2021 NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Chiefs, Cowboys lock up division, Browns fall apart
By Randy Gurzi
The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys locked up their divisions and the Cleveland Browns fell apart. See what this does to our Week 17 2021 NFL Power Rankings.
Christmas weekend brought us some exciting games as Joe Burrow went off for the Cincinnati Bengals with over 500 yards passing. He reminded everyone that he’s an elite playmaker as he and his team took the lead in the AFC North.
Others went a step further and clinched their division — including the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys. Both those teams won in a huge way as they made sure to do what they could to stay in the race for the No. 1 seed in their respective conference.
Other teams, such as the Cleveland Browns completely fell apart with everything on the line. We now take a minute to look back to each of these games and see how it affects our 2021 NFL Power Rankings at Week 17.
Jaguars stay on bottom of latest 2021 NFL Power Rankings
52. . . Previous: 32nd. Jacksonville Jaguars. 32. team
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars season was summed up in one play. With the game on the line, trailing by five, they had it on the one-yard line facing a fourth-and-goal. Going for what would have been just their third win, Trevor Lawrence fired a pass incomplete to Marvin Jones.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a flag on the play for an illegal shift. So, even if they converted on the fourth-down play, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The only good thing for the Jags is this keeps them in control of the No. 1 pick, although Detroit is nipping at their heels. They need it because this roster needs a whole lot of talent.
Previous: 28th. Detroit Lions. 31. team. 50. .
31. Detroit Lions
Once again, the Detroit Lions made it close but couldn’t pull off the win. On the road against the Atlanta Falcons, they were down 20-16 and got the ball back after a Russell Gage fumble. Backup quarterback Tim Boyle moved them to the Atlanta nine-yard line, but then disaster struck.
With pressure in his face, Boyle rifled a pass, and Foyesade Oluokun was there to pick it off. Had they scored the touchdown, it would have been their third win in four weeks. As it stands, they’re now 2-12-1 on the season. If there’s any good news, they’re still in play for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
And if they can land some talent, it appears they could be a solid team considering the heart they show every week.