Week 18 Composite NFL Power Rankings: Packers Continue Reign at No. 1
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers swept their way to a fourth consecutive week atop Packer Central’s Composite NFL Power Rankings.
The Packers took the No. 1 spot in all eight rankings – a combination of our thoughts and the rankings of seven national media entities. The No. 1 team in each ranking gets one point, the No. 2 team gets two points and so on to get the Composite Ranking.
“A team’s strength is ultimately in its ability to compensate for its weaknesses. In that way, I don’t see a more complete team than the Green Bay Packers right now,” wrote Conor Orr, who compiled the rankings this week for Sports Illustrated. “All is harmonious with Aaron Rodgers, they have three different position players on defense who, one could argue, are among the 5-10 best players at their position, and the Packers’ run game is finally built to sustain the team through a long, blustery winter.”
Week 18 doesn’t feature any matchups between top-10 teams. On Saturday, No. 9 Dallas will play at No. 13 Philadelphia. The Sunday night game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas is the biggest of the week, with the winner claiming the AFC West and the loser heading to the golf course. The Chargers are 13th and the Raiders are 15th.
The Packers will play at the Detroit Lions to cap the regular season on Sunday. The Lions are 2-13-1 but had been playing better. Before last week, the Lions were 2-4-1 in their last seven games. That included the two wins and three losses by a combined nine points. But they were crushed 51-29 at Seattle on Sunday.
“Dan Campbell spent the year laying the groundwork for a post-Matt Patricia culture change,” wrote Orr, who put the Lions at No. 29. “Did it work? Free agency will be the best indicator as to how his act ultimately plays out. I can say only personally that I enjoyed it, and bought it. It feels genuine. Campbell might be a ways away from catching the Packers, but he was also a few bounced balls away from third place in the division this year.”
Here are this week’s rankings.
Packer Central: 1, Green Bay; 2, Tampa Bay; 3, L.A. Rams; 4, Tennessee; 5, Kansas City; 6, Cincinnati; 7, Buffalo; 8, Arizona; 9, Dallas; 10, New England.
Sports Illustrated: 1, Green Bay; 2, Kansas City; 3, Tampa Bay; 4, Buffalo; 5, Tennessee; 6, Cincinnati; 7. L.A. Rams; 8, Dallas; 9, New England; 10, Arizona.
ESPN.com: 1, Green Bay; 2, Kansas City; 3, Tampa Bay; 4, L.A. Rams; 5, Tennessee; 6, Buffalo; 7, Dallas; 8, Arizona; 9, New England; 10, Cincinnati.
Associated Press: 1, Green Bay; 2, Tampa Bay; 3, L.A. Rams; 4, Kansas City; 5, Tennessee; 6, Arizona; 7, Cincinnati; 8, Dallas; 9, Buffalo; 10, New England.
NFL.com: 1, Green Bay; 2, L.A. Rams; 3, Tampa Bay; 4, Kansas City; 5, Cincinnati; 6, Buffalo; 7, Tennessee; 8, New England; 9, Arizona; 10, Dallas.
CBSSports.com: 1, Green Bay; 2, L.A. Rams; 3, Tampa Bay; 4, Buffalo; 5, Kansas City; 6, Tennessee; 7, Cincinnati; 8, New England; 9, Arizona; 10, Dallas.
The 33rd Team: 1, Green Bay; 2, L.A. Rams; 3, Kansas City; 4, Tampa Bay; 5, Dallas; 6, Buffalo; 7, Arizona; 8, Indianapolis; 9, Cincinnati; 10, New England.
Pro Football Talk: 1, Green Bay; 2, L.A. Rams; 3, Tampa Bay; 4, Tennessee; 5, Kansas City; 6, Cincinnati; 7, Arizona; 8, Buffalo; 9, Dallas; 10, New England.
Week 18 Composite Power Rankings: 1, Green Bay (8); Tampa Bay (23); 3, L.A. Rams (25); 4, Kansas City (31); 5, Tennessee (47); 6, Buffalo (50); 7, Cincinnati (56); 8, Arizona (64); 9, Dallas (66); New England (74).
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Week 17 Composite Power Rankings: 1, Green Bay (10); 2, Kansas City (14); 3, Dallas (29); 4, Tampa Bay (34); 5, L.A. Rams (35); T-6, Indianapolis (53); 7, Buffalo (58); 8, Tennessee (65); 9, Cincinnati (75); 10, New England (76).
Packers RBs Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon vs. Vikings
