NFL Power Rankings: 5 hottest playoff teams no one wants to see in postseason

With most teams having played 16 of their 17 games, most of the attention from NFL fans has turned to the playoffs. As of now, 13 of the 14 teams that will be participating in the playoffs have been confirmed, but seeding is very much up in the air.

Since most of the teams are officially in, fans of playoff teams are keeping an eye on scores around the league hoping that their team will get favorable matchups in the first round of the playoffs.

The teams nobody should want to see are the ones peaking right about now. Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers might win the AFC North and have a strong defense, but is anyone truly afraid of them even if they win the North? Based on how they've played lately, not really. Here are the five teams everyone should be afraid of.

5. The Bills are a force nobody wants to deal with

The Buffalo Bills are far from a perfect team. In their last two matchups against playoff teams, they've allowed 42 and 44 points, respectively. With that being said, though, they scored 48 and 42 points in those matchups, winning one and barely falling short in the other.

Their defense might be more vulnerable than they'd like, but can anyone stop Josh Allen and Co.? I mean, the Bills have scored 30+ points in nine of their last 10 games. In that 10-game stretch, they've gone 9-1 with wins over the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs - possibly the two teams that will receive byes.

The Bills are 8-0 at home and have averaged over 34 points per game in Buffalo. How many teams want to deal with that offense in the freezing cold weather in front of a hostile crowd? With them having locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC, the only team Buffalo would have to be on the road to face is a Chiefs team they've already beaten.

Again, the Bills might not be as loaded as some of the other playoff teams, but their 13-3 record speaks for itself, as does the play of Josh Allen. Nobody should want any part of Buffalo.

4. This might be the year the Ravens figure it out in the playoffs

I know, I know, we've seen this movie before. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are, once again, one of the NFL's elite regular season teams, why should anyone believe this year will be any different come playoff time? Yes, the Ravens have a lot to prove, but based on how they've played, nobody should want to have to deal with them.

This roster is centered around Jackson as Baltimore's teams always are, but the Ravens added the ageless wonder that is Derrick Henry this past offseason and he's been nothing short of a perfect fit in Baltimore.

Henry has rushed for over 100 yards eight times this season. Seven of those eight times have been against teams currently in playoff positioning. The Ravens have gone 7-3 against teams currently in playoff positioning, including 5-2 against teams in the AFC playoff picture.

Baltimore has won three in a row by a combined score of 100-33. Two of those wins came against teams that will be in the playoffs. They've scored 30+ points in four of their last five games, and have allowed fewer than 20 in four of five as well. Their offense has been elite all season long, but their defense is peaking at the right time, too. A Jackson/Henry backfield is enough to have to try and contain, but the Ravens are proving they're more than that. They're as dangerous as any team in the AFC.

3. The Lions are as scary of a team as any in the NFL

The Detroit Lions were considered by most to be the best team in football for much of the season, and it isn't hard to see why. First of all, they're 13-2. They haven't clinched the NFC North, but if they win their Week 18 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, they're in as the NFC's No. 1 seed.

The Lions have a +194 point differential - the best mark in the NFL. The Bills rank second with a +164-point differential. They lead the NFL in points per game and are seventh in the NFL in points against. Injuries to their defense are a bit worrisome, but they're expected to be healthier once the playoffs roll around - especially if they manage to win the division and earn a first-round bye.

They lost a shootout to the Bills a couple of weeks ago but had won 11 in a row prior. Their only other loss came in Week 2 of the season when the Lions were still figuring things out. When healthy, this team is probably the most talented in the NFL. That's the only thing standing in their way right now.

2. The Vikings continue to prove they're one of the NFL's most elite teams

NFL fans have been wanting to discount the Minnesota Vikings as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in large part because of the unproven commodity that is Sam Darnold, but when are we going to admit that they're as good as any team in the NFL?

The Vikings just made another statement, defeating the Green Bay Packers in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score would suggest. That win against the Packers was their ninth in a row and improved their record to 14-2. A win against the Lions in Week 18 secures the No. 1 seed in the NFC - giving them the easiest path to the Super Bowl.

The Vikings have Darnold playing at an elite level, paired with a slew of high-end weapons, including Justin Jefferson - arguably the best wideout in the game. The Vikings also have one of the best defenses in the NFL, capable of making life difficult for any team. They're as well-rounded of a team as any, and if the playoffs run through Minnesota, that'll only make lives for the opposition tougher.

1. The Chiefs are peaking at the perfect time

The Kansas City Chiefs were winning games early this season, but weren't playing the high-end football NFL fans had become accustomed to seeing from them. That, for the most part, has changed lately.

Kansas City has won six in a row and has played really well in each of their last three games. In those three games, Patrick Mahomes has thrown for an average of 246.3 yards per game, completing nearly 65 percent of his throws. He also has six touchdowns without an interception in those games. Interceptions were a glaring issue for Mahomes earlier this season, but he has 11 touchdown passes in six games since his last pick was thrown.

Mahomes is playing as well as he has all season long, and the Chiefs' defense remains as elite as anybody's. There was reason to expect Mahomes to kick his game up a notch in January as he always seems to do, but the fact that he's done that even before the playoffs while Kansas City's wide receiver corps is getting healthier makes their ceiling even higher than initially thought.