In 2021, the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI. This season, they failed to reach the postseason. So how do this year’s 14 NFL playoff clubs rank?
After 18 weeks and 271 regular-season contests, the right to represent the league in Super Bowl LVII has been whittled down from 32 clubs to 14 teams on its way to two. For the third straight year, the National Football League has seven teams representing each conference in the playoffs. Meanwhile, there are seven clubs in this year’s postseason that weren’t here in 2021.
Enclosed is the 2022 NFL playoff field with the teams in descending order. Along with this year’s performance, keep in mind that these postseason NFL power rankings also take recent playoff experience into account (as opposed to regular-season rankings). Five of the 14 teams listed will be looking for their first Super Bowl title.
NFL Power Rankings for 2023 playoffs
14. Miami Dolphins
The team is making its first playoff appearance since 2016. The Dolphins started 3-0, lost three straight games, won five in a row, lost five consecutive outings, and then came away with an 11-6 win over the Jets last Sunday.
Miami’s defense finished fourth in the league vs. the run this season and their own ground game improved as time wore on. This is not the same offense that was seen earlier in the year due to various issues at the quarterback position.
13. Seattle Seahawks
A year ago, Pete Carroll’s club was not only the lone club in the NFC West with a losing record but the only team in the division not to go to the playoffs. It was an amazing year for quarterback Geno Smith as the Seahawks moved on from Russell Wilson.
The defense was below average once again, but the team rediscovered its opportunistic touch with 25 takeaways. Steady rookie runner Kenneth Walker rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns.