JACKSONVILLE – Here are senior writer John Oehser's season-ending 2016 NFL power rankings. And we all know how important these are:
Rank.Team (Rec) | Last week | Comment
1.New England Patriots (14-2) | 2 | The clear No. 1 – and the clear overall favorite
2.Dallas Cowboys (13-3) | 1 | Must negotiate a tough NFC to reach the Super Bowl
3.Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) | 4 | No. 2 seed makes them strong favorite to reach championship game
4.Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) | 5 | Seven in a row – and the offense makes them dangerous in playoffs
5.Green Bay Packers (10-6) | 10 | Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers …
6.Seattle Seahawks (10-5-1) | 6 | Hardest NFC team to read as postseason begins
7.Oakland Raiders (12-4) | 3 | Oh, those quarterback injuries …
8.Atlanta Falcons (11-5) | 7 | Ryan, offense will give them a chance in the playoffs
9.New York Giants (11-5) | 8 | Don't count them out of a deep NFC field
- Miami Dolphins (10-6) | 9 | Can they run their way deep into the postseason?
11.Detroit Lions (9-7) | 11 | Entering playoffs on three-game losing streak
12.Houston Texans (9-7) | 12 | In the playoffs with a minus-49 point differential
13.Washington Redskins (9-5-1) | 13 | Incredibly bad loss to Giants Sunday
14.Tennessee Titans (9-7) | 14 | Late loss at Jacksonville ruined season
15.Denver Broncos (9-7) | 16 | A year removed from the Super Bowl … and looking for a head coach
16.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) | 17 | Impressive season for Bucs ended just out of postseason
17.Baltimore Ravens (8-8) | 15 | Out of playoffs for second consecutive season
18.Indianapolis Colts (8-8) | 18 | Peyton in the Colts' front office? We'll see
19.Minnesota Vikings (8-8) | 19 | Lost eight of 11 after 5-0 start
20.Arizona Cardinals (7-8-1) | 22 | Ended a long, disappointing season on a high note
21.Buffalo Bills (7-9) | 20 | Out of the playoffs yet again
22.Philadelphia Eagles (7-9) | 24 | With Wentz, this looks like a team on the rise
23.Carolina Panthers (6-10) | 21 | From Super Bowl to 6-10 in less than a year
24.New Orleans Saints (7-9) | 23 | Let the Sean Payton watch begin
25.Cincinnati Bengals (6-9-1) | 25 | Was this a one-year dip or the end of a long run?
26.San Diego Chargers (5-11) | 26 | A lot of changing going on in San Diego
27.New York Jets (5-11) | 27 | No change at the top for J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets
28.Los Angeles Rams (4-12) | 28 | How big will their coaching splash be?
29.Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13) | 29 | Tied the worst record in franchise history
30.Chicago Bears (3-13) | 30 | John Fox returning as head coach
31.San Francisco 49ers (2-14) | 31 | Massive overhaul going on by the bay
32.Cleveland Browns (1-15) | 32 | On to the draft
