PFT’s Week 17 2022 NFL power rankings

Washington Commanders v San Francisco 49ers
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1. 49ers (11-4; No. 4): They would beat anyone in the NFL right now. If that doesn’t make them No. 1, what does?

2. Bills (12-3; No. 2): They haven’t lost since that rollercoaster ride against the Vikings. Maybe they won’t lose again.

3. Chiefs (12-3; No. 3): I still can’t shake the feeling that they’ll get back to the Super Bowl and win it.

4. Eagles (13-2; No. 1): Could they actually squander the No.1 seed?

5. Bengals (11-4; No. 5): Monday night’s game against the Bills means everything for the Bengals. And for the Bills.

6. Cowboys (11-4; No. 6): Can they stay consistent? That’s the real question for a team with a propensity to shoot itself in the foot.

7. Vikings (12-3; No. 7): At a certain point, it’s no longer luck.

8. Ravens (10-5; No. 9): They can shake things up in the AFC field.

9. Chargers (9-6; No. 10): If they fully unleash Justin Herbert, they can hang with anyone.

10. Jaguars (7-8; No. 14): No one should want to play them in the playoffs.

11. Dolphins (8-7; No. 8): Another decent season, another failure to make the playoffs.

12. Lions (7-8; No. 11): It was fun while it lasted. And it may not be over.

13. Giants (8-6-1; No. 12): They’re good enough to always keep things interesting.

14. Commanders (7-7-1; No. 13): It could be Carson Wentz time, with the playoffs on the line.

15. Steelers (7-8; No. 20): All of a sudden, a winning record doesn’t seem so crazy.

16. Packers (7-8; No. 22): No NFC playoff contender should want to see the Packers get in.

17. Patriots (7-8; No. 15): The end may not happen this year, but it’s getting closer.

18. Seahawks (7-8; No. 16): Geno Smith‘s recent dip in play could make it cheaper to keep him.

19. Titans (7-8; No. 17): They still haven’t won since a week before Thanksgiving.

20. Jets (7-8; No. 18): Hit the road, Zach, and don’t you come back no more no more no more no more.

21. Browns (6-9; No. 19): The up-and-down Browns are just about down and out.

22. Buccaneers (7-8; No. 23): If they get to the playoffs, they will be dangerous.

23. Panthers (6-9; No. 24): With each win, it’s getting harder for David Tepper to not hire Steve Wilks.

24. Saints (6-9; No. 25): Make Taysom Hill the full-time quarterback, please.

25. Raiders (6-9; No. 21): Derek Carr is the worst good quarterback in the league.

26. Rams (5-10; No. 27): Baker Mayfield is the best bad quarterback in the league.

27. Falcons (5-10; No. 26): For how long will Arthur Blank tolerate, “Hey, we’re not embarrassing ourselves”?

28. Cardinals (4-11; No. 29): Major questions need to be resolved, soon.

29. Bears (3-12; No. 30): But for Justin Fields, they might be winless.

30. Texans (2-11-1; No. 32): To their credit, they never give up.

31. Colts (4-10-1; No. 31): They should just give up.

32. Broncos (4-11; No. 28): They’ve officially given up.

85 responses to “PFT’s Week 17 2022 NFL power rankings

  1. Jets (7-8; No. 18): Hit the road, Zach, and don’t you come back no more no more no more no more.

    That’s one of the better lines I’ve read all year!

  2. Eagles win this week and rest up/recover for the divisional round.
    If Lane Johnson is not able to return , the task gets much harder.
    However, I expect it to come down to Eagles/Niners in Philadelphia for a trip to the SB
    That is all

  3. Say what you want about Lovie but he’s got his team playing hard every week. With a roster that needs help everywhere they took the Cowboys and Chiefs to OT and beat the Titans. Heck, they had to use two QBs to make one decent one.

  4. The Chiefs should absolutely be seen as one of the favorites. I think they’ve become so good at making the remarkable look ordinary that people have started to tune their performances out a little. Remember, the last time the 49ers lost it was because the Chiefs put up 500+ yards and 44 points on them. But, incredibly, we’re at a point where many people overlook performances like that and move on to other teams.

  5. I’m a Niners fan through and through and as much as power rankings mean nothing, there’s no way they are #1. They got beat down by the Chiefs. The Chiefs have owned the Niners for the last couple of meetings. The Eagles should be ahead of the Niners too. I think the Niners can beat the Eagles, but the Eagles have been the best team in the NFC all year. Top 5 to me would be: 1, Chiefs. 2, Eagles. 3, Bills. 4, Niners. 5, Bengals.

  6. Eagles lose a close back and forth game to a division rival with their backup QB and drop three spots. No, just no.
    The 49ers defence is the best in the league, but they haven’t exactly faced the best offences in the league during their 8 game win streak with wins over the Rams, Chargers, Cardinals, Saints, Dolphins, Bucs, Seahawks, and Commanders. And of course that run came after a demolishing 44-23 loss to the Chiefs. Which makes their spot at #1 highly dubious.

  7. So Taylor Heinicke has a bad game against the 49ers defence and now Carson Wentz is supposed to lead them into the playoffs?
    Yikes, talk about a severe overreaction and a loss of memory of how bad Wentz actually is…

  8. The Eagles lose one game to a good Cowboys team with a backup quarterback and fall 3 spots? Behind a 49ers team with a third string quarterback who’s had two decent games? Come on now…

  9. MortimerInMiami says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:25 am
    The 49ers still haven’t beaten a top team, they’ll be one and done, mark my words!

    I don’t know about one and done, but victories against winning teams is exactly 3, Chargers, Commanders, and Dolphins. Nobody would consider them top teams, so they really didn’t have a tough schedule, and they got blown out by the best team they’ve faced, the Chiefs. (Granted they did have a ton of injuries on defence).

  10. The 12-3 Vikings are 3.5 point dogs against the 7-8 Packers.

    Why? Because they’re the Vikings.

  11. The way the Eagles played last week, even WITH the 4 turnovers, would still have been enough to blow the Saints out. If they DON’T turn the ball over 4 times this week, I still expect them to blow the Saints out, with or without Jalen Hurts. The two picks were only sorta kinda Minshew’s fault. When they hit your receiver in the hands and he doesn’t hold on to them, how do you blame the QB? The handoff/fumble was a fluke thing. The Sanders fumble is even really what lost the game. If it wasn’t for that, they can get a FG to tie it up instead of needing to go for 7. They were in FG range at the end of the game. So yeah, if they play 5% better in that game, they win.

    And the Saints are not the Cowboys. Seems like the Saints can only play well against other NFC South teams. They’re not good. If they win that game, they’re no. 1 seed locked in.

  12. Last time the GIANTS were a wild card it turned out SUPER. Looking forward to another SUPER run..

  13. It’s must-win for the Packers next Sunday. The Vikings can say “not for us!,” but we know that’s not really true. There’s a first-round bye hanging out there for the taking and a question of luck/legitimacy that would be nice to have answered before the postseason arrives. They’ll want to win just as much as the Packers, but the end-of-season pressure is on the backs of the Packers.

  14. Like Ludacris said “we coming for that number one spot” we are there but we are not done. We continue to march to six. #goNiners, #bangbang

  15. There’s way too much overhyping of middling and bad teams.
    The Ravens, Bucs, Jaguars, and Packers are not threats to the real title contenders and each will probably be one and done in the playoffs.

  16. The Packers are gifted 4 turnovers by Tua and now nobody wants to face them? Nah. I mean, maybe if it’s; “would you rather face Washington or the Packers?”

  17. Cowboys behind a Bengals team they beat with Cooper Rush and both have the same win record?

  18. 49ers are good right now…but they won their last 7 games against mediocre teams.
    I highly doubt they would beat the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, Vikings, or Cowboys.

  19. It’s funny to read the comments- the Vikings, 49ers, Cowboys, Tampa are all supposed to be one and dones in the playoffs?

    Who is winning the games then?

  20. The Vikings are 11-0 in one possession games. Prime candidate for regression next year. That is not sustainable.

  21. Vikings win 4 of 5 and haven’t moved up a spot.
    The Packers finally win a couple games and they rocket up 8 spots.

    Got it.

  22. 22. Buccaneers (7-8; No. 23): If they get to the playoffs, they will be dangerous.
    This is like looking to the bright side of a train derailment. Did they watch that awful performance against the Cardinals?

  23. “4. Eagles (13-2; No. 1): Could they actually squander the No.1 seed?”

    No. But in a desperate need to create some interest atop the NFC that storyline will hammered all week. Eagles, playing 3rd straight road game in Dec. (unprecedented) and with a back-up QB nearly beat Dallas, even with 4 turnovers. Clearly still the #1 team in the league.

  24. Having the bengals and bills in a knock down drag out contest so late in the season is such an advantage for the chiefs. If the bengals beat the bills and the chiefs hold onto the 1 seed they will have done what the bengals did last year and that was avoid playing both the chiefs and the bills in the playoffs. Chiefs being the 1 seed they will play the lowest seeded team until the afc championship. With the bengals and bills being the 2/3 seed they will have to play each other again before going to kc and playing a chiefs team also fresh from a bye two weeks before. Like I said whomever gets the bye in the afc gets a humongous advantage this year. The bengals got lucky in this regard as they drew the 1 seed Tennessee last year while the 2/3 chiefs bills had to play each other in a heck of a fight. Bills win, they side step kc or Cincy in the playoffs which is good for them. Bengals beat Buffalo and kc loses bengals side step one of buff kc. I think the team that stays the freshest and healthiest will win the afc.

  25. jerrystrashcan says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:58 am
    Cowboys behind a Bengals team they beat with Cooper Rush and both have the same win record?

    Yeah that was 90 days ago. A lot has changed since then. Cowboys had a backup qb- bengals had qb not fully healed from abdominal surgery. You’re right though- They have the same record which means them Boys have lost more games since they played in week 2.

  26. The Bengals disrespect is real. Super Bowl schedule and they have beat everyone in front of them. Your favorite team the Chiefs will tell you how good they are. The Chiefs dont even think they are going to win the AFC. The niners at one because they could beat everyone? Is that how these rankings work?

  27. So the same team that lost to Denver, lost to Atlanta by 2 TD’s, and lost to KC by 3 scores is the best team in football huh? The niners best win is against the Chargers. The schedule has been beyond weak.

  28. jdreed68 says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:59 am
    49ers are good right now…but they won their last 7 games against mediocre teams.
    I highly doubt they would beat the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, Vikings, or Cowboys.

    You’re probably/maybe right on the first three. Who knows. But the Vikings have a point differential of +5. Which means, their defense sucks and their offense has covered a multitude of sins. I’m seeing at least 5 wins that definitely would have been losses if they were playing a top defense. As for the Cowboys…well, they’ll get into the playoffs and do Cowboy things. It’s a January tradition.

  29. jdreed68 says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:59 am
    49ers are good right now…but they won their last 7 games against mediocre teams.
    I highly doubt they would beat the Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, Vikings, or Cowboys.

    1610Rate This

    ——————————————————————————————-
    Vikings and Cowboys are both mediocre teams.

  30. 1. Eagles (a loss with backup QB on the road doesn’t drop them)
    2. Bills
    3. Bengals
    4. Chiefs
    5. Niners

  31. bigblu says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:39 am
    Last time the GIANTS were a wild card it turned out SUPER. Looking forward to another SUPER run..

    26Rate This
    ——————————————————————————————–
    That Giants team surprised a lot of people including Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, but they had Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and more pieces all around than this Giants team. They might stun some people and win a game, but that is their ceiling.

  32. Not sure the bye helps. Eagles need to be careful. Not “playing” for 3 weeks is a momentum crusher, ask the Ravens a few years ago…

  33. Putting 49ers number one makes about as much sense as putting Vikings number one. Did anyone bother to look at the 49ers strength of scheduled already played?

    Weakest schedule of all NFL teams…

  34. Ravens are too high, and I would swap the Lions and Dolphins. Other than that, a pretty accurate list.

  35. The Bengals would smoke the 49ers. Not sure how many times they need to beat the Chiefs. They’ll beat the Bills on Monday. Keep the disrespect up though. There has only been ONE team that consistently steps above the other best teams in the past 14 months and it has been the Cincinnati Bengals.

  36. I like Mahomes but just can’t get myself to root for them to win the SB as long as Reid is coach, due the lifetime of anguish his irresponsible son has caused that little girl and her family and all he got for it was a slap on the wrist probably because of his dad’s influence. Shame!

  37. jokersc says:
    December 27, 2022 at 10:01 am
    It’s funny to read the comments- the Vikings, 49ers, Cowboys, Tampa are all supposed to be one and dones in the playoffs?

    Who is winning the games then?

    This forum is dominated by delusional Phillybird fans.

  38. First of all thank, you for the #15 ranking. That gives us a boost of much needed momentum heading into the playoffs. Second of all, I highly doubt that the Niners could beat us right now. We are peaking at the absolute right time and Kenny Clutch has a stranglehold on the ROTY trophy. Stay focused, stay humble, and keep your New Year’s resolution to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs. Go Steelers!

  39. “However, I expect it to come down to Eagles/Niners in Philadelphia for a trip to the SB
    That is all”

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Allow me to offer a slightly different perspective. I get it, you’re an Eagles fan and they look to be on their way but if you can wait just one more year, we could possibly get:

    Vikings/Packers NFCCG

    Packers win

    Aaron Rodgers gets to shave Florio’s head, WWE style, live on Pat McAfee.

    The craziest of the purples end up locked up in a home for the criminally insane.

    I know it’s a lot to ask but your Eagles are in good shape. They’re not falling off anytime soon. And how often do we get THIS kind of opportunity?

    Don’t answer right away. Give it some thought. It’s a big ask…

  40. 1westcoastfootballfan says:
    December 27, 2022 at 10:38 am
    bigblu says:
    December 27, 2022 at 9:39 am
    Last time the GIANTS were a wild card it turned out SUPER. Looking forward to another SUPER run..

    26Rate This
    ——————————————————————————————–
    That Giants team surprised a lot of people including Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, but they had Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin and more pieces all around than this Giants team. They might stun some people and win a game, but that is their ceiling.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Respectfully, I have to disagree. Having seen the Packers win it all as a six-seed and THEN seeing the Giants beat a supposedly-much-better Packers team on the Giants’ way to winning it all as a wildcard… TWICE… I’m completely convinced it’s about getting in, getting hot, and peaking at the right time.

    I’m not saying they WILL win it, I’m just saying ceilings are mythical in the playoffs.

  41. Great to see the Packers heating up at the right time, their young receivers are breaking out and returning from injuries just in time to make a playoff push. The last time they did that they won the Bowl. I’d go so far as to rank them ~10.

  42. nothingbuttthetruth says:
    December 27, 2022 at 10:23 am

    Eagles, playing 3rd straight road game in Dec. (unprecedented)

    Dolphins started December with 3 straight road games, so not so much (unprecedented)

  43. 49ers can beat anybody? They haven’t played any of the other top ten 10 listed here since before Oct. Except The Chiefs, who beat them…

  44. NFL much more interesting with so many dogs still in hunt for both the playoffs and improved seeding going into Week 17. I’ll be rooting for Panthers & Packers to sneak in, and for the Dolphins to just hold on. And won’t be surprised at whatever Super Bowl matchup ensues.

  45. You’re kidding about the packers, right? They play the two worst teams in the nfl and then get pounded by the dolphins in the first half only to win because Tua had a concussion in the 2nd half and started throwing the worst passes you’ll ever see, and all of a sudden everybody fears them?

  46. Why all the hate from other fans? 9ers every year are bogged down with injuries..good hard nose players that don’t talk trash..not out breaking laws..not plastered all over sports news..and has a feel good story with the very last draft pick to contribute to its recents winnings..shesh

  47. iamturdferguson says:
    December 27, 2022 at 10:25 am
    Yeah that was 90 days ago. A lot has changed since then. Cowboys had a backup qb- bengals had qb not fully healed from abdominal surgery. You’re right though- They have the same record which means them Boys have lost more games since they played in week 2.

    Cowboys just hung 40 points on the “Top Pass Defense in the NFL” on Saturday.
    That wasn’t 90 days ago.
    They also have one of the best if not the best record against winning teams this year.
    Who have the Bengals beaten besides over rated Buffalo?
    As far as your 90 days ago charge goes I bet you wouldn’t discount the Cowboys getting blown out against Tampa in the 1st game of the year would you? You would point to that game and still use it against them.

  48. Cowboys beat the former #1 and move up zero spots? I remember the Ea-gals moved up after beating Cooper Rush’s Cowboys.
    1. Chiefs 2. Bills 3. Niner’s (but puke) 4. Cowboys 5. Bengals 6. Eagles 7. Packers

  49. The Eagles lose a tightly contested game in which they had 10 point leads twice which they could have won in last minute despite 4 turnovers and with their back up QB, on the road and they drop 3 spots?

  50. The most decorated QB of the Super Bowl era was drafted in the 6th round. It would be truly awesome to see Mr. Irrelevant from the 7th round accomplish what even TB didn’t. Becoming the first rookie QB to win the Super Bowl. And I am a Steelers fan, not a SF fan.

  51. philmccracken says:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:19 am

    I think the Vikings would get a lot more respect if they weren’t frauds.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    You’d get a lot more respect if you weren’t an obvious Packer homer. I’m sure you think the Packers are contenders now because a concussed QB gifted them picks in almost every drive of the second half.

  52. #16, bah, humbug. These rankings are biased. The Packers are ranked too low. You can’t do that to a 4 time MVP like me. I should win my 5th MVP this season. If I don’t, that’s a farce too. Just wait till the regular season is done and we’re at #15 in the NFL rankings based on our record.

  53. Chiefs are No.1 and the rest of the league is playing for No.2. Just ask a Chiefs fan, they’ll tell you.

  54. “bigblu says:

    December 27, 2022 at 9:39 am

    Last time the GIANTS were a wild card it turned out SUPER. Looking forward to another SUPER run..”


    2016 when they got killed by the Packers in the opening weekend.

  55. Funny how so many teams and their fans think the Vikings stink, yet 80% of the teams that have played them have lost — including the Packers, the Vikings only double digit win. Maybe they lose in the playoffs — only one team is ultimately happy, but one thing is certain — when you have teammates that actually like and respect each other and their coaches, they win close games.

  56. PartyonWayne says:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:50 am
    The BUCS are as average as average can be. No one is afraid.
    ———————————————————————————————

    Cowboys fans are. Brady + playoffs + Dallas has never beat Brady + lost to them once already. It’s the NFL. Don’t sleep on anybody in the playoffs.

  57. 7. Vikings (12-3; No. 7): At a certain point, it’s no longer luck.
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Do you want to bet? The Vikings have been the luckiest team in the NFL for as long as I can remember, not only this year.

  58. No. No. No. Who is counting Brady out? This man can win games whenever he wants – by force of will. The only reason they ever lose is because he gets distracted with life issues. When Tommy focuses, he’s 260-0, it’s a fact, look it up in any book – I don’t care which one. Look friends, Uncle Tommy has won in the NFL in every conceivable manner; this year, he’s stacked the deck in his personal life and professional life – all to make this Super Bowl victory – his 8th – appear more impressive. I simply don’t understand why you people can’t see that. The retirement, the divorce, the weak offensive line, the new coach, various injuries – all to better inflate his legacy. Tommy has intentionally distracted himself to make the game harder. It’s a bit like putting on a game of Madden with a friend, a friend that you beat routinely, and walking to the kitchen for a tasty treat while your friend builds a sizable first half lead. Afterwards, after the Little Debbie cakes, you come back in the 2nd half and destroy him. That’s exactly what Tommy is doing. You’ll all see soon enough. Brady rules all.

  59. Eagles win this week and rest up/recover for the divisional round.

    Do you really think the Eagles are better off, if Hurts doesn’t play for 5 weeks heading into the playoffs?

  60. citizenstrange says:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:16 am
    First of all thank, you for the #15 ranking. That gives us a boost of much needed momentum heading into the playoffs. Second of all, I highly doubt that the Niners could beat us right now. We are peaking at the absolute right time and Kenny Clutch has a stranglehold on the ROTY trophy. Stay focused, stay humble, and keep your New Year’s resolution to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs. Go Steelers!

    =================================================================================

    The Ravens have already clinched a playoff birth…….

  61. My preseason Super Bowl pick was 49ers vs Bills. I have had the 49ers in the top spot for weeks now. Congrats on finally getting it, Michael. 🙂

  62. Calvin Hobbes says:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:42 am
    Great to see the Packers heating up at the right time, their young receivers are breaking out and returning from injuries just in time to make a playoff push. The last time they did that they won the Bowl. I’d go so far as to rank them ~10.

    __________

    Please don’t remind me of the Toilet Bowl. Bad memories Cal. Man, we really stunk. Those Niners really flushed us down into the waters of Green Bay then, remember?

  63. Es El Repollo! says:
    December 27, 2022 at 11:23 am

    Allow me to offer a slightly different perspective. I get it, you’re an Eagles fan and they look to be on their way but if you can wait just one more year, we could possibly get:

    Vikings/Packers NFCCG

    Packers win

    Aaron Rodgers gets to shave Florio’s head, WWE style, live on Pat McAfee.

    The craziest of the purples end up locked up in a home for the criminally insane.

    I know it’s a lot to ask but your Eagles are in good shape. They’re not falling off anytime soon. And how often do we get THIS kind of opportunity?

    Don’t answer right away. Give it some thought. It’s a big ask…

    ______________

    ‘Fantasy,’ great tune by Aldo Nova.

  64. Kansas City has lived rent free in Garoppolo’s head since his season ending injury at Arrowhead in 2018.

    Brock Purdy on the other hand, fears no man. He is the reason why San Francisco conquers their demon and beats the Chiefs in the Super Bowl this year.

  65. What about the fact the Chiefs absolutely killed the 49ers? They beat them so bad that Jimmy G was taken out and Mr. Irrelevant came in… and threw a pick. So much for him beating up on the lesser teams in the league. I’m not saying the Chiefs should be No. 1, just not the 49ers. I think
    1. Bills/Bengals-whoever wins on Monday 2. Eagles 3. Loser of Bills/Bengals 4. Chiefs T5. Vikings and Cowboys
    Power Rankings don’t mean anything though, and everyone sees it different. All that matters is who wins the games when they actually are played.

  66. You’re going to feel silly when my Broncos beat the Chiefs this week!

    Greatest trap game of all time. Mahomes goes out with boredom, Kelce forgets his helmet.

    Broncos 3
    Chiefs 2

  67. 49ers #1? Currently 13 of their 17 opponents (including their last two they haven’t played) have a losing record. They are 8-3 vs teams under .500. 2-1 vs teams over .500 and 1-1 vs teams at .500. They only two teams over .500 they beat were the 9-6 Chargers and 8-7 Dolphins, who could miss the playoffs. Their division has three losing teams. Also lets not overlook 3 losses to the 3 win Bears, 4 win Broncos and 5 win Falcons. How can you be #1 with three losses to double digit losing teams and a very soft schedule? The defense is beating up on subpar offenses. The best offense they faced, the Chiefs, destroyed them.

  68. Does it bother anyone that the 49ers have played 4 teams all season with winning records ? Great results – Gaudy stats – really really poor competition

  69. chessic says:
    December 29, 2022 at 1:34 am
    You’re going to feel silly when my Broncos beat the Chiefs this week!

    Greatest trap game of all time. Mahomes goes out with boredom, Kelce forgets his helmet.

    Broncos 3
    Chiefs 2

    _______________________________________________

    My condolences on your 27-24 loss- I guess Kelce and Mahomes woke up just enough to beat you for the 15th straight time. So much for losing 3-2.

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