The longevity of a 17-game NFL schedule has the innate ability to separate the true contenders from the pretenders. After 15 games for each team, it’s clear that three top contenders from each conference have emerged. Does that mean we can project a potential Super Bowl matchup among these teams? Not necessarily. Remember, in last year’s playoffs, two #4 seeds emerged from the proceedings to take the stage at Super Bowl 57. In order for that to happen this year, there would have to be some significant playoff upsets. That said, anyone trying to lock in on some Super Bowl futures’ wagers should understand that six teams currently boast power ratings between 28.5-31.5 on my scale, while no other team is shown better than 26.5. That is about as clear of a separation as we’ll tend to see at this point in a season. Can it change over the final two weeks of the s eason? Sure, but I wouldn’t count on it.
For as much as Buffalo, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Dallas seem poised to make playoff runs, there are a few other teams that could be finally starting to figure some things out, and are capable of putting a scare into the frontrunners. In the AFC, those teams would be Jacksonville and the Chargers, both winners of three straight games, and both boasting young starting quarterbacks that figure to be future stars. In the NFC, surely none of the top teams want to see QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a wild-card matchup. They have also won three straight to get to 7-8 and are focused on “running the table” to sneak into the postseason party. All three of these teams were written off a month ago.
It's been a very entertaining season filled with plenty of plot twists and turns, but we aren’t done yet, as surely the final two weeks of the season will only add to the drama. Let’s take a look at the current status of all my strength indicators as we get ready for an impactful Week 17 slate.
Power Ratings – #1 Buffalo starting to look the part again
All teams go through peaks and valleys throughout the season. At one point, probably around Thanksgiving, I began questioning Buffalo’s legitimacy for title contention this season, as the Bills seemed to be going through the motions and had been impacted by injuries. The AFC’s current #1 seed has picked it up since, winning a sixth straight game last week at Chicago in blowout fashion. The big test for Head Coach Sean McDermott’s team comes Monday night, however, when they travel to Cincinnati. A loss there could make the postseason title quest much tougher, as they would likely have to win two games on the road. Buffalo is favored in the contest, despite the fact that the Bengals are red-hot themselves, having won seven straight games. The contest figures to be the best Monday Night Football has seen in a while. Kansas City is my #2 team in the Power Ratings and will be watching the result of this key game closely. Philadelphia is my top NFC- rated team right now, despite coming off the loss at Dallas. The Eagles played that game without QB Jalen Hurts and really couldn’t be dropped much after a game effort. San Francisco is the #2 team in the NFC and #4 overall, playing the best defense in football right now. Cincinnati is #5, and Dallas is #6. The problem for the Cowboys would figure to be having to play in a wild-card spot unless they can somehow win both games while the Eagles lose both.