Let the chaos of Week 18 in the NFL begin.
Sunday offered some clarity — the Ravens and the 49ers clinched the top seeds in the AFC and NFC playoffs, respectively — but there is plenty more to decide: Five teams are alive for three playoff spots in the AFC and six teams are alive for two spots in the NFC.
No team better exemplifies the madness than the Bills, who can potentially win their division and move up to the No. 2 seed in the AFC but also miss the playoffs completely in the last of the 272 regular-games.
Nine teams have double-digit victories, but only two have 12 or more because of a second-tier logjam.
And the Eagles and Chiefs — not too long ago thought to be headed for a Super Bowl rematch — are headed in the wrong direction as the playoffs near.
Here are The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 18:
1. Ravens 13-3 (1)
Message received, loud and clear. In a game between arguably the AFC’s two best teams, the Ravens routed the Dolphins, 56-19, to clinch the AFC North and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson might’ve clinched NFL MVP, too, with 321 passing yards, five touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating. The Ravens closed with 21 straight fourth-quarter points.
2. 49ers 12-4 (2)
Brock Purdy bounced back from his career-worst performance by throwing two touchdowns in a 27-10 win against the Commanders. With a little help elsewhere, the 49ers clinched the first-round bye — extra time for Christian McCaffrey to heal from a possible strained calf muscle that caused him to leave in the third quarter after gaining 91 yards.
3. Dolphins 11-5 (3)
It’s not easy to lose 56-19 in the same season as winning 70-20 (against the Broncos in Week 3). A season-long explosive offense looked pedestrian without the injured duo of Raheem Mostert (NFL touchdowns leader) and Jaylen Waddle against the Ravens’ top-ranked scoring defense. Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns and two interceptions, leaving the AFC East title unclinched.
4. Cowboys 11-5 (5)
Is there a better quarterback-receiver combination right now than Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb? They connected for 13 catches on 17 targets, resulting in 227 yards and a touchdown in a controversial 20-19 victory against the Lions. Prescott directed a game-winning 75-yard fourth-quarter drive to complete an undefeated home schedule (8-0) for the first time since 1981.
5. Lions 11-5 (4)
An upset victory of the Cowboys was in the works until the officials penalized their trick two-point conversion pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker with 23 seconds remaining. Was it a blown call? It looks that way. No solace to the Lions after falling short when their third try at the go-ahead two points ended on Jared Goff’s incompletion.
6. Bills 10-6 (7)
It wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been but vengeance was exacted for an early-season loss by beating the Patriots, 27-21. Rasul Douglas returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and tipped a pass that led to a third takeaway. Josh Allen ran for two touchdowns to send the Bills into a winner-take-division game against Miami.
7. Browns 11-5 (8)
Joe Flacco hasn’t had a hot streak like this since his four-game playoff tear for the Ravens on the way to Super Bowl MVP in 2012. Six weeks after signing to the practice squad, Flacco has four straight 300-yard passing games, the latest of which included a career-high 296 in the first half during a playoff-berth-clinching 37-20 stomping of the Jets.
8. Eagles 11-5 (6)
There is something seriously wrong with the Eagles, who are 1-4 in their last five games after allowing their former defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, to get his first big win as Cardinals head coach. Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes — two to Julio Jones — but the defense allowed a decisive 70-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes of a 35-31 loss.
9. Chiefs 10-6 (9)
The Chiefs clinched their eighth consecutive AFC West title on the strength of Harrison Butker’s leg (6-for-6 on field goals, four of which covered at least 43 yards) and Isiah Pacheco’s feet (career-high 130 rushing yards) in a come-from-behind 25-17 win against the Bengals. This AFC Championship Game rematch didn’t have Joe Burrow on one side or the Chiefs’ big passing plays on other.
10. Rams 9-7 (10)
After beating the Giants, 26-25, the surging Rams’ team plane reportedly waited at the airport for other games to end so they could celebrate clinching a playoff spot. Kyren Williams ran for three touchdowns, and Kobie Turner and Aaron Donald combined for 4.5 sacks. Rookie Puka Nacua’s five catches — one for 80 yards — put him over 100 this season.
11. Texans 9-7 (11)
12. Jaguars 9-7 (14)
13. Steelers 9-7 (15)
14. Seahawks 8-8 (12)
15. Colts 9-7 (17)
16. Bengals 8-8 (16)
17. Saints 8-8 (22)
18. Buccaneers 8-8 (13)
19. Broncos 8-8 (19)
20. Packers 8-8 (21)
21. Bears 7-9 (23)
22. Raiders 7-9 (18)
23. Falcons 7-9 (20)
24. Vikings 7-9 (24)
25. Jets 6-10 (25)
Even Jermaine Johnson’s pick-six couldn’t mask a stinker from the Jets’ much-hyped defense against their former teammate Flacco. The Browns scored 34 in the first half. Breece Hall totaled 126 yards and a touchdown from scrimmage, and Garrett Wilson went over 1,000 receiving yards for the season — no easy task with a fourth quarterback (Trevor Siemien) now at the helm.
26. Titans 5-11 (26)
27. Giants 5-11 (27)
Mason Crosby’s 54-yard field goal fell short — and so did the Giants’ upset bid in a loss to the Rams. Tyrod Taylor passed for 319 yards — and would’ve had more if not for penalties — but missed an easy throw on a would-be go-ahead two-point conversion late in the game. Dane Belton broke out with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
28. Cardinals 4-12 (30)
29. Chargers 5-11 (28)
30. Patriots 4-12 (29)
31. Commanders 4-12 (31)
32. Panthers 2-14 (32)
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