While more teams can still join the party, these five teams appear to have enough to make a run to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. With that said, let’s jump into this week’s version of the ALLCITY NFL Power Rankings …
1. Los Angeles Rams (1) (10-3) – With the talent the Lions still possess, it would be wise for the Rams to deliver a big blow to Detroit’s playoff hopes this weekend.
2. Seattle Seahawks (3) (10-3) – The Seahawks just beat the Vikings and Falcons by a combined score of 63-9.
3. Buffalo Bills (2) (9-4) – The Bills desperately need to make sure Sunday’s game in New England isn’t a changing of the guard in the AFC East.
4. Green Bay Packers (7) (9-3-1) – Jordan Love looks great right now and the Packers are rounding into Super Bowl form.
5. New England Patriots (4) (11-2) – This Patriots-Bills game deserves a bigger spotlight than the early window on Sunday.
More to Prove
These teams can’t be ruled out yet, but they have at least one major weakness and need to prove they’re serious contenders.
6. Denver Broncos (5) (11-2) – Broncos fans might be mad that I don’t have them in the contender tier yet, but this is their opportunity: Beat the Packers on Sunday.
7. Chicago Bears (6) (9-4) – The loss to the Packers confirmed what we already knew: this is a really good team that still lacks a consistent pass rush.
8. Detroit Lions (9) (8-5) – A loss to the Rams on Sunday would likely mean the Lions need to finish 3-0 to make the playoffs.
9. San Francisco 49ers (10) (9-4) – Coming off the bye, the 49ers should easily move to 10 wins with the Titans in town Sunday.
10. Houston Texans (11) (8-5) – The Texans officially enter the top 10, but questions about the offense remain. How far can their dominant defense carry them?
11. Los Angeles Chargers (16) (8-5) – That wasn’t the prettiest win against the Eagles, but it still counts. Now go beat the Chiefs on the road.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (15) (9-4) – The Jaguars have quietly won four straight and should make it five with the Jets in town.
13. Philadelphia Eagles (8) (8-5) – It’s gotten so ugly in Philadelphia that I’m not sure we can rule out the Eagles losing to the Raiders this week.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13) (7-6) – Speaking of ugly, the Bucs’ season looks like it’s going off the rails. Thursday night’s game against Atlanta is a must-win.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (19) (7-6) – The Steelers move up a tier after their win over the Ravens, and Monday’s game against the Dolphins is a quietly fascinating matchup.
16. Dallas Cowboys (12) (6-6-1) – The defense came back down to earth against the Lions, but the Eagles are leaving the NFC East door wide open.
Fatally Flawed
These teams are badly flawed in at least one crucial area that will hold them back from the playoffs.
17. Carolina Panthers (20) (7-6) – The Bucs have brought the Panthers back into the NFC South race, and the two teams still meet twice.
18. Indianapolis Colts (14) (8-5) – Banking on a 44-year-old quarterback to come off the couch and save the season seems like the definition of false hope, but I’ll give Philip Rivers one game to see what it looks like.
19. Baltimore Ravens (18) (6-7) – The only reason the Ravens don’t have false hope is because of the division they play in, but the Super Bowl can safely be taken off the table.
Clinging to (False) Hope
You can’t rule these teams out yet, but you also shouldn’t get too excited.
20. Kansas City Chiefs (17) (6-7) – Four weeks ago, I still viewed the Chiefs as a realistic Super Bowl contender. Now their season is (almost) over.
21. Miami Dolphins (21) (6-7) – If the Dolphins were in the AFC North, they might be the favorites to win the division right now.
It’s Over
We can safely say these teams will not make the playoffs and need to have hard conversations about the future.
22. Minnesota Vikings (24) (5-8) – J.J. McCarthy’s performance against the Commanders must have given the Vikings a much-needed sigh of relief.
23. Cincinnati Bengals (22) (4-9) – With Joe Burrow back, I’m not sure a 4-0 finish can be ruled out, but beating the Ravens twice in three weeks will be tough.
24. Atlanta Falcons (23) (4-9) – Sorry to bum you out, but we still have to watch the Falcons two more times in prime time windows this season.
Race for No. 1
There’s not much left to say about these teams — at this point, securing the No. 1 pick matters most.
25. Cleveland Browns (28) (3-10)
26. New Orleans Saints (31) (3-10)
27. Arizona Cardinals (25) (3-10)
28. New York Jets (27) (3-10)
29. Washington Commanders (26) (3-10)
30. New York Giants (29) (2-11)
31. Las Vegas Raiders (30) (2-11)
32. Tennessee Titans (32) (2-11)
Adam Hoge is the ALLCITY NFL Analyst and covers the Chicago Bears for CHGO. You can email him at hoge@allchgo.com and follow him on X @adamhoge.