We’re down to the last week in the 2020 NFL regular season. A lot of your top teams will sit their starters ahead of the playoffs beginning next week, but a lot of other teams still have their postseason fates hanging in the balance. For example, we won’t know the winner of the NFC East until late Sunday night, as Washington visits Philadelphia and can clinch with a win, but if they lose, the winner of the Giants-Cowboys game earlier in the day would snatch the division title. The AFC South is up for grabs, as the Titans must win in order to clinch the division but could also fall all the way out of the playoffs.
As you consider your NFL betting for the weekend, take a look at our latest league power rankings.
NFL News: Power Rankings after Week 16
#1 Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)
Expect to see a lot of Chad Henne at quarterback in Week 17 against the Chargers. Yes, the Chiefs looked bored in their nailbiter against Atlanta in Week 16, but we know they can flip the switch when they need to.
#2 Buffalo Bills (12-3)
If you expected the Bills to show some nerves against their longtime nemeses in New England (like they did in their first meeting), you learned otherwise as the Bills put on a 38-9 clinic at Gillette Stadium. Josh Allen’s name has to be in the MVP conversation by now.
#3 Green Bay Packers (12-3)
I have to admit that I’ve been underwhelmed by the Packers’ soft schedule. Then came a 40-14 shellacking of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers found Davante Adams for three touchdowns, and ADams became the third player in league history ever to catch 100 passes and 17 touchdown passes in the same season — and he missed two weeks with a hamstring injury.
#4 New Orleans Saints (11-4)
Alvin Kamara rumbled for six touchdowns against Minnesota on Christmas Day, tying a record that has stood for 91 years. Kamara has 21 touchdowns and almost 1,700 yards from scrimmage. That means that Drew Brees doesn’t have to win games by himself.
#5 Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
Through Week 10, the Seahawks had permitted 29.6 points per game. Since then, they have allowed only 13.7 per game, turning a dreadful unit into a strength. There’s still work to do, but we saw progress in that shutdown win over the Rams in Week 16.
#6 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3)
Just in the nick of time, the Steelers look like they’ve figured things out. In the third quarter, down 17 to the Colts, Ben Roethlisberger found Diontae Johnson for a bomb and a touchdown, and it was as though he remembered how to win. He threw two more touchdown passes to complete the comeback.
#7 Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak that includes a 27-13 win over the Giants in Week 16. In those four games, they have scored over 140 points and gained more than 900 yards on the ground, winning their games by an average margin of 15.5 points.
#8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-5)
The Bucs will likely visit the NFC East winners in the first round of the playoffs thanks to Tom Brady’s 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first half of a 47-7 demolition of the Detroit Lions. How far can the Bucs go? I’ll go ahead and predict that they make the divisional round.
#9 Cleveland Browns (10-5)
Really? You need to beat the Jets to make the playoffs and then you lose? Sure, the Browns were missing their top four wide receivers due to COVID-19 rules, but they still had Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Baker Mayfield fumbled three times, including a quarterback sneak close to the Jets end zone late in the fourth quarter. Next up is a match with the Steelers, who will not start Big Ben at quarterback. Win and you’re in, Baker.
#10 Tennessee Titans (10-5)
The snow at Lambeau has undone better teams than these Titans, and they got punched in the mouth repeatedly last week. Green Bay only needed three drives to get three touchdowns en route to a 40-14 win. Ryan Tannehill threw two picks, and Derrick Henry did not get to 100 rushing yards. However, the defense was the worst part. However, the Titans win the division if they can beat the Texans in Houston.
#11 Indianapolis Colts (10-5)
The Colts fell apart in Pittsburgh at the worst time, leading by 17 in the third quarter. The defense vanished, and the offense could not respond to pressure from the Steelers’ defense. A loss could mean that the Colts miss the playoffs, as they also lost to Cleveland and would lose that tiebreaker.
#12 Miami Dolphins (10-5)
The crazy thing is that the Dolphins are on the verge of the playoffs without a clear quarterback. For some reason, Tua Tagovailoa will be the starter once again in Week 17, even though Ryan Fitzpatrick once again came in and led Miami to a comeback win over Las Vegas. Miami visits Buffalo in Week 17, but don’t expect the Bills to rest their starters, as a win would give them the #2 seed and keep them out of Arrowhead Stadium until the AFC Championship.
#13 Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
The Rams will have John Wolford at quarterback, as Jared Goff’s fractured thumb will keep him out. The offense didn’t look good at all in a 20-9 loss to Seattle in Week 16, as Goff had a difficult time moving the team.
#14 Arizona Cardinals (8-7)
The Cardinals lost to a San Francisco team playing its third-string quarterback (C.J. Beathard), as the 49ers defense figured out how to slow down Kyler Murray a week after failing to slow down the hapless Dallas Cowboys. Also, Murray went down with a leg injury in the waning seconds. Will he be back for Week 17?
#15 Chicago Bears (8-7)
The Bears have scored 30 or more points in four straight games, as a 5-1 start, followed by a six-game losing streak has now turned into a win-and-you’re-in Week 17. When was the last time the Bears hit 30 four straight weeks? It was 1965. Week 17 will bring a test, though, in the form of the Green Bay Packers, who need a win to seal the top seed, so Aaron Rodgers won’t be on the sideline.
#16 Los Angeles Chargers (6-9)
The Chargers have now won three in a row, and Justin Herbert set a record for touchdown pases by a rookie quarterback, with 28. There is real hope in Los Angeles — and not just for Rams fans.
#17 Washington Football Team (6-9)
A win on Sunday night gives the Football Team an NFC East crown. It would be crazy to win a division after cutting a quarterback in Week 16, but it will be Alex Smith or Taylor Heinicke leading the Washington offense, not Dwayne Haskins. The good news for Washington is that their strength is their defense, and their opponents will be the Philadelphia Eagles.
#18 Dallas Cowboys (6-9)
Andy Dalton threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-17 win over Philadelphia, and he may be the best backup quarterback in the NFL. With Michael Gallup, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb running routes, he has plenty of options. The defense leads the league in takeovers through the last three weeks. Can they beat the Giants and win the East?
#19 Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
For two weeks in a row, the Raiders saw a win fly out the window — and so did a national television audience. If it were not for that crazy win in New York over the Jets, the Raiders would be riding a six-game losing streak. Yes, Jon Gruden is on a ten-year contract, but this December meltdown is on him.
#20 Atlanta Falcons (4-11)
Did you know that the Falcons have seven losses in games determined by one possession? They missed a game-tying field goal at Arrowhead on Sunday, and they dropped an interception that would have stymied a Kansas City comeback. It’s the little things, and the Falcons still don’t do enough of them right to win.
#21 San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
The 49ers’ defense has kept this team in games it has no business winning, as we’ve seen in victories over the Rams and the Cardinals in recent weeks. However, without Jimmy G, the 49ers won’t be competitive.
#22 Carolina Panthers (5-10)
Christian McCaffrey will have missed 13 of 16 games this season. What will Teddy Bridgewater be able to do against a tough New Orleans defense? Also, will the Panthers’ defense be able to keep the team in the game until at least halftime?
#23 Minnesota Vikings (6-9)
Mike Zimmer called this team’s defense the worst he has ever had after a game in which the Saints hung 52 on his team. No team had scored that many points against the Vikings since 1963, and no team had ever gained the 583 total yards against Minnesota that the Saints did.
#24 Philadelphia Eagles (4-10-1)
The Eagles were leading the Cowboys, 14-3, when defensive tackle Fletcher Cox had a neck stinger and had to leave the game. After that, the Eagles’ defense gave up four touchdowns and over 500 yards. The offense disappeared too, scoring just three points in the last 50 minutes of the game, and Jalen Hurts turned the ball over three times. He still looks better than Carson Wentz at this juncture, though.
#25 N.Y. Giants (5-10)
Daniel Jones isn’t the same quarterback while he’s recovering from ankle and hamstring injuries, and the Giants have not hit 20 points since mid-November. Can they rise from the grave against Dallas’ still-suspect defense?
#26 New England Patriots (6-9)
The Patriots will have their first losing season in 20 years — which is also how long it’s been since the Patriots were swept by an AFC East rival. What we do know is that the Cam Newton experiment has failed, and that it’s time to look at Jarrett Stidham in Week 17…and then find a new starter in the off-season.
#27 Denver Broncos (5-10)
Drew Lock threw two more interceptions against the Chargers, giving him a turnover in 11 straight games. Rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy dropped five passes, one in the end zone, and one with a shot at getting to the end zone. He has a lot of potential, but he still needs a lot of work — not uncommon for a rookie wideout getting a ton of targets.
#28 Houston Texans (4-11)
The Texans just lost at home to Cincinnati, and they finish 2020 with a Week 17 visit from the Tennessee Titans. It’s pretty clear that interim head coach Romeo Crennel has not yet changed the culture, so it’s time to see if someone else can do it in 2020.
#29 Cincinnati Bengals (4-10-1)
The Bengals had not won on the road since Week 4 of 2018 before going down to Houston to get a win. Zac Taylor now has his first two-game winning streak as a head coach. Next up is a date with the Baltimore Ravens, who need a win to clinch a playoff spot.
#30 N.Y. Jets (2-13)
Another bottom-feeder on a two-game winning streak, as the Jets beat Cleveland at home. Sam Darnold threw for two touchdown passes, but will he be back in 2021?
#31 Detroit Lions (5-10)
Yes, Matthew Stafford hurt his ankle on the second possession of the game, leaving things to Chase Daniel, but the Lions were uninterested from the get-to in a 47-7 whipping by Tampa Bay.
#32 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-14)
The Jaguars have clinched the top pick in the next draft. Next up is a finale in Indianapolis — as the Jags have an unlikely chance to get Trevor Lawrence and sweep the Colts.
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