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Was LII the greatest of 'em all?

Hold on a second, partner. We'll get there.

It's time to look at how the teams stack up at the end of the 2017 season -- combined with an early outlook for 2018. How do coaching changes, impending free agents and available cap funds affect each organization? See below. Your hack writer did his best to juxtapose each factor without ignoring what we absorbed from the campaign that just saw its final act -- and what a final act it was!

All of us took in an absolutely thrilling . It's fair to say belongs among the pantheon of the most memorable Super Sundays in NFL history.

Nice to see Peter checking in from the UK. You can't blame Steve for feeling the way he does. () But while we're at it, here are my top five Super Bowls, based on the quality of the game and its legacy:

5) XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19. Great defensive battle, with the underdog Giants and a backup QB (sound familiar?) taking down the high-powered Bills. Wide right.
4) XLIX: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24. No matter the latest news, in an outstanding matchup and game.
3) LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33. Instant classic.
2) XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14. The top front four in football bested a team considered unbeatable.
1) XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31. High-scoring affair for the era, with over 20 Hall of Famers on the field and on the sidelines. It decided the team of the decade.

I've changed my mind on the No. 5 many times. Ditto the rankings you see below. So many layers and so much subtext to all 32 teams as we head into an intriguing offseason. Also interesting? Your thoughts. Send along: is the place.

Let the dissension commence!

PROGRAMMING NOTE: For more in-depth analysis on the updated league pecking order, tune in to NFL Network on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. ET for a special edition of the "NFL Power Rankings" show.

These are your newest champs. Awesome stuff. While many folks on Twitter were keeping tabs on Tom Brady's passing stats and wondering if he would surpass Norm Van Brocklin's 66-year-old record for passing yards in a game, a strange thing happened. Namely, Nick Foles, who made damn sure Van Brocklin could no longer be called the last Eagles quarterback to walk off the field a champion. Yep, that was in 1960 -- that's how long it's been since Philly won an NFL title. With Carson Wentz coming back in 2018 and all of the nucleus under contract, this is an easy No. 1.

Last year's champs fell in one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time. There's no shame in that. People can hate on Tom Brady all they want, but at the end of the day -- rather, the end of his career -- those same folks are gonna miss Tom Brady. Other note: If Rob Gronkowski were (and plan enough Gronk cruises to put the "Love Boat" to shame), he'd be a Hall of Famer -- right now. I don't care that he's only played eight seasons, or that he gets hurt, or that he would have walked away at 28. Whatever. The dude is unstoppable in one-on-one situations. Nick Foles was the MVP. Gronk was right behind him. What an effort on Sunday: nine catches, 116 yards and two touchdowns. That's the best overall day a TE has ever had in the .

Too high for the Jags? False. They have the draft capital and some cap room to rectify the one spot on the team that you were thinking of eight seconds ago when you read the ranking. Their defense is chock-full o' talent, from stem to stern. As far as free agency goes, wide receiver is the group that presents the most concern. Both Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee are set to hit the open market. Of course, who's throwing them the ball, or potentially throwing them the ball? That's the question everyone is underlining this offseason. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that Jacksonville intends to head into 2018 with Blake Bortles as the starter -- and that regardless of the wrist surgery that could lock in his 2018 contract (which is guaranteed for injury). would have been a nice fit, as many in the Twitterverse pointed out. Obviously that's not happening. Soon-to-be former Redskins starter Kirk Cousins would be a huge upgrade. Money would be an issue there. So, Bortles?

The Saints aren't going anywhere. Put another way, expect New Orleans to be right back in the mix for the NFC crown in 2018, with their 39-year-old quarterback firing the ball to Michael Thomas and whoever else on third down. Moreover, the Saints became the first team to sweep the Rookie of the Year awards (with Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore) since the 1967 Lions (Mel Farr and Lem Barney). Moreover Part II, the Saints have enough cap space to keep who they need to keep. Brees aside, there are no contract-less stars on this team, and there are enough studs on both sides of the ball to make Sean Payton's group a threat to be in LIII. That's why the fleur-de-lis is batting cleanup here.

For all the Falcons fans who feel their team has been disrespected in this space, making the top five ain't too shabby, huh? Here's the deal: The Steelers have limited capital, several needs and a huge question mark at RB1. As for the Vikings, who's their quarterback? Atlanta, meanwhile, -- in Los Angeles -- in the postseason. This will be Year 2 of Steve Sarkisian's offense, which should work out a helmetful* of kinks. (Though not the issue of all the free agents on the defensive line.)

*I'm talking about . Bring 'em back, please.

The greatness of Le'Veon Bell aside, would the Steelers be better off not paying him this offseason? Bell has earned a big-money contract -- but you can make the case that the money he will command is not worthwhile, given how difficult Pittsburgh's cap situation is and how much help is needed on defense. Bell will earn somewhere in the mid-teens per year, a huge sum for a position that has been de-emphasized across the NFL. On the other hand, no one in the league touched the football more than Bell last year: 406 times. Usually, but not always, a running back's first five years -- not his next five -- are his best. Bell is entering Year 6. That's what makes the Steelers' decision process here so fascinating. How far will they go?

Like the Steelers, the Vikings face some fascinating choices of grad-school-level difficulty. Case Keenum played as big a role as any other player lifting the Vikings to their first NFC title game since 2009. How much money does Minnesota offer a career journeyman? And we can't assume that Keenum will be what he'd been before 2017 -- i.e., maybe what we saw this year is a player who has turned the corner. Can the organization bail now? The guess here is that Sam Bradford is gone, which seems unfair, given how played out, with a banged-up Bradford making Joe Namath look like Richard Simmons in comparison. Minnesota might be able to retain Teddy Bridgewater based on time spent on the PUP list and whether the one-time franchise quarterback has accrued enough time to qualify as a free agent. That's a super complicated CBA question for the NFL and NFL Players Association to jazzercise over. Oh, goodie. Can't wait for that outcome.

For all intents and purposes, the Rams are in fantastic shape heading into the NFL , having just pulled off the NFL Honors triple crown. The front office has plenty of cap space with which to fill voids in what could be a challenging follow-up act for Coach of the Year Sean McVay. Aaron Donald will have a much easier time repeating as Defensive Player of the Year if Los Angeles can retain corners Nickell Robey-Coleman and Trumaine Johnson in the secondary. Also set to hit free agency: receiver Sammy Watkins. Maybe he didn't enjoy Todd Gurley-like productivity, but that doesn't mean the former Clemson speedster wasn't impactful. Defenses have to respect him vertically, and for all the reliability of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, they don't scare defensive coordinators. Before we go, Gurley winning Offensive Player of the Year was awesome. Mainly because he was awesome. His labors in the passing game, where he averaged more yards per catch and caught more touchdowns than any other running back, deserve more praise than a simple sentence here.

The Panthers gave the Saints all they could handle in their proving not only that they belonged in the tournament, but that they could be a contender with a few more pieces. Those ancillary parts will likely come via the draft, as funds are not in abundance and Carolina has expiring contracts to address. That list starts with guard Andrew Norwell. Interior offensive linemen like that dude aren't available often. Retaining Norwell will cost team brass a pretty penny. New offensive coordinator Norv Turner could use a new wideout opposite Devin Funchess, especially with tight end Greg Olsen heading into Year 12. Hard to believe Olsen has been around that long. We're all old.

How did the Packers end up in the top 10 after a dismal season? Because a dismal season in Green Bay is 7-9, and even that mediocre record was more the result of Aaron Rodgers getting injured than anything else. The Pack are not without holes, especially if safety Morgan Burnett inks a deal elsewhere. The offensive line will likely be addressed during the draft. Richard Rodgers is not under contract, but I don't think the personnel department is going to sit on Lance Kendricks as the TE1. The other Rodgers is surely in the NFC North standings.

Staying conservative on the Chargers. Every time you get jacked up about this group, something crappy happens. Not crappy: Keenan Allen winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. That guy obviously worked diligently to recover his quickness after losing so much time the previous two years to injury. His moves off the line are better than those of a guy dancing in front of paid extras at a halftime show. Wait a minute. ... This club needs help in the front seven, particularly on the interior and with regard to stopping the run. Still, methinks the Bolts are the favorites in the AFC West. Me-also-thinks they really need to kick footballs through the uprights on a regular basis for that to hold true.

At first glance, Houston looks to be a playoff team in 2018. Deshaun Watson, quite possibly the MVP of the league while he was starting, will be back at full steam (remember, his knee injury came at midseason), while J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus are primed to return, as well. At issue for Houston is what to do on the offensive line, where the Texans need much help quickly. Defensively, this team missed A.J. Bouye -- who signed on with the Jaguars last year -- as much as any team in the league missed a departed free agent. Not sure if Bill O'Brien , but it wouldn't have been the worst idea. The Texans have a ton of cap flexibility, along with later picks in the draft, to rectify some of these issues.

With all the impending holes the Seahawks have, perhaps it is more than mildly surprising to see Pete Carroll hanging tight in his post. While Seattle's offensive line should be better (losing George Fant was a heavy blow for the 2017 season), the defensive line could look vastly different in 2018. Cliff Avril (contract) and Sheldon Richardson (free agent) carry different issues. Which, in theory, places more pressure on the secondary. Which would be fine if Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor hadn't ended the season on IR. The biggest genius in IT couldn't predict who will be the lead dog at running back in Seattle next season.

The 49ers ended the 2017 season on a roll, winning five straight games with Jimmy Garoppolo under center (and six of seven overall). The Niners carry several talented starters on defense and also are projected to have over $100 million in cap space. Read that last line again. No team has more money to spend, which means that Jimmy G will ... well, the man will have All that aside, San Francisco still needs major help at CB, with the pass rush and along the offensive line, with a couple free agents up in the air there. "Up in the Air." Strange movie.

The Titans are almost unrankable. This was a playoff team that raised an eyebrow or a million by in the most unlikely of postseason victories. Yet, this is also a franchise that just let go of a head coach who took it to back-to-back winning seasons -- while earning a playoff victory -- for the first time since the Jeff Fisher-led Titans in 2002 and '03. Regardless of what you might think (or have heard) about former head coach Mike Mularkey, he did set a tone in the organization that led to success. Mike Vrabel might be better at X's and O's or motivating players. That remains to be seen. The point here is that there is so much more that goes into being a head coach than scheming offense or defense and rah-rah speeches. Like Mularkey, Vrabel played in the league -- enjoying quite a successful career, complete with three rings.

Too low for the Chiefs, huh? Well, let's investigate. They imploded in the playoffs, having apparently decided that giving Kareem Hunt the football was like freebasing gluten. It was very Romeo Crennel-Jamaal Charles-ish. who led the NFL in passer rating and turned (rather, demolished) the table on the narrative he couldn't throw the deep ball. Even without , Kansas City in terms of cap room, and the Chiefs have no first-round pick this year. The defense has many holes. They also need wide receiver help. Let's not forget that dealing Smith means they're putting a heckuva lot of faith in Patrick Mahomes. So that's kind of a lot to sort out.

From the Department of News that Was Less Regarded Than It Should Have Been: Ozzie Newsome is after the coming season. You can't overstate Newsome's impact on the franchise -- or the league in general. He helped build two winners, yet more importantly, he was the first African-American general manager in the NFL, paving the way for other qualified candidates who might've been overlooked before. Oh, yeah -- Newsome was a tight end, too. Not bad. Wonder if he can help this team find a tight end, plus a wideout or two while he's at it. The Ravens can't hope to return to the playoffs while getting less than 500 yards of production from their WR2, or with the tight ends failing to average 9 yards a catch. Joe Flacco's yards-per-attempt mark (5.7) was awful, too.

Imagine you were a Lions fans watching LII, partially excited to know that the bearded wonder on the Patriots sideline with the pencil behind his ear like your metal shop teacher in high school was going to be your next head coach. A top-notch defensive coordinator, ready to revive the dingy Detroit pass rush and get the Honolulu Blue back in the playoffs. Then said coach's unit, poised to make Nick Foles look like Nick Lachey, instead allows the QB to go Aaron Rodgers all over the New England defense. While the Lions won't be able to grab a Leonard Fournette-type with their middle-of-the-road draft slot, it's time for a running engine overhaul in the Motor City. Back to Patricia: Still believe in this hire.

Admittedly, this is a low ranking for the Bills. Yet, there are many holes on this team, starting at quarterback. Well, we don't really know who the quarterback is, do we? Tyrod Taylor says , so there is much speculation that he is gone. The spirit of this team, DT Kyle Williams, might not be back. LeSean McCoy looked swift last year, but he's heading into Year 10. Needs are more abundant for this playoff team than any other, as Rotoworld.com's Evan Silva aptly pointed out in . What's encouraging in Buffalo is the gratuitous amount of cap space and the gratuitous amount of draft picks (including two 1s and 2s).

The Cowboys are dealing with myriad issues. That includes a quarterback problem. This is a prove-it year for Dak Prescott, made more complicated by Dez Bryant's apparent decline (the degree of descent being the real conundrum), the presence of Just A Guy at the "Z" (mostly) in Terrance Williams and an aging Jason Witten manning tight end for the 16th year. Wow. Dallas could draft a wideout early and a Witten replacement on Day 2. Help on the offensive line (in terms of depth), at linebacker and on the defensive line must be considered. Contract needs for Demarcus Lawrence (who ) and David Irving are also on the immediate horizon for this team. The play-calling was lambasted on many occasions last season, particularly when the Cowboys treated the ground attack like their least-favorite kid. Will Dallas return to the power running that served it so well in 2014 and 2016? If not, the Cowboys could be staring at other jerseys on their flat screens in mid-January again.

The Raiders made the headlines in Divisional Round week without actually playing in it. brings back much excitement while reinstating some tradition to the (for now) Oakland franchise. Does that mean an automatic leapfrog up the NFL pecking order? No. The Raiders are what they are -- a 6-10 team with a new head coach and a banged-up QB who took a step backward in 2017. Derek Carr was faaaaaaaar from the main worry in Oakland last season, but the young vet saw his completion percentage, touchdowns and yards-per-attempt go down, while his interceptions went up. What of Beast Mode's future? Will the team pay to keep NaVorro Bowman? If Michael Crabtree has played his last down for the Raiders, Gruden and GM Reggie McKenzie must consider WR early in the draft.

There is hope. The other night, I watched the original CBS broadcast of a Cowboys game from opening day of the 1981 season -- at RFK Stadium. Do you know which game that was? Joe Gibbs' debut. The Redskins would lose 26-10 that day, on their way to starting the season 0-5. Yet Washington would go 8-3 down the stretch behind a promising offense featuring Joe Theismann, Joe Washington, John Riggins, Art Monk and a very young offensive line. That group would spearhead a run to the Lombardi Trophy the next season, then repeat as NFC champs in '83. While I can't say I am a fan of letting Kirk Cousins walk, the Redskins won't be paying $30 million to play football under a franchise tag. Washington does have concerns with Smith's targets. Terrelle Pryor and Ryan Grant are free agents, while Jordan Reed is rarely healthy and Vernon Davis is in his mid-30s.

The tandem of Jameis Winston and Dirk Koetter has one more season to propel the Bucs into the playoffs. More fans wanted to see Tampa go back to those than see Koetter return. That said, head coaches deserve more than a minute to turn around teams. He's 14-18 in two seasons, which isn't wonderful, but pretty much par for the course for Bucs head coaches as of late. Actually, better. In fact, Koetter's winning percentage is better than his three predecessors at One Buc Place, and not far off from Jon Gruden's last three seasons (22-26). Tampa has many funds to pull from the FA ATM. Let's see what these guys do.

With a freshman head coach, sophomore quarterback and a defense with upside, the sky's the limit. Maybe the Chicago skyline. The Bears are still several players away from being a legit threat in the NFC North. You can start with the talent, or dearth of talent, outside. (Hey, did anyone see in the first half Sunday? Beautiful. Too soon.) Cameron Meredith, coming off major injury, is a restricted free agent. The run game is in solid shape -- as is the offensive line, for the most part. What wonders Matt Nagy can work with Mitch Trubisky might be the difference between 5-11 and 10-6. Don't laugh at the latter record. If Nick Foles can win the ...

Marvin Lewis returns for this 16th season running the Bengals. Sorry, that's not a cool way to start this blurb. Cincy fans are clamoring for a different approach with this team, anything to get away from being just good enough to get beat when it matters. At least that's what the overall feeling seems to be. For now, it's business as usual with Andy Dalton, A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert(?) trying to put up enough points to keep the Bengals afloat in the AFC North. The defense will look different without coordinator Paul Guenther, who is now officially the Bride of Chucky, as Jon Gruden's DC in Oakland. Teryl Austin, fresh from Detroit, should be an adequate replacement. Free agency/draft: Staring at the offensive line here. Thoughts, Cincy fandom? ( )

The Dolphins will certainly look different on offense next season. Ryan Tannehill will be back in the saddle. How difficult it is to get in and out of that saddle -- er, pocket -- bears watching. Tannehill missed all of last season with a knee injury, and no one knows for sure what to make of his career to this point. He is certainly an upgrade over Jay Cutler and Matt Moore, both of whom are free agents. While we're at it, receiver Jarvis Landry's also set to hit the open market. Tight end is a major need/black hole for this team. Yep, Miami's offense is gonna look different. Maybe they'll get Tony Romo to leave the booth this time around. Get excited, Jim!

Slightly better prospects for the Giants now with Pat Shurmur on board and Odell Beckham Jr. back healthy. Big Blue is another team -- like the Bengals and Seahawks -- that must take a long look at the offensive line as a whole in preparation for the free-agent feeding frenzy in March, and then the great college marketplace come April. With many draft pundits prognosticating that the Giants will draft Eli Manning's successor, how about spending the second overall on Saquon Barkley? While New York fans will bristle at this comparison, Barkley is considered a talent at least equal to Ezekiel Elliott. Think how much that could open things up for . Ponder the net effect of ball control on a worn-out defense, tired of Manning trying to complete third-and-8s to Tavarres King and some guy recently signed out of a Piggly Wiggly. The Giants were 29th in time of possession last year. 2016: 29th. Ick.

Despite the strong finish to 2017, the Cardinals rank here, given that they have a rookie head coach and no quarterback under contract, while their best player is coming off injury. And who knows about ? All of this adds up to a desert mountain of uncertainty for what has been a mostly solid team over the last five years. Would Arizona be willing to make a play for Kirk Cousins? Don't think the Cards have to do so. Look for them to grab a kid in the draft.

More questions than answers for the Broncos this offseason, from the top on down. Vance Joseph endured a rocky season as a rookie head coach, and he enters the 2018 season on the proverbial hot seat. Who's the quarterback? Kirk Cousins? Sure, if he wants to sign there and try to follow in the footsteps of the last marquee free-agent QB to land in Denver, Peyton Manning. Good luck with that. There are also several key free agents who could leave this team, on both offense and defense. Cap room is actually not a huge problem. Thus, perhaps more than in any other offseason, John Elway's decision-making is the key to the future. At least Von Miller isn't hitting the market.

Why so low? As well as the Jets competed last season, we saw how bad it could get sans Josh McCown, who could retire or sign elsewhere. No matter the case, New York must draft somebody. High. No more of this taking a flier on a Baylor quarterback in the fourth round stuff. Putting Bryce Petty aside for a moment, the Jets would just as soon play Ken O'Brien as send Christian Hackenberg out there. Another issue: Fifteen impending free agents are set to hit the marketplace. Thankfully, New York owns with which to maneuver whimsically. Free agency and the draft could send Todd Bowles' outfit right back up the league hierarchy.

After agreeing to become the Colts' new head coach, Josh McDaniels pulled the ultimate Bumble move and . A move like this, which is essentially a non-move, can leave many people in a precarious situation, but none more than Indy GM Chris Ballard. With the face of the franchise , the Colts' prospects for the 2018 season are as murky as ever. Remember that Indy dropped six of its final seven games to close the year, so Ballard has much work ahead of him this spring.

Sadly, we can't write about this franchise without acknowledging . What a tragedy for his family. Just a terrible news item to see on the most celebrated day in football.

The Browns have picks, a tub of spending money equal to whatever Jimmy Garoppolo is going to make and no quarterback like ... uh ... Jimmy Garoppolo. Unless Hue Jackson works wonders with DeShone Kizer in Year 2, Cleveland acquires a name signal-caller via free agency or trade (another flirtation with AJ McCarron?) or the Browns draft Sam Darnold first overall, it will be difficult for this franchise to pull out of neutral. (You were thinking "reverse" there. Can't go backward much from 0-16.) There's no reason for the Browns not to take Darnold, given that they also own the pick that comes three slots later. Noticed Cleveland -- the top division in football in 2017 -- in the coming season. Whew boy.

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