The Strength Of Ten: Week 16 (2017)

Two weeks to go till the postseason. Two more sets of rankings after this week as well. This has been such an entertaining season despite all the off field distractions which by now I am sure you do not care to talk about. 

Well guess what? Neither do I. Let's talk football. 

As I said on yesterday's Burning 7, we saw major separation from the real contenders vs. the seasonal posers. Even these rankings this week reflects on that fact. 

Also here is today's podcast recapping the Power Rankings with 'Boston' Jack from this morning.

 1. New England Patriots (11-3)

Whether they were lucky or not to win on Sunday in Pittsburgh they are now firmly in driver seat to win the #1 seed in the AFC with home matchups vs. the Bills and the Jets. 

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2. Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

If somehow the Eagles hiccup in the next two weeks and Minnesota wins out they will grab home field advantage throughout.


3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3)

Even in their shocking and controversial loss to New England on Sunday, I was actually more impressed with this Steelers team coming out of the game. 


4. Los Angeles Rams (10-4)

Again let me reiterate if you were not sold prior to their blowout win in Seattle. They are the most dangerous team in the NFC. 


5. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)

Had to penalize Philly a bit this week in struggling to beat the dreadful New York Giants. I don’t think Philly will have an issue closing out the season in wrapping up the #1 seed in the NFC. Where the concern comes will be in the postseason. 


6. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)

What makes the Jags even more dangerous heading into the postseason is QB Blake Bortles has finally picked up his production and is making plays for the team with already the best defense in football and a top tier running attack. If this trend continues into January they can cause some problems. 


7. Carolina Panthers (10-4)

I really want to buy in on Carolina fully but inconsistencies continue to linger. Now to their credit they have racked some quality wins this season over New England and Minnesota for starters. But they are close to the 2015 Panther team that represented the NFC in Super Bowl 50. 


8. New Orleans Saints (10-4)

Just like last week I am left with questions as to how good the Saints are. None were answered in their win over the Jets which should not have been as close as they were. 


9. Atlanta Falcons (9-5)

I do not care if it was just the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a huge win on the road and it did many things for Atlanta. For starters it kicked out the Green Bay Packers officially out of playoff contention. It also kept the other three teams in the hunt (Detroit/Dallas/Seattle) at bay for at least another week. That win was needed as the Falcons close out the season at New Orleans and at home against Carolina. The NFC South title is still within reach if they win out. 


10. Kansas City Chiefs (8-6)

A season of streaks but beating the Chargers on Saturday night pretty much wrapped up the AFC West title. Especially with their remaining games are against the Dolphins and at the Broncos.