The NFL playoffs begin Saturday, with neither New York team qualifying for the seventh time in the past eight seasons.
The Giants and the Jets never cracked the Top 10 in The Post’s weekly NFL Power Rankings, with the same six teams jockeying for position near the top all season.
Baltimore deservedly held down the No. 1 spot for the final seven weeks of the year, after New England and San Francisco also took turns at the head of the list earlier in the fall.
1. Baltimore Ravens, 14-2 (Last week: 1): Even during their two Super Bowl championship seasons in 2000 and 2012, the Ravens never reached 14 wins, but they enter the playoffs as the NFL’s clear-cut No. 1 team after rolling through their final 12 games following a 2-2 start. Baltimore’s NFL-record 3,296 rushing yards — led by MVP favorite Lamar Jackson’s single-season mark for quarterbacks (1,206 despite sitting out Sunday’s game) — was nearly 1,000 more than the next team’s total (San Francisco, 2,305). As coach John Harbaugh aptly said Sunday about the new mark: “It’s not a Super Bowl. That’s what they remember you for.”
2. San Francisco 49ers, 13-3 (3): Kyle Shanahan’s team finished 5-3 over its final eight games after going unbeaten in the first half of the season. But Sunday night’s 26-21 win over Seattle still sealed the franchise’s first NFC West crown since Colin Kaepernick led the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 (a 34-31 loss to Baltimore). Jimmy Garoppolo started all 16 games one season removed from ACL surgery and threw for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns, including 85 receptions by stud tight end George Kittle, as the Niners improved by nine wins over last year’s 4-12 finish. Defensive end Nick Bosa, the No. 2-overall pick in the draft, registered nine sacks and should win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
3. New Orleans Saints, 13-3 (2): Sean Payton should garner Coach of the Year consideration, getting the Saints to 13 wins and the NFC South title despite all-time yardage and passing-TD leader Drew Brees missing five games because of thumb surgery. A 5-0 run with Teddy Bridgewater under center proved the Saints’ 10th-ranked defense could pull out low-scoring games, too, including a 12-10 win over Dallas. Michael Thomas also set an NFL record with 149 receptions for the Saints, who must play No. 6 Minnesota on Sunday after losing a conference-record tiebreaker to Green Bay.
4. Green Bay Packers, 13-3 (4): Aaron Rodgers somewhat quietly posted his eighth career 4,000-yard passing season, with 26 TD passes and just four interceptions, in the first season with head coach Matt LaFleur replacing Mike McCarthy. Running back Aaron Jones also provided critical scoring balance with 19 touchdowns — tied with Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey for most in the league — as Green Bay won its first NFC North title since 2016 and earned the coveted first-round bye.
5. Kansas City Chiefs, 12-4 (6): With Patrick Mahomes hobbled and missing time with a knee injury, the Chiefs lost four of six through Nov. 10. But they rallied to win their final six games, including a 23-16 victory at New England, to eventually wrest away the AFC’s No. 2 seed when the Patriots lost Sunday to Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins. With Mahomes and Tyreek Hill fully healthy and at least one home game at Arrowhead, will the Chiefs pose a dangerous threat to Baltimore or will Andy Reid’s team come up short again?
6. New England Patriots, 12-4 (5): The Pats never have reached the Super Bowl in a year they were required to play on the first weekend of the playoffs. Saturday night’s game against Ryan Tannehill and wild-card Tennessee will represent New England’s first appearance without a postseason bye since 2009. A middling No. 15 offensive ranking suggests this finally might be the beginning of the end for 42-year-old Tom Brady and the six-time champs, but Bill Belichick’s big-play defense still led the NFL in yards allowed (275.9), points allowed (14.0) and takeaways (36) per game.
7. Seattle Seahawks, 11-5 (7): Sunday night’s home loss by inches to San Francisco cost the Seahawks the division title. It also sends Pete Carroll’s team on the road Sunday to face the banged-up Eagles. Philly won its final four games — including Week 16 against Dallas — to steal the NFC East with a 9-7 mark. With leading rusher Chris Carson (hip) expected to miss the postseason, Marshawn Lynch could see more action this week after scoring a one-yard TD run in the fourth quarter among 12 carries against the Niners.
8. Houston Texans, 10-6 (9): With no chance to better their No. 4 seeding in the AFC, the Texans rested quarterback Deshaun Watson — and played A.J. McCarron — in Sunday’s loss to Tennessee in preparation for Saturday’s home game against the Bills. Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt is expected to be active for the first time for Houston since suffering a torn pectoral muscle on Oct. 27 against Oakland.
9. Minnesota Vikings, 10-6 (8): A Week 16 loss to Green Bay rendered Sunday’s game against Chicago meaningless, so the Vikings rested several regulars — most notably starting quarterback Kirk Cousins — in a last-second loss to the Bears. Running back Dalvin Cook (1,135 rushing yards) is expected to be available against the Saints after missing the final two games. But Cousins, who lost his lone playoff start for Washington in 2015, likely needs to post strong numbers opposing Brees for the Vikings to have a chance to advance.
10. Buffalo Bills, 10-6 (10): Second-year quarterback Josh Allen came out after two possessions in Sunday’s 13-6 loss to the Jets, but he still finished behind only Jackson and Arizona rookie Kyler Murray in rushing yards among quarterbacks (510). Sean McDermott’s defense has been physical and opportunistic all season, allowing the second-fewest points in the NFL at 16.2 per game. The Bills will need another representative defensive effort to beat the Texans and post their first playoff win since 1995.
11. Philadelphia Eagles, 9-7 (11)
12. Tennessee Titans, 9-7 (12)
13. Los Angeles Rams, 9-7 (14)
14. Dallas Cowboys, 8-8 (15)
15. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8-8 (13)
16. Chicago Bears, 8-8 (16)
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7-9 (17)
18. Indianapolis Colts, 7-9 (18)
19. Oakland Raiders, 7-9 (29)
20. Denver Broncos, 7-9 (20)
21. Jets, 7-9 (22): A 6-2 finish certainly salvages what looked like another outright disaster at midseason, but Adam Gase’s vaunted offense — even with Sam Darnold missing a few games with mononucleosis — finished 32nd in the league in yards and 31st in points, ahead of only Washington.
22. Atlanta Falcons, 7-9 (23)
23. Jacksonville Jaguars, 6-10 (26)
24. Cleveland Browns, 6-10 (21)
25. Arizona Cardinals, 5-10-1 (24)
26. Los Angeles Chargers, 5-11 (25)
27. Miami Dolphins, 5-11 (29)
28. Carolina Panthers, 5-11 (27)
29. Giants, 4-12 (28): Pat Shurmur’s firing means the Giants will have their third coach in five years, the same amount the Steelers have had over the last half-century. Whoever is the next coach, incumbent GM Dave Gettleman has plenty of holes to fill on the offensive line and all over the defense, but Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and even Darius Slayton look like offensive skill players to build around.
30. Detroit Lions, 3-12-1 (30)
31. Washington Redskins, 3-13 (31)
32. Cincinnati Bengals, 2-14 (32)