16. Oakland Raiders
(7-9. Last week: 15)
The Raiders entered the day needing a win against Denver and some help to make the playoffs. Neither happened, and their season is over. More significantly, so is their time as the Oakland Raiders. They’ll be the Las Vegas Raiders next season, and the future looks bright. In the second season of his second stint with the franchise, head coach Jon Gruden has his team headed in the right direction. He’s got a quarterback he likes in Derek Carr and a strong running back in Josh Jacobs. With those two in place, the Raiders are a team on the rise. They could be a serious playoff contender in their first year in Las Vegas.
15. Dallas Cowboys
(8-8. Last week: 14)
Despite four touchdown passes from Dak Prescott and a 47-14 win against Washington, the Cowboys missed the playoff because Philadelphia won to clinch the NFC East. Consider that the end of the era for Dallas coach Jason Garrett. Despite having Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper, Garrett couldn’t do better than a .500 record. That’s probably going to be the last straw for owner Jerry Jones, who thought he had a Super Bowl contender. Jones wouldn’t comment on Garrett’s status after the game. But that will play out quickly. Look for Jones to go for a big name. And don’t be surprised if he tries to trade for Saints coach Sean Payton or Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, two former Dallas assistants.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
(8-8. Last week: 13)
The Steelers entered the day with slim playoff hopes. They needed a win against a Baltimore team that was resting its starters and for the Titans to lose at Houston. The Steelers got neither. But this is the rare occasion where a .500 season was a success. Pittsburgh lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to injury early and had to play with backups Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph. Mike Tomlin and his staff coached their tails off just to get to 8-8. There’s no need to panic. Roethlisberger has come out and firmly said he plans to play in 2020. With Roethlisberger, this team is an instant playoff contender.
13. Los Angeles Rams
(9-7. Last week: 16)
The Rams wrapped up their season with a 31-24 win against Arizona to finish with a winning record. Like it mattered? This is a team that was in the Super Bowl last year and didn’t even qualify for the postseason this year. The Rams might have been the league’s most disappointing team, especially after going all-in each of the past two years. General manager Les Snead’s track record suggests he’ll go all-in again this offseason. The Rams are moving into a new stadium next year, and they need to win to draw big crowds. It’s not hard to figure out what Snead needs to work on. It’s the running game. When the Rams were good, Todd Gurley was the focal point of the offense. But Gurley, who has issues with his knee, wasn’t the focal point this season. Quarterback Jared Goff isn’t good enough to take this team deep into the playoffs by himself. The Rams need to find a new running back.
12. Philadelphia Eagles
(9-7. Last week: 11)
The Eagles did their part. They defeated the Giants 34-17 to clinch the NFC East and block rival Dallas, a winner against Washington, from the playoffs. Quarterback Carson Wentz was efficient, throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown. But he needs to be even better if the Eagles are going to go anywhere in the postseason. The Eagles may seem like a long shot to do much in the playoffs. They’ve been inconsistent and have had some big injuries in their receiving corps. But this is a team with Super Bowl experience, so anything is possible.
11. Tennessee Titans
(9-7. Last week: 12)
The Titans needed a win against Houston to clinch a playoff spot. So what if the Texans sat many of their starters? Tennessee, which started the season 2-4, enters the playoffs on a roll and is a dangerous team. That’s because quarterback Ryan Tannehill has found a home in Nashville after taking over the starting job from Marcus Mariota. Tennessee’s offense now is loaded with running back Derrick Henry, who finished as the league leader in rushing yards (1,540) and A.J. Brown, a budding superstar at wide receiver. The only bad news is the Titans have to go to New England in the first round of the playoffs.
10. Houston Texans
(10-6. Last week: 10)
The Texans lost to the Titans in a game that didn’t really matter to Houston because it already had clinched a playoff berth. The Texans sat some of their starters and pulled others throughout the game. They’ll host Buffalo in the wild-card round, and on the surface, that looks like a pretty even matchup. Quarterback Deshaun Watson and the starters should be rested for the Buffalo game. But it’s the Houston defense that should get an even bigger boost. Defensive end J.J. Watt is expected to return from injury, and his pass-rushing skills change the entire complexion of the Houston defense.
9. Minnesota Vikings
(10-6. Last week: 9)
The Vikings lost to the Bears on Sunday, but that meant nothing. Minnesota sat many of its starters because it already had clinched the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. Even with the final seed, the Vikings are a team that’s potentially dangerous in the postseason. The defense is solid, and so is the running game on offense. That’s what you would expect from a team coached by Mike Zimmer. But this team has something extra. It has a solid passing game. It didn’t start out that way, as quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled early in the year. But after receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs expressed dissatisfaction with Cousins, he’s been prolific since Week 5.