I stopped writing NFL Power Rankings a couple of seasons ago ’cause nobody was reading ’em. You know – every sports media website in the world has some form of these power rankings up, so there’s a lot of competition, and the little guys like us lose out in those scenarios. It makes it somewhat pointless to do stuff like this, but whatever happened with Google’s core web vitals update back in May seems to have kicked our traffic into another gear. I guess they like us? Anyway, it made me think that maybe it was worth giving these bad boys another try. So, like I said before I stopped writing these, my NFL Power Rankings are based solely on what has happened on the field so far. I’m not taking preseason expectations or projections into consideration. These rankings are based strictly on what I’ve seen so far this season. Let’s get to it.
NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 14, 2021
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-3) – The Bucs have really gotten things right after a two-game skid, winning four in a row and averaging 32.8 points per game in the process. Tom Brady is the MVP of the league right now in my opinion, and this team is absolutely rolling. They’re reminding us that the road to the Super Bowl still goes through Tampa. They host the Saints on Sunday Night Football.
2. Green Bay Packers (10-3) – I know it ended up being a dominant win. I know Aaron Rodgers is back in the MVP competition. But, if we’re splitting hairs, I give the Bucs the edge for their quality opponent. Could we be heading towards a repeat in the NFC Championship? The Packers go to Baltimore for a big game on Sunday.
3. Arizona Cardinals (10-3) – Three different teams atop the NFC at 10-3. I’m not giving up on the Cardinals for that one on Monday night. This is still a complete, super talented team capable of going on a run. They should get to 11-3 after a trip to Detroit on Sunday.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (9-4) – All due respect to the Patriots, but are the Chiefs the hottest team in the AFC right now? I mean that defense has this team surging – if you haven’t already, best pick them up in your fantasy league if you can. That’s a potential league-winner right there. They absolutely destroyed a pretty solid Raiders team on Sunday, but face a challenge in a trip to Los Angeles to play the Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
5. New England Patriots (9-4) – I love the way the Patriots are playing right now – punishing run game…good defense…solid decision-making at quarterback. They hold onto the #1 seed in the AFC for now coming off the bye week, but have a massive game at Indianapolis on Saturday night.
6. Los Angeles Rams (9-4) – Y’all still gonna keep calling them the Los Angeles Shams like they don’t have the talent to show up and beat anybody in this league? As long as Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Donald are standing, they’ve got a shot at the Super Bowl. They host the Seahawks on Sunday.
7. Tennessee Titans (9-4) – 20-0 over the lowly Jags is just what the doctor ordered to get this season back on track. As this team gets healthier, they’ll climb back towards the top of this list. They have a huge game against the Steelers on Sunday.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9-4) – The ‘Boys are just 3-3 after starting the season 6-1. I don’t love the way they’re playing right now, as either they’ve come back down to Earth a bit, or the Saints and Football Team are much better than their 6-7 records would indicate. I’m starting to trust Dallas a little less. They travel to New York to play the Giants on Sunday.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) – I’m here for the Justin Herbert fan club. The Chargers are 3-1 in their last four, and aside from that weird loss to the Broncos, they’ve averaged 39.7 points per game. 39.7 points per game! This is a fun team to watch, and if they continue to get hot, they could be a force come January. They host the Chiefs in a huge AFC contest on Thursday night.
10. San Francisco 49ers (7-6) – I kind of love what the 49ers have done in their last five games, and think they’ve turned into one of the real dark horses in the league right now. Plus, without Lamar Jackson (who I’ve said in this very column, pretty much is the Baltimore Ravens), I can’t in good conscience rank the Ravens in the top 10. I am a credible journalist, after all. The 49ers get the Falcons on Sunday in a match-up that is a surprisingly important NFC playoff race game in December.
IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY…
AFC
- (1) New England Patriots (BYE)
- (7) Buffalo Bills @ (2) Tennessee Titans
- (6) Indianapolis Colts @ (3) Kansas City Chiefs
- (5) Los Angeles Chargers @ (4) Baltimore Ravens
NFC
- (1) Green Bay Packers (BYE)
- (7) Washington Football Team @ (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- (6) San Francisco 49ers @ (3) Arizona Cardinals
- (5) Los Angeles Rams @ (4) Dallas Cowboys
PREDICTIONS
- Top 5 NFL Draft order: 1. Jaguars, 2. Lions, 3. Texans, 4. Jets, 5. Bears
- AFC Championship: Chiefs @ Titans
- NFC Championship: Buccaneers @ Packers
- Super Bowl: Chiefs vs. Buccaneers
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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