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With one week left in the regular season, the top teams in the NFL have revealed themselves.
Most have clinched divisional titles or playoff berths, but there remain a few good teams that could miss out on the postseason if they can’t win their Week 18 match.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith compiled a list of his top-five teams heading into the final week of the regular season: The Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and the Detroit Lions.
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It’s a good list that includes the top seeds in each conference, one division winner, and one ascending team.
But, oddly enough, it also includes a team that isn’t even technically in the playoffs yet: the Bills.
If Buffalo beats the Miami Dolphins this week, they’ll win the AFC East for the fourth consecutive season and secure a home playoff game.
Otherwise, though, the list includes all potential Super Bowl contenders.
The Ravens just beat two of the best teams in the NFL in back-to-back weeks in the 49ers and Dolphins, while San Francisco remains one of the toughest teams in the league.
The Lions are formidable as well, though their playoff seeding was irrevocably ruined by a controversial call at the end of their Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Most teams on this list will rest their starters for Week 18, but then anything can happen once the playoffs start.
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