Week 17 NFL Power Rankings: Arizona Cardinals trend up as season winds down

As the 2019 NFL season winds down there are some absolute truths we know.

First, the Baltimore Ravens sit alone at the top of the regular season. It has little bearing on the final outcome of the playoffs, but the Ravens were a fantastic regular season team.

The NFC is a toss-up. I thought it was the Saints, but they have been up and down, including losing a home game to the 49ers. The Packers took care of business on the road, and the 49ers must follow suit in Seattle to hold that top seed in the NFC. Can you imagine both NFC West teams playing on Wild Card Weekend because the Seahawks beat the 49ers on Sunday Night Football?

That is why the NFC is so difficult to figure out.

We’ll have a look at the playoffs, but my always easiest idea is to assume the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl until they don’t.

Let’s take a look at the final regular season power rankings before most of the NFL gets ready for the 2020 NFL Draft.

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-2)
2. San Francisco 49ers (12-3)
3. New England Patriots (12-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (12-3)
5. Green Bay Packers (12-3)
6. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
7. Seattle Seahawks (11-4)
8. Minnesota Vikings (10-5)
9. Buffalo Bills (10-5)
10. Houston Texans (10-5)
11. Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
12. Tennessee Titans (8-7)
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
14. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)
15. Dallas Cowboys (7-8)
16. Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
17. Oakland Raiders (7-8)
18. Chicago Bears (7-8)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
20. Atlanta Falcons (6-9)
21. Denver Broncos (6-9)
22. Arizona Cardinals (5-9-1)
23. Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
24. New York Jets (6-9)
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-10)
26. Cleveland Browns (6-9)
27. New York Giants (4-11)
28. Carolina Panthers (5-10)
29. Miami Dolphins (4-11)
30. Detroit Lions (3-11-1)
31. Washington Redskins (3-12)
32. Cincinnati Bengals (1-14)