Week 17 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Defense ‘Falls Off Cliff’

Can Jordan Love lead the Green Bay Packers past the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night and one step closer to the playoffs? Or will Joe Barry’s defense get in their way?

Three weeks ago, the Packers’ average placement in our weekly survey of 10 national power rankings was 12.7. It was 19.9 last week and 20.2 after they inched past Carolina.

Here is a look at the latest rankings, with deeper analysis available by clicking the links.

NFL.com: 19th

Last week: 19th

Eric Edholm isn’t buying the playoff hype, and for good reason, after Joe Barry’s pass defense was destroyed by struggling rookie Bryce Young. “Barry has become the latest in that position to earn the fans' wrath, following in a time-honored tradition carried on by Mike Pettine, Dom Capers and Bob Sanders. … If the Packers can win two more, they're probably in, but that feels like a big ask at this moment. Their playoff odds might have crept up with the narrow victory over Carolina, but my faith in them did not.”

ESPN.com: 19th

Last week: 21st

This week’s rankings focus on the team’s top rookie. Packers beat writer Rob Demovsky selected receiver Jayden Reed, who needs two catches to beat Sterling Sharpe’s franchise rookie record. “The second-round pick is one of only two rookies in team history with 50-plus catches, 500-plus receiving yards and six-plus receiving touchdowns in a season (Billy Howton, 1952).”

Pro Football Talk: 19th

Last week: 20th

“Is this year an aberration or a trend? I guess we’ll find out next year,” wrote Mike Florio.

Sports Illustrated: 20th

Last week: 20th

Almost losing to Carolina “isn’t a great sign,” wrote Conor Orr, but “Jordan Love has a chance to beat two division rivals and sneak Green Bay into the playoffs ahead of schedule. The ancillary games they need to fall in their favor are not ridiculous or unrealistic.”

The Athletic: 20th

Last week: 18th

In this week’s rankings, Josh Kendall picked a team MVP. For Green Bay, it’s quarterback Jordan Love. “The Packers may not make the playoffs, but the season has to be counted as a success considering Love’s progress. In his first season since taking over for Aaron Rodgers, Love posted more passing touchdowns in his first 15 starts (26) than either Rodgers or Brett Favre.”

Pro Football Network: 20th

Last week: 19th

During Joe Barry’s run as defensive coordinator, the Packers rank 31st in success rate. “Success rate” mirrors Green Bay’s win/loss grading. If a first-down play gains 4-plus yards, that’s a loss. If a second-won play gains half the remaining yards, that’s a loss. If the defense gives up a conversion on third down, that’s also a loss.

Wrote Miller: “The Great Wall of China. The Colosseum. The Pyramids. There’s an eighth wonder of the world that may stay around forever. That would be Joe Barry’s tenure as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.

Yahoo: 20th

Last week: 19th.

Escaping Carolina because the Panthers ran out of time shows Green Bay “isn’t that good,” wrote Frank Schwab. “The Packers could lose out. A loss to the Vikings would probably eliminate them from playoff contention, and I'm not sure how motivated they'd be to finish the season against the Bears after that.”

CBS Sports: 20th

Last week: 20th

Pete Prisco pointed out the obvious: “Their season will be decided this week against the Vikings. Lose and they are done.”

The 33rd Team: 22nd

Last week: 21st

Few units have consistently underperformed as much as Joe Barry’s defense, writes Ryan Reynolds. “In the Packers' most recent game, they gave up a season-high 30 points to the Panthers – which is genuinely concerning. Unless the Packers’ defense gets its act together, Green Bay could drop its next two games.”

USA Today: 23rd

Last week: 22nd

Coach Matt LaFleur is sinking or swimming with Barry. At this point, it looks like sinking. “This defense has fallen off a cliff over the past month despite facing middling to bad offenses,” Nate Davis wrote.

Next Opponent: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are just ahead of the Packers in all but one of the rankings in our national survey. Their composite ranking of 18.6 is about a spot-and-a-half better than the Packers.

Wrote Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr of the Vikings’ loss to Detroit: “If you would have played me just the Vikings’ final drive of the first half and their first drive of the second half, I’d wonder if they could possibly contend for the No. 1 seed.” Orr thinks the Vikings should stick with mistake-prone quarterback Nick Mullens. He also thinks Mullens needs to throw it more often to Justin Jefferson.