NFL Wild-Card Round Power Rankings: Where Josh Allen's Bills, Jayden Daniels' Commanders stand in playoffs

Modified Jan 06, 2025 16:41 GMT

NFL Power Rankings for Wild Card round (image credit: getty)

The wild-card round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs is set to begin this weekend and will feature six games and 12 teams in action. The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions will enjoy their bye week and watch the first round play itself out.

Any team that punched their ticket into the playoffs had at least a relatively strong season. To earn their spot, they either had to win their division or earn one of the three wild-card spots in each conference, rewarded to the teams with the best records that didn't win their divisions.

Seedings give somewhat of an idea of where each team stands, but they aren't the only determining factor in how all of them stack up in the power rankings. For example, the Minnesota Vikings turned in an excellent 14-3 record, but since the Lions (15-2) had a dominant season, they entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

The Buffalo Bills are an example of the other end of the spectrum, as their second seed in the AFC is much more representative of their strong season. They were the only team to defeat the Chiefs apart from the Denver Broncos in Week 18 when Patrick Mahomes and other starters sat out to rest for the playoffs.

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The Bills are led by Josh Allen, who is joined by Lamar Jackson as the two favorites for the NFL MVP this year. Allen has yet to win the award but his fantastic season could result in his first one. He is the main reason why the Bills are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl, as well as their lengthy playoff experience in recent years.

The Washington Commanders are an interesting team to keep an eye on in the playoffs. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has already emerged as a superstar and helped the team exceed expectations. He also gets a relatively favorable matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one of the weaker teams in the NFC bracket.

Here's a look at where all 14 teams sit in the power rankings ahead of the wild-card round.