Well people it is finally here. The last regular season week of the NFL is almost here. The 2021 season has been weird, but exciting and fun. This will be the second to last power ranking before the finale. Let’s see what the last week has to offer!
#32
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-13)
Previous Rank – 32
Jacksonville finds itself at the bottom yet again this week. Doesn’t seem to matter who they play because this team is basically done. The season-ending injury to James Robinson last weekend didn’t help their cause, and now before they look to the future of what lies ahead in 2022, they’ll have one more game to play; a matchup against the New England Patriots.
#31
Detroit Lions (2-12-1)
Previous Rank – 31
With all their injuries and COVID issues, the Lions were unable to take down the Falcons last weekend. The Lions started off really terrible, but honestly, they have been improving week by week with a lot of tightly matched contests. The team is young and will look to build off great prospects in the draft. However, a matchup against the Seahawks could prove to give them their third win of the season.
#30
New York Giants (4-11)
Previous Rank – 28
Yeah, I said at the beginning that the Giants were gonna struggle. However, a lot of it has come down to bad management and injury issues. Now there are reports coming in of maybe moving Saquon Barkley who might be the best player on their team. Their general manager will be gone come the end of the year, and we will hopefully see them improve in 2022. They’ll take on the Bears for their last contest of the season.
#29
New York Jets (4-11)
Previous Rank – 30
The other side of New York comes in closely after the Giants as the Jets have been in shambles as well this season. However, there is a positive trend of seeing Zach Wilson develop as a runner these past couple of weeks, and a win over Jacksonville last week puts them in a decent spot for draft capital. They’ll be facing the Bucs which will be a tough task for their last game of the season.
#28
Houston Texans (4-11)
Previous Rank – 29
I’ll give the Texans this; they won more games than I thought they would have won including an incredible upset win last weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers. My thoughts are this team is going to move Watson before the 2022 season starts and really start developing Davis Mills because honestly, the kid hasn’t looked terrible all season. They will be facing the 49ers this week.
#27
Carolina Panthers (5-10)
Previous Rank – 26
So both Darnold and Newton got playing time last weekend against the Buccaneers which was interesting, but man this team has really slowed down. Injuries, bad quarterback play, and just overall unusual energy came with the Panthers this season. Honestly, their season is up in the air next year with some of their best players constantly getting hurt and the team just making some bad plays. They’ll face the Saints this week.
#26
Seattle Seahawks (5-10)
Previous Rank – 25
Honestly, it is weird that this might be the last year we see Wilson as the quarterback for the Seahawks. The fame and fortune that came in the early years of the Legion of Boom have 100% soured over, and overall this was a really bad year for Seattle. Pete Carroll needs to go, and Wilson will likely be jumping ship to go play for someone better. They’ll face the Detroit Lions this week.
#25
Chicago Bears (5-10)
Previous Rank – 27
Nick Foles strikes again. The decision to start him came with a grain of salt, but with Fields and Dalton both hurt I understand it. He was able to rally the Bears and get a last-minute win over the Seahawks in snowy conditions. Constant quarterback play and bad coaching have been the team’s crutch this year, but with Nagy basically out the door, they will find some to properly develop Justin Fields. This week they’ll get the New York Giants.
#24
Washington Football Team (6-9)
Previous Rank – 23
WFT has 100% been one of the most disappointing teams this season compared to what they were last year. Their defense has shown some flashes, but honestly, they have been dreadful this season with so much potential in a bad division. Some discussions are going to have to happen in terms of quarterback and defense because this team froze against Dallas, and I assume they will freeze yet again to the Eagles this week.
#23
Cleveland Browns (7-8)
Previous Rank – 22
Cleveland was not supposed to be this bad this season. Apparently, no one told them that because they have been getting lit up on both sides of the ball this season. Baker has struggled through multiple injuries this season, but he has constantly just been a game manager this season. Hopefully, the Browns figure it out because they are looking like they will be missing the playoffs. They’ll be facing an AFC North rival this week; the Steelers.
#22
Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
Previous Rank – 24
The Falcons have made some progress since last season, but they could have done better had some things gone their way this season. It is looking like next year might be Matt Ryan’s last year as a Falcon so they might want to think about taking a quarterback this upcoming draft. Things got better for them this last weekend with a win over the Lions, but they will look to try to keep their season riding on a high note as they’ll face the Buffalo Bills this week.
#21
Denver Broncos (7-8)
Previous Rank – 20
The Broncos dropped a loss to the Raiders last weekend, and that really hurts their chances of making the playoffs. It really wouldn’t matter as their run game was pitful last weekend, and Drew Lock really couldn’t get anything going to replace Teddy Bridgewater. The Broncos will look to try to improve their record when they take on the Chargers this week.
#20
New Orleans Saints (7-8)
Previous Rank – 17
This was a hard one to watch being a secondary Saints fan. I firmly believe the Saints have no clue what they are doing. Ian Book had no choice but to start, and man, he was bad. Somehow, Sean Payton has found no use for his most prized weapon; Alvin Kamara, and I guess the defense chooses whether they show up or not. With Michael Thomas’s status for next season uncertain, the Saints have to get things under control before they get ugly. They’ll face the Panthers this week.
#19
Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
Previous Rank – 16
The Vikings had a shot at knocking off the Rams, and their defense played okay picking off Stafford multiple times, but they blew it in the end like always. Now Kirk Cousins has tested positive for COVID, and he will not play against Green Bay. That means Kellen Mond will probably start which spells bad things for Minnesota. Mike Zimmer’s seat has never been hotter than it is now.
#18
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1)
Previous Rank – 15
At this point, I am all for a clean sweep of our office because last week was an absolute train wreck when the Steelers took a brutal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The problem here was Tyreek Hill was ineffective, and Travis Kelce was out with COVID, and we still lost by over 30 points. This was embarrassing, and things need to start changing. Enough with the bad though, let’s get to the sad. This week is most likely Ben’s last home game as a Steeler and it will be against the Cleveland Browns.
#17
Las Vegas Raiders (8-7)
Previous Rank – 21
The Raiders shouldn’t be this high given how they’ve played in recent weeks, but this is the best I could do people. It wasn’t a great victory against the Broncos, but an impressive feat was that they absolutely stopped the running attack of Denver and they are not a great rushing defense. All things considered, the Raiders still are above .500, but they will need to keep going. This week they’ll face the Indianapolis Colts.
#16
Miami Dolphins (8-7)
Previous Rank – 19
The Dolphins have won seven straight games without a great running back, okay quarterback play, and barely any wideouts. Flores has definitely outdone himself this season, and to think they were calling for his head at the beginning of the season. The Dolphins will look to continue their winning streak when they face off against the Titans this week.
#15
Philadelphia Eagles (8-7)
Previous Rank – 18
It’s weird how I thought Philly would turn out to where they are now. Jalen Hurts has been a great quarterback, their running game got better, and their defense has stepped up. All those factors came into play when they dominated the Giants last weekend. We will see if the birds can continue to bleed green when they take on the Washington Football Team this weekend.
#14
San Francisco 49ers (8-7)
Previous Rank – 13
The 49ers couldn’t get the job done against the Titans last weekend as a returning AJ Brown made them look absolutely foolish. Now we are hearing reports that Jimmy G is likely out this weekend which means rookie Trey Lance will be stepping up to the plate yet again for the 49ers. His first start was a little rocky, but he faced Arizona. This week, they will be facing the Houston Texans.
#13
Los Angeles Chargers (8-7)
Previous Rank – 12
Every team has an off week when they lose to someone they shouldn’t have lost to. I’ll chalk this one up as that particular game because the Chargers got absolutely wasted by the Houston Texans. It was an odd one at that, but I assume the Chargers will get back on track. They will be facing the Denver Broncos this weekend in a much-needed divisional matchup.
#12
Baltimore Ravens (8-7)
Previous Rank – 10
The Ravens were down their top-two quarterback options, but man the defense didn’t show up here. It was the second time this season that the Bengals absolutely swept them and embarrassed them. Now the Ravens sit on the outside of the playoff picture and will look to capitalize on these last two weeks to get anywhere by the end of the 2021 season. they’ll face the Rams this weekend.
#11
New England Patriots (9-5)
Previous Rank – 7
New England was having a ball here, but now they have dropped two back-to-back losses. First the Colts, and now the Bills. Now the Patriots have lost the AFC East division for the moment. The only way they can get it back is to beat out Buffalo’s record by the end of the season. I hope Mac Jones and company are ready. Their first game should be an easy one as they’ll face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend.
#10
Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
Previous Rank – 14
The Bengals balled out on the Ravens again last weekend. However, now comes the tough challenge. The Bengals have been most impressive against their own division, but now they will be facing the Chiefs this Sunday. The Bengals have played extremely well this season, but they have dropped some bad games as well. I expect this one to be a really good contest between both teams.
#9
Buffalo Bills (9-6)
Previous Rank – 11
The Bills were given a chance to face the Patriots this time without terrible weather conditions. While they were unable to stop the running attack by them again, their offense was much more efficient, and Josh Allen looked great out there. For the moment, the Bills have taken back their division. They will look to keep it that way when Buffalo faces off against Atlanta this weekend.
#8
Indianapolis Colts (9-6)
Previous Rank – 9
What a statement win from the Colts this past weekend as they were able to knock off the Arizona Cardinals in a terrific fashion. Their defense played well. Wentz played well. Taylor could have been better, but man this was such a great game, and the Colts fully deserve this win. Now, they are just a game back from winning the division. We will see if they can keep this going when they face off against the Raiders this weekend.
#7
Tennessee Titans (10-5)
Previous Rank – 8
The returning AJ Brown gave the Titans all they needed to knock off the 49ers last Thursday night. If Brown can stay healthy, then the Titans have a good shot at taking the division. First things first though, they will need to keep winning games. They will be facing off the Miami Dolphins this week.
#6
Arizona Cardinals (10-5)
Previous Rank – 3
The Cardinals might be letting success get to their head as they are dropping down the rankings faster and faster each week. This time they got a good opponent and fell short to the Colts last weekend. Murray needs to keep going, but the defense is now starting to cost them some games. They will have to get back on track even though playing without Hopkins is tough. They’ll face the Dallas Cowboys this weekend.
#5
Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)
Previous Rank – 6
It is so weird that the Chiefs were so bad this year, and yet they are probably going to be the number one seed in the AFC. That’s so trash. Mahomes and company put the Steelers away with no problem last weekend without some top players. Now they will face off against the Bengals who are playing much more competitive football than Pittsburgh has been. It is going to be a crazy one for sure.
#4
Dallas Cowboys (11-4)
Previous Rank – 5
Dallas was a monster last weekend as Washington was absolutely obliterated. Prescott threw four touchdowns in the first half and sat and watched the fireworks as their defense racked up a tremendous amount of points in this one. Dallas is totally becoming a Super Bowl contender, but they will need to keep it up. This includes this week’s game against the Cardinals.
#3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4)
Previous Rank – 4
With all the injuries and COVID issues affecting the Bucs, some might be surprised to see them still so high. I don’t doubt Brady for a second. Even if he doesn’t have Mike Evans, he still has Brown and Gronk. They also face the Jets this weekend. Brady also leads the NFL in passing yards so swallow that. The Bucs will be fine.
#2
Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
Previous Rank – 2
Stafford didn’t have the best game against a really shitty Minnesota secondary, but the Rams came out the victor. As long as Stafford doesn’t play himself, the Rams have a really good shot at going to the Super Bowl. He will just need to keep the momentum on track as the Rams will face off against the Baltimore Ravens this weekend.
#1
Green Bay Packers (12-3)
Previous Rank – 1
The Packers are looking to be the favorite it seems to get to the Super Bowl and maybe even win it. However, they did almost blow a huge lead over the Browns. Luckily Baker sucks so that didn’t happen. Rodgers and company will look to get the first bye week going for the NFC as they will be facing off against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.
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