2. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
Now 13-2 on the season after a huge win in Week 16 over the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings are riding high and are winning a ton of games with Sam Darnold at QB. I think it is time for us to admit that Darnold may be a franchise QB, and I have no idea how the Vikings do not bring him back in 2025. I mean, I guess if the Vikings lose these next two regular season games and also lose in the first round of the playoffs, conversations can be had.
But if you ask me, Darnold has earned a long-term contract from the Vikings, and let's not forget that this team also has former New York Giants' QB Daniel Jones on the roster as well. The Vikings may just be a QB repair factory at this point.
The three-point win in Seattle was very impressive, and this team is legitimate. It's abundantly clear that this team has a top-3 coaching staff in the NFL, and head coach Kevin O'Connell could even be the NFL Coach of the Year at this rate. Can the Vikings win the NFC North with how banged up the Detroit Lions are?
1. Buffalo Bills (12-3)
An interesting game for Buffalo in Week 16, they got past the New England Patriots by three points. Buffalo fell behind early in this game, and it seemed like New England had their number. However, they were able to rip off some scoring drives and did get the win at home. I am not sure this was anything more than an ugly win, and when we get this late into any NFL season, ugly wins are still wins.
Buffalo is clearly the best team in the AFC, and even though the 14-win Chiefs are atop in the standings, they are clearly not nearly as good as their record indicates. In fact, the only loss the Chiefs have on the season has come from the Buffalo Bills, so that is worth noting here. Josh Allen could still be in the lead for the NFL MVP this year, but this Week 16 performance definitely does not help his case.
We'll see how the final two games go, but there really isn't any reason to move Buffalo down in our NFL power rankings. They retain their top spot.