Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL power rankings to kick off the Wild Card round of the playoffs

By Peter Panacy

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 31: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs upfield for a 96 yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field on December 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 31: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs upfield for a 96 yard kickoff return touchdown in the third quarter during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field on December 31, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 15
Next
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 31: Brian Robison #96 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after sacking Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears in the third quarter of the game on December 31, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 31: Brian Robison #96 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after sacking Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears in the third quarter of the game on December 31, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The 2018 NFL playoffs are now upon us, and Niner Noise’s NFL power rankings reflect where each team stands heading into the Wild Card round.

It’s a new year, and the NFL postseason is finally here!

This has some bearing on Niner Noise’s weekly NFL power rankings, of course, as we can cross off the vast plethora of teams not competing for Super Bowl glory this season.

Yet after Week 17’s slate of games, even if some were meaningless, we can take a look at where teams sit in our NFL power rankings to wrap up the regular season, along with those still in the playoffs.

More from SF 49ers News

The San Francisco 49ers, of course, aren’t in the dance. But their recent fortunes have propelled them up most power rankings to close out 2017. Combine that with a strong offseason, and there’s a good chance the Niners will start 2018 towards the upper tier.

In comparison to last week’s NFL power rankings, we’ll be doing things a bit differently heading into the Wild Card round. We’ll spend less time on those teams not in the hunt.

And if your team made the postseason, congratulations. You got a nice boost in NFL power rankings this week. If not, let’s hope for a strong offseason.

So, to kick things off, let’s start by ranking those teams whose seasons came to a close after Week 17.