NFL Divisional Power Rankings, Regular Season Final: Formidable NFC North goes wire to wire

The 2024 NFL playoffs are on the horizon and there are only 13 games remaining as the race to reach Super Bowl LIX begins. Hence, this is the last installment of this exercise as 18 of the league’s 32 clubs head into the offseason.

When it comes to each division, there are instances where one or two teams can elevate the foursome, and conversely a club or two can drag the quartet down. That’s been the formula for these rankings throughout. It’s no surprise that each of the top two divisions on this list are each sending three teams to the playoffs. However, there’s been one group that has stood out since the start of the season, led by a team that’s set numerous franchise records during an amazing ’24 campaign.

The final NFL Divisional Power Rankings for 2024

8. AFC South

Combined win-loss record: 25-43

This year’s edition of the AFC South certainly fell off from a year and it brought back memories of the 2022 season. That year, the Jacksonville Jaguars won their final five games just to finish 9-8 and win the division. Meanwhile, the Titans (7-10), Colts (4-12-1) and Texans (3-13-1) combined for a 14-35-2 mark. A year ago, Houston stunned many people by grabbing the top spot (10-7), Indianapolis and Jacksonville finished 9-8, while Tennessee hit the basement with a 6-11 mark.

So much for building off the ’23 season. The Texans repeated as AFC South champions and finished 10-7 again. But the club has dropped six of its last 11 games after a 5-1 start. DeMeco Ryans’s squad hosts the Chargers on Saturday. The Colts finished below .500 for the second time in three years, and quarterback Anthony Richardson remains an enigma. Brian Callahan’s first season in Nashville ended with six straight losses. The 3-14 Titans “earned” the top pick in April’s draft. The Jaguars cut ties with head coach Doug Pederson, who lost 18 of his last 23 games.

7. NFC South

Combined win-loss record: 28-40

A division winner would be crowned sometime Sunday afternoon. Both the 9-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 8-8 Atlanta Falcons were at home, and hosting the Saints and Panthers, respectively. A victory by the Bucs would give the team its fourth straight NFC South title. A loss by Baker Mayfield and company would open the door for Raheem Morris’s team, and it would claim the top spot with a victory. Both of the home teams struggled with their foes for most of the day, and in the end only one of them came up with a win.

Start with a positive. After dropping seven of their first eight games, Dave Canales’s Panthers played very respectable football the second half of the year, and won four of their final nine contests. That includes Sunday’s wild 44-38 overtime win at Atlanta, their fourth OT contest in their last eight games. The club also set a dubious record by allowing 534 points, the most in a season in league annals. The Bucs rallied to beat the Saints, won their fourth straight NFC South title, and host the Commanders on Sunday night.

6. AFC East

Combined win-loss record: 30-38

The Bills are headed to the postseason as the AFC’s second seed, even with Sunday’s loss at New England in which quarterback Josh Allen made a brief cameo. Although the Patriots went out on a high note via a 23-16 victory, it wasn’t enough for head coach Jerod Mayo. He was let go by the team after just season. For the second year in a row, New England finished last in the division with a 4-13 record. As for the Jets, Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and four scores (1 interception) in a surprise of the visiting Dolphins.

It's debatable which team in the division was the bigger disappointment93. Miami’s 8-9 showing followed two straight playoff appearances, while the Jets came into 2024 with a of hype and never really lived up to it for numerous reasons. New England and New York are both looking for new head coaches, and the latter is also in search of a general manager. It’s not a good sign as the Bills accounted for nearly half (13) of the division’s 30 wins. Sean McDermott’s club welcomes the Broncos to Orchard Park on Sunday.

5. NFC West

Combined win-loss record: 34-34

Go figure. For the first time since 2017, this division will only have one team in the playoffs. While there was some improvement shown by two clubs, there was also a huge falloff foe a team that had played in the previous three NFC Championship Games, and reached Super Bowl LVIII a season ago. Meanwhile, the eventual 2024 NFC West champion overcame a sluggish start for the second straight year, got hot, and will host a playoff game this Monday night for the first time since their Super Bowl LVI title season in ‘21.

Sean McVay’s Rams dropped four of their first five games, then rebounded to win nine of their next 11 contests. They rested Matthew Stafford on Sunday at home against the Seahawks, and Mike Macdonald’s club finished off a 10-7 showing with a 30-25 win. In the desert, the 8-9 Cardinals aren’t going to the playoffs, but doubled their win total from both 2022 and ’23 (both 4-13 showings) with a 47-24 rout of the Niners. San Francisco went from a overtime Super Bowl loss in 2023 to a shaky 6-11 showing this season.

4. AFC North

Combined win-loss record: 34-34

Week 18 kicked off on Saturday, and the AFC North was the total focus. The Ravens could clinch a division title for the second consecutive year with a victory over the Browns. Cleveland knocked off Baltimore in Week 8. In the second half of a doubleheader, the playoff-bound Steelers looked to snap an ugly three-game winning streak when they hosted the Bengals, who still had postseason hopes entering the game.

John Harbaugh’s team made easy work of a Browns’ club starting its fourth different quarterback (Bailey Zappe) in 2024. Derrick Henry ran 20 times for 138 yards and two TDs. He finished the season with 1,921 yards on the ground—the 11th-highest single-season total in NFL history). Pittsburgh’s ugly slide continued with a bizarre 19-17 loss. Zac Taylor’s club finished 9-8 for the second consecutive year but missed the playoffs again. Not one of these four teams improved on their win-loss mark from last season. The Steelers and Ravens will renew acquaintances for the third time this season on Saturday at Baltimore.

3. NFC East

Combined win-loss record: 36-32

Nick Sirianni’s Eagles finished with a 14-3 record for the second time in three years. They held off the visiting Giants, 20-13, while resting running back Saquon Barkley and others. The second-seeded Birds host the Packers on Sunday. The other 2024 playoff participant from the NFC East is the Commanders. In Dan Quinn’s first season at the helm, he took over a team that finished 4-13 in 2023 and helped them win a dozen games. It’s the franchise’s highest victory total since their Super Bowl title campaign (14-2) in ‘91.

As for the bottom half of the division, the Cowboys (7-10) and Giants (3-14) combined for fewer wins than either the Eagles or Commanders. Both Dallas and New York started three different quarterbacks, but also had plenty of problems elsewhere. Talk about irony when it comes to the playoffs for both Sirianni and Quinn? The Birds kicked off the season vs. the Pack at Brazil, and managed a 34-29 win. The Commanders head to Tampa for the second time this year to face a Bucs’ team they lost to, 37-20, in Week 1 as well.

2. AFC West

Combined win-loss record: 40-28

It was a long time coming. The Denver Broncos had not appeared in a postseason game since knocking off the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in 2015. Until this season, Denver had not finished above .500 since Gary Kubiak’s final campaign as the team’s head coach in ’16. The 15-win Chiefs rested a slew of players on Sunday at Denver. The results were a 38-0 loss that propelled Payton’s club into the postseason. Hence, the AFC West will have three playoff teams for the first time since 2013.

Both the Broncos and Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers will take the field this upcoming weekend. The Bolts will kick off the 2024 NFL postseason at Houston on Saturday, and Denver will battle the Bills at Buffalo on Sunday. The Raiders were the lone team in the division with a losing mark this season, and were 0-6 vs. their AFC West rivals. A year ago, these four squads combined for a 32-36 record. Quite the improvement.

1. NFC North

Combined win-loss record: 45-23

Right off the bat, this was a division that combined this season for 10 more wins than it did in 2023, when it finished 35-33. The Detroit Lions are the top seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time ever, and have set a slew of franchise records this season. The Minnesota Vikings are the first-ever 14-3 wild card team, and a club that doubled its victory total from a season ago. The Green Bay Packers finished 11-6, a two-game improvement from 2023. For the first time since 1997 these three clubs are in the playoffs together.

This week, both Kevin O’Connell’s club and Matt LaFleur’s team have rematches with clubs that they lost to earlier this season. The Packers fell to the Eagles in Brazil, 34-29, in Week 1. The Vikings were at SoFi Stadium on a Thursday night in Week 8 and fell to the Rams, 30-20. As for the Bears, they snapped a 10-game skid this season (after a 4-2 start) with a 24-22 victory at Lambeau Field. The fact that the Lions finished 6-0 vs. their NFC North rivals, including Sunday night's 31-9 rout of the Vikings, is highly impressive.