Momentum with Bills
1. Chiefs 14-2 (1): With the No. 1 seed locked up, Andy Reid rested some key starters in a season-ending loss to the Chargers. Now the Chiefs begins their Super Bowl defense.
2. Bills 13-3 (2): The Bills have won six consecutive games. There isn’t a hotter team entering the playoffs.
3. Packers 13-3 (3): Aaron Rodgers finished the season with 48 TD passes, and the Packers punted 46 times.
4. Saints 12-4(4): WRMichael Thomas is likely to return from IR, which would give the offense a boost in the playoffs.
5. Seahawks 12-4 (5): The Seahawks have won six of their last seven and just two weeks ago throttled the Rams, their opponent in the wild-card round.
6. Ravens11-5(6): The Ravens are surging into the playoffs with five straight wins, but consider the last three came vs. the Bengals, Giants and Jags. We’ll see how dangerous the Ravens are.
7. Titans 11-5 (8): The Titans won the AFC South for the first time since 2008, and RBDerrick Henry closed the season with his third 200-yard game to become only the eighth member of the 2,000-yard club.
8. Buccaneers 11-5 (7): The first season of the Tom Brady era went pretty well. He threw for 4,633 yards and 40 TDs.
9. Colts 11-5 (10): Philip Rivers did the job he was signed to do, helping deliver the Colts back to the postseason. But what do they do moving forward?
10. Browns11-5(12): An18-year playoff drought is over, and the Browns are back in the postseason.
11. Steelers 12-4 (9): It feels like the Steelers are skidding into the playoffs and a rematch in the wild-card round of their Week 17 loss to the Browns won’t go well.
12. Rams10-6(13): First-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is a rising star. He’s getting attention as a head coaching candidate.
13. Dolphins 10-6(11): GMChris Grier said Tua Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ starter next season amid speculation they could be a candidate to draft another first-round QB.
14. Bears 8-8 (14): Finishing .500 seems about right for this team when considering the offense was inconsistent nearly all season and the defense faded in the second half. They’re lucky to be in the playoffs.
15. Washington 7-9 (19): Ron Rivera has been through more than any coach in the league this season, including a battle with cancer, and now he leads his team into the playoffs as the NFC East champion.
16. Cardinals 8-8(15): Pressure will be on Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona after the Cardinals lost five of their final seven games to miss the playoffs.
17. Chargers 7-9 (16): The Chargers fired coach Anthony Lynn. This looks like a good opening with a decent roster and QB Justin Herbert.
18. Cowboys 6-10 (17): Mike McCarthy is staying put, and the Cowboys have to figure out a way to retain Dak Prescott and keep some type of salary-cap flexibility.
19. Vikings 7-9 (20): With Gary Kubiak reportedly planning to retire, Mike Zimmer will be in search of yet another offensive coordinator.
20. Raiders 8-8(21): The Raiders need to find a defensive coordinator and then make some shrewd additions on that side of the ball.
21. 49ers 6-10 (18): Thirty-two days after heading to Arizona to play their home games there because of COVID-19 restrictions, the 49ers have returned home.
22. Patriots 7-9 (22): Year 1 of the post-Tom Brady era didn’t go so well.
23. Giants 6-10 (24): The Giants are furious over the way the Eagles handled their Week 17 game vs. Washington, pulling Jalen Hurts late to insert Nate Sudfeld at QB. Be angry with a 6-10 record too.
24. Panthers5-11 (23): The day after his first season ended, Matt Rhule said, “The key in the NFLis making decisions that are unpopular.” The key for him is sorting out his QB situation.
25. Broncos 5-11 (25): Big changes in Denver with John Elway being elevated into a president role and the Broncos now in search of a GMtowork with coach Vic Fangio.
26. Eagles 4-11-1 (27): All focus turns to QBCarson Wentz and his future with the aging and declining Eagles. 27.Texans 4-12 (28): Questions about power structure, no draft capital and tight cap space are issues with the openings in Houston. The upside? A franchise QB is in place.
28. Bengals 4-11-1 (26): Coach Zac Taylor got a vote of confidence from owner Mike Brown, but the Bengals will have to improve with Joe Burrow returning from injury.
29. Falcons 4-12 (29): With the fourth pick, the Falcons could find the successor to longtime QB Matt Ryan.
30. Lions 5-11 (30): The Lions just wrapped up their worst defensive season. The future of Matthew Stafford is up in the air. This is a long-term rebuilding project.
31.Jets 2-14 (31): The Jets will hire a coach and then must decide if they will trade Sam Darnold or flip the No. 2 pick for a bounty of picks in return.
32. Jaguars 1-15 (32): The Jags have the No. 1 pick, extra draft capital and a boatload of salary-cap space. This is the most intriguing opening for a GMand a coach.