You've seen NFL power rankings before, but here at Gatosclub we're also interested in the bottom of the barrel. As far as power rankings go, we're looking at what teams have done on the field, with a bit of an eye toward the future. We're also going to include our Sour Rankings, though, which will look at the teams that have had the worst performances and poor prospects.
This will be our final installment of the rankings for the season since it's a regular season exercise here at Gatosclub.com. We took last week off due to the unprecedented situation with the Bengals and Bills. So glad to see Damar Hamlin is improving every day. So without further ado, here's a look at our NFL Power Rankings, featuring the best eight teams following Week 18. And the Sour Rankings, featuring the worst eight squads the league has to offer.
Power Rankings
1. Philadelphia Eagles -- The Eagles dropped a couple of games without Jalen Hurts, but he returned for the season finale to help Philly clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That's good enough to keep the top spot in our Power Rankings. The win over the Giants wasn't spectacular, but the Eagles got the job done and there aren't a lot of reasons to doubt they're the most complete team entering the playoffs.
2. Kansas City Chiefs -- The Chiefs have the No. 1 spot in the AFC playoffs following another win in the finale, a 31-13 victory over the Raiders. It wouldn't be too surprising to see the Chiefs make a run in the playoffs and beat the NFC's best, likely the Eagles. You can't doubt Patrick Mahomes too much and Kadarius Toney is starting to look like a secret weapon.
3. Buffalo Bills -- The Bills had a magical start to their win over the Patriots, and truly honored their fallen teammate with a 35-23 win. Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and repeated the feat to retake the lead later in the game. It had been three years and three months since the Bills had returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Hamlin wears the No. 3 jersey. Gives you chills.
4. San Francisco 49ers -- The 49ers may very well end up winning it all, given how hot their team is, winning 10 straight. Rookie QB Brock Purdy might be playing well enough to get serious consideration for rookie of the year even though he's started just six games, throwing at least two touchdowns in each of those starts. Christian McCaffrey now gets a running mate in Elijah Mitchell, who returned from injury Sunday and scored twice while rushing for 55 yards.
5. Cincinnati Bengals -- When the game against the Bills was ruled a no-contest, the Bengals were working on a seven-game winning streak. They finished the season with a win over the Ravens to make it eight wins in a row. The 49ers, Bills, Chiefs and Jaguars all finished the season on at five-game winning streaks or better. It's interesting to end the regular season on a streak, because what are the odds a team finishes the season with nine-straight wins? The 49ers will have to win 14 straight for a title, the Bills would need 11 straight, the Jags would need nine straight while the Chiefs would need eight straight. The Bengals would need 12 straight, but the canceled Monday night contest could serve as a buffer for their wins. Something to think about.
6. Dallas Cowboys -- The Cowboys really made this tough on me here, falling to the Commanders 26-6 in a game they should have played all out in an attempt to win the NFC East. With each miscue it seemed like the Eagles took more control of their game with the Giants. It was a weird circumstance in that the Cowboys could have won and it still wouldn't have mattered. Maybe they had a motivational problem in that sense, knowing that Philly most likely would beat the Giants with Hurts back in the lineup. I'll keep Dallas in this spot since I think they lost under an odd special circumstance.
7. Minnesota Vikings -- The Vikings beat the Bears by nearly three scores in a game that Kirk Cousins got to sit early to prepare for the playoffs next week. I'm keeping Minnesota behind the Cowboys since Dallas routed the Vikings. The Vikings also somehow got outscored by their opponents while going 13-4. That unbelievable fact is what makes me think they won't go far in the playoffs. Their good fortune won't last.
8. Los Angeles Chargers -- The Chargers oddly played their starters in a meaningless game for them and still fell to the Broncos. I do think they kept their spot at No. 8 because I couldn't move the Ravens up. I also don't think the 9-8 Seahawks or Lions are better, but both are really close.
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Sour Rankings
25. Atlanta Falcons -- The Falcons trade spots with the Raiders this week, as they picked up their seventh win, a 30-17 win over the Buccaneers, who had nothing to play for. Tyler Allgeier will be one running back to watch next season.
26. Las Vegas Raiders -- The Raiders lost to the Chiefs to close out the season at 6-11. The Derek Carr era is over and it'll be interesting to see which direction the team moves next season.
27. Los Angeles Rams -- Sean McVey is looking like he's contemplating what he'll do next season, which is somewhat surprising only a year removed from a Super Bowl title. L.A. closed the season with an overtime loss to the Seahawks. Who would have predicted Seattle would make the playoffs while the Rams stay home?
28. Denver Broncos -- The Broncos closed out the season on a high note, defeating the Chargers to move up two spots in our rankings and finish the season at 5-12.
29. Indianapolis Colts -- The Colts couldn't hold off the Texans, giving up a two-point conversion late in for their 12th loss on the season. They fall to No. 29 as a result.
30. Arizona Cardinals -- They finished the season by losing seven in a row, and they'll drop one spot in our Sour Rankings as they finished 4-13 after so much promise to start the season.
31. Houston Texans -- The Texans won two of their final three games, ruining their shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Lovie Smith went out a winner as he was fired following the game.
32. Chicago Bears -- The Bears dropped the season finale to the Texans, giving them the worst record (3-14) in the league and the top pick in next spring's draft. They lost 10 straight to end the season and now have a decision to make regarding the first pick. Take the top QB and trade Justin Fields for a haul? Trade down for a haul?
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