NFL Power Rankings entering Week 18
17 weeks down, 1 to go
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The 2021 NFL season enters its final week of the year, with several interesting playoff scenarios to keep an eye on. As for the Week 17 action, several teams took a tumble—including a staple atop this year’s NFL hierarchy—and caused a shift in the latest Power Rankings.
32. New York Giants (4-12, lost to Chicago Bears)
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Are they seriously going to bring back Joe Judge? Next: vs. Washington Football Team
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14, lost to New England Patriots)
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Trevor Lawrence probably wishes he was drafted by Bill Belichick instead of Urban Meyer. Next: vs. Indianapolis Colts
30. Detroit Lions (2-13-1, lost to Seattle Seahawks)
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Well, all the Lions need is for the Jaguars to win next week—while Detroit loses—and the No. 1 pick is theirs. Probably not going to happen, though. Next: vs. Green Bay Packers
29. Carolina Panthers (5-11, lost to New Orleans Saints)
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The season started with sizzle at 3-0…only to fizzle and erase those days from everyone’s memory. Next: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28. New York Jets (4-12, lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
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The Jets flirted with beating Tom Brady. Instead, Gang Green has to settle for running Antonio Brown off the Bucs’ roster. Next: at Buffalo Bills
27. Houston Texans (4-12, lost to San Francisco 49ers)
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Another workmanlike performance in a season of doing their best but not being good enough. Next: vs. Tennessee Titans
26. Minnesota Vikings (7-9, lost to Green Bay Packers)
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The fuse is shrinking on the Mike Zimmer era. And if he gets another year, everyone has to wonder what Minnesota is thinking. Next: vs. Chicago Bears
25. Denver Broncos (7-9, lost to Los Angeles Chargers)
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The Broncos are treading in quicksand, sinking and going nowhere. They need to fix their QB situation. Next: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
24. Washington Football Team (6-10, lost to Philadelphia Eagles)
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The WFT showed up and made a game of it against Philly. Then everything fell in, including part of FedEx Field. Next: at New York Giants
23. Seattle Seahawks (6-10, defeated Detroit LIons)
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If this was the last home game for Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll—for either or both—at least they went out in style. Next: at Arizona Cardinals
22. Atlanta Falcons (7-9, lost to Buffalo Bills)
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The Falcons actually had the lead for part of this game before Josh Allen & Co. proved too much. Still, they head into the final week of the season with seven wins, which is surprisingly more than many expected them to have. Next: vs. New Orleans Saints
21. Chicago Bears (6-10, defeated New York Giants)
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The Bears made Mike Glennon look like someone they wished that hadn’t signed years ago. Next: at Minnesota Vikings
20. Cleveland Browns (7-9, lost to Pittsburgh Steelers)
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One of — if not the — most disappointing teams in the 2021 season. Next: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7, defeated Denver Broncos)
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The Chargers flirt with taking the next step, but the win over Denver still leaves a lot of work in Week 18. They’ll need to take care of the Raiders for a chance to earn a wild-card spot. Next: at Las Vegas Raiders
18. Las Vegas Raiders (9-7, defeated Indianapolis Colts)
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The Raiders showed up and came away with a key victory at Indianapolis. Last-second field goals are not good for the heart of the Silver & Black Nation, but hope remains this season. Next: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
17. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7, defeated Washington Football Team)
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Could the Eagles actually wind up playing the Cowboys in the wild-card round, meaning it would be the third matchup this season? Next: vs. Dallas Cowboys
16. New Orleans Saints (8-8, defeated Carolina Panthers)
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New Orleans is at .500, which is mighty impressive considering the team has done so without a quarterback. Sean Payton is one of the few coaches who could pull this off. Next: vs. Atlanta Falcons
15. Baltimore Ravens (8-8, lost to Los Angeles Rams)
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The Ravens made Matthew Stafford look bad… and yet, they still found a way to let the Rams score late to wreck an otherwise solid defensive effort. Next: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7-1, defeated Cleveland Browns)
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Monday night might have been Ben Roethlisberger’s final home game in Pittsburgh, and it certainly wasn’t pretty. Najee Harris carried the offense while the defense did its part, though, and the win over the Browns gives the Steelers a small chance of getting into the playoffs. Next: at Baltimore Ravens
13. Miami Dolphins (8-8, lost to Tennessee Titans)
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The Dolphins’ win streak finally met a team with a strong quarterback and solid record. Unsurprisingly, the Fins went down quietly. Next: vs. New England Patriots
12. San Francisco 49ers (9-7, defeated Houston Texans)
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Wondering if this is the actual start of the Trey Lance era or if Kyle Shanahan would consider returning to Jimmy G should he regain his health? Next: at Los Angeles Rams
11. Arizona Cardinals (11-5, defeated Dallas Cowboys)
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Arizona went into Dallas and righted itself, which is no easy task. The Cardinals are in the playoffs and Week 18 will determine exactly how testing things get. Next: vs. Seattle Seahawks
10. Indianapolis Colts (9-7, lost to Las Vegas Raiders)
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The Colts came up just short against the Raiders. Not a great way to head into the final week of the season. The slow start to 2021 is still troublesome, but there is still hope for a playoff spot. Next: at Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Tennessee Titans (11-5, defeated Miami Dolphins)
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How much of a Super Bowl threat would the Titans be with Derrick Henry? Tennessee squashed Miami and D’onta Foreman looked like … Derrick Henry. Next: at Houston Texans
8. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6, defeated Kansas City Chiefs)
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Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were huge as the Bengals fell behind, but kept their composure and derailed the Chiefs. It may be a year early to consider them a serious Super Bowl contender but this team has grown more than any in the 2021 season. Next: vs. Cleveland Browns
7. New England Patriots (10-6, defeated Jacksonsville Jaguars)
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Everyone should get a scrimmage after a two-game losing streak. Right? The win over Jacksonville provided a solid momentum shift for the AFC East squad. Next: at Miami Dolphins
6. Dallas Cowboys (11-5, lost to Arizona Cardinals)
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Dallas has won the division, but didn’t help the playoff positioning when it slipped against Arizona at home. Need every win you can get when it comes to deciding the postseason matchups—and losing at home to a team that was off-stride is not great. Next: at Philadelphia Eagles
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-4. defeated New York Jets)
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Tom Brady worked his magic and Antonio Brown’s disruption was not enough to derail the Tampa Bay Express. Next: vs. Carolina Panthers
4. Buffalo Bills (10-6, defeated Atlanta Falcons)
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The Bills did what they had to do and downed the Falcons to keep pace ahead of the Patriots. Next: vs. New York Jets
3. Los Angeles Rams (12-4, defeated Baltimore Ravens)
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The Rams won the game. But there has to be a major concern about Matthew Stafford as the regular season winds to a close. That was a three-turnover game. Next: vs. San Francisco 49ers
2. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5, lost to Cincinnati Bengals)
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The Chiefs squandered a lead and the top spot in the Power Rankings. A win would have made them a strong favorite in the AFC. But… Next: at Denver Broncos
1. Green Bay Packers (13-3, defeated Minnesota Vikings)
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The Packers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the top team in the Power Rankings. Next: at Detroit Lions
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