2019 NFL power rankings, Week 17: Bengals are No. 32 but pick No. 1

Recap: A week ago, the Bears were officially eliminated from the playoffs. On Sunday night, they hosted a Kansas City Chiefs team on its way to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. Chicago’s defense had few answers for Patrick Mahomes and company as the Chiefs rolled up 350 total yards and the Bears surrendered 26 points. Matt Nagy’s offense once again stumbled out of the gate and this time failed to reach the end zone. Chicago did play turnover-free football but quarterback Mitch Trubisky only threw for 157 yards and was sacked three times. And a Bears’ team that led the league with 36 takeaways last season has forced only 16 turnovers – zero vs. the Chiefs.

Next Week: While it’s been a down year for the 2018 NFC North champions, the Bears are still in position to sweep the rival Vikings for the second consecutive year. In Week 4 at Soldier Field, Nagy’s club came away with an ugly 16-6 victory. Chicago has won three straight games in this series after dropping three in a row to Minnesota.

Draft Talk: General manager Ryan Pace and the club does not have a first- or third-round pick in April’s draft but have two second-round selections at their disposal. The Bears could use some more help for Trubisky, perhaps at tight end. And the club could use a running back accustomed to a lot of carries. This is still a pretty talented team.

Recap: Off a tough primetime home loss to the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills, the Steelers made their way to MetLife Stadium to take on Le’Veon Bell and the hard-to-figure New York Jets. Entering Week 16, only the Patriots (36) had come up with more takeaways than Mike Tomlin’s club (35). But it was quarterback Devlin Hodges who threw four interceptions last Sunday night vs. the Bills and two more picks in the first half vs. the Jets on Sunday. Re-enter Mason Rudolph, who help the team forge a tie before he went down. Re-enter Hodges and the offense stalled again. Pittsburgh limited the Jets to 259 yards and one TD but scored just 10 points for the second straight game.

Next Week: The Steelers head to Baltimore looking to avenge an early season loss to the AFC North champions. In Week 5 at Heinz Field, Tomlin’s club fell in overtime, 26-23. The last time the Black and Gold was swept in this rivalry was 2015. But it was just a season ago (Week 9) that Pittsburgh came up with a 23-16 victory at Baltimore.

Playoff Hopes: Two straight losses has the Steelers now needing some help in terms of reaching the playoffs. Simply put, a victory at Baltimore and a Tennessee Titans’ loss at Houston and Tomlin’s team will become the seventh club to reach the postseason after a 0-3 start. But who will be the starting quarterback this Sunday?

Next: Nos. 12 and 11