1. 49ers (10-3, last week No. 1): There’s still a gap between them and the field, but the Ravens will have a chance to close it (or not) on Christmas night.
2. Ravens (10-3, No. 3): The table is set to force the road to Nevada through Baltimore.
3. Cowboys (10-3, No. 5): Lose the next two (at Buffalo, at Miami), and Sunday night’s win means nothing.
4. Eagles (10-3, No. 2): They badly need to win at Seattle.
5. Dolphins (9-4, No. 4): Tyreek’s case for MVP was strengthened by how the offense played after his injury.
6. Bills (7-6, No. 11): They’re very much alive — and the pressure is off.
7. Chiefs (8-5, No. 7): Can they win on the road in the playoffs? They haven’t had to try in a long, long time.
8. Lions (9-4, No. 6): They’ll need to bolster both sides of the ball in order to make it deep into the postseason next year.
9. Browns (8-5, No. 15): Give Joe Flacco another month, and the Browns will be tough to beat in the postseason.
10. Jaguars (8-5, No. 8): Trevor Lawrence’s amazing recovery from a high-ankle sprain counts as a win of sorts.
11. Texans (7-6, No. 9): It’s going to be a fight to get to the playoffs.
12. Broncos (7-6, No. 14): The uncanny recovery continues.
13. Bengals (7-6, No. 17): Jake Browning is the new Josh Dobbs. Will the magic last longer this time?
14. Colts (7-6, No. 10): They still have a chance to do the unthinkable.
15. Rams (6-7, No. 13): None of the top teams in the NFC will want to see the Rams in the postseason.
16. Vikings (7-6, No. 20): The defense is carrying the offense, a year after the offense carried the defense.
17. Packers (6-7, No. 12): Opportunity missed.
18. Buccaneers (6-7, No. 22): They’re the NFC South team with the best chance to win at home in the wild-card round.
19. Steelers (7-6, No. 16): Something is broken. Can it be fixed over the next four weeks?
20. Seahawks (6-7, No. 18): It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Jamal Adams.
21. Saints (6-7, No. 21): They’re just good enough to barely miss the playoffs.
22. Falcons (6-7, No. 19): They make too many mistakes to get to where they want to be.
23 (tie). Titans (5-8, No. 26): The Titans are laying the foundation for a bounce back in 2024.
23 (tie). Giants (5-8, No. 27): The Giants might not be great, but they’re fun.
23 (tie). Bears (5-8, No. 25): Justin Fields is going to make it very hard for the Bears to trade him out for a rookie.
26. Jets (5-8, No. 29): They won’t make the playoffs, but a win like that will help keep Woody Johnson from making rash decisions.
27. Raiders (5-8, No. 23): Holding the opponent to three points should be enough to win pretty much any game.
28. Chargers (5-8, No. 24): They’re just playing out the string.
29. Patriots (3-10, No. 31): Could a late run prevent the move that everyone presumes will be inevitable?
30. Cardinals (3-10, No. 28): The good news is they climbed the draft ladder without playing.
31. Commanders (4-9, No. 30): When a team is on a bye and no one really notices, that’s not a good sign.
32. Panthers (1-12, No. 32): They’re making the Bears very happy.
