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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Tim Weaver

NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Ravens topple 49ers, Seahawks up 3 spots

There’s nothing better than watching a bully get beat up. Every team in the NFC had to be happy to see the San Francisco 49ers getting walloped last night by the Baltimore Ravens in front of a national audience. Previously at No. 1 in our rankings, the 49ers did more than just lose – they were exposed where they are weakest in the worst possible way. Before the presumptive league MVP was benched in favor of *checks notes* Sam Darnold, starting quarterback Brock Purdy threw four interceptions, which could just as easily have been six.

The Ravens defense deserves a lot of the credit for throwing Purdy off his game, particularly safety Kyle Hamilton, who had two of the four picks. While they had trouble containing Christian McCaffrey, it turned out not to matter as Baltimore dominated practically every other part of the game. Most impressive was how pass-happy the Ravens’ offensive attack was, showing how much Lamar Jackson has developed. Heading into the final two weeks of the season, any reasonable person has to consider the Ravens to be the Super Bowl favorite. Naturally, they are our new No. 1 team.

Next up on the list, the Miami Dolphins also came through with a big win over the Dallas Cowboys. That victory pushed them up to No. 2 on our list, one spot ahead of the 49ers and three ahead of the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills, who had a lot of trouble getting past the Justin Herbert-less Los Angeles Chargers.

The other LA team is now back in the top 10, as the Rams have won five of their last six games – including a massive playoff implication matchup on Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints. They won’t have a high seed, but truthfully there are very few teams playing better right now. If you’ll recall, these Rams took the Ravens to the limit just a couple of weeks ago.

As for the Seattle Seahawks, their two losses to LA this season don’t look nearly as bad right now as they did in the moment. Seattle has recovered from their devastating mid-season swing of five losses in six games, scoring two dramatic come from behind wins against the Eagles and Titans. At their lowest point, we had the Seahawks down to No. 19, but they’re now back up to No. 12 in our rankings heading into this week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaking of the Steelers, they just scored over 30 points for the first time this season in their upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Mason Rudolph was the big surprise, throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns – an almost unthinkable output given how poor Pittsburgh’s offense is this season. Mike Tomlin has to think hard about riding Rudolph against Seattle, even if Kenny Pickett is ready to return.

Another surprise offensive outburst this week came courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons, who finally made a much-needed change at quarterback, trading out Desmond Ridder for the highly-underrated Taylor Heinicke. Atlanta dropped 29 points on the Indianapolis Colts. Even more shocking, they did it by allowing Bijan Robinson to be their lead weapon both as a rusher and a receiver. If Arthur Blank can take these lessons to heart the Falcons are going to be very dangerous next year.

The team that took the biggest tumble this week was the Denver Broncos, who lost to the New England Patriots – who had been last place in our Week 16 power rankings. While they made it interesting it won’t do much to quiet the growing chorus of voices who are eager to move on from Russell Wilson this offeason – even if it costs the team $80 million in dead money. Denver is down five spots to No. 22, while New England is up three to No. 29.

Let’s get to the full rankings. Here is how we place all 32 teams heading into Week 17…

Dec 24, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) scrambles in the…
Dec 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch (83) runs for a…
Washington Commanders quarterback Jacoby Brissett (12) gets ready to throw a pass at MetLife Stadium, Sunday…
Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Chad Ryland (37) celebrates with…
Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants react after interception in end zone on…
Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Nick Williams (95) reacts after…
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) is brought down by Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair…
Dec 24, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) gestures…
Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates wide receiver…
Dec 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears guard Lucas Patrick (62) and Chicago Bears place…
Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (19) pulls in…
Dec 24, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) reacts in…
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) celebrates after…
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97)…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 24: Bijan Robinson #7 of the Atlanta Falcons runs on the field…
Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) reacts after a…
Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones (18) interacts with…
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 24: Gardner Minshew #10 of the Indianapolis Colts is sacked by Richie…
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) stands by before the first quarter of the NFL…
Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Brandon Scherff (68) and center Luke Fortner…
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (14) pulls in a touchdown past Tennessee Titans cornerback Tre…
Dec 24, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) all smiles after…
Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets Las…
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) leaves the…
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) runs for a first down as Miami Dolphins defensive tackle…
Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo (22) runs off the field…
Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper (2) signs autographs for…
Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; NBC Sports sideline reporter Melissa Stark (center) interviews Buffalo Bills…
Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates the win…
Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is…
Miami Dolphins safety Brandon Jones (29) celebrates a fumble recovery with teammates during the first half…
Dec 25, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips (53), safety Marcus Williams…
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