NFL Power Rankings Poll: Super Bowl Champion Chiefs Finish on Top
And just like that, the NFL’s 100 season is in the books. All 267 games are behind us, all 32 teams’ journeys have been completed. The Kansas City Chiefs are champions of the football world, after taking down the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV. Before we move on to the combine, free agency, the draft and our 2020 season outlooks, let’s take one last look back at every team’s 2019.
These rankings reflect the season each team just had, not necessarily the spot we expect them to be in going into next season.
This week’s NFL Power Rankings Poll voters:
Andrew Brandt, Business of Football Columnist
Gary Gramling, Senior Editor
Mitch Goldich, Producer/Writer
Kalyn Kahler, Writer/Producer
Bette Marston, Associate Editor
Conor Orr, Staff Writer
Jenny Vrentas, Senior Writer
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (12-4)
Points in poll: 224
Highest-place vote: 1 (7 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 1 (7 voters)
Season result: Won Super Bowl
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years, and (with all due respect to Lamar Jackson, who deserved to win MVP) they have the consensus best quarterback in the NFL. Hard to imagine being in a better position than that!
2. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (13-3)
Points in poll: 217
Highest-place vote: 2 (7 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 2 (7 voters)
Season result: Lost in Super Bowl
The 49ers had a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. That’s a missed opportunity that will gnaw at everyone involved forever. But it was an incredible turnaround season for a team that went 4-12 last year.
3. BALTIMORE RAVENS (14-2)
Points in poll: 210
Highest-place vote: 3 (7 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 3 (7 voters)
Season result: Lost in divisional round
The Ravens have a right to be disappointed they didn’t go on a playoff run, but they should still be ecstatic about their season. They dominated, they set records, they were No. 1 in the power rankings after the regular season, they’ll be back.
4. TENNESSEE TITANS (9-7)
Points in poll: 195
Highest-place vote: 5 (6 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 6 (1 voters)
Season result: Lost in AFC Championship game
The Titans had a memorable playoff run, mostly on the back of Derrick Henry (and a strong defense). Now it’s time to see if he and Ryan Tannehill return.
5. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-3)
Points in poll: 192
Highest-place vote: 4 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 8 (1 voters)
Season result: Lost in wild-card round
The Saints were on a mission all year to avenge the blown call in the NFC championship game, but didn’t get the chance. Now they have three free agent quarterbacks and some tough decisions to make.
6. GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-3)
Points in poll: 189
Highest-place vote: 4 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 9 (1 voters)
Season result: Lost in NFC Championship game
So just how good were the Packers? They won 13 regular season games and went to the NFC Championship game, but a lot of people still weren’t convinced. But their Hall of Fame quarterback seems happy with the direction of the franchise.
7. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4)
Points in poll: 180
Highest-place vote: 4 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 10 (2 voters)
Season result: Lost in wild-card round
Every year we talk about the end of the Patriots dynasty. After a down year in 2019 (for them) we are left with their most interesting offseason in a very long time.
8. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (10-6)
Points in poll: 174
Highest-place vote: 6 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 10 (1 voters)
Season result: Lost in divisional round
The Vikings had a rollercoaster season, but it ended with more ups than downs and a great playoff win in New Orleans. Still, the 49ers game was a disappointing follow-up.
9. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (11-5)
Points in poll: 170
Highest-place vote: 6 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 13 (1 voters)
Season result: Lost in divisional round
The Seahawks overachieved this year, but it seems like they find a way to do that every year. There’s no reason to think they won’t contend in the NFC in 2020.
10. HOUSTON TEXANS (10-6)
Points in poll: 166
Highest-place vote: 8 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 11 (2 voters)
Season result: Lost in divisional round
Bill O’Brien is now officially the GM, after another AFC South title. They’re still a cut below the AFC’s top tier and Deshaun Watson will soon be much more expensive.
11. BUFFALO BILLS (10-6)
Points in poll: 153
Highest-place vote: 10 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (3 voters)
Season result: Lost in wild-card round
The Bills have a talented roster and now have a ton of cap room to make changes. But people will continue to question whether Josh Allen is good enough to help them take the next step.
12. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (9-7)
Points in poll: 150
Highest-place vote: 11 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 12 (4 voters)
Season result: Lost in wild-card round
It’s really too bad a concussion knocked Carson Wentz out of his first career playoff game after just four passes, after he played all 16 games and carried the Eagles’ offense for most of the season.
13. LOS ANGELES RAMS (9-7)
Points in poll: 143
Highest-place vote: 7 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 14 (3 voters)
Season result: Third place in NFC West
It would be cliché to call it a Super Bowl hangover, but the Rams just weren’t the same this year.
14. DALLAS COWBOYS (8-8)
Points in poll: 135
Highest-place vote: 13 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 15 (1 voters)
Season result: Second place in NFC East
The Jason Garrett Era is finally over. But the Cowboys have so many contract decisions to make, Mike McCarthy isn’t even a top-three offseason storyline right now.
15. ATLANTA FALCONS (7-9)
Points in poll: 120
Highest-place vote: 15 (3 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 17 (2 voters)
Season result: Second place in NFC South
The Falcons played well enough in the second half to save some jobs and climb some spots in the power rankings. Whether that translates to success in 2020 is yet to be seen.
16. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-8)
Points in poll: 116
Highest-place vote: 15 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 19 (1 voters)
Season result: Second place in AFC North
The Steelers deserve a lot of credit for how they fought this year, but all 32 teams should know how important it is to have a backup QB you can trust.
17. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-9)
Points in poll: 111
Highest-place vote: 14 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in AFC South
The Colts were dealt a tough hand with Andrew Luck’s retirement on the eve of the season. They handled it really well, for as long as they could, until it unraveled over the second half of the season.
18. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-9)
Points in poll: 98
Highest-place vote: 17 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 22 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in NFC South
Bruce Arians’s first season in Tampa will always be remembered for Jameis’s 30-30. But you get the sense he’d like his second season to be remembered for somebody else under center.
T-19. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-11)
Points in poll: 91
Highest-place vote: 17 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 22 (2 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in AFC West
The L.A. experiment hasn’t worked out for this franchise. Will the new stadium be enough of a fresh start, or will they look to have a splashy offseason too?
T-19. OAKLAND (NOW LAS VEGAS) RAIDERS (7-9)
Points in poll: 91
Highest-place vote: 18 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in AFC West
Pour one out for the Oakland Raiders. In 25 years since the move back from L.A., they went 160-240, with four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl loss. This was an encouraging season, but it’s on to Vegas.
21. CHICAGO BEARS (8-8)
Points in poll: 88
Highest-place vote: 18 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in NFC North
Turns out spending the whole offseason talking about the double doink might not have been the most productive use of everyone’s time. Now they’ll have an offseason of talking about Trubisky’s future.
22. DENVER BRONCOS (7-9)
Points in poll: 81
Highest-place vote: 17 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 24 (1 voters)
Season result: Second place in AFC West
Bringing in Joe Flacco was a win-now move, but the Broncos had their biggest gains in our power rankings with Drew Lock under center. That’s not how they hoped this season would turn out.
23. ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-10-1)
Points in poll: 70
Highest-place vote: 19 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 26 (2 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in NFC West
So Kliff and Kyler did not revolutionize the game in their first season at the pro level, but the Cardinals saw some encouraging signs as the Rookie of the Year heads into Year 2.
24. NEW YORK JETS (7-9)
Points in poll: 65
Highest-place vote: 20 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 27 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in AFC East
It was a strange way to get there, but 7-9 sorta feels right for this team. They have a few big moves to make, but we know this team rarely has a quiet offseason.
25. MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-11)
Points in poll: 57
Highest-place vote: 23 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (1 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in AFC East
Five wins for this Dolphins team is a massive accomplishment. They cost themselves some draft position, but the good news is they have plenty of other teams’ picks too.
26. CLEVELAND BROWNS (6-10)
Points in poll: 49
Highest-place vote: 23 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 30 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in AFC North
OK, so we were totally wrong. In our defense, so were a lot of people. Baker Mayfield acknowledged that he put his foot in his mouth and the Browns have already made plenty of changes in the front office and coaching staff.
27. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-10)
Points in poll: 40
Highest-place vote: 25 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (2 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in AFC South
Few teams had as disappointing a 2019 as the Jaguars, who now have a tough decision to make at quarterback.
28. NEW YORK GIANTS (4-12)
Points in poll: 39
Highest-place vote: 26 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 29 (1 voters)
Season result: Third place in NFC East
Goodbye, Eli. Hello, future. Can you believe it’s been eight years since this team won a playoff game?
29. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (3-13)
Points in poll: 27
Highest-place vote: 27 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 30 (4 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in NFC East
The Redskins have too many issues to name, but at least this year they have the No. 2 overall pick to show for it.
30. CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-11)
Points in poll: 26
Highest-place vote: 23 (1 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (1 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in NFC South
No team fell apart quite like the Carolina Panthers, who went from 5-3 to 5-11. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see them with the healthy Cam Newton we were promised. Now Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen are gone, and we wait to see who their QB is in 2020.
31. CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-14)
Points in poll: 18
Highest-place vote: 28 (2 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (3 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in AFC North
We may look back on the Bengals’ miserable last few seasons and decide Joe Burrow was worth it.
32. DETROIT LIONS (3-12-1)
Points in poll: 11
Highest-place vote: 31 (4 voters)
Lowest-place vote: 32 (3 voters)
Season result: Fourth place in NFC North
The Lions ended the season on the league’s longest losing streak. Do they really think a healthy Matthew Stafford would fix all their issues next year?
More SI Super Bowl LIV Coverage
* Greg Bishop and Jenny Vrentas: Kingdom Comeback: The Chiefs’ Seven-Year Journey to a Super Bowl Title
* Michael Rosenberg: Patrick Mahomes Is Here To Stay
* Conor Orr: Shanahan Absorbs Gut-Punch Super Bowl Loss
* Kalyn Kahler: Reaction From the Niners' Stunned Locker Room
* Charlotte Wilder: Super Bowl LIV Was One Giant Spectacle
More From SI.com Team Sites:
* Niners Fall Agonizingly Short In Super Bowl
* Kittle Reflects on Turning Point of Niners' Loss
- Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.
