Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
1. Green Bay Packers (13-3)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)
3. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (12-4)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
7. Cleveland Browns (11-5)
8. Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
*Rankings based on author’s opinion
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers did not play on Wild Card Weekend, so we have less data by which to analyze them than the rest of the teams in this list.
But it stands to reason that despite the Cleveland Browns dropping 40-plus on the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Los Angeles Rams defeating the division-rival Seattle Seahawks with no healthy quarterbacks to speak of, a full season’s body of work speaks for more than one game…even if it’s a really important game.
Until we see anything that leads us to believe differently, the Packers and Chiefs will remain atop the NFL rankings heading into the eight-team divisional-round matchups.
Aaron Rodgers has been here many times, and he has one of the best arsenal of weapons he’s ever had at his disposal in the playoffs; wideout Davante Adams led all receivers in scoring with 18 touchdowns, while running back Aaron Jones was tied for fourth among his position group with 11. Tight end Robert Tonyan, who came out of nowhere this year, also added 11 trips to the end zone of his own for the Packers.
Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, hasn’t been here that often, but he’s made the most of his trips and is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill was second among his position group in touchdowns, with 17, and tight end Travis Kelce matched Tonyan’s total of 11.
The Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens did not dominate their opponents on Wild Card Weekend, but they got the job done.
Do the Cleveland Browns deserve to be higher on this list after they embarrassed the Steelers on Sunday night? Possibly, but Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland offense got an awful lot of help from some incredible unexpected defensive plays. The Browns may surprise us all this postseason, but they draw a momentum-killing matchup against the Chiefs in the divisional round.
The Rams certainly weren’t anything to sneeze at as they dismantled the Seahawks 30-20, but key players at almost every position of importance suffered injuries, including Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp, and their quarterback situation remains in flux as both Jared Goff and John Wolford remain day-to-day. Someone has to come last in the list; that doesn’t mean the team boasting the league’s No. 1 defense can’t do some more damage in these playoffs.
