Ranking the 12 NFL playoff teams

1. New Orleans Saints (13-3)

The Saints are a powerful team, but the best thing they have going for them in the playoffs is home-field advantage. During the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era, the Saints are 5-0 at home during the postseason.

On the road, they are 1-5, with the most recent defeat the excruciating loss at Minnesota last year in what is now known as the Minneapolis Miracle.

Even at 39, Brees is what makes the Saints go. New Orleans finished the regular season third in points and eighth in yards. On defense, the Saints gave up 20.7 points per game in their six wins at home. 

2. Los Angeles Rams (13-3) 

The Rams hit a little speed bump in December, suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in the regular season under Sean McVay, but they appear back on track. Even without Todd Gurley, Los Angeles scored 79 combined points in their final two games against the lowly Cardinals and 49ers.

One of Los Angeles’ three losses came in New Orleans, and the Rams may have to head back there to get to the Super Bowl. Securing a bye with the win Sunday was huge. It gives all the team's stars, including Gurley, an extra week of rest.

Early in the season, Gurley was an MVP candidate, as he averaged nearly 144 yards from scrimmage per game through the first half. He slowed down a little, especially in the rushing department, but Gurley still scored 21 touchdowns and finished third in rushing with 1,251 yards. 

3. Kansas City Chiefs (12-4) 

There’s a lot to like about the Chiefs offense. The biggest questions are can the Kansas City defense hold up, and where is this team mentally?

Patrick Mahomes just completed the second 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown season for a quarterback in league history. Even at 23, there’s confidence that he can beat the likes of Tom Brady and Philip Rivers, despite losing to them during the regular season. Mahomes and all his weapons are the reasons why Kansas City is the favorite in the AFC.

But the defense is a concern. The Chiefs ended the season ranked second to last in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed. They did, though, lead the league with 52 sacks. Pressuring quarterbacks will be key in January.

Mental fortitude is another question with the Chiefs. Kansas City has lost six straight home playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium. There’s a lot of pressure to break that streak this year. 

4. Chicago Bears (12-4) 

The Bears are officially back. Khalil Mack may be the household name, but the addition of Roquan Smith and the maturation of Leonard Floyd, Eddie Jackson and others has Chicago playing the best defense in the NFC.

Winning nine of the last 10 games, the Bears are also as hot as anybody. During that stretch, they have allowed an average of 14.9 points per game. Chicago also posted a league-leading 36 takeaways.

Offensively, Chicago may still be a year away from putting together a true championship unit, but under first-year coach Matt Nagy, the Bears possess enough offensive innovation that they are very difficult to game plan against. 

5. Los Angeles Chargers (12-4) 

As an AFC wild-card team, the Chargers face a very difficult road to the Super Bowl, but they have put together an impressive resume. Philip Rivers had one of his best seasons and should be in the MVP conversation. He passed for 4,308 yards, 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Chargers should have plenty of confidence playing on the road this January too. In December, they went into Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Denver — all cold places — and won all three games.

Three of Los Angeles’ four losses this season came against the Chiefs, Rams and Ravens. The Chargers are arguably the most complete team in the AFC, and they have a veteran quarterback hungry for a ring. 

6. New England Patriots (11-5) 

Bill Belichick seems to have righted the ship, and the Patriots should feel a lot better after winning their last two games and securing a first-round bye. New England will rest on wild-card weekend for the ninth straight year, and then they will host a game on divisional weekend. At home, the Patriots went 8-0 this season.

Perhaps even better though is the fact the Chargers and Chiefs will likely play in the second round. Assuming Los Angeles can win in Baltimore, which isn’t at all a given, unless the Indianapolis Colts also pull off an upset, the best two regular-season AFC teams would duke it out on the other side of the bracket while New England would face Houston again.

Regardless of which team they play, though, the Patriots must rely on their running game and defense more this postseason. Rookie Sony Michel led the team with 931 yards. Since a rough game at Miami, the defense has yielded an average of 10.7 points over the last three weeks. 

7. Houston Texans (11-5) 

This team would probably be higher if it hadn’t tripped up at Philadelphia. That loss cost the Texans a first-round bye, so it means Houston would earn a trip to Foxboro if it beats Indianapolis on Saturday.

Still, Houston has the formula to win anywhere. The Texans finished tied for fourth in points allowed and own the second-best turnover margin in the league. Houston’s 29 takeaways this year were fourth-most in the league.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is a proven winner from college and so dangerous with both his arm and legs. He hasn’t thrown an interception in the last six games. 

8. Baltimore Ravens (10-6) 

It’s a different quarterback, but this looks awfully similar to the 2012 Ravens club that got hot in December and rode that wave to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. Since rookie Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback, Baltimore has won six of seven games.

The formula is simple: Rely on the running game and defense, which are two things that translate well in cold January games. The Ravens ended 2018 first in total defense and second in rushing yards per game.

It will be interesting to see how Jackson reacts if he’s forced to pass. He’s still a raw thrower and has completed only 58.2 percent of his passes in seven NFL starts. 

9. Dallas Cowboys (10-6) 

Dallas has won seven of its last eight games, but the Cowboys were a lot hotter at the beginning of December than they are now. Over the last three weeks, they suffered a shutout loss at Indianapolis and won by one touchdown and one point against Tampa Bay and the New York Giants, respectively.

However, the Cowboys are still dangerous because of their defense. Dallas held New Orleans to 13 points in Week 13, and the Cowboys have given up more than 23 points just once — in a meaningless game against the Giants — during the second half of the season.

Offensively, Dallas will rely heavily upon Ezekiel Elliott. He won another rushing title this year with 1,434 yards, and he scored six touchdowns. 

10. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) 

Last season, even as the No. 1 seed, the Eagles embraced the underdog role all the way to the title. They won’t have to convince anyone they are underdogs this January, as they come in as the only playoff team without 10 wins. It will take three road victories to get back to the Super Bowl.

However, backup quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will give them a chance against any opponent. Foles led the Eagles to three straight wins to end the season, and the offense averaged 28.7 points during the winning streak.

The defense is playing better too. The Eagles have allowed under 20 points per game since the debacle at New Orleans in the middle of November. 

11. Seattle Seahawks (10-6) 

The Seahawks are a much better home team, so their power rankings take a bit of a hit as a wild-card team. Similar to Baltimore and Chicago, though, Seattle is going to have a shot anywhere because of its defense and running attack.

Seattle returned to its roots in 2018, leading the NFL with 160 rushing yards per game. Chris Carson led the team with 1,151 rushing yards.

The Seahawks also posted a league-best plus-15 turnover differential. Russell Wilson threw 35 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Wilson has led Seattle to two Super Bowl appearances, and he should never be counted out of a playoff game. 

12. Indianapolis Colts (10-6) 

Our bottom-ranked team is arguably the hottest in the league, truly indicating how wide open this postseason is.

After starting 1-5, Indianapolis won nine of its final 10 games to claim the final playoff spot in the AFC. Andrew Luck improved health-wise and on the field, and the Colts developed a ground game with Marlon Mack.

In one season, Eric Ebron went from bust to one of the most underrated tight ends in the league. He caught 13 touchdowns this season, which was more than what he had in four seasons with the Lions.