The dust has settled on the Kansas City Chiefs’ thrilling Super Bowl 57 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, which leaves just one task left on my writing agenda for the 2022-23 NFL season: the final Power Rankings.

These Power Rankings will invite in all 32 teams, including the 18 that didn’t participate in the postseason, prior to any additions or subtractions in Free Agency and the 2023 NFL Draft.

In a sense, these Power Rankings are my final analysis of how talented each team was during the 2022-23 season: not necessarily a look at who I anticipate to be the strongest during Week 1 of the 2023-24 season. This list does also not reflect free agency moves that have been made, despite my late publishing at the end of March.

Team records will be represented by final records including the postseason, meaning some teams will have 17 games played while the Chiefs and Eagles will have a 20-game sample size. I’ll also reference my Post-Week 18 Power Rankings, rather than any playoff Power Rankings, to accurately show where each team ranked the last time I included all 32 teams.

SEE ALSO: How did my Preseason Power Rankings hold up?

Read on for my Post-Super Bowl 57 Power Rankings, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any rankings, or want to follow for more weekly NFL content including Picks and Power Rankings, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook!

Post-Super Bowl 57 Power Rankings

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (17-3) [Regular Season Rank: 1]
    • The Kansas City Chiefs topped my Power Rankings for much of the regular season, and after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57, officially finished with sole possession of the best record in the NFL at 17-3. The scary thing is, this may not even be the best Chiefs team we’ve seen in recent years, and Kansas City still ran the league. Having Patrick Mahomes at quarterback makes the Chiefs a contender each and every season.
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (16-4) [Regular Season Rank: 5]
    • The Philadelphia Eagles played a near-perfect season (only two losses including the Super Bowl with Jalen Hurts at quarterback) and offensively, played a near-perfect Super Bowl. But Philadelphia still finds themselves as runner-up’s, with the defense giving the game away late to Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Eagles were dominant this season, and will definitely be back in 2023-24.
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (14-5) [Regular Season Rank: 4]
    • Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are right there with the best teams in the NFL. This year’s AFC Championship Game loss is technically a worse result than last year’s Super Bowl appearance, but the the Bengals appeared to be better and more consistent this season. Dispatching the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, with relative ease, was also a neat addition to Burrow’s young postseason resume.
  4. San Francisco 49ers (15-5) [Regular Season Rank: 3]
    • After winning an astonishing 12 straight games, the San Francisco 49ers good fortunes came to a screeching halt in the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, thanks in part to injuries sustained by third-string quarterback Brock Purdy. Still, the 49ers were exactly the team they finished as: the second-best squad in the NFC, and certainly a Top 5 force in the NFL. The 49ers sustained success even when forced to play their third-string quarterback this season was impressive.
  5. Buffalo Bills (14-4) [Regular Season Rank: 2]
    • I had high hopes for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills this year, picking them to win the Super Bowl prior to the start of the season. Buffalo might have peaked a bit too early, as the Bills fizzled out in the playoffs with a narrow win over a Tua-less Dolphins team followed by an embarrassing loss to the Bengals in the Divisional Round. The window is still wide-open for Buffalo, but it’s taking longer than expected for the Bills to break through to the Super Bowl.
  6. Dallas Cowboys (13-6) [Regular Season Rank: 6]
    • All jokes aside about the Dallas Cowboys’ continued postseason woes, the NFC East runner-ups were pretty solid this season. Offensively, Dak Prescott and company put up the third-most points in the regular season, with the sixth-ranked defense to boot. Dallas is a dark horse contender to win Super Bowl 58 in my eyes.
  7. Minnesota Vikings (13-5) [Regular Season Rank: 7]
    • What a unique season for the Minnesota Vikings: finishing with an elite 13-4 record, yet somehow being outscored by three points during the regular season. Credit that anomaly to 11 one-score wins: flipping the script after a slew of one-score losses in 2021. But the NFC North crown didn’t take Minnesota very far, as they lost to the Giants at home in the Wildcard round of the playoffs.
  8. New York Giants (10-8-1) [Regular Season Rank: 11]
    • Head Coah of the Year Brian Daboll and the New York Giants overachieved this season in almost every way. Daniel Jones played good football despite losing receivers left and right, Saquon Barkley was on the field and making an impact for the majority of the season, and the defense stepped up when it needed to. After a 7-2 start, New York’s 9-7-1 regular season finish was a bit disappointing, but the Giants were able to secure a playoff win over the Vikings before being blown out by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
  9. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-9) [Regular Season Rank: 10]
    • Speaking of overachieving, who had the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the AFC South this season? Especially after a 2-6 start, the Jaguars didn’t seem to have much of a chance at the postseason at the season’s rough halfway mark. But Trevor Lawrence and company battled back, and took advantage of a weakened AFC South crowd, winning five straight games to clinch the division, including a winner-take-all matchup with the Titans in Week 18. Jacksonville even won their home playoff game against the Chargers before falling 27-20 (closer than expected) to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
  10. Detroit Lions (9-8) [Regular Season Rank: 9]
    • The Detroit Lions had an incredible 8-2 stretch to close out the season, with high quality wins over the Giants, Jaguars, Vikings, and Packers (twice, with a Week 18 win keeping Green Bay out of the postseason.) If not for a 1-6 start that included four one-score losses, Jared Goff and the Lions easily could’ve made noise come playoff time.
  11. Los Angeles Chargers (10-8) [Regular Season Rank: 9]
    • The Los Angeles Chargers had a solid season, finishing 10-7 to earn an AFC Wildcard spot and putting pressure on the Chiefs with two three-point losses to the AFC West winners. But when it mattered most, Los Angeles collapsed against the Jaguars in the postseason.
  12. Baltimore Ravens (10-8) [Regular Season Rank: 18]
    • Once again, the Baltimore Ravens didn’t get to finish out the season with Lamar Jackson, begging the question of what could have been. Baltimore remained competitive without Jackson, but ultimately, the MVP’s 45-16 record as a starter is what separates a talented Baltimore squad from a Super Bowl contending team when Jackson is on the field. Now? Jackson’s future in Baltimore seems to be in jeopardy.
  13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8) [Regular Season Rank: 12]
    • It took me a while to start respecting the Pittsburgh Steelers this season (hard to blame me with Pittsburgh’s 7th-worst offense, 18.1 PPG) but Mike Tomlin found ways to grind out wins and finish with a winning record once again.
  14. Miami Dolphins (9-9) [Regular Season Rank: 15]
    • In the season’s early going, the Miami Dolphins looked like Super Bowl contenders. But with multiple injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and being forced to slide even further down the depth chart for their playoff matchup with the Bills, the late-season version of the Dolphins was unfortunately a middle-o-the-pack team.
  15. New England Patriots (8-9) [Regular Season Rank: 13]
    • The New England Patriots showed some flashes this season, but not quite enough to finish with a winning record. In an interesting wrinkle, Bill Belichick might have found a better starting quarterback option than Mac Jones in Bailey Zappe.
  16. Seattle Seahawks (9-9) [Regular Season Rank: 14]
    • The Seattle Seahawks may have peaked too early, winning nearly half their regular season games in a six-week 5-1 stretch concluding just after midseason. Seattle then lost five of six games before winning their last two to qualify for the playoffs. The Seahawks lost 41-23 in a blowout against the 49ers, but all in all, it was still a year of overachieving for go Smith and company after Seattle dumped Russell Wilson last offseason.
  17. Washington Commanders (8-8-1) [Regular Season Rank: 16]
    • The Washington Commanders found a way to play dead-even football even with a 17-game schedule: earning an 8-8-1 record. Washington fizzled out down the stretch with a 1-3-1 record, peaking midseason with a 6-1 stretch that included a win over the eventual NFC champion Eagles.
  18. Green Bay Packers (8-9) [Regular Season Rank: 17]
    • Finishing 8-9 was pretty disappointing for a Green Bay Packers team that’s been elite over the past few regular seasons. But losing to the Lions in Week 18 after stringing together four straight wins to create a win-and-in sitaution stings even more. Now, Aaron Rodgers’ future with the franchise is the hot topic of the offseason.
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-10) [Regular Season Rank: 19]
    • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers regressed a lot in 2022, finishing with a bottom 10 offense. Yet, the Buccaneers snuck in to the playoffs as victors of a weak NFC South. In what was ultimately Tom Brady’s farewell season, Tampa Bay looked solid through four weeks, but it quickly became clear it would be a lost season even if the Buccaneers made the playoffs.
  20. Las Vegas Raiders (6-11) [Regular Season Rank: 20]
    • Despite a 6-11 record, I don’t think the Las Vegas Raiders were that bad this season. Take out three straight one-score losses to start the season, and the Raiders played 6-8 ball the rest of the way. I’m honestly shocked Las Vegas benched and basically decided to part ways with Derek Carr, a borderline Top 10 quarterback.
  21. Carolina Panthers (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 21]
    • The Carolina Panthers somehow got better as they subtracted, starting to win games only after dumping Robbie Anderson, Christian McCaffrey, and Bake Mayfield. Carolina flipped a 2-7 start in to a 7-10 finish, going 5-5 down the stretch and putting real pressure on the Buccaneers in the NFC South.
  22. New Orleans Saints (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 23]
    • The New Orleans Saints had the pieces to be competitive in 2022, but couldn’t string together any consistency. Week 16 was the first time New Orleans experienced a winning streak, and they suffered four losing streaks during the season. Still, the Saints finished just a game behind the Buccaneers in the NFC South following their late-season three-game win streak.
  23. Tennessee Titans (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 22]
    • The Tennessee Titans finished the season ice-cold with seven straight losses, yet still were in a winner-take-all matchup with the Jaguars in Week 18. What seemed to work for a few seasons with Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill could quickly be blown up, if offseason rumors are to be believed.
  24. New York Jets (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 24]
    • The New York Jets played some good football this season, but didn’t perform consistently enough to finish with a winning record. The quarterback carousel saw New York starting the season strong despite poor play from Zach Wilson, to alternating stints between Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco. Losing promising rookie running back Breece Hall early in the season was also a bummer for the Jets. If New York can find a half-decent quarterback, the near future could be bright.
  25. Cleveland Browns (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 25]
    • The Cleveland Browns had a nice 2-1 start, but lost six of their next seven games as their season quickly slipped away. Cleveland was on the cusp for a couple years with Baker Mayfield: I firmly believe dumping him and signing Deshaun Watson has set the franchise back for another four to six seasons.
  26. Atlanta Falcons (7-10) [Regular Season Rank: 26]
    • Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and the Atlanta Falcons were certainly nothing to write home about this season: which makes their final 7-10 record and -21 point differential a little surprising.
  27. Los Angeles Rams (5-12) [Regular Season Rank: 27]
    • At first it looked like a Super Bowl hangover, but then injuries quickly piled on in what became a lost season for the defensing champion Los Angeles Rams. Will Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and the Rams get back to contention next season, or is it already time to blow it up?
  28. Denver Broncos (5-12) [Regular Season Rank: 28]
    • Russell Wilson certainly didn’t have the positive effect o the offense that the Denver Broncos intended. The former Seahawks quarterback was downright bad in some games, and by the time he found any rhythm, the season was over. Still, it’s crazy to think that Denver lost nine games this season by just a single score: hats off to the Broncos incredible defensive efforts.
  29. Arizona Cardinals (4-13) [Regular Season Rank: 29]
    • The Arizona Cardinals followed up last year’s playoff appearance with a disastrous season. Personally, I think a healthy Kyler Murray can turn things back around, but with Deandre Hopkins on the chopping block and J.J. Watt heading to Canton, Arizona might need to endure a brief rebuild. A high pick in this year’s draft certainly helps.
  30. Houston Texans (3-13-1) [Regular Season Rank: 30]
    • Davis Mills and the Houston Texans had a couple gritty performances in the season’s second half, but ultimately have quite a ways to go before they can be a consistently competitive team.
  31. Chicago Bears (3-14) [Regular Season Rank: 31]
    • The good news for the Chicago Bears is that despite being the 31st-ranked team in the NFL this season (by my Power Rankings,) they have a bright future with Justin Fields at quarterback. I wouldn’t rule out a jump to the playoffs in Year 3 for Fields: we’ve seen big Year 3 jumps before, and we’ll see them again. Chicago also find themselves with the first overall pick, despite not necessarily having the weakest roster in the NFL: so that could be a solid launching point. Chicago has since traded the number one pick to the Carolina Panthers for a slew of compensation.
  32. Indianapolis Colts (4-12-1) [Regular Season Rank: 32]
    • The Matt Ryan experiment never panned out, and a once promising Indianapolis Colts team finished with the worst point differential in the league (-138) and finished 30th in both points allowed and points scored. To make matters worse, Indianapolis didn’t even earn a Top 3 pick for their “efforts.”
SEE ALSO: Landing Spots for Carson Wentz in 2023 Free Agency

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Header Photo Credits: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Posted on 0 By Billy Sakmann NFL Posted in NFL, Sak Sports Blog Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Billy Sakmann

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