Patriots at top of Review-Journal’s Week 17 NFL rankings

Las Vegas Review-Journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses.

1. Patriots 12-3 (1). New England is on its way to another No. 1 AFC seed, and possibly another MVP award for Tom Brady. The dynasty never ends.

2. Steelers 12-3 (3). The Steelers clinched a first-round bye to buy Antonio Brown more time to heal.

3. Vikings 12-3 (4). No one wants to face the Vikings’ defense in the postseason.

4. Rams 11-4 (5). The Rams are rolling and Todd Gurley might steal the MVP award from Brady.

5. Saints 11-4 (6). The Saints need a win Sunday to secure the NFC South crown.

6. Panthers 11-4 (7). Cam Newton saved the day versus Tampa Bay last week.

7. Eagles 13-2 (2). Nick Foles and the Eagles’ offensive performance against the Raiders has people thinking one-and-done for Philly.

8. Chiefs 9-6 (10). The Chiefs are starting to get hot at the right time.

9. Seahawks 9-6 (13). Earl Thomas is looking to play in Dallas, but the Seahawks’ season isn’t over yet.

10. Jaguars 10-5 (9). The Jaguars returned to earth after losing to the Niners during Week 16.

11. Falcons 9-6 (8). The Falcons’ offensive woes continued against the Saints. They need a big performance versus the Panthers to clinch a playoff berth.

12. Ravens 9-6 (11). Baltimore needs to beat the Bungels to secure the fifth AFC spot.

13. Chargers 8-7 (17). The Bolts are still alive for a playoff spot, but they need some help Sunday.

14. Cowboys 8-7 (12). Ezekiel Elliott’s return didn’t save the day as the Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention.

15. Titans 8-7 (15). The Titans are playing like they want to be in Cancun instead of in the playoffs.

16. Bills 8-7 (14). Looks like the Bills’ postseason drought streak will extend to 18.

17. Lions 8-7 (16). Detroit was embarrassed by the lowly Bengals last week.

18. Packers 7-8 (18). This just in, the Packers aren’t very good without Aaron Rodgers.

19. 49ers 5-10 (23). Jimmy Garoppolo picked apart the best secondary in the league and is 4-0 this season. Jimmy GQ is living the dream.

20. Redskins 7-8 (20). So is Kirk Cousins the quarterback of the future? Three years later, Washington is still undecided.

21. Cardinals 7-8 (21). This could be Bruce Arians’ final game in the desert.

22. Raiders 6-9 (19). The Raiders were in a giving mood on Christmas night with five second-half turnovers.

23. Dolphins 6-9 (22). Hang in there, Jay Cutler. Just one game left.

24. Bengals 6-9 (27). Will this be the last time Andy Dalton starts a game for the Bengals?

25. Broncos 5-10 (24). Paxton Lynch will get one more audition. Doubt it helps.

26. Jets 5-10 (25). Find a quarterback, Jets.

27. Texans 4-11 (26). DeAndre Hopkins had the catch of the year Monday, and there’s no debate about it.

28. Bears 5-10 (29). Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears end the season at Minnesota.

29. Buccaneers 4-11 (28). Jameis Winston went nuts after the Bucs blew the game versus Carolina.

30. Colts 3-12 (30). Enjoy your final game as the Colts’ coach, Chuck Pagano.

31. Giants 2-13 (31). Let Eli Manning throw the ball 70 times. This could be his last game as a Giant.

32. Browns 0-15 (32). Make room, 2008 Lions. You’ll soon have company when the Browns fall to 0-16 Sunday.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.