NFL Power Rankings for Week 18: There’s hope for this season’s bottom-dwellers

There is hope yet for the Jets, Giants, Titans, Raiders, Browns and Cardinals.

Well, not this year, but maybe the six worst NFL teams of 2025 will be among the six best next season.

Laugh if you want, but remember how ridiculous it would have sounded at this time last year to say that the Patriots and Bears would have a combined 24 wins entering Week 18 of this season. That doesn’t even account for a third potential worst-to-first divisional turnaround from the 49ers (who nobody believed would be down for long).

There’s a razor-thin line between most of the 11 teams with double-digit wins. And there’s not much separation between that bottom six, either.

Here’s how they stack up at the top and bottom of The Post’s Week 18 power rankings:

1. Seahawks 13-3 (1)

Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III combined for 33 carries, with Charbonnet doing most of the damage (110 rushing yards and two touchdowns) in a 27-10 victory against the Panthers. In the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Seahawks allowed just 139 yards and changed the game when DeMarcus Lawrence recovered a fumble to set up a tie-breaking touchdown in a 3-3 game.

2. Patriots 13-3 (3)

Drake Maye didn’t even need a full three quarters of action to throw a career-high five touchdowns in a 42-10 beatdown of the Jets. Rhamondre Stevenson scored once on the ground and once in the air as the Patriots scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions to finish the regular season undefeated on the road.

3. Broncos 13-3 (4)

The Broncos inched closer to grabbing the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs by beating the Chiefs, 20-13, on the strength of R.J. Harvey’s tie-breaking touchdown catch in the final two minutes. Bo Nix threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and the defense allowed just 139 total yards to an offense quarterbacked by Chris Oladokun in his first career start.

4. Jaguars 12-4 (7)

Liam Coen became the first head coach in NFL history to take over a four-win team and win at least 12 games by leading the Jaguars to a 23-17 win against the Colts. Trevor Lawrence ran for two touchdowns, Cam Little kicked two late field goals (42 and 53 yards), and an intercepted Hail Mary sealed the victory.

5. 49ers 12-4 (8)

A second straight five-touchdown performance by Brock Purdy (three passing, two rushing) keyed a 42-38 victory against the Bears. Christian McCaffrey rushed for a season-high 140 yards, including topping the century mark in the first half. The defense forced an incompletion from the 2-yard line as time expired to clinch a game that was tied five times.

6. Bears 11-5 (6)

The Bears’ bid for a seventh win this season after trailing in the final two minutes fell just short on the final play. Caleb Williams passed for 330 yards and two touchdowns, and D’Andre Swift rushed for two touchdowns. A couple of late drops by rookies Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland, both of whom otherwise had big games, proved costly.

7. Texans 11-5 (11)

C.J. Stroud threw two long touchdown passes in the first six minutes, and the fast start was enough to beat the Chargers 20-16 and clinch a playoff spot. Ka’imi Fairbairn outkicked Pro Bowl selection Cameron Dicker to make a difference in a close game. The Texans sacked Justin Herbert five times to reach the playoffs for a third straight year for the first time in franchise history.

8. Eagles 11-5 (12)

The Eagles became the first team since the 1987 Patriots to win multiple games in a season in which they failed to complete a second-half pass. Jalen Hurts’ 110 first-half passing yards were enough to get A.J. Brown over 1,000 yards, find Dallas Goedert for his 11th touchdown catch and build enough of a lead to hang on for a 13-12 win against the Bills.

9. Bills 11-5 (2)

Playing on a hobbled ankle, Josh Allen misfired on a two-point conversion pass that would’ve beaten Philadelphia and kept the Bills alive in the AFC East. Instead, he missed an open Khalil Shakir with five seconds remaining. Allen rushed for a pair of short-yardage touchdowns. Michael Badgley had a PAT blocked with 5:11 left to create chaos.

10. Rams 11-5 (5)

Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions, including a pick-six and another near-pick-six, during a 27-24 loss to the Falcons. The Rams were shut out in the first half for just the third time during head coach Sean McVay’s tenure (since 2017) but rallied to tie the score before losing on a late 51-yard field goal.

11. Chargers 11-5 (9)

12. Packers 9-6-1 (10)

13. Steelers 9-7 (13)

14. Ravens 8-8 (16)

15. Vikings 8-8 (17)

16, Lions 8-8 (15)

17. Panthers 8-8 (14)

18. Colts 8-8 (18)

19. Falcons 7-9 (20)

20. Saints 6-10 (21)

21. Bengals 6-10 (22)

22. Cowboys 7-8-1 (23)

23. Dolphins 7-9 (24)

24. Buccaneers 7-9 (19)

25. Chiefs 6-10 (25)

26. Commanders 4-12 (26)

27. Browns 4-12 (30)

28. Titans 3-13 (27)

29. Giants 3-13 (31)

The Giants snapped a nine-game losing streak and a 12-game road losing streak (spanning two seasons) but lost control of the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by hammering the Raiders, 34-10. Jaxson Dart ran for two touchdowns, and Bobby Okereke and Dane Belton nabbed interceptions to give interim head coach Mike Kafka his first victory in six tries.

30. Jets 3-13 (28)

The Jets’ attempt to tank seems to be working but also producing complete embarrassments like the blowout loss to the Patriots. Brady Cook completed 19 of 33 passes with an interception and the defense couldn’t get a stop in the first half. Breece Hall eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time with a 110-yard game, including a 59-yard touchdown.

31. Cardinals 3-13 (29)

32. Raiders 2-14 (32)