NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Eagles rise, Seahawks fall, Titans stay put
Recap: The Falcons jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and with the Jags having been dead in the water for weeks now, that was clearly too much for that struggling group to overcome. The Falcons went on to win 24-12.
Outlook: Quietly, the Falcons have won five of their last seven games, including two wins over elite teams in the Niners and Saints. It remains to be seen if that’ll be enough for Dan Quinn to keep his job, but it’s about as much as he can do at this point in order to stay in Atlanta past 2019. The Falcons finish off their season on the road against the Bucs next week.
Recap: The Colts’ Week 16 game against the Panthers was never really close. Indy jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter that turned into a 21-3 advantage going into the second half. The Panthers would muster up just three points the rest of the way and the Colts notched a 38-6 blowout win.
Outlook: Even though the Colts are eliminated from playoff contention, if they can win in Week 17 against the Jags, combined with losses by the Titans and Steelers, the three-way tie at 8-8 for the final wild card spot would knock the Titans from playoff contention and put the Steelers in. In the case of a four-way tie at 8-8 that includes the Raiders, Oakland would get in.