambler looked conservative in a 27-24 loss.

5. Philadelphia Eagles 2-0 (7)

If Jalen Hurts plays as well as he did in a 24-7 win against the Vikings, the Eagles are the NFC’s best team. Hurts completed 26 of 31 passes for 333 yards, ran for 57 yards and combined for three touchdowns. After years of cycling through cornerbacks, Darius Slay and James Bradberry make a formidable pair.

Jaylen Watson runs a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.

6. Los Angeles Rams 1-1 (6)

After a poor performance in the Super Bowl and a worse season-opener going against Ja’Marr Chase and Diggs, respectively, Jalen Ramsey redeemed himself with an end-zone interception to preserve a 31-27 win over the Falcons. The Rams nearly blew a 28-3 lead built on Cooper Kupp’s 11 catches and two touchdowns.

7. Miami Dolphins 2-0 (13)

Three years after a humiliating 59-10 season-opening loss to the Ravens, the Dolphins exacted revenge in equally stunning fashion. Tua Tagovailoa threw six touchdown passes, including four in the fourth quarter to erase a 21-point deficit and win, 42-38. The fastest duo in the NFL — Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — combined for 22 catches for 361 yards and four touchdowns.

8. Minnesota Vikings 1-1 (8)

The stinker laid Monday in Philadelphia might have been worse than the one there in the NFC Championship game in January 2018. Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook combined for 84 yards from scrimmage, and Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions. That Week 1 rout of the Packers feels like a long time ago.

9. Green Bay Packers 1-1 (10)

Some things never change. Aaron Rodgers improved to 24-5 all time against the Bears, though he had plenty of rushing and defensive help in a 27-10 whooping. Some things change: The Packers are one win away from tying the Bears for most wins in NFL history (784) — a record held by Chicago since 1921, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

10. Baltimore Ravens 1-1 (5)

Maybe the Ravens should’ve thought twice before letting go of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale after last season. Passes were flying over the head of defensive backs as the Dolphins piled up 233 yards in the fourth quarter alone. It negated Lamar Jackson’s remarkable performance (318 passing yards, 119 rushing yards, four total touchdowns).

11. San Francisco 49ers 1-1 (17)

12. Dallas Cowboys 1-1 (20)

13. Arizona Cardinals 1-1 (22)

14. New York Giants 2-0 (23)

The Giants are 2-0 for the first time since 2016 because kickers matter. They celebrated when the Titans missed a last-second 47-yard field goal in Week 1. They beat the Panthers in Week 2 because Graham Gano went 4-for-4 on field goals, including two from 50-plus yards. A defense mostly made up of rookies and journeymen is creating havoc.

15. New England Patriots 1-1 (26)

16. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-1 (9)

17. New Orleans Saints 1-1 (14)

18. Seattle Seahawks 1-1 (18)

19. Denver Broncos 1-1 (19)

29. Cincinnati Bengals 0-2 (11)

21. Las Vegas Raiders 0-2 (16)

22. New York Jets 1-1 (30)

With 2:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Browns had a 99.8 percent win probability. Final score in regulation: Jets 31, Browns 30. After head coach Robert Saleh went out on a limb with his “taking receipts” rant, the Jets played hard for 60 minutes and needed every second for a miracle 13-point rally helped by an onside kick.

23. Cleveland Browns 1-1 (15)

24. Detroit Lions 1-1 (31)

25. Washington Commanders 1-1 (21)

26. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-1 (29)

27. Chicago Bears 1-1 (25)

28. Tennessee Titans 0-2 (22)

29. Indianapolis Colts 0-1-1 (12)

30. Houston Texans 0-1-1 (28)

31. Carolina Panthers 0-2 (27)

32. Atlanta Falcons 0-2 (32)