NFL Power Rankings Poll: Saints No. 1, Chiefs No. 2 Heading into Playoffs
The season is over and now the fun really begins. For 12 teams, the playoffs await. For 20 teams, it’s draft season.
The 2018 NFL season was a wild ride. It feels like just yesterday that we were putting out our Power Rankings Poll before Week 1. It’s fun to look back and see the things we knew and the things the entire football-watching universe got wildly wrong. (We had a mix of both here at the MMQB.)
As we head into the postseason, the New Orleans Saints are our unanimous No. 1, a ranking unaffected by a loss with a host of backups in a meaningless Week 17 game. Behind them, the Chiefs are a unanimous No. 2. After that, four different teams got votes for the third spot.
The Colts made the biggest jump of the week, moving into the No. 7 spot after locking up the final playoff berth with a win on Sunday Night Football.
This week's voters:
Ben Baskin, Staff Writer
Andy Benoit, Staff Writer
Andrew Brandt, Business of Football Columnist
Mitch Goldich, Producer/Writer
Gary Gramling, Senior Editor
Kalyn Kahler, Writer/Producer
Robert Klemko, Staff Writer
Mark Mravic, Executive Editor
Jenny Vrentas, Senior Writer
1. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-3)
Last Week’s rank: 1
Points in poll: 256
Highest-place vote: 1 (9)
Lowest-place vote: 1 (9)
Last week: Loss 33-14 vs. Carolina
Next week: First-round bye
2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-4)
Last Week’s rank: T-5
Points in poll: 248
Highest-place vote: 2 (9)
Lowest-place vote: 2 (9)
Last week: Win 35-3 vs. Oakland
Next week: First-round bye
BREER: The Playoff Field is Set and the Coaching Axe Swings
3. CHICAGO BEARS (12-4)
Last Week’s rank: T-5
Points in poll: 232
Highest-place vote: 3 (3)
Lowest-place vote: 6 (1)
Last week: Win 24-10 at Minnesota
Next week: Wild Card vs. Philadelphia
4. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (11-5)
Last Week’s rank: 3
Points in poll: 230
Highest-place vote: 3 (3)
Lowest-place vote: 8 (1)
Last week: Win 38-3 vs. New York Jets
Next week: First-round bye
5. LOS ANGELES RAMS (13-3)
Last Week’s rank: 2
Points in poll: 228
Highest-place vote: 3 (2)
Lowest-place vote: 5 (7)
Last week: Win 48-32 vs. San Francisco
Next week: First-round bye
6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-6)
Last Week’s rank: 4
Points in poll: 208
Highest-place vote: 5 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 8 (3)
Last week: Win 26-24 vs. Cleveland
Next week: Wild Card vs. Los Angeles Chargers
ORR: Best Playoff Matchups and Biggest Sleepers
7. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (10-6)
Last Week’s rank: 13
Points in poll: 202
Highest-place vote: 6 (4)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (1)
Last week: Win 33-17 at Tennessee
Next week: Wild Card at Houston
8. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (12-4)
Last Week’s rank: 8
Points in poll: 200
Highest-place vote: 7 (3)
Lowest-place vote: 9 (2)
Last week: Win 23-9 at Denver
Next week: Wild Card at Baltimore
9. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (9-7)
Last Week’s rank: 11
Points in poll: 186
Highest-place vote: 3 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 11 (5)
Last week: Win 24-0 at Washington
Next week: Wild Card at Chicago
BENOIT: How Nick Foles and the Eagles Could Upset the Bears
10. DALLAS COWBOYS (10-6)
Last Week’s rank: 9
Points in poll: 184
Highest-place vote: 9 (3)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (1)
Last week: Win 36-35 at New York Giants
Next week: Wild Card vs. Seattle
11. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-6)
Last Week’s rank: 7
Points in poll: 183
Highest-place vote: 6 (2)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (4)
Last week: Win 27-24 vs. Arizona
Next week: Wild Card at Dallas
12. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-6-1)
Last Week’s rank: 10
Points in poll: 179
Highest-place vote: 7 (2)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (4)
Last week: Win 16-13 vs. Cincinnati
13. HOUSTON TEXANS (11-5)
Last Week’s rank: 14
Points in poll: 168
Highest-place vote: 9 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (4)
Last week: Win 20-3 vs. Jacksonville
Next week: Wild Card vs. Indianapolis
14. TENNESSEE TITANS (9-7)
Last Week’s rank: 15
Points in poll: 151
Highest-place vote: 14 (8)
Lowest-place vote: 15 (1)
Last week: Loss 33-17 vs. Indianapolis
15. CLEVELAND BROWNS (7-8-1)
Last Week’s rank: 16
Points in poll: 142
Highest-place vote: 14 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 17 (1)
Last week: Loss 26-24 at Baltimore
16. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (8-7-1)
Last Week’s rank: 12
Points in poll: 138
Highest-place vote: 15 (2)
Lowest-place vote: 16 (7)
Last week: Loss 24-10 vs. Chicago
T-17. GREEN BAY PACKERS (6-9-1)
Last Week’s rank: 19
Points in poll: 121
Highest-place vote: 16 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 23 (1)
Last week: Loss 31-0 vs. Detroit
ORR: Are There Enough Good, Qualified Coaches to Fill All the Openings?
T-17. ATLANTA FALCONS (7-9)
Last Week’s rank: 18
Points in poll: 121
Highest-place vote: 17 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 18 (8)
Last week: Win 34-32 at Tampa Bay
19. CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-9)
Last Week’s rank: 20
Points in poll: 104
Highest-place vote: 17 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 21 (6)
Last week: Win 33-14 at New Orleans
20. MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-9)
Last Week’s rank: 17
Points in poll: 103
Highest-place vote: 19 (7)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1)
Last week: Loss 42-17 at Buffalo
21. NEW YORK GIANTS (5-11)
Last Week’s rank: 24
Points in poll: 90
Highest-place vote: 20 (6)
Lowest-place vote: 26 (2)
Last week: Loss 36-35 vs. Dallas
22. BUFFALO BILLS (6-10)
Last Week’s rank: 22
Points in poll: 85
Highest-place vote: 19 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1)
Last week: Win 42-17 vs. Miami
23. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-11)
Last Week’s rank: T-25
Points in poll: 76
Highest-place vote: 21 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (1)
Last week: Loss 34-32 vs. Atlanta
JONES: Koetter Fired After Failure to Make Progress in Tampa
24. DETROIT LIONS (6-10)
Last Week’s rank: 29
Points in poll: 72
Highest-place vote: 22 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 27 (1)
Last week: Win 31-0 at Green Bay
25. DENVER BRONCOS (6-10)
Last Week’s rank: 23
Points in poll: 67
Highest-place vote: 20 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 27 (1)
Last week: Loss 23-9 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
26. NEW YORK JETS (4-12)
Last Week’s rank: 28
Points in poll: 67
Highest-place vote: 25 (6)
Lowest-place vote: 30 (1)
Last week: Loss 38-3 at New England
27. CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-10)
Last Week’s rank: T-25
Points in poll: 49
Highest-place vote: 24 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 28 (5)
Last week: Loss 16-13 at Pittsburgh
ORR: Marvin Lewis’s Firing Represents the End of an Era in Cincinnati
28. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-12)
Last Week’s rank: 27
Points in poll: 39
Highest-place vote: 26 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 31 (2)
Last week: Loss 48-32 at Los Angeles Rams
29. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (5-11)
Last Week’s rank: 30
Points in poll: 38
Highest-place vote: 25 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (7)
Last week: Loss 20-3 at Houston
30. WASHINGTON (7-9)
Last Week’s rank: 21
Points in poll: 35
Highest-place vote: 20 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (1)
Last week: Loss 24-0 vs. Philadelphia
31. OAKLAND RAIDERS (4-12)
Last Week’s rank: 31
Points in poll: 25
Highest-place vote: 29 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 30 (8)
Last week: Loss 35-3 at Kansas City
KAHLER: How the First Few Picks of the Draft Could Play Out
32. ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-13)
Last Week’s rank: 32
Points in poll: 9
Highest-place vote: 31 (1)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (8)
Last week: Loss 27-24 at Seattle
• Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.
