In the words of anyone who takes snaps behind center for the Dallas Cowboys….”HERE WE GO!!!” Two weeks to go. Playoff spots and division titles are up for grabs. The top 10 in the draft order still has to be determined. Every NFL team is playing for something this week.
With that, let’s dive into our Week 16 edition of the 2024 NFL power rankings!
Which teams are at the top of the NFL rankings after week 16?
32. New York Giants (32)
Drew Lock did Giants fans a favor by imploding with two pick-sixes in a humiliating 34-7 road loss to Michael Penix Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons.
With the Las Vegas Raiders winning on Sunday, the two-win Giants are now two losses away from locking up the first overall pick, and even Coach Prime seems excited about Shedeur coming to the Meadowlands. That counts for something!
31. Tennessee Titans (30)
The Titans lost a barn-burner in Indianapolis by a final score of 38-30. But don’t let the point total fool you — Mason Rudolph was as helpless as Will Levis with three interceptions in the loss.
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30. Jacksonville Jaguars (29)
Someone had to win the Jaguars-Raiders game: A showdown of two horrible NFL teams with backup QBs in place. And fortunately for Jags fans on #TeamTank, it was Vegas who came out on top with a 19-14 victory.
With the Titans and Colts on the schedule to conclude their season, the Jags can very well win out to finish the year. But isn’t losing out better? It gets you closer to someone like Travis Hunter, after all.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (31)
If you look up Raiders internet communities, Reddit pages, or X/Twitter posts, you’ll see a lot of outrage over this win. Good job ending a 10-game losing skid, at long last, but meaningless December wins don’t sit well with fans who want the first-overall pick.
The Raiders are one of five 3-and-12 NFL teams heading into Week 17, so there’s a lot of jumbling to go in the top-6 draft order. May as well embrace the chaos while you have it, Vegas fans!
28. New England Patriots (28)
The Patriots narrowly upset Josh Allen and the Bills in Orchard Park, but the Drake Maye-led offense lost its groove after jumping out to a 14-0 lead.
But there’s no shame in that. Maye had a better stat line than Allen and flashed his future stardom in one of football’s toughest environments. The Pats’ 3-and-12 record looks ugly, but credit to Jerod Mayo’s group for again hanging in there against a tough opponent in a game they had no business keeping close.
27. Cleveland Browns (27)
Starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the road against Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals was…a choice. The sophomore had no chance of winning a shootout against “Joe Cool,” who tossed three touchdowns in the Bengals’ 24-6 blowout win.
Not to be captain obvious, but maybe the Browns should have brought back Joe Flacco instead of riding a Jameis Winston-DTR combo to back up Deshaun Watson?
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NFL Teams After Week 15 Games
26. Chicago Bears (26)
The 2024 Bears for you: Caleb Williams throws for 334 yards and two touchdowns against a dangerous Detroit Lions squad…and the Bears still lose by 17.
Everyone’s calling for the Bears to get Williams a real head coach. Equally important: A defense that could stop something like a nosebleed.
25. New York Jets (24)
Three of the Jets’ second-half drives featured a lost fumble, a missed field goal, and a muffed punt that the Rams recovered. The result: A 19-9 victory for Los Angeles, while Aaron Rodgers’ group left MetLife Stadium with another pathetic loss.
We’d love to think of some positives for the Jets and their fans during the holiday season. Here’s one: The season ends in two weeks.
24. New Orleans Saints (23)
As expected, the banged-up and short-handed Saints dropped another contest against Jordan Love and the superior Green Bay Packers. No shame in that.
Losses at this point help this team’s chances of landing a top-10 NFL draft pick, so it’s nothing to sweat. The main thing is these guys have played a lot better since Dennis Allen’s firing under Darren Rizzi.
23. Carolina Panthers (25)
Bryce Young continued his strong second half with three total touchdowns in a thrilling 36-30 victory over the visiting Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
It’s weird for a 4-and-11 team to have good vibes, but it’s different in Carolina. Young is finally looking like the QB this NFL team envisioned when they selected him first overall. And spoiling a conference’s rival’s playoff hopes has to feel good for Dave Canales and company, too.
22. San Francisco 49ers (21)
The 49ers’ stinker of a 29-17 road loss to the Miami Dolphins officially eliminated them from playoff contention. At 6-and-9, this waste of a season really can’t end soon enough for Kyle Shanahan and company.
We know they’ve been hit hard by injuries, but there’s too much talent in place to still be this bad. Perhaps no team has a more interesting offseason ahead than the 2023 NFC champs, who are set to watch the playoffs from home…
21. Dallas Cowboys (22)
Well, Mike McCarthy’s boys sure love the “spoiler role.” After being eliminated from the postseason, they took down Baker Mayfield’s Buccaneers 26-24 and put a significant dent in Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes.
Dallas has now won four of five to somehow get to 7-and-8 without Dak Prescott. Love or hate Coach M. His guys sure haven’t given up on him. A strong finish may buy him a sixth year in Big D…huh?
20. Arizona Cardinals (16)
A heartbreaking loss to the Panthers in overtime eliminated the Redbirds from contention. Remember when Kliff Kingsbury was blamed for Arizona’s never-ending second-half woes? Well, they’ve dropped four of their last five under Jonathan Gannon.
The only thing to play for now is pride. The Redbirds would certainly feel better with a road win over the Rams to pull off the season-series sweep…
19. Indianapolis Colts (19)
The Colts face long odds of making the NFL playoffs, but this team’s Sunday home win against Tennessee kept their minimal hopes alive. Indy needs to win out, which should be easy with the Giants and Jaguars rounding up their schedule.
Just gotta focus on themselves and win the next two. The rest is out of their control.
18. Miami Dolphins (20)
The Dolphins’ victory over the 49ers in South Beach kept their awfully slim playoff hopes alive. A nice reminder that Miami is now 6-and-5 with Tua Tagovailoa as the starter, so it’s unfortunate that they didn’t upgrade the backup QB position while he was hurt.
With road games against the Browns and Jets to end the season, Miami should finish 9-and-8. But they do need some help to sneak in, so keep your hopes reasonable, Fins Nation.
17. Seattle Seahawks (15)
A late breakdown by the defense, Geno Smith’s game-sealing interception, and a Rams’ win in New York added up for a nightmare week in Seattle.
The ‘Hawks dropped a heartbreaker to the visiting Minnesota Vikings and sit at 8-and-7 with two weeks to go. The odds of winning the NFC West over LA are extremely slim now, and there’s a good chance Seattle will be kicked out of the playoffs before Week 18 even rolls around.
Seattle can look at their pathetic 3-and-6 home record when they reflect on this season. What a letdown for the 12th man.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (18)
The rolling Bengals did their part, making easy work of the visiting Browns to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Broncos’ loss to the Chargers also keeps Cincy in the race. But they need a LOT to go right. For starters, winning out — starting with a Week 17 home tilt against the Broncos.
Denver also must lose out. The Colts and Dolphins each must drop one more game.
Not impossible, but we’d also caution Bengals fans to keep their hopes minimal. It’s likely another case of too little, too late for these guys.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13)
The Bucs will be kicking themselves for losing 26-24 to the Dak Prescott-less Cowboys on Sunday. Rachaad White’s costly game-sealing fumble may have been the dagger in the Bucs’ postseason hopes.
It’s simple now for Tampa: Win out and have the Falcons lose at least one game. Just a brutal way to lose when they were controlling their own destiny.
14. Atlanta Falcons (17)
Michael Penix Jr.’s first NFL start wasn’t pretty from a statistical standpoint, but the Falcons’ defense made it memorable nonetheless. They destroyed the helpless Giants, and the Bucs’ loss to Dallas suddenly elevated Atlanta atop the NFC South.
The path is simple for this NFL team now: Win in Washington and vs. Carolina, and the division is theirs. Or if the Bucs drop one more game, the Falcons just can’t lose out. It’s all in their hands.
13. Houston Texans (11)
Losing to Kansas City isn’t a concern with the AFC South locked up. But is Tank Dell suffering a gruesome knee injury? Weeks after Stefon Diggs tore his ACL? That’s a real loss you can’t really get over.
You feel for Dell, who suffered his second-straight season-ending injury in the loss to Kansas City. And with how much they’ve struggled in the second half, it already feels like DeMeco Ryans’ group may be one-and-done in the postseason.
12. Denver Broncos (8)
Well, that was a letdown.
The Broncos had a chance to secure their first playoff berth since 2015, and they seemed to be well on their way after a dominant first half against the Los Angeles Chargers. But Sean Payton’s group unraveled in the second half, and it was disappointing to see Vance Joseph’s stingy defense look like the 2023 group that gave up a 70-burger to Miami last year.
Anyway, the Broncos should still be fine. Just need one victory over the last two weeks, and there’s a good chance that Kansas City will rest their starters for their Week 18 clash anyway.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (14)
Jim Harbaugh’s group shrugged off a humiliating home loss to the Buccaneers by pulling off a clutch and potential season-saving victory against the Broncos.
An 11-and-6 finish is there for the taking, with the Patriots and Raiders next on the schedule. And you better believe that none of the AFC division winners look forward to the prospect of facing LA on wild card weekend.
10. Los Angeles Rams (12)
Reminiscent of last year’s Rams, the 2024 squad has caught fire in the second half following a bad start. With the Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals all losing, the Rams’ road win against the Jets pushed them even closer to locking up the NFC West division crown.
Remember when injuries to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were supposed to end the Rams’ season? Incredible resilience by Sean McVay’s group.
9. Washington Commanders (10)
Is there anything Jayden Daniels can’t do?
Leads a long-struggling NFL team to its first 10-win season since 2012. The whole Hail Mary thing against the Bears…and now a last-second touchdown pass to stun the red-hot Eagles at Northwest Stadium??
Take a bow, Jayden. This is a rookie season like few others. The official postseason ticket is a fingertip away…
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (7)
Things are suddenly a bit uneasy in Steel City now…Two straight losses now. Outscored 61-30 in those games. Oh, and the shellacking handed by the Ravens means we’ve got a two-way tie for the AFC North crown now.
The Steelers hold the tiebreaker against Baltimore, but Russell Wilson and co. finish out against the Chiefs and Bengals. Baltimore gets the banged-up Texans and Browns…so the Steelers may want to bring their A-Game these next two weeks.
7. Baltimore Ravens (9)
A big-time effort by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens D propelled Baltimore to a 34-17 dismantling of the archrival Steelers. Believe it or not, that’s only Jackson’s career win against Pittsburgh.
The Ravens and Steelers are tied for the AFC North now with two weeks to go. Buckle up!
6. Green Bay Packers (6)
The Packers danced through the visiting Saints on Monday night football to lock up 11 wins AND their best record since 2021. But in a year full of chaos, that’s only good enough for third in the division.
Still, it’s clear that Jordan Love and Co. is an NFL team that nobody wants to play in the postseason.
5. Buffalo Bills (5)
It was closer than it should have been, but Josh Allen and the Bills did just enough to avoid a stunning upset at home against the Patriots. Their minor shot at winning the AFC’s top seed isn’t over, either.
Buffalo should have no issue winning out. But can the Chiefs fall on the road to both Pittsburgh AND Denver? Neither scenario is impossible, but the Bills need help there. On the flip side, one more win guarantees at least the No. 2 seed and home advantage in the Divisional Round if they get there.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (2)
The Eagles lost a heartbreaker to Jayden Daniels’ Commanders in a “Game of the Year” candidate…but it’s hard to critique them when Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the game early with a concussion.
Still, it is a tough loss that puts a dent in their chances of securing the NFC’s top seed. And who knows? We might get a rematch against Washington in the wild-card round!
3. Minnesota Vikings (4)
The Vikings’ defense had an off day in Seattle, but Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson saved the day with a 39-yard hookup for six late in the game. Incredibly, Minny now has two 13-win seasons in three years under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The NFC’s top seed is still up for grabs, but even if Minny is a wild-card team on the road in the NFL postseason? Not seeing how they’d lose to Atlanta or Tampa in the first round…
2. Detroit Lions (3)
The Lions made easy work of the sinking ship, the Bears, getting back in the win column after a tough home loss to the Bills.
The Eagles’ stunning loss to Washington pushes Detroit a step closer to winning the NFC North. Even if they lose to the 49ers next week, and even if Minnesota beats Green Bay, Detroit can clinch the division with a Week 18 home win over the Vikings.
The NFC’s top seed is entirely in their control.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1)
Death, taxes, and the Chiefs winning another one-score game. The more that stays the same…
Patrick Mahomes’ ankle is just fine, thanks, and Marquise Brown had a stellar KC debut with five catches for 45 yards. Did we mention the 14-and-1 Chiefs are inching closer to locking up the AFC’s top seed? Indeed, some things never change!
Also Read: Ranking All 32 NFL Teams’ Head Coaches From WORST To FIRST After Week 15 Games Of The 2024 Season
