1. Ravens (12-3, last week No. 2): If the season ends now, the Ravens are the No. 1 seed and Lamar Jackson is the MVP.
2. Dolphins (11-4, No. 3): In a game of competing narratives, one of the narratives had to give.
3. 49ers (11-4, No. 1): Brock Purdy isn’t, wasn’t, and won’t be the MVP.
4. Bills (9-6, No. 4): Week 18 could still be for the AFC East crown, and possibly the No. 2 seed.
5. Eagles (11-4, No. 6): They still have to fix some things on offense.
6. Lions (11-4, No. 8): They’ve won the division for the first time in 30 years. Will they win a playoff game for the first time in 32?
7. Cowboys (10-5, No. 5): Could they be one and done in the playoffs? And, if so, what happens in the offseason?
8. Browns (10-5, No. 9): Please please please please Browns at Ravens in the playoffs.
9. Rams (8-7, No. 14): Yes, they’re a top 10 team.
10. Chiefs (9-6, No. 7): They’re barely a top 10 team.
11. Buccaneers (8-7, No. 16): Baker Mayfield is making himself plenty of money next year.
12. Seahawks (8-7, No. 15): The Seahawks will be a tough out in January.
13. Texans (8-7, No. 10): They need C.J. Stroud back ASAFP.
14. Bengals (8-7, No. 11): The Jake Browning chariot turned into a pumpkin. Like it does for most backup quarterbacks not named Tom Brady or Kurt Warner.
15. Jaguars (8-7, No. 12): Does anyone want to win the AFC South?
16. Colts (8-7, No. 13): The Colts wish the Falcons hadn’t benched Desmond Ridder.
17. Steelers (8-7, No. 21): Finally, they realized they need to get the ball to George Pickens early and often.
18. Broncos (7-8, No. 17): The Broncos have a decision to make about Russell Wilson’s contract.
19. Packers (7-8, No. 20): Is this year an aberration or a trend? I guess we’ll find out next year.
20. Falcons (7-8, No. 24): Why didn’t they play like that earlier?
21. Raiders (7-8, No. 23): Antonio Pierce deserves a fair chance to coach this team.
22. Bears (6-9, No. 22): It’s too early to give up on Justin Fields.
23. Vikings (7-8, No. 18): It’s too late to give up on Nick Mullens.
24. Saints (7-8, No. 19): It’s too bad they can’t give up on Derek Carr until after the 2024 season.
25. Jets (6-9, No. 27): It’s about time Woody Johnson made it clear everyone is coming back.
26. Patriots (4-11, No. 28): The Patriots have not quit on Bill Belichick. If they win the last two games of the season, could that get him another year?
27 . Titans (5-10, No. 25): They’re really not far off from contending.
28. Giants (5-10, No. 26): They made a disastrous season fun, for a while.
29. Chargers (5-10, No. 32): Interim coach Giff Smith deserves credit for making chicken salad out of last week’s 63-point disaster.
30. Cardinals (3-12, No. 29): They’ll be finishing high in the draft order without obviously tanking. That’s a win-win for the Cardinals.
31. Commanders (4-11, No. 30): Soon, we’ll find out what Josh Harris envisions for his team.
32. Panthers (2-13, No. 31): They still have a chance to not give the first overall pick to the Bears.
