JOHN McCLAIN’S
NFL POWER RANKINGS
Green Bay 13-3 (ranked No. 2 last week):
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the leading candidate to be voted MVP.
Kansas City 14-2 (1): The Chiefs have homefield advantage in the AFC but only won their last seven games by 2, 4, 3, 6, 6, 3 and 3 points.
Buffalo 13-3 (3): The Bills won the AFC East for the first time since 1995. They might be the only AFC team that’s likely to upset the Chiefs.
New Orleans 12-4 (4): The Saints have suffered some bizarre playoff losses, but they shouldn’t have trouble eliminating the Bears. Seattle 12-4 (5): The NFC West champions ended the season with a four-game winning streak. They host the Rams.
Tampa Bay 11-5 (7): Tom Brady’s playoff experience-makes the Bucs a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Baltimore 11-5 (8): The Ravens enter the Titans game with a five-game win streak. They led the NFL in rushing with 191.9 yards a game.
Pittsburgh 12-4 (6): The Steelers were last in rushing but still won 12 games. They host the Browns.
Tennessee 11-5 (10): The Titans host the Ravens. Led by Derrick Henry, Tennessee upset Baltimore on the road last year. Indianapolis 11-5 (11): The Colts have to stop a Buffalo offense that averaged 38.1 points during a six-game winning streak to close the season. Cleveland 11-5 (12): The Browns split with the Steelers. They’re trying to win their first playoff game since Bill Belichick was their coach. L.A. Rams 10-6 (14): The Rams clinched the playoffs and eliminated the Cardinals at the same time. Miami 10-6 (9): It was a disastrous Sunday in Buffalo, where the Dolphins were obliterated and failed to make the playoffs. Chicago 8-8 (13): The Bears lost to the Packers but still made the playoffs with the secondworst record. Arizona 8-8 (15): Losing Kyler Murray cost them a chance to beat the Rams and make the playoffs. Washington 7-9 (19): By winning at Philadelphia, Washington clinched the NFC East title. It hosts TomBrady and the Bucs on Saturday. Minnesota 7-9 (21): It was a disappointing season. Because Gary Kubiak retired, Mike Zimmer needs another offensive coordinator. L.A. Chargers 7-9 (17): The Chargers ended with a four-game winning streak, but Anthony Lynn still got fired.
Las Vegas8-8 (20): The Raiders lost three of their last four in Jon Gruden’s third year. He’s yet to have a winning record or make the playoffs. New England 7-9 (22): The Patriots missed Tom Brady. They didn’t make the playoffs for only the second time since 2001.
N.Y. Giants 6-10 (25): The Giants beat Dallas in their last game, but they didn’t win the division because Washington beat Philadelphia. San Francisco 6-10 (23): Injuries played an instrumental role in the 49ers going fromlosing the Super Bowl to being last in the NFC West. Dallas 6-10 (16): Losing the last game to the Giants didn’t matter because Washington beat Philadelphia to clinch the NFC East title. Denver 5-11 (24): The Broncos said John Elway is moving upstairs and hiring a new general manager to take his place.
Carolina 5-11 (23): Matt Rhule’s first season ended with eight losses in the last 10 games. He’s heavily involved in the search for a GM. Philadelphia 4-11-1 (26): The Eagles ended their season in a cloud of controversy over Doug Pederson’s late QB decision vs. Washington. Cincinnati 4-11-1 (27): Another terrible season for the Bengals was plagued by injuries. Zac Taylor returns for his third year as head coach. Houston 4-12 (29): Against the Titans, the Texans lost their eighth one-score game. They’re interviewing head coach candidates. Detroit 5-11 (30): The Lions suffered losses in six of their last seven games. They’re in the market to hire a new GM and head coach. Atlanta 4-12 (31): The Falcons closed with a five-game losing streak, and now they’ll hire a generalmanager and coach. N.Y. Jets 2-14 (28): The Jets lost to the Patriots to secure the second pick in the draft, and Adam Gase was fired after two dreadful seasons. Jacksonville 1-15 (32): Getting crushed by Indianapolis extended the Jaguars’ losing streak to 15 games and got Doug Marrone fired.