Final NFL power rankings 2014: Patriots, Seahawks finish at the top
Meanwhile, every AFC North team but one resides in the top 10.
It took nearly the entire season, but the defending Super Bowl champions have clawed their way back into the driver’s seat in the NFC. For their efforts, they enter the postseason atop the SB Nation power rankings.
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with their win over the St. Louis Rams. The game wasn't always pretty for the Seahawks; they trailed at halftime 6-0 due in no small part to a pair of turnovers during the second quarter. However, the defending champs regrouped in the second half. By the 9:00 mark of the third quarter, the game was tied 6-6. Marshawn Lynch gave the Seahawks their first lead with a touchdown soon after, and then the defense took over. Bruce Irvin returned an interception for a touchdown and Earl Thomas made one of the most impressive strips and fumble recoveries of the season. After going scoreless in the first half, Seattle finished with 20 unanswered points and the victory.
Elsewhere, the Green Bay Packers also took care of business. Facing the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, the Packers put on an offensive show. Despite a badly injured left calf, Aaron Rodgers completed over 70 percent of his passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, taking the ball in himself from a yard out for a score. As for the defense, it held Detroit to just 20 points. The win catapulted the Packers from the sixth seed to a playoff bye and a divisional round game at Lambeau Field.
Week 17 was less fortunate for the San Diego Chargers. Needing only a win to clinch a Wild Card berth and facing a Kansas City Chiefs team without its starting quarterback, the Chargers dropped the ball both literally and figuratively. Quarterback Philip Rivers tossed two interceptions and fumbled away another. Meanwhile, the defense allowed 157 yards on the ground at a nearly 10-yards per carry clip. The 19-7 loss dropped San Diego to 9-7 and out of the playoffs.
The Chargers' misfortune was good news for the AFC North. Their loss allowed the Baltimore Ravens to sneak into the final available spot in the AFC playoffs. They join division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, who each qualified for the postseason in earlier weeks. The Ravens' first game pits them against the Steelers, while the Bengals take on the Indianapolis Colts.
Rank | Team | Record | SB Nation | ESPN | NFL.com | Football Outsiders | Average |
1 | Seattle Seahawks | 12-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | New England Patriots | 12-4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.5 |
3 | Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4.5 |
4 | Denver Broncos | 12-4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3.8 |
5 | Green Bay Packers | 12-4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6.5 |
7 | Detroit Lions | 11-5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 8.8 |
8 | Indianapolis Colts | 11-5 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 9.3 |
9 | Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 9.5 |
10 | Cincinnati Bengals | 10-5-1 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 10.8 |
11 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 10.0 |
12 | Arizona Cardinals | 11-5 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 13.0 |
13 | Houston Texans | 9-7 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 19 | 14.5 |
14 | San Diego Chargers | 9-7 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15.3 |
15 | Carolina Panthers | 7-8-1 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 25 | 18.0 |
16 | Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 13.3 |
17 | Buffalo Bills | 9-7 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 14.8 |
18 | Miami Dolphins | 8-8 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 17.8 |
19 | San Francisco 49ers | 8-8 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 11 | 16.5 |
20 | New Orleans Saints | 7-9 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 17 | 20.3 |
21 | Atlanta Falcons | 6-10 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 22.8 |
22 | New York Giants | 6-10 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 22.8 |
23 | St. Louis Rams | 6-10 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 21.0 |
24 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 22.0 |
25 | Cleveland Browns | 7-9 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23.3 |
26 | New York Jets | 4-12 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26.5 |
27 | Chicago Bears | 5-11 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26.5 |
28 | Oakland Raiders | 3-13 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29.0 |
29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-13 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30.0 |
30 | Washington | 4-12 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28.5 |
31 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-14 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30.8 |
32 | Tennessee Titans | 2-14 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31.8 |
The four polls we use:
We use four different rankings to compile our weekly average. The idea behind that is to try to get a wider sense of where all 32 teams are being valued with three weeks of play in the books. Our power rankings sources are from our in-house rankings, ESPNand NFL.com. We also factor in the DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders to add an objective statistical measurement to the formula.
See More:
