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NFL Power Rankings at the end of the 2022 regular season (previous ranking in parentheses):
1. Bengals (1): They enter the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak, the best in the AFC, and the AFC North champions also made sure no draws would put them on the road to the wildcard round. . However, no scenario will prevent them from going to Buffalo and Kansas City in the playoffs … other than those where those teams lose, ruling out those matchups.
2. Heads (2): Kansas City has won 10 of its last 11, earning the AFC No. 1 seed for the third time in five seasons from QB Patrick Mahomes as a starter. But they won’t play the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium, where they’ve eliminated the Bills for the past two years, this month.
3. 49ers (3): Hard to believe this team was 3-4 at one point. They end the regular season with a 10-game warm-up and the highest point differential (+173) in the league.
4. Invoices (4): They had the largest point differential (+169) among AFC teams despite one game less. The question now is whether a group that has been rocked by an emotional rollercoaster over the past week can differentiate themselves in their first Super Bowl appearance in 29 years.
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5. Eagles (5): They had looked like the best team in the NFL for two months, but limped home … albeit with the NFC’s top playoff seed. But as Philadelphia tries to nail down its bid for a second Lombardi Trophy in six years, the inevitability of major change also looms as other clubs line up to interview coveted coordinators Shane Steichen (attack) and Jonathan Gannon ( defense).
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6.Jaguar (7): Watch out, Bolts – The Jags haven’t lost a home playoff game in 23 years, a span in which Duval County has hosted… one. Still, plenty of signs for many more in the near future given the rising (rising?) powerhouse Jacksonville appears to be in the AFC South.
7. Cowboys (6): Maybe you heard they’re 0-7 against Tom Brady? Perhaps you read QB Dak Prescott tied for the league lead with 15 INTs, including at least one in the past seven weeks? Dallas fans have probably heard enough before Team USA’s Monday showdown against the playoff-tested Bucs.
8. Chargers (8): Can’t wait for Saturday night’s showdown in Jacksonville, QB Justin Herbert and his Jags counterpart Trevor Lawrence meet for their playoff exit party. If the game goes into overtime, maybe that should be decided by a vote of which youngster has the better mane?
9. Vikings (10): Has a 13-win team ever been considered more lightly heading into the playoffs? Probably not…although no 13-win team has ever been outscored in a season, either.
10. Leos (11): They are fun to watch. They are fun to listen to. Their fun corps of rookie defensemen compiled a record 20½ sacks. They wouldn’t have been a fun mission for the 49ers this weekend.
11. Giants (12): They’re coming out of their, ahem, bye week for a rematch with a Minnesota team that New York lost to by three points three weeks ago. The Vikes played quite a few of their starters with little to gain in Week 18, so a little rest vs. rust experiment here?
12. Crows (9): As the Lamar Jackson mystery continues, at least they didn’t give Cincy a good scout in Week 18 by resting several other key starters…as long as that matters even to a salty divisional opponent who already knows intimately. Baltimore.
13. Packers (13): If they still shared a division with the Bucs – remember the old days of NFC Central “Battle of the Bays”? — they would be playoff-bound. Now we’re left to ponder a post-Aaron Rodgers storyline as he contemplates his future with Pack.
14. Buccaneers (16): The worst regular season of Brady’s career was also his first on a team with a losing record (8-9). But Tampa Bay is back in the Super Bowl tournament and, quite frankly, could come back to at least .500 (10-10) given how wide open the NFC postseason bracket is.
15. Patriots (14): Year 24 for Bill Belichick, who just finished his third season without a playoff win after Brady, must be very different from year 23 – especially when it comes to managing and coaching Mac Jones, in assuming he remains QB1 in 2023.
16. Steelers (15): Yes, Mike Tomlin’s winning season streak remained intact after Pittsburgh clawed back a 9-8 finish. But did you know the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in six years?
17. Panthers (18): A slew of talented young players. A weak division. An owner who will aggressively try to fill your wish list. While the quarterback problem plaguing much of the league should also be acknowledged here, there should still be plenty of top head coaching candidates leading the way in Charlotte.
18. Saints (19): With a nearly $40 million overrun in 2023, they’ll no doubt be doing their annual credit card salary cap maneuvers — though you’d wonder when they opt for a takedown.
19. Seahawks (20): Remember how this post-Russ team was supposed to go back to batting the ball and playing vicious defense? Seattle ranked 18th in rushing and 26th in total defense. Meanwhile, WR Tyler Lockett tied Steve Largent’s team record with four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, while QB Geno Smith’s 4,282 passing yards crushed the former franchise mark of Wilson.
20. Dolphins (17): They’ve earned their playoff spot, but the past month has been a reminder that they look like the same old Fins – feasting on the weak while getting devoured by the strong.
21. Jets (21): Now begins what should be a fascinating offseason of speculation as an otherwise playoff-caliber team, which continues to back down-trend Zach Wilson’s parrot, decides what to do about its quarterback depth chart. .
22. Browns (22): A team that ranked 14th in total defense fired its coordinator, while a team that ranked 14th in total offense… held on. Expect the heat to rise on HC Kevin Stefanski in 2023, when the union with QB Deshaun Watson must work much better between the lines.
23. Commanders (24): Numbers that a team that seemingly can’t handle quarterbacks is debuting what could be its best after being knocked out of the playoff picture.
24. Titans (23): So, nine months after their very careful trade for WR AJ Brown, is it time to put RB Derrick Henry on the market when the 29-year-old can still earn near-precious return?
25. Rams (25): After the worst season ever by a defending Super Bowl champion, it could become a massive house of cards if HC Sean McVay walks away.
26. Hawks (27): Only Chicago is expected to have more cap space in free agency this year. Of course, $75 million and the eighth pick in the draft might not be enough to solve the quarterback (Ridder?) riddle here.
27. Raiders (26): RB Josh Jacobs led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,053) and won the title rushing (1,653), joining Hall of Famer Marcus Allen as the only Raiders to do so. Now, will the pending free agent join Allen in leaving the Silver and Black frustrated?
28. Broncos (30): They’ve lost a record nine games by one score, a statistical anomaly on its own that suggests Denver should be much better in 2023 … assuming the next coach’s onboarding and integration with Wilson goes much smoother.
29. Bear (28): Look who has the No. 1 pick in the draft and the biggest cap space in the league, around $118 million, per overthecap.com. Enough glimmers of hope here to start getting excited about 2023.
30. Cardinals (31): The presence of QB Kyler Murray, warts and all, could be enough to make this the most attractive vacancy in the league – although that comes with positive and negative caveats, including Murray’s recovery from ACL reconstruction .
31. Texas (32): What more could fired coaches David Culley and Lovie Smith, both ousted after one season in the past two years, realistically have done given the constraints of the job? You wonder what the next guy will have to do when expectations might actually get low.
32. Foals (29): Interim coach Jeff Saturday ends the season with a seven-game slide — the average margin of loss of 13.1 points, including that historic slump in Minneapolis.
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
