Welcome to Week 18 of the Pro Football Network company-wide NFL Power Rankings. While Dalton Miller ably provides his own power rankings following the conclusion of each Sunday’s action, we’ll be polling each of PFN’s NFL contributors to assemble our list.
Each week, we’ll combine rankings from yours truly, Chief Content Officer David Bearman, Dolphins Reporter Adam Beasley, Betting Editor Brian Blewis, NFL Editor Mike Gambardella, COO Matt Infante, NFL Analyst Dalton Miller, Bengals Reporter Jay Morrison, Cowboys Reporter Jess Nevarez, and Fantasy Editor Kyle Yates.
Which teams are too high or too low as we enter Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season?
Pro Football Network’s Week 18 NFL Power Rankings
Week 17 rank listed in parentheses.
32) Carolina Panthers (32)
31) Washington Commanders (30)
30) New England Patriots (29)
29) Arizona Cardinals (26)
28) Los Angeles Chargers (28)
27) New York Giants (27)
26) New York Jets (28)
25) Tennessee Titans (25)
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse for Panthers fans! Carolina was blanked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in a Week 17 defeat, then watched in horror as owner David Tepper threw a drink at a group of Jags fans.
Preferred candidate Ben Johnson dipped out of the Panthers’ head coaching search in 2023; after Sunday’s display, other potential candidates could follow suit in 2024.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have to be incredibly encouraged by how their roster has performed in Jonathan Gannon’s first season as head coach. Arizona has one of the least talented depth charts in the league but somehow managed to defeat the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles this season.
The Cards could still grab a top-two pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by losing this weekend while the Commanders and Patriots win, which would set up a fascinating decision-point on Kyler Murray.
24) Atlanta Falcons (24)
23) Minnesota Vikings (T-18)
22) Denver Broncos (T-18)
21) Las Vegas Raiders (20)
20) Chicago Bears (23)
19) New Orleans Saints (21)
18) Cincinnati Bengals (16)
Speaking of intriguing decisions, the Bears’ recent resurgence may allow head coach Matt Eberflus to keep his job and Justin Fields to stay in Chicago. It will be difficult for the Bears to fire Eberflus if he posts eight wins in his second campaign.
But general manager Ryan Poles probably can’t escape the idea of drafting Caleb Williams or Drake Maye with the No. 1 overall pick (acquired from the Panthers), resetting Chicago’s QB contract clock, and trading Fields elsewhere.
The Saints kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but they still need to take down the Falcons while hoping the Bucs lose to the Panthers in Week 18.
New Orleans’ drastic offseason financial maneuvers will ultimately result in a club that — at best — loses in the Wild Card Round or — at worst — misses the postseason entirely.
17) Green Bay Packers (22)
16) Seattle Seahawks (11)
15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12)
14) Pittsburgh Steelers (17)
13) Indianapolis Colts (14)
12) Houston Texans (13)
11) Jacksonville Jaguars (14)
10) Los Angeles Rams (10)
The Packers rose five spots, and the Seahawks dropped five after Week 17, allowing the two clubs to meet near the middle of our power rankings with one Wild Card berth on the line next week.
Green Bay gets in the dance with a win after Jordan Love threw three touchdowns in a gotta-have-it game against the Vikings on Sunday night. Seattle controlled its own destiny until last week, when Geno Smith and Co. managed to lose a home game to Mason Rudolph and the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is still miraculously alive for a Wild Card berth after posting that surprising win against the Seahawks in Week 17. Mike Tomlin will keep his non-losing-season streak alive, while the Steelers may be dealing with a legitimate quarterback controversy.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket 2023
The only quarterback with a higher EPA + CPOE composite score than Rudolph over the past two weeks? Lamar Jackson, who’s on track to win his second MVP award this year. Rudolph has topped a 70.0 QBR in each of his 2023 starts — Kenny Pickett has managed a 70+ QBR twice in 24 career starts.
9) Philadelphia Eagles (5)
8) Kansas City Chiefs (9)
7) Detroit Lions (T-6)
6) Cleveland Browns (8)
5) Miami Dolphins (3)
4) Dallas Cowboys (T-6)
3) Buffalo Bills (4)
2) San Francisco 49ers (2)
1) Baltimore Ravens (1)
The Eagles have nowhere else to turn on defense. They’ve already tried personnel changes, acquiring safety Kevin Byard and signing linebacker Shaquille Leonard to bolster their depth chart. Then, Philadelphia demoted DC Sean Desai, promoting Matt Patricia into a play-calling role.
Since then, the Eagles have dropped winnable games to the Seahawks and Cardinals after allowing late game-winning drives and no longer control the NFC East. Philadelphia is now staring at a repeat of its infamous road playoff game against the Buccaneers after the 2021 campaign, in which Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay’s defense exposed Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is a better quarterback — and the Eagles’ roster is more talented — now than in 2021. But this isn’t where Philadelphia wanted to be entering Week 18.
The Bills are an inherent contradiction. Although they’re the third-best team in the NFL in our estimation, Buffalo hasn’t even clinched a playoff berth. The Bills win the AFC East with a win over the Dolphins on Sunday night, but a loss opens them up to missing the postseason altogether.
At the top of the heap sit the Ravens, who have now won six straight games while knocking off four consecutive clubs — the Rams, Jaguars, 49ers, and Dolphins — that are on track for the playoffs. Lamar is playing out of his mind and seems unbeatable at his current pace. Throw in a top-two defense, and Baltimore is comfortably the best team in the NFL.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
