NFL Power Rankings: 49ers snatch top seed, Patriots lose footing entering playoffs
By Dan Parzych
The 49ers took care of business to top the NFC while the Patriots stumbled and the Titans triumphed entering the NFL Playoffs and new NFL Power Rankings.
With the 2019 regular season officially in the books, there is plenty to discuss as usual for the NFL Power Rankings heading into Wild Card Weekend, especially after seeing the results of the NFC West.
After the Seattle Seahawks managed to win the first time around against their rivals in overtime, the San Francisco 49ers were looking for revenge in Week 17 while locking up the top overall seed in the NFC in the process.
In what shouldn’t have come as a surprise to any football fan with the history between these two teams, Seattle nearly pulled off the win in the final seconds that would have resulted in a bit of a shakeup for the NFC playoff standings.
But thanks to San Francisco hanging on for the 26-21 win over Seattle, the 49ers were able to officially clinch the NFC West title, and lock up the No. 1 seed to gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks will hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, despite having the better record than the NFC East champions during the regular season.
Football fans can say whatever they want about how unfair it is for a team like the Eagles to host a home playoff game with their record, but after seeing all of the injuries this team has been forced to overcome just to win the division, Philadelphia is the last team to sleep on.
As for the other conference in the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs received a surprise gift by earning a first-round bye thanks to the New England Patriots suffering a major upset at home to a familiar face in the Miami Dolphins.
No one needs to explain just how much of an extra advantage this could give the Chiefs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and while the Patriots are still technically defending champions, there are plenty of concerns in New England heading into January.
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It’s crazy to think how fast the last four months have flown by, and to help prepare for the start of the playoffs, let’s jump right in on the latest NFL Power Rankings for Wild Card Weekend to see where each team stands, including the teams watching the playoffs from home.