4. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
After an 0-2 start, many had no idea what to make of the Baltimore Ravens. Well, here we are. They ended the year with a drubbing of the Cleveland Browns and finish the season as the third seed in the AFC, which could mean that they again host the Pittsburgh Steelers, but this time in the Wild Card Round.
Lamar Jackson, once again, is the MVP of the NFL, and frankly, I do not want to hear anything else - Jackson's season is monumentally better than anything Josh Allen did this year, and I am not sure Joe Burrow should be in contention. Right now, the Ravens feel quite good and could give the Kansas City Chiefs a run for their money.
Having Derrick Henry in the backfield and a defense that is finding their footing is exactly what the Ravens might need to get over the hump and play in the big game. They have continued to win and win after the slow start and are again rising in our NFL power rankings.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
With a win over the New York Giants in Week 18, the Philadelphia Eagles move to 14-3 on the season. Coming into this game, the Eagles had already clinched the no. 2 seed in the NFC, so they were resting many starters in this one. However, it's clear that even the New York Giants' starting lineup just could not hang with the Eagles' backups, which says a lot.
The Eagles will host the no. 7 seed in the NFC and get at least one home playoff game. And if you ask me, despite all of their success in the win column in recent years, there seems to be a ton of pressure on this team and on head coach Nick Sirianni to make more progress in the postseason, and if this team were to not at least advance to the NFC Championship Game, it would not shock me if the team at least considered replacing Sirianni.
Perhaps this could be likened to when the Denver Broncos parted ways with John Fox after falling short in the NFL playoffs for a few years - they then hired Gary Kubiak and won the Super Bowl in his first season on the job. Anyway, the Eagles aren't worrying about that just yet. They get the win in Week 18 and move to a very strong 14-3 record to close out the regular season.