NFL power rankings: Lions reclaim top spot heading into wild-card playoffs

The NFL has wrapped the 2024 regular season, which has featured storylines that have made it must-see television all year long.

Now, we enter the wild-card playoffs with 14 teams ready to compete for the right to represent their conference in the Super Bowl. There are roughly five teams that are considered to be the favorites and the rest are going to do what they can to challenge those favorites.

Then, there is the rest of the league that is headed for an early offseason without an appearance in the postseason. Here are our latest power rankings heading into Wild Card Weekend:

Playoff teams

1. Detroit Lions (Last Week: 3)

2. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 2)

4. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 5)

5. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: 4)

6. Baltimore Ravens: (Last Week: 6)

7. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 7)

8. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: 8)

9. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 9)

10. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: 10)

11. Houston Texans (Last Week: 12)

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 13)

13. Denver Broncos (Last Week: 14)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 11)

These are the teams going to the NFL postseason. Almost all of them came into the season believing that they could get there and they all did. Out of everyone, it was most impressive to see the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and Denver Broncos make the jump in. With a few great veteran head coaches, they have been great. There is also some youth under center here for these three teams which makes you wonder how long they can be good for after this season. The sky is the limit.

The Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Baltimore Ravens should all be considered the favorites. They all have a flaw but they also all have good rosters from top to bottom who can get it done on any given weekend.

The Green Bay Packers are a sneaky team but the injury to Christian Watson will hurt their chances. We'll also see how Jordan Love responds to the way the regular season ended for him and his team, losing to the lowly Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs but they lost four in a row heading in. Backing in isn't the best strategy but they made it nonetheless. Time will tell if it's another one and done for Mike Tomlin's team. Nothing from this tier should surprise anyone once the ball is kicked off.

Headed to an early offseason

15. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 18)

16. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: 16)

17. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 17)

18. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 15)

19. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: 19)

20. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 20)

21. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 21)

22. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: 22)

23. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 23)

24. New England Patriots (Last Week: 24)

25. Chicago Bears (Last Week: 28)

26. New York Jets (Last Week: 25)

27. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: 26)

28. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: 30)

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 32)

30. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 27)

31. New York Giants (Last Week: 31)

32. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 29)

The Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals were the first teams out of the playoffs. They both had a chance (along with the Miami Dolphins) to make it to the postseason in the final week but fell just short for various reasons. In the case of the Bengals, it is a shame that we are done watching Joe Burrow play until the fall. He is one of the four best quarterbacks in the NFL and his team let him down. An MVP could have been on the table for him to take if the team was better.

A lot of teams thought the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons would be able to leap with the additions they made during the previous off-season but they both fell flat on their face. Each of them is heading into a monumental off-season. Although it is a bit surprising that the Dallas Cowboys were as "mid" as they were, the biggest disappointment this year has to be the San Francisco 49ers. They were the NFC champion last season playing in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Kyle Shanahan's team, injuries and inconsistencies kept them out this year. They have to make some things happen in the off-season to return to form in 2025.

What a disaster things turned out to be for the New York Jets. Year one of the Aaron Rodgers experience started with him tearing his Achilles on the fourth play of the first game. Year two led to them to a 5-12 record and a very uncertain future all around. Below all of those teams are a few squads that were expected to be some of the worst in the NFL. They are going to have their eyes on the moves that they can make during the offseason and the 2025 NFL Draft. For the lowest-ranked team, the Tennessee Titans, they are now on the clock as they secured the number one overall pick.

That concludes the power rankings for the 2024 NFL season. There has been a lot of movement all season long but we know now that there were a lot of middling NFL teams to go with the good and the bad. Now, we'll see who comes out on top in New Orleans.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL power rankings: Lions reclaim top spot before wild-card playoffs