NFL power rankings, Week 17: Playoffs on horizon

53. You have to be happy for the Browns. They have fought hard, and they finally got the win.. 1-14. Previous: . Cleveland Browns. 32. team

If only San Francisco could play the Rams every week.. 2-13. Previous: . San Francisco 49ers. 31. team. 42

team. 51. Forget about the record, the real concern has to be Jared Goff. He looks really bad.. 4-11. Previous: . Los Angeles Rams. 30

29. team. 57. This season can’t end soon enough. Now, will the Bears move on from John Fox or give him another year?. 3-12. Previous: . Chicago Bears

28. team. 30. This team is a disgrace. They need to clean house in every way imaginable.. 4-11. Previous: . New York Jets

Was Gus Bradley the main issue here? The ridiculously early returns say maybe.. 3-12. Previous: . Jacksonville Jaguars. 27. team. 52

team. 56. That game between Cincinnati and Houston was an affront to the sport.. 5-9-1. Previous: . Cincinnati Bengals. 26

13. When you lose to the Browns, you know the season is cooked.. 5-10. Previous: . San Diego Chargers. 25. team

One is left to wonder whether the Panthers are more the 2016 or 2015 version moving forward.. 6-9. Previous: . Carolina Panthers. 24. team. 87

7-8. Previous: . Minnesota Vikings. 23. team. 60. Minnesota is apparently no longer listening to Mike Zimmer. That’s a huge issue going into the offseason. He’s a good coach.

The Eagles have to feel hopeful about the future. Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson have some skills.. 6-9. Previous: . Philadelphia Eagles. 22. team. 54

Previous: . Arizona Cardinals. 21. team. 32. The season was a mess for Arizona, but this was a huge win to make them feel good around the holidays.. 6-8-1

16. Buffalo is not making the playoffs again, and the general manager is reportedly safe. What?. 7-8. Previous: . Buffalo Bills. 20. team

19. team. 46. The Colts looked great in Week 15. Apparently, that can only be a one-week thing.. 7-8. Previous: . Indianapolis Colts

7-8. Previous: . New Orleans Saints. 18. team. 15. The Saints have a chance to play spoiler against the Falcons this weekend. At least that’s some consolation.

17. team. 45. The Broncos are not going to the playoffs for the first time since the Josh McDaniels era. Yikes.. 8-7. Previous: . Denver Broncos

Previous: . Baltimore Ravens. 16. team. 26. Baltimore had a chance to win the North, but it couldn’t stop Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter. It was ugly.. 8-7

48. Tampa Bay had everything in front of it but couldn’t win over the last two weeks. It’s a young team that will learn.. 8-7. Previous: . Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 15. team

8-7. Previous: . Tennessee Titans. 14. team. 35. This week was crushing. Tennessee was blown out by the Jaguars and lost Marcus Mariota to a broken leg.

10. The Texans won another division title, but they are getting pounded in the playoffs.. 9-6. Previous: . Houston Texans. 13. team

12-3. Previous: . Oakland Raiders. 12. team. 28. You don’t see a 12-win team this low very often, but the loss of Derek Carr is devastating. It’s nothing against the Raiders, who have had a great year, but without Carr it’s not going very far in January.

50. The Lions now have to win or face the real possibility of missing the playoffs after a 9-4 start.. 9-6. Previous: . Detroit Lions. 10. team

36. The Seattle loss on Saturday is crushing. The Seahawks likely blew a first-round bye and home field in the Divisional round.. 9-5-1. Previous: . Seattle Seahawks. 9. team

team. 59. Give the Dolphins credit. After starting 1-4, they have won nine of 10. This team has a ceiling, but Adam Gase will change that in coming years.. 10-5. Previous: . Miami Dolphins. 8

10-5. Previous: . New York Giants. 7. team. 31. The Giants are going to be very tough in the playoffs with a good defense and Odell Beckham Jr. They are the wild card.

44. Atlanta has to simply win on Sunday and it’s the No. 2 seed. The Falcons are scary with their prolific offense.. 10-5. Previous: . Atlanta Falcons. 6. team

Previous: . Green Bay Packers. 5. team. 49. Nobody could want to play the Packers right now. Aaron Rodgers is playing like an MVP and the defense is getting better by the play.. 9-6

11-4. Previous: . Kansas City Chiefs. 4. team. 124. The Chiefs got a huge win on Sunday, and now try for the Western title this weekend. Kansas City has an excellent defense.

Previous: . Pittsburgh Steelers. 3. team. 55. The Steelers are the biggest threat to New England along with the Chiefs in the AFC. Le’Veon Bell is incredible.. 10-5

123. Dallas is somehow underrated despite going 13-2 to this point. It’s going to be tough sledding for any team to beat the Cowboys.. 13-2. Previous: . Dallas Cowboys. 2. team

47. New England is the best team in the NFL, period.. 13-2. Previous: . New England Patriots. 1. team