The 2023-24 NFL regular season has almost come to a close, with just one week left to play. Standings determine who will qualify for and play in the postseason, but at this point in the season, these Power Rankings essentially double up as a list of the hottest teams heading in to the postseason: the teams with the best shot at winning Super Bowl 58.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted a proper Power Rankings, and a lot has changed. While the San Francisco 49ers still look like the best team in the NFC, the title of hottest team in the NFL unequivocally belongs to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens: who have now beaten the 49ers and then smothered the Miami Dolphins 56-19 in back-to-back weeks to clinch the #1 seed in the AFC. The Dolphins had previously beaten the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve to establish themselves as a Top 3 team in my Power Rankings last week.

The Kansas City Chiefs, who stayed near the top of the Power Rankings for the first two thirds of the season, don’t exactly look right at the moment. While Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs did pull out a late Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, last week’s shocking Christmas Day loss was certainly cause for concern.

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles were once thought to be infallible, but have now lost three of their last four games, officially ceding the NFC’s #1 seed to the San Francisco after this week’s shocking loss to Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.

The red-hot Denver Broncos of about a month ago also fell off since the last time I published an on-time Power Rankings article. Denver did beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 in Week 17, but it came at the expense of benching Russell Wilson, which could end his two-year stint with the Broncos that once had so much potential.

There’s plenty of storyline and drama to go around: such as Joe Flacco’s thrilling resurgence, which has the 11-5 Cleveland Browns looking like Super Bowl contenders.

Read on for my Post-Week 17 Power Rankings, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any rankings, or want to follow for more NFL content including Picks and Power Rankings, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook!

Post-Week 17 Power Rankings

Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns are one of the best stories in football right now, and they’re surging at exactly the right time with the postseason approaching. (Ken Blaze/Reuters)
  1. Baltimore Ravens (13-3) [Last Week: 1]
  2. San Francisco 49ers (12-4) [Last Week: 2]
  3. Dallas Cowboys (11-5) [Last Week: 5]
  4. Miami Dolphins (11-5) [Last Week: 3]
  5. Detroit Lions (11-5) [Last Week: 7]
  6. Buffalo Bills (10-6) [Last Week: 6]
  7. Cleveland Browns (11-5) [Last Week: 8]
  8. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) [Last Week: 4]
  9. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) [Last Week: 10]
  10. Los Angeles Rams (9-7) [Last Week: 9]
  11. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) [Last Week: 11]
  12. Houston Texans (9-7) [Last Week: 13]
  13. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) [Last Week: 16]
  14. Indianapolis Colts (9-7) [Last Week: 17]
  15. Chicago Bears (7-9) [Last Week: 20]
  16. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) [Last Week: 24]
  17. Green Bay Packers (8-8) [Last Week: 18]
  18. Seattle Seahawks (8-8) [Last Week: 12]
  19. Denver Broncos (8-8) [Last Week: 15]
  20. New Orleans Saints (8-8) [Last Week: 21]
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) [Last Week: 14]
  22. Las Vegas Raiders (7-9) [Last Week: 19]
  23. Minnesota Vikings (7-9) [Last Week: 23]
  24. Atlanta Falcons (7-9) [Last Week: 22]
  25. New York Giants (5-11) [Last Week: 26]
  26. Tennessee Titans (5-11) [Last Week: 25]
  27. New England Patriots (4-12) [Last Week: 27]
  28. New York Jets (6-10) [Last Week: 28]
  29. Arizona Cardinals (4-12) [Last Week: 32]
  30. Los Angeles Chargers (5-11) [Last Week: 29]
  31. Carolina Panthers (2-14) [Last Week: 30]
  32. Washington Commanders (4-12) [Last Week: 31]

Previous 2023-24 NFL Power Rankings

Post-Free Agency, Post-Draft, Preseason, Post-Week 1, Post-Week 2, Post-Week 3, Post-Week 4, Post Week 5, Post-Week 6, Post-Week 7, Post-Week 8, Post-Week 9, Post-Week 10, Post-Week 11, Post-Week 12, Post-Week 13, Post-Week 14, Post-Week 15, Post-Week 16

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Header Photo Credit: Terrance Williams, Associated Press

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