| Rank | Team | Power Index | W-L | This Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (-) | Seahawks | 1.1265 (LW × 1.0090) | 14-3 | Won by 8 vs Saints |
| 2 (-) | 49ers | 1.1170 (LW × 1.0210) | 14-4 | Won by 13 @ Panthers |
| 3 (↑1) | Cardinals | 1.0557 (LW × 1.0007) | 10-6 | Bye |
| 4 (↑2) | Broncos | 1.0520 (LW × 1.0167) | 14-3 | Won by 7 vs Chargers |
| 5 (↑2) | Patriots | 1.0225 (LW × 1.0152) | 13-4 | Won by 21 vs Colts |
| 6 (↓1) | Saints | 1.0203 (LW × 0.9859) | 12-6 | Lost by 8 @ Seahawks |
| 7 (↓4) | Panthers | 1.0172 (LW × 0.9632) | 12-5 | Lost by 13 vs 49ers |
| 8 (-) | Chargers | 1.0052 (LW × 1.0038) | 10-8 | Lost by 7 @ Broncos |
| 9 (-) | Bengals | 0.9803 (LW × 0.9982) | 11-6 | Bye |
| 10 (-) | Rams | 0.9586 (LW × 0.9980) | 7-9 | Bye |
| 11 (-) | Eagles | 0.9392 (LW × 0.9979) | 10-7 | Bye |
| 12 (-) | Steelers | 0.9320 (LW × 0.9998) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 13 (-) | Colts | 0.9146 (LW × 0.9832) | 11-6 | Lost by 21 @ Patriots |
| 14 (-) | Dolphins | 0.9003 (LW × 0.9960) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 15 (-) | Chiefs | 0.8958 (LW × 1.0001) | 11-6 | Bye |
| 16 (-) | Giants | 0.8830 (LW × 1.0010) | 7-9 | Bye |
| 17 (-) | Buccaneers | 0.8706 (LW × 0.9934) | 4-12 | Bye |
| 18 (-) | Ravens | 0.8697 (LW × 1.0000) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 19 (-) | Titans | 0.8528 (LW × 1.0014) | 7-8 | Bye |
| 20 (-) | Vikings | 0.8509 (LW × 0.9994) | 5-10-1 | Bye |
| 21 (-) | Bills | 0.8485 (LW × 0.9975) | 6-10 | Bye |
| 22 (-) | Falcons | 0.8389 (LW × 0.9937) | 4-12 | Bye |
| 23 (-) | Cowboys | 0.8353 (LW × 0.9986) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 24 (↑1) | Bears | 0.8303 (LW × 0.9989) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 25 (↓1) | Jets | 0.8279 (LW × 0.9939) | 8-8 | Bye |
| 26 (-) | Lions | 0.8276 (LW × 0.9986) | 7-9 | Bye |
| 27 (-) | Packers | 0.8149 (LW × 1.0006) | 8-8-1 | Bye |
| 28 (-) | Jaguars | 0.7923 (LW × 0.9999) | 4-12 | Bye |
| 29 (-) | Browns | 0.7489 (LW × 1.0002) | 4-12 | Bye |
| 30 (-) | Raiders | 0.7474 (LW × 1.0014) | 4-12 | Bye |
| 31 (-) | Texans | 0.7453 (LW × 1.0008) | 2-14 | Bye |
| 32 (-) | Redskins | 0.7381 (LW × 1.0018) | 3-13 | Bye |
Comments:
All remaining teams are in the top 5, along with the staying-at-home Cardinals. It's really too bad the Cardinals couldn't make it into the playoffs. I feel like they really had a chance to make a run, even playing on the road. Certainly if you imagine some hypothetical scenario where they were awarded a playoff seed on the AFC side.
I had two thoughts in rapid succession on the last play of the Saints-Seahawks game. First, how on earth did the Seahawks' defense let Marques Colston get that open right next to the sideline? And second, is Marques Colston a complete idiot?
If Colston had just stepped out of bounds, Brees would at least have had a chance at a 40 yard pass to the endzone. Not the highest percentag play, but it's gotta be better than any sort of lateral play (even supposing Colston's pass had not been illegal).
Peyton Manning avoids adding yet another one-and-done playoff run to his resume. He's actually had 4 years where he's won at least one playoff game, including a couple Super Bowl runs.
While the Broncos and Patriots are ranked #4 and #5, there's a pretty good gap between their respective power indexes. That will be a matchup ρ of 1.0288, compared to a ρ of 1.0085 for the 49ers-Seahawks game.
