1. Patriots (12-3; last week No. 1): Nothing can stop the trio of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Al Riveron.
2. Eagles (13-2; No. 2): Has there even been a weaker No. 1 seed?
3. Steelers (12-3; No. 3): They finally found competition so inferior that it was impossible to play down to their level.
4. Vikings (12-3; No. 4): Is having their first shutout in 24 years something to brag about or something not to really mention all that loudly?
5. Saints (11-4; No. 7): This team is built to win on the road in January.
6. Panthers (11-4; No. 6): Cam Newton experienced a different kind of Nutcracker on Sunday.
7. Rams (11-4; No. 8): Sean McVay’s success reaffirms the reality that a good coach is worth a lot more money than a good player.
8. Jaguars (10-5; No. 5): They should do everything they can to beat the Titans on Sunday to ensure that they don’t have to face them again the following weekend.
9. Ravens (9-6; No. 10): They could beat the Steelers in January. Or the Patriots. Or both.
10. Falcons (9-6; No. 9): It’s arguably better to miss the playoffs than to blow a playoff game in the fourth quarter.
11. Chiefs (9-6; No. 12): If they get back to where they were early in the year, they could make things interesting in January.
12. Seahawks (9-6; No. 13): The rubber match against the Rams could be looming. And the Rams should be rooting against it.
13. Chargers (8-7; No. 14): On Sunday, the Chargers will be playing in the Black Hole without leaving home.
14. Cowboys (8-7; No. 11): Jason Garrett is safe. Until the moment he isn’t.
15. Lions (8-7; No. 15): Jim Caldwell isn’t safe.
16. Bills (8-7; No. 16): The Nathan Peterman escapade could be the thing that keeps the Bills from ending their playoff drought.
17. Titans (8-7; No. 17): 8-8 would be the perfect record for a team that continues to be as middle-of-the-pack as any in sports.
18. Cardinals (7-8; No. 22): Quietly, they could end up at .500.
19. Washington (7-8; No. 23): Kirk Cousins had the best kind of audition for the Broncos.
20. Packers (7-8; No. 18): When the Packers score fewer points in a December home game than the outdoor temperature, that’s a problem.
21. Dolphins (6-9; No. 19): Will it be any different next year with Ryan Tannehill?
22. Bengals (6-9; No. 26): They finished their home schedule with a win. Was anyone there to watch it?
23. Raiders (6-9; No. 20): If Derek Carr is worth $25 million per year, what’s Aaron Rodgers worth?
24. 49ers (5-10; No. 25): 49ers fans are more excited about their five regular-season wins than they are about their five Super Bowl wins.
25. Jets (5-10; No. 21): They get a chance to screw up the Patriots’ quest for the No. 1 seed, again.
26. Broncos (5-10; No. 24): They’ve lost four games by 20 or more points. The Browns have lost only one by that margin.
27. Bears (5-10; No. 27): They may win enough games to get John Fox another year to lose a lot of games.
28. Buccaneers (4-11; No. 28): With a goofy pregame speech and a goofy late-game rant on his 2017 resume, Jameis Winston is working on the Goofy Moments Royal Flush.
29. Texans (4-11; No. 29): “At least we’re not the worst team in the division.”
30. Colts (3-12; No. 30): Andrew Luck may secretly be hoping for another year on IR.
31. Giants (2-13; No. 31): Ten years after scoring the biggest win in franchise history in Phoenix, the Giants suffered their franchise-record 13th loss there.
32. Browns (0-15; No. 32): The Browns going 0-16 and keeping their head coach would be the ultimate Browns move.