cosThe NFL playoffs are here after another great NFL season.
The Detroit Lions finished first in the NFC and the Kansas City Chiefs finished first in the AFC. Both teams received a bye for the wild-card round and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
Here are the NFL wild-card round matchups:
- Los Angeles Chargers @ Houston Texans
- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens
- Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills
- Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams
Below, we will rank all fourteen teams in the playoffs from best to worst based on their coaches, rosters, and performance during the season.
Ranking All Fourteen Teams In The NFL Playoffs
The NFL playoffs are upon us and we are here to rank all fourteen teams that made the postseason.
Teams are ranked from best to worst based on their coaches, roster, and performance during the season.
1. Detroit Lions (15-2)
No team was as consistent as the Detroit Lions this season. One of their two losses occurred in week 2. They have lost just one other game since then, a 48-42 loss against the Buffalo Bills.
Detroit’s offense was spectacular this season. The Lions ranked first in points per game, second in passing yards per game, and sixth in rushing yards per game.
Detroit’s defense though was decimated by injuries all season. Despite numerous injuries to many defensive players, they performed greatly in week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC North.
The Lions have two coveted coordinators who are bound to become head coaches shortly. Ben Johnson has been superb calling the offense while Aaron Glenn has his banged-up defense ready. Detroit’s defense played very well until they suffered numerous injuries to starters.
Getting home-field advantage and a bye during wild-card weekend was critical for the Lions. Their banged-up defense can get some rest and be ready for the Divisional round.
Detroit has been the best team in the league all season.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
While they may not have smoked teams this year, they still won 15 games, with one of their losses coming in week 18 when they rested all their key players.
The only real loss they suffered was a road game against the Buffalo Bills. Despite losing to Buffalo, they rank higher because the Bills have yet to defeat Mahomes in the playoffs.
Kansas City has the best head coach and quarterback in the NFL, making it very difficult to defeat them.
No team in the AFC deserves to be ahead of the Chiefs until a team like Baltimore or Buffalo can beat Kansas City in the playoffs.
3. Buffalo Bills Lions (13-4)
It was a toss-up whether to put the Bills ahead of the Chiefs since Buffalo defeated Kansas City during the season and Josh Allen is the favorite to win MVP.
However, Buffalo has not defeated Mahomes in the playoffs. The Chiefs also have a better coaching staff than Buffalo. Andy Reid has found ways to beat Buffalo in the postseason.
Still, the Bills defeated both the Lions and Chiefs this season, which should not be overlooked.
They are capable of making a Super Bowl run but they need to go through Andy Reid and Mahomes to get there, which they have not been able to do in the playoffs. This could be the year with how well Josh Allen is playing.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
As for having the best roster in the playoffs, it is hard to argue any team has a better roster than the Philadelphia Eagles.
They have a very good QB, a top-two running back, an excellent WR duo, and a top-three offensive line in the NFL.
Their defense improved significantly this year, ranking second in points allowed per game.
If the Eagles were first in the NFC, they would be Super Bowl favorites as the Lions or any other team in the NFC would struggle on the road in Philly.
For all his faults, Nick Sirianni wins games.
This is a dangerous Eagles team that can go into Detroit and win.
5. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
The Ravens round out the top five teams in the playoffs and along with the Lions, Chiefs, Bills, and Eagles, Baltimore is the only other team that is a true Super Bowl contender.
Lamar Jackson is an MVP candidate and has been superb once again this season. Derrick Henry makes Baltimore’s offense very challenging to stop.
Zay Flowers’ injury hurts their offense. They should be fine in the wild-card round but they will need him when they face the Bills and the Chiefs.
They have one of the best-run defenses in the league. The pass defense has improved after a very slow start to the season.
Baltimore is capable of defeating any team in the NFL but will need Zay Flowers to get through the Bills and Chiefs.
6. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
Yes, the Vikings won 14 games and many would think this spot should belong to Minnesota but the Rams have a very good roster and head coach.
Considering the Vikings won 14 games, they are only one-point favorites against the Rams in the wild-card round.
This is because Matthew Stafford is a Super Bowl-winning QB and is to be trusted far more than Sam Darnold. Sean McVay is also a Super Bowl-winning head coach.
Similarly to Minnesota, the Rams have two stud WRs in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. LA also has Kyren Williams. Williams is one of the best running backs in the league.
Sean McVay is an excellent head coach, similar to Kevin O’Connell.
Los Angeles has a young defense that can pressure the QB.
They won five of their last six games to end the season. The only loss in their last six games came in week 18 when they rested all their key players.
This is a dangerous Rams team that should not be overlooked.
7. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
The Minnesota Vikings got smashed in week 18, which if they won, would have given the Vikings a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
They still won 14 games this season, which exceeded all expectations.
Sam Darnold had a very good season up until week 18. Kevin O’Connell deserves to win the Coach of the Year award for how well Darnold played.
Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison form an excellent WR duo.
Brian Flores runs an aggressive defense.
Minnesota is a good team but they are in for a tough wild-card round matchup.
8. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
What a good head coach does for a team is proven by what Jim Harbaugh did for the Chargers.
He took their defense from underachieving to ranking first in the league in points allowed per game this year.
The Chargers won 11 games this year because of their defense and Justin Herbert. Herbert threw just three interceptions this season. He heated up towards the end of the season, throwing two or more TDs in each of his last four games. Herbert threw over 280 passing yards in each of his last three games.
A good QB and head coach is a recipe for success. Riding one of the top defenses in the league, the Chargers should defeat the Texans in the wild-card round and can make noise in the AFC.
9. Washington Commanders (12-5)
The Washington Commanders are one of the biggest surprises this season. Nobody saw them winning 12 games but Jayden Daniels shined in his rookie campaign. Daniels is the favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
They ended the season on a five-game winning streak. Four of their five losses were one-score games.
Washington faced the Bucs in week 1 and lost 37-20 but this is a different Commanders team and Daniels is a different QB than he was in his first-ever start.
Marshon Lattimore knows Mike Evans well and should help Washington’s defense against Tampa Bay’s offense.
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are fully capable of going into Tampa Bay and winning.
10. Denver Broncos (10-7)
Denver is another team that exceeded all expectations this season. Rookie QB Bo Nix has helped this offense take a huge step forward after Denver let Russell Wilson go.
Another big reason for their successful season is how well their defense has played. The Broncos rank third in points allowed per game and first in sacks per game.
They need another weapon on offense to go along with Courtland Sutton but this is a good Broncos team.
They can give the Bills a fight in the wild-card round. Denver is a big underdog but don’t be surprised if they keep the game close.
11.Green Bay Packers (11-6)
Green Bay looked poised to finish sixth in the NFC but they lost two straight to end the season and now have to play in Philadelphia for the wild-card round.
Jordan Love was banged up in the final game of the season and his health will need to be monitored all week.
Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol, so both QBs need to be monitored this week.
Green Bay has a good rush attack with Josh Jacobs but if Love is bothered by an elbow injury, this will limit their offense.
If Hurts plays for the Eagles, this makes it very challenging for the Packers to win.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took over the NFC South and won the division.
They have a dangerous offense with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Bucky Irving.
Their pass defense is suspect but they are very good against the run.
Tampa Bay defeated Washington back in week 1 but both teams are different.
While the Bucs won 10 games, four of their wins came against a weak NFC South. They won six of their final seven games but five of those wins came against the Giants, Panthers twice, Raiders, and Saints. All those teams did not come close to making the postseason.
The Bucs are a solid team and are favored in the wild-card round but it would not be shocking if the Commanders knock them out.
13. Houston Texans (10-7)
The Houston Texans are banged up on offense. WRs Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs suffered season-ending injuries. These injuries have hindered their offense with teams concentrating solely on Nico Collins.
Houston has a good team and C..J. Stroud will continue to improve. Stroud has won the AFC South in each of his two years in the league.
They have a good defense that can put pressure on opposing QBs.
Houston is one of two home underdogs in the wild-card round with the Rams being the other. However, the Rams are only one-point underdogs while the Texans are three-point underdogs.
It will be challenging for a banged-up Texans team to defeat a surging Chargers team.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
No team is entering the playoffs on a lower note than the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being 10-3, the Steelers lost four in a row to end the season.
They lost to the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals. Three of the four teams are in the playoffs and the Steelers got smashed against the playoff teams.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been horrendous in the final four games of the season. They scored 17 points or less in each of their final four games.
On the defensive side, they got carved up by Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Burrow.
No team is a bigger underdog in the wild-card round than the Steelers.
January 15, 2017, was the last time the Steelers won a playoff game. They lost four straight playoff games since. This sure feels like it will be their fifth consecutive loss in the postseason.
