ALLCITY NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks take top spot after crazy comeback win

NThe Bears and Jaguars both got big wins in Week 16 to join the Super Bowl contenders, and we have a new team at the top of the ALLCITY NFL Power Rankings.

Here’s how the power rankings and tiers look going into the last week of the season.

Super Bowl contenders

The league seems wide open right now, but these teams appear to have a legitimate chance to make a run to Santa Clara.

1. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 4) (12-3) – Just when it looked like Sam Darnold was going to turn into a pumpkin again, he bounced back to help the Seahawks get their biggest win of the season.

2. Los Angeles Rams (1) (11-4) – Crazy to see a team this good fire their special teams coordinator this late in the season.

3. Buffalo Bills (2) (11-4) – The Bills managed to beat the Browns, but Josh Allen didn’t exactly play well. Still waiting for this team to completely click.

4. New England Patriots (5) (12-3) – The Patriots are banged up, but Drake Maye gives the Patriots a chance to win any game.

5. Denver Broncos (3) (12-3) – It’s really hard to win 11 games in a row in this league. The Broncos were due for a loss and will be fine.

6. Chicago Bears (6) (11-4) – The Cardiac Bears keep finding improbable ways to win games, but they also lead the league in fourth-quarter/overtime points and Caleb Williams has been clutch all season. That translates to the playoffs.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (10) (11-4) – Trevor Lawrence has been the best quarterback in football over the last month. Jaguars? Why not?

8. San Francisco 49ers (9) (11-4) – The 49ers haven’t punted since November! While I still have major questions about the defense, Kyle Shanahan has proven he can keep his team afloat with a red-hot offense.

More to prove

These teams can’t be ruled out, but they have at least one major weakness and need to prove they are serious Super Bowl contenders.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (12) (10-5) – The Eagles are showing signs of life and I’m tempted to put them right back in the Super Bowl contender tier.

10. Green Bay Packers (7) (9-5-1) – The Packers might be limping into the playoffs, but they also might have a chance at revenge against the Bears in three weeks.

11. Houston Texans (8) (10-5) – Just when you want to buy in, C.J. Stroud looked bad against the Raiders.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (11) (11-4) – This gap between the Chargers and Broncos feels right, but Los Angeles will get the chance to prove that theory wrong in Week 18.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (14) (9-6) – The Steelers dominated the Lions, but their clock management at the end of the game was horrendous. They were lucky to survive.

Fatally Flawed

These teams are terribly flawed in at least one crucial area that will hold one of them out of the playoffs.

14. Carolina Panthers (17) (8-7) – Frankly, the Bucs looked like the better team for almost the entire game Sunday, but the Panthers found a way to win. Someone has to win the NFC South, but neither is a real Super Bowl contender.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15) (7-8) – Tampa’s last two offensive coordinators are coaching the Panthers and Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Bucs look dead.

Clinging to (false) hope

You can’t completely rule these teams out, but it’s almost over.

16. Detroit Lions (13) (8-7) – The Lions have looked clunky without Ben Johnson all season. Now their playoff chances are on life support.

17. Baltimore Ravens (16) (7-8) – Ditto the Ravens, who have seen Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry look like shells of their normal selves this season.

18. Indianapolis Colts (18) (8-7) – The Philip Rivers thing was fun. I’m not sure if it was good, but it was fun. Meanwhile, the defense couldn’t stop the 49ers Monday night and the season is effectively (if not yet officially) over.

It’s over

We can safely say these teams will not make the playoffs and need to have hard conversations about the future.

19. Minnesota Vikings (19) (7-8) – J.J. McCarthy’s availability seems like it might be a constant issue for the Vikings going forward.

20. Cincinnati Bengals (24) (5-10) – Nobody needed a 300-plus yard, four-touchdown performance more than Joe Burrow.

21. Dallas Cowboys (20) (6-8-1) – Safe to say the sideline vs. booth wasn’t the problem for Matt Eberflus.

22. Atlanta Falcons (23) (6-9) – By virtue of owning the Falcons’ first-round pick, the Rams can beat the Falcons and simultaneously help their own draft capital this week.

23. New Orleans Saints (25) (5-10) – Kellen Moore has quietly done a really good job with this team in his first year as head coach.

24. Kansas City Chiefs (21) (6-9) – Can Joe Flacco be loaned to the Chiefs just to make the Christmas game against the Broncos more entertaining?

25. Miami Dolphins (22) (6-9) – Keep playing Quinn Ewers and move up that draft board for the next quarterback.

26. Washington Commanders (26) (4-11) – Is the Commanders’ 2026 bounce back plan just to hope Jayden Daniels stays healthy?

Race for No. 1

There’s not much left to say about these teams. At this point, securing the No. 1 overall pick matters the most.

27. Cleveland Browns (27) (3-12)
28. Tennessee Titans (31) (3-12)
29. Arizona Cardinals (28) (3-12)
30. New York Jets (29) (3-12)
31. New York Giants (30) (2-13)
32. Las Vegas Raiders (32) (2-13)

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.