And then there were eight. In terms of entertainment value, Wild Card Weekend was a tremendous disappointment. Unless your favorite NFL team was victorious over the weekend’s playoffs, you’re probably as frustrated about how five of the six wild-card games were lopsided contests with no real drama.
Well, they call it the “elite eight” in the world of sports for a reason. The last remaining teams didn’t get this far by coincidence. They’re the best of the best and earned every right to compete on Divisional Round weekend.
Now that only eight teams are left to vie for Super Bowl 59, let’s dive into our Divisional Round edition of the 2024 NFL power rankings.
Who are the top-ranked NFL teams in this year’s playoffs?
8. Houston Texans (13)
After limping to the regular-season finish line, few folks thought the Texans had much hope against Jim Harbaugh and the superior Los Angeles Chargers. Without Stefon Diggs and Tank Del, and with an atrocious offensive line going up against the league’s No. 1 scoring defense, just how on earth would CJ Stroud and company prevail?
Well, it appears most of us forgot the good ol’ “Chargers gonna Charger” motto. Even with an all-star lineup and a top-tier head coach in Jim Harbaugh, of course, the Bolts were gonna find a way to blow it.
Stroud was just okay, but it was Joe Mixon and Nico Collins who powered the way on offense. And the Texans defense made Justin Herbert look like a deer caught in the headlights, with LA’s superstar signal-caller throwing four careless interceptions in a 32-12 Houston victory.
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Derek Stingley Jr., Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter came to play for DeMeco Ryans, alright. The 20-point blowout win sends Houston to the “elite eight” for the second straight year — once again against the AFC’s top seed.
The Texans now have the daunting task of handing Patrick Mahomes his first career loss in the Divisional Round. As difficult as it sounds, let’s not forget that the Texans kept it close here at Arrowhead in a 27-19 Week 16 loss.
Realistically speaking, the Texans are gonna have to gut out a defensive slugfest if they’re to reach their first AFC Championship Game in franchise history. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is hardly scared of an inconsistent Houston offense without Diggs and Dell — not to mention that KC’s pass rush has a major advantage over the Texans’ o-line.
Houston will need Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter to hold their own against KC’s onslaught of dynamic pass-catchers. The Anderson Jr. and Hunter-led front seven must keep Mahomes in the pocket and ensure the Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pachedo tandem don’t fully take over this game.
Stroud also must play mistake-free football for Houston to have a chance. They’re awfully short-handed in this game. But if the defense comes to play the way it did against Los Angeles, an upset in Arrowhead is very much a possibility.
7. Los Angeles Rams (10)
It’s games like what we saw on Monday night that remind you about how special Sean McVay is. Remember when they were left for dead at 1-and-4? Neither do we.
The Rams had to move to State Farm Stadium to “host” the Minnesota Vikings for Super Wild Card Weekend. Relocating from Los Angeles to Glendale proved to be no issue for the Rams, who demolished the 14-win Vikings 27-9 for their first NFL playoff win since…you guessed it..their Super Bowl 56 victory.
The LA defense pummeled Sam Darnold for nine sacks, tying a single-game playoff record. It says a lot that the Rams won by 19 points despite Matt Stafford only throwing for 209 yards on 27 pass attempts.
Having destroyed the Vikings in every aspect, the Rams have now set up a showdown with Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles.
You’ll recall that the Eagles crushed the Rams 37-20 at SoFi Stadium back in Week 12. If you exclude LA resting their starters in Week 18, the Rams have gone 6-and-0 since that beatdown at the hands of Philly.
Just a few weeks ago, nobody thought the Rams would be here. With that championship DNA and the embracing of the underdog role, who’s to say McVay’s squad can’t return to the NFC title game again?
6. Washington Commanders (7)
By the hair of their chinny chin chin, the Commanders held off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a heart-pounding thriller to win their first playoff game in 19 years.
Jayden Daniels, unfazed by the pressure of the big moment, was almost perfect in his NFL playoff debut. The No. 2 pick threw for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions while leading his team with 36 rushing yards.
Zane Gonzalez just had to make it a little more stressful for long-suffering Washington fans by BARELY making a routine 37-yard field goal on the game’s final play — banking it off the right upright and in. Hat tip to Cris Collinsworth for the genius “Divisional Doink” name that will go down forever in Commanders lore.
Not to be lost in the shuffle is a stout performance by Dan Quinn’s defense that held the league’s fourth-best offense to just 20 points. That included a game-changing forced fumble off Baker Mayfield in the fourth quarter and excellent red zone D that limited Tampa to two touchdowns.
Almost nobody is going to give Washington a chance against the top-seeded Detroit Lions, but we say you should bet against them at your own risk. Washington was supposed to be a bottom-five team this year, yet they’re up to 13 wins on the season.
Dan Quinn’s group is playing with house money. Daniels has been on a tear all season long, and Washington’s stingy defense can certainly give Detroit a run for its money. So, bet against the Commanders at your own risk.
One more fun nugget here: Washington’s last NFC Championship Game appearance was a 41-10 victory over the Lions in 1991 en route to the franchise’s third Super Bowl title. Can Washington beat Detroit to end their 33-year conference title game drought? Stick around to find out.
5. Baltimore Ravens (6)
As just about every non-Pittsburgh fan expected, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens made easy work of the archrival Steelers to punch their ticket to the Divisional Round.
It was a complete team effort by John Harbaugh’s squad, as they cruised to a 28-14 victory to reach the elite eight for the second straight year. And believe us, this game was not as close as the score indicated.
The Ravens somehow racked up 299 yards on the ground against a ferocious Pittsburgh front seven led by TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cameron Heyward. And to think this offense didn’t even have No. 1 receiver Zay Flowers in their shellacking of the Steelers…
Almost nothing is sweeter than beating your archenemy in an NFL playoff game, but the Ravens have little time to celebrate now. A much tougher test awaits with Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills next on the schedule.
The Bills are a much scarier animal than the Steelers. Then again, this very animal, Buffalo, lost 35-10 in Baltimore back in Week 4. The main difference, of course, is that the Bills have a home advantage here.
Baltimore had the league’s third-best scoring offense and the ninth-best scoring D. Buffalo had the No. 2 scoring offense and the No. 11 scoring D. Something has to give between Jackson and Allen, the two MVP front-runners.
Also Read: Predicting The Entire 2024-25 NFL Playoffs And Super Bowl 59 Winner…DO YOU AGREE WITH OUR PICKS?
4. Buffalo Bills (5)
As practically everyone expected, Josh Allen and the Bills ran right through the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round to secure a fifth straight trip to the AFC Divisional Round.
Allen and James Cook made the Broncos’ stingy defense look like an NCAA Division II program, with Buffalo racking up 210 total rushing yards on 44 carries. Allen was near-perfect himself, with 20 completions for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and 46 rushing yards.
Bills fans have grown accustomed to Allen lighting it up in the Wild Card Round…but the real game begins now. No offense to Sean Payton’s Broncos, but Lamar Jackson’s Ravens are miles better and pose a much greater threat to the Bills.
Buffalo has lost three straight Divisional Round games since their trip to the 2020 AFC Championship Game, with the last two coming on their own turf. Sean McDermott’s group still hasn’t lost at home in the regular season, but the Ravens’ 25-point blowout win in Week 4 is a key indicator that these Ravens are more than capable of taking down the likely MVP winner in his own barn.
Both Allen and Jackson have garnered reputations — fair or not — of not being able to win the big one. Fittingly, ONE of them is going to the AFC Championship Game and inching closer to a Super Bowl appearance. The losing side will have that notion grow even greater.
Something has to give here. Only one of these AFC juggernauts can reach the final four. Allen and Cook vs. Jackson and Henry seriously have the opportunity to be one of the greatest NFL playoff games in history.
Does Allen continue the Superman-like run? Or does Baltimore hand him another dose of Divisional Round Kryptonite? Stay tuned.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (3)
The Eagles didn’t put up their best effort offensively on Sunday. Not even close. And they still beat a dangerous Green Bay Packers team 22-10 to punch their ticket back to the Divisional Round.
This is just another reminder of how the Eagles can beat you in multiple ways. Vic Fangio’s defense allowed the fewest total yards in the regular season and kept the momentum going on Wild Card Weekend — holding Jordan Love to 212 passing yards, no touchdowns, and three picks in the lopsided win.
Up next, the Eagles welcome Matthew Stafford and the surging Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Unlike the Packers, the resilient Rams — just three years removed from a Super Bowl championship — promise to give Philly a legitimate challenge here.
The Rams have caught fire since the Eagles gave ‘em a tough wakeup call on their home field, so we’re expecting a much closer affair here.
Sure, the Eagles have more star power and depth on both sides of the ball. But if the Rams can crush a 14-win Vikings team, you better believe they can pull off an upset in Philly. Either way, a classic between these two NFC juggernauts awaits.
2. Detroit Lions (2)
We know the first-round bye is always a nice luxury for the top seed, but this year’s Lions especially needed it. They were ravaged by injuries on the defensive side of the ball in the second half of the season and lost star running back David Montgomery with a knee injury in Week 15.
But the Lions are getting Montgomery back for Saturday’s Divisional Round tilt against the Commanders. The secondary will get a boost with Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and, hopefully, Terrion Arnold returning to action, too.
Regardless of who may or may not play against Washington, the Lions reminded everyone that they’re still the team to beat in the NFC with their ultra-dominant 31-9 home win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18.
Even when they’re nowhere close to full strength, Detroit’s big stars will still overpower you more often than not. As long as the likes of Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Kerby Joseph bring their A-games, the Lions should get past Washington and secure a second straight NFC Title game appearance.
One more victory, and the Lions host the NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. They just have to get by the league’s hottest rookie sensation and a feisty Washington defense. No pressure, boys.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Gonna go ahead and guess the Chiefs are pretty darn happy about getting the Texans instead of a Denver team that would have beaten them at Arrowhead earlier this year if not for a blocked field goal.
We don’t want to say the Texans have no chance of upsetting Patrick Mahomes and the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions at Arrowhead. But, like…this is easily the most favorable Divisional Round matchup Kansas City has had in the Mahomes era.
The Texans are short-handed on offense and only have so many playmakers to contain a Kansas City offense that tends to be borderline indestructible in the postseason. If Houston somehow wins this game, we’re calling it the biggest NFL playoff upset of the decade.
One home win sends Kansas City to a seventh straight AFC title game. They basically just gotta bring their C+ game and they’ll be there.
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