Way-too-early 2021 NFL Power Rankings: Rams, Packers, Chiefs chasing Buccaneers

How do all 32 teams stack up in these way-too-early 2021 NFL Power Rankings?

2020 was quite a season for the NFL. There were serious concerns in the summer that the sport wouldn’t be able to take place due to the pandemic in the world, but the league and the NFLPA found a way to work together and make it possible.

And now, that season is in the books as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put an exclamation point on the year with a 31-9 win in Super Bowl LIV over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the second win for the franchise and the seventh for their new quarterback Tom Brady.

After the game, the Super Bowl MVP said he would be back in 2021 which has them ranked high in our way-too-early 2021 NFL Power Rankings. We also will see a climb for the Los Angeles Rams, who added quarterback Matthew Stafford in a recent trade.

Speaking of quarterbacks, the situation in Houston is getting out of hand with their signal-caller, and for that reason, the Texans come in with the 32nd ranking. With that said, we start with Houston and work our way to the top.

Things were supposed to get better for the Houston Texans after firing Bill O’Brien, but that hasn’t been the case. The former head coach was given far too much power and he used that to get rid of one of the best wideouts in the game. As if that wasn’t egregious enough, he landed an over-the-hill, high-priced running back in return.

Then, it came out afterward that he had some terrible things to say to DeAndre Hopkins before trading him — even comparing him to Aaron Hernandez. Yes, that Aaron Hernandez.

Even with that, they were somehow able to keep Deshaun Watson in town but that could now be changing. One of the best quarterbacks in the game, Watson has finally had enough of the franchise and asked to be traded. New general manager Nick Caserio is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube as he says the team won’t trade Watson but they have to do a lot of finessing to get him back in their good graces.

On top of this, defensive end J.J. Watt could be done too. While he’s not the player he once was, and his loss might not be as bad on the field, he’s a leader of the team, and seeing him lose faith isn’t good for their future prospects.

This team without Watson and Watt would be a mess. Then again, even if they have the two biggest names in the history of the franchise back and they’re unhappy, it still isn’t going to be easy to believe in them.