NFL power rankings Week 18: Browns, Bills, Cowboys, Lions, Chiefs Super Bowl contenders?
The No. 1 seeds in the NFL Playoffs are now locked into place with the 13-3 Baltimore Ravens on top of the AFC and the 12-4 San Francisco 49ers on top of the NFC.
Those teams will have byes in the wild card round of the postseason, and then home field advantage in their conferences, needing to just win two games at home to make the Super Bowl, making them Super Bowl favorites.
Which other teams are looking like Super Bowl contenders right now?
Our latest NFL power rankings assess the viability of each potential NFL playoff team to win the Super Bowl entering the NFL Week 18 schedule.
Are the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills real threats to the Ravens in the AFC?
Could the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams challenge the 49ers in the NFC?
Check out our NFL power rankings heading into NFL Week 18 games, with previous ranking in parenthesis.
NFL Week 18 picks: Steelers at Ravens | Texans at Colts | Falcons at Saints | Browns at Bengals | Jaguars at Titans | Vikings at Lions | Jets at Patriots | Buccaneers at Panthers | Bears at Packers | Chiefs at Chargers | Eagles at Giants | Cowboys at Commanders | Broncos at Raiders | Rams at 49ers | Seahawks at Cardinals | Bills at Dolphins | Power rankings | Playoffs: AFC | NFC | Odds | TV
32. Carolina Panthers (32)
Lost to Jaguars, 26-0, to fall to 2-14. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
31. Washington Commanders (30)
Lost to 49ers, 27-10, to fall to 4-12. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
30. New England Patriots (29)
Lost to Bills, 27-21, to fall to 4-12. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
29. Arizona Cardinals (31)
Beat Eagles, 35-31, to improve to 4-12. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
AFC playoff picture Week 18: Jaguars, Bills, Colts, Texans, Steelers in postseason hunt
28. Tennessee Titans (26)
Lost to Texans, 26-3, to fall to 5-11. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
27. Los Angeles Chargers (28)
Lost to Broncos, 16-9, to fall to 5-11. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
26. New York Giants (27)
Lost to Rams, 26-25, to fall to 5-11. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
25. New York Jets (25)
Lost to Browns, 37-20, to fall to 6-10. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
NFC playoff picture Week 18: Buccaneers, Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Vikings, Falcons alive
24. Minnesota Vikings (22)
Lost to Packers, 33-10, to fall to 7-9. The Vikings haven't been eliminated from postseason contention, but it will take a miracle for them to make the playoffs, so don't even dream about the Super Bowl.
23. Atlanta Falcons (20)
Lost to Bears, 37-17, to fall to 7-9. Forget about any dreams of a Super Bowl run this season for the Falcons. This team is lucky to still have a playoff chance, thanks to being in the NFC South.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (18)
Lost to Colts, 23-20, to fall to 7-9. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
21. Chicago Bears (24)
Beat Falcons, 37-17, to improve to 7-9. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
NFL Week 18 odds: Point spreads, moneylines, over/unders for betting on games
20. Cincinnati Bengals (14)
Lost to Chiefs, 25-17, to fall to 8-8. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
19. Denver Broncos (23)
Beat Chargers, 16-9, to improve to 8-8. Eliminated from NFL playoff contention.
18. Seattle Seahawks (12)
Lost to Steelers, 30-23, to fall to 8-8. The Seahawks still have a shot at the postseason, but they have no shot at winning the Super Bowl, not with a defense that has allowed 382 points.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10)
Lost to Saints, 23-13, to fall to 8-8. The Buccaneers will host a playoff game if they beat the Panthers on Sunday. They will have a worse record than whoever it hosts, however, and will likely be one-and-done in the postseason.
NFL Week 18 schedule: Television channels, how to watch, stream games
16. New Orleans Saints (21)
Beat Buccaneers, 23-13, to improve to 8-8. If the Saints can make the postseason, their defense (310 points allowed, third in NFC) might give them a shot at an upset. But this team has too many questions to contend for a Super Bowl.
15. Green Bay Packers (19)
Beat Vikings, 33-10, to improve to 8-8. Jordan Love has 30 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions this season. His growth has been outstanding and the future appears bright right now at QB for Green Bay. We just don't think that future includes a deep postseason run this season.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (17)
Beat Panthers, 26-0, to improve to 9-7. The win over the Panthers was nice, but this team is just too inconsistent to be a Super Bowl threat, although that 5-2 road record is impressive.
13. Indianapolis Colts (16)
Beat Raiders, 23-20, to improve to 9-7. If the AFC postseason began today, the Colts would be the seventh and final seed. We did not see that coming at the beginning of the season. Just making the NFL Playoffs would be a great feat.
NFL Week 18 picks, predictions: Bills, Steelers, Texans get wins, Packers, Seahawks upset
12. Houston Texans (15)
Beat Titans, 26-3, to improve to 9-7. This team may be a year away from really contending for a Super Bowl spot. That they could still make the playoffs is a testament to a remarkable job the coaching staff and players have done in Houston.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (13)
Beat Seahawks, 30-23, to improve to 9-7. We don't think this team is a Super Bowl contender, but we also didn't think it would beat the Bengals or Seahawks the last two weeks. If they get in the postseason, the defense at least gives them a chance.
10. Los Angeles Rams (11)
Beat Giants, 26-25, to improve to 9-7. The Rams are in the playoffs and they might end up being a trendy upset pick in the first round. This team is more than capable of winning a game or two in the postseason.
9. Kansas City Chiefs (9)
Beat Bengals, 25-17, to improve to 10-6. We have been ready to write off the Chiefs several times this season, but we can't do it. The resume is too strong for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. We just wish this team had more receiving weapons. But doubt Kansas City at your own peril.
8. Buffalo Bills (8)
Beat Patriots, 27-21, to improve to 10-6. The Bills are playing like Super Bowl contenders and could be the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs. The problem is, they could still miss the postseason altogether. But watch out for Buffalo if it gets in.
7. Miami Dolphins (2)
Lost to Ravens, 56-19, to fall to 11-5. The offense is dynamic, but the results this season call their chances into question. Miami only has one win against a winning team (A 22-20 home win over the Cowboys in Week 16. We can't trust the Dolphins in the postseason.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (5)
Lost to Cardinals, 35-31, to fall to 11-5. This team has lost four of its last five games, including that loss to the Cardinals in Philadelphia. But, it does have wins over the Chiefs, Bills, Cowboys, Dolphins and Rams this season, so we can't count them out.
5. Detroit Lions (4)
Lost to Cowboys, 20-19, to fall to 11-5. The Lions are legit. They can win at home, they can win on the road. They have balance. Their chances might come down to Jared Goff.
4. Dallas Cowboys (7)
Beat Lions, 20-19, to improve to 11-5. This team is a Super Bowl contender as long as it can play at home, where it is 8-0 this season (thanks to a controversial finish vs. Lions in Week 17). Dallas is just 3-5 on the road, including a 42-10 loss at San Francisco.
3. Cleveland Browns (6)
Beat Jets, 37-20, to improve to 11-5. This team is 8-1 at home. The problem is, they will have play on the road in the playoffs, and they are just 3-4 away from home this season. We Joe Flacco and this defense, we still think they are a legit contender.
2. San Francisco 49ers (3)
Beat Commanders, 27-10, to improve to 12-4. The 49ers are our favorite in the NFC right now, but this team will only go as far as Brock Purdy carries them.
1. Baltimore Ravens (1)
Beat Dolphins, 56-19, to improve to 13-3. The Ravens are our Super Bowl favorite right now. 13-3 and consecutive blowouts of the Dolphins and 49ers say it all.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL power rankings Week 18: Are Cowboys, Browns Super Bowl contenders?
