NFL Week 18 Power Rankings

We are down to just one more week of the regular season and the playoff teams have started solidifying their ranking heading into Week 18.

That was fun having the Miami Dolphins in the Top 15, wasn’t it? What a joke of a team that just couldn’t get it done when it mattered most. The seven-game winning streak was ended by a loss that eliminated them from playoff contention. Even the Indianapolis Colts choked after being ranked as high as #5. Good teams find a way to win late in the season, so maybe we all should have pumped the breaks on those two. Let’s look into the final regular season, Week 18 power rankings.

Baltimore lost a close one this week after leading the Los Angeles Rams through three quarters. With Tyler Huntley under center, the Ravens are still without their playmaker and leader Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have faced a lot of crucial injuries this season including the decimation of their running back room. The defense had the only Baltimore touchdown in this game via a pick-six from Chuck Clark. He had two interceptions on the day. The Ravens are on the bubble for the playoffs and face the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final game of the regular season. – Jacob Mummert

When it matters most, the Las Vegas Raiders have been finding ways to win football games. The Raiders traveled to Indianapolis to play a Colts team that just needed a win to clinch a playoff spot. With a win, they now sit at 8th in the AFC and control their own destiny. The final regular-season matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers is a “win and you’re in a situation” for both the Raiders and Chargers. – Justin Bauerle

The Chargers are back in the playoff picture. After an embarrassing loss to the Houston Texans last week Los Angeles bounced back with a vengeance in a must-win game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Bolts finally played a complete game across all three phases for the first time this season, cruising to a 34-13 victory. With the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins both dropping their respective games Sunday morning, the Chargers have climbed back into the No. 7 seed in the AFC. The massive win sets up a play-in game next week against everybody’s favorite team to hate, the Las Vegas Raiders. The winner heads to the Wild-Card round, the loser heads home. – Zac Alfers

The start of a new era in 49ers football as they took on the Texans. Both sides struggled to score early as the first points to go on the board were shortly after the two-minute warning before halftime. We also saw accuracy from the rookie Trey Lance as he hit downfield targets for large gains or TDs if the target was Deebo Samuel. San Francisco has a bright future ahead of them as this season is close to being over. – Josh Braegger

With mostly everyone back in the lineup, the Colts looked primed for their last home game of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, this game did not have the outcome the Colts expected. Prior to this game, Indianapolis was 9-0 when Jonathan Taylor rushed for over 100 yards. He rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown in this game but the Colts couldn’t get the win. The Raiders had the ball last and sealed the win with a kick as time expired. Indy still controls their own destiny in the playoffs but needs to win against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. – Jacob Mummert