Last week's ranking in parentheses.
1. Patriots 11-3 (3): Rob Gronkowski was a one-man wrecking crew with nine receptions for 168 yards in a nailbiting victory in Pittsburgh.
2. Eagles 12-2 (2): All Nick Foles did in his first start was fire four touchdown passes to four receivers in a victory over the Giants.
3. Steelers 11-3 (1): Loss of wide receiver Antonio Brown to a partially torn calf muscle could wind up being a bigger deal than the loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
4. Rams 10-4 (4): They're very close to snapping the third-longest playoff drought at 13 seasons. It has been a remarkable season for coach Sean McVay.
5. Saints 10-4 (5): Ton at stake in the NFC South when they face the Falcons for the second time in three weeks Sunday.
6. Panthers 10-4 (6): Players should be largely shielded from the mess that now encircles owner Jerry Richardson, who will sell the team after the season.
7. Vikings 11-3 (7): Week 17 finale against the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium could have huge meaning if the NFC's No. 1 seed is at stake.
8. Jaguars 10-4 (8): They've secured their first playoff berth since 2007, ending the fourth-longest drought.
9. Chiefs 8-6 (12): They re-established the running game, and all of a sudden everything looks good again.
10. Falcons 9-5 (9): They were able to grind out a victory Monday night at Tampa Bay, but Matt Ryan wasn't particularly sharp.
11. Seahawks 8-6 (10): After defeating the Eagles, they were beaten up in Jacksonville and whipped at home by the Rams.
12. Ravens 8-6 (13): With the Colts and Bengals at home the next two weeks, it looks like John Harbaugh will steer his team into the postseason.
13. Cowboys 8-6 (15): Ezekiel Elliott returns in the nick of time with a slight chance at a playoff run.
14. Chargers 7-7 (11): Four-game winning streak was snapped with a dud performance Saturday night in Kansas City, and now the postseason dream is a longshot.
15. Lions 8-6 (16): Cornerback Darius Slay has developed into one of the best in the league, and the Bears saw why Saturday.
16. Titans 8-6 (14): Back-to-back road losses in Arizona and San Francisco have reduced their margin for error, and now they face the Rams and Jaguars in Nashville.
17. Bills 8-6 (17): Slim playoff hopes remain alive, but they'll have to go to Foxborough and upset the Patriots this week.
18. Packers 7-7 (20): It probably makes sense to let Brett Hundley start the remainder of the season now that a playoff bid has been eliminated.
19. Raiders 6-8 (19): Derek Carr is the latest example of why stretching out with the ball and reaching for the pylon is a bad idea.
20. Redskins 6-8 (22): Kirk Cousins needs two modest performances to hit 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season, and his receivers have been subpar this year.
21. Dolphins 6-8 (18): Jay Cutler followed a brilliant outing against the Patriots with a complete dud in Buffalo. Kind of the story of his career.
22. Cardinals 6-8 (21): They haven't scored a touchdown since the second quarter of a loss to the Rams three weeks ago.
23. 49ers 4-10 (23): Jimmy Garoppolo is grabbing all the leverage for contract talks. Imagine what the Niners could have saved if they had extended him at the time of the trade.
24. Broncos 5-9 (24): Brock Osweiler played well in a victory over the Colts, but the Broncos will look at 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch down the stretch.
25. Jets 5-9 (25): A divorce this offseason with defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is imminent.
26. Buccaneers 4-10 (28): Jameis Winston played well Monday with three touchdown passes, but injuries added up to sting the Bucs, who missed a field goal on the final play.
27. Bears 4-10 (26): They'll go for the AFC North crown Sunday when they host the winless Browns. How in the world did they beat the Steelers?
28. Bengals 5-9 (27): How devastating was the Monday night loss to the Steelers two weeks ago? They've been outscored 67-14 since.
29. Texans 4-10 (29): Bill O'Brien insists he won't quit, and considering how well Deshaun Watson played before the knee injury, odds are O'Brien will be back in 2018.
30. Colts 3-11 (30): If you have any doubt whether coach Chuck Pagano will stick around, consider they have squandered a halftime lead in seven losses, including Thursday.
31. Giants 2-12 (31): They started the GM interview process by interviewing their player personnel boss, Marc Ross. Expect them to go outside when they make the hire.
32. Browns 0-14 (32): In regard to rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer, Hue Jackson wondered aloud: "I think that's a fair question if he'll ever get it. I think he will, but he has to keep working."
