Subscribe
Follow Us
We are down to the final four teams in the NFL Playoffs, as the conference championship games are on deck. Our NFL Playoff Power Rankings are on their last leg before we hit the Super Bowl; is your team still fighting for the Lombardi trophy?
There were plenty of upsets that happened in the Divisional Round, as the top-seeded Detroit Lions were upset by the red-hot Washington Commanders. With the cast of usual suspects fighting for the AFC bid once again this year, here's the Championship round version of ClutchPoints' NFL Playoff Power Rankings.
1. Buffalo Bills
With wins over the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills find themselves in the top spot of our NFL Playoff Power Rankings. Heading into their AFC Championship matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills will need to put together another strong game if they finally want to get back to the Super Bowl.
A strong showing in their Divisional Round matchup with the Baltimore Ravens should give the Bills some much-needed momentum heading into Sunday’s contest. While Josh Allen only threw for 127 yards in the win, his usage near the goal line (two rushing touchdowns) is just another layer of Joe Brady’s offense that teams have to account for.
It has been since 1994 that Buffalo has made the Super Bowl, as this franchise is still in search of its first-ever Super Bowl win. Heading to face the Chiefs, Allen will be asked to provide yet another MVP-like effort, as the Bills try to turn the page on which team runs the AFC.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
After earning a first-round bye, the Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans in a low-scoring divisional matchup last round. In their seventh-straight AFC Championship game, Kansas City is looking to win the Lamar Hunt trophy yet again. In their matchup with the Bills, the Chiefs enter as the top seed in the AFC and one-point favorites, but check in second in our NFL Playoff Power Rankings.
It hasn’t been the type of season that blows teams out of the water, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense has been very efficient on their way to a one-loss season. Hosting the Bills in one looks to be another classic postseason matchup, Mahomes will look to put together his best performance of the season so far.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
It was a bit of a nail-biter for the Philadelphia Eagles last week, as they slogged their way through the snow to hold on against the Los Angeles Rams. But once again, the offense was led by Saquon Barkley, as Jalen Hurts struggled.
Hurts’ lack of consistent contributions has knocked this offense down a peg, with the passing game taking a serious step backward. But with Barkley leading the way on the ground (20 carries for 205 yards and two touchdowns), the offense was able to slow things down and use the snow to their advantage.
The defense surprisingly struggled a bit, allowing the Rams to average almost six yards per carry. If the Eagles want to contain the strong ground game from the Washington Commanders, they will need to get a lot better in this category.
4. Washington Commanders
It feels wrong to have the Commanders ranked as the “worst” team in our NFL Playoff Power Rankings, but what they have done so far in the postseason has been nothing short of impressive. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been a man on a mission ever since locking up one of the NFC playoff spots, earning two road wins, and looking like a seasoned veteran.
Daniels has fared well in his matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (268 passing yards) and the Lions (299 passing yards), but will face his toughest test yet against the Eagles' secondary. Having played Philly twice already this season gives Daniels a chance to fix any mistakes from earlier in the year, the same advantage that the Philly defense has as well.
The Commanders unlocked a new level on both sides of the ball in their upset win over the Lions, scoring 45 points and forcing three Jared Goff interceptions. Daniels certainly carried the load, but Brian Robinson Jr. (two rushing TDs) and Dyami Brown (six catches for 98 yards) helped round out the offense’s showing.
Taking fourth-down risks is in the nature of Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, which has mostly worked out for Washington in the playoffs. But erring on the side of caution might be a safer route for the Commanders to take in their Championship matchup, as a field goal could be the difference between a Super Bowl berth and a trip to Cancun.
