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
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.
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.
30. New York Giants
New York Giants fans have to be beyond frustrated. Not only is their team now 4-11 following a 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but reports are also coming out saying the team plans to stick with Daniel Jones at quarterback and Joe Judge as their head coach.
Jones has been out recently but even when he was under center, the offense left a lot to be desired. Even worse, their wide receivers continue to be a problem, even after paying Kenny Golladay a boatload of cash in the offseason. Then again, Judge was a receiver coach in New England before coming to New York and his receivers were pretty bad there too, so it’s not really a shocker.
It’s hard to believe things will get better down the stretch and if they bring this same staff back, 2022 could also be rough.
29. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans delivered the upset of the week as they took it to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Now at 4-11, the Texans aren’t playing for anything other than pride and a couple of players really stood out.
First was Davis Mills who was 21-of-27 passing with two touchdowns. Rex Burkhead also balled out with 149 yards and two scores on 22 rushing attempts. Not to be outdone, Houston’s defense also played well with Tavierre Thomas and Jonathan Owens each picking off Justin Herbert — with Thomas taking it back for six.
Many of these players are trying to fight for a spot on the team in 2022 and this outing allowed them to put some solid tape out there against a quality opponent.
28. New York Jets
There was a lot of excitement in New Jersey this weekend as the New York Jets had a couple of fun touchdowns. One was the 102-yard kickoff return from Braxton Berrios. The other, was a big-man touchdown as offensive lineman Connor McDermott lined up as an eligible receiver and hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass from Zach Wilson.
It was the only touchdown pass for Wilson, who had just 102 yards passing but he added 91 yards and a crazy impressive score on the ground. Michael Carter added 118 yards and as a team, New York ran for 273 yards as they handed the Jags their 13th loss.
New York hasn’t had a lot to celebrate but their past game was fun. And they pulled off a win. That counts for something.
27. Seattle Seahawks
For just the second time in Russell Wilson’s career, his Seattle Seahawks will not be going to the playoffs. They suffered yet another loss this weekend as the Chicago Bears won 25-24 thanks to Nick Foles hitting one of their former players, Jimmy Graham, for a touchdown. Chicago also added a two-point conversion to take the lead 25-24, and that proved to be the right move.
Seattle is now 5-10 and even before this loss, there were rumors that Wilson could be gone in 2022. The Seahawks apparently don’t want to commit long-term and that could lead to the face of the franchise heading elsewhere.
The only other question will be whether or not head coach Pete Carroll will also be on the way out. It could be an offseason full of big changes in Seattle.
26. Carolina Panthers
Matt Rhule continues to confuse as he clearly doesn’t have a plan for the Carolina Panthers offense. On Sunday, they got Sam Darnold back but elected to use him in a rotation with Cam Newton — even though Newton has not been playing well in recent weeks.
The result was neither quarterback being able to get in a rhythm as they were a combined 22-of-45 for 206 yards with a pick from Newton. The one good part of this was Newton’s 42 yards on the ground but with how he’s been throwing the ball in recent weeks, that doesn’t seem like enough.
Sure, he seems like he wants to figure out what to do with the position next season but didn’t do either a favor by moving them in and out.
25. Chicago Bears
It’s probably fair to ask how good the Chicago Bears could be with a new head coach. Matt Nagy continues to make questionable calls on offense but the defense keeps them in every game. That was again the case on Sunday as they held Russell Wilson to just 181 yards on 16-of-27 passing.
On their side, Nick Foles made his first start of the season and he had 250 yards and a touchdown — which proved to be a game-winner. Foles hit Jimmy Graham, as the former Seahawk pulled them to within one point. Foles then converted a two-point conversion as Chicago went for the jugular — and made it.
Still, they’re 5-10 and chances are, there will be a new coach in 2022.
24. Washington Football Team
There was a time not too long ago where fans in the nation’s capital were claiming they wanted Dallas. That proved to be more than they could handle as the Washington Football Team has gone in the wrong direction —‚ and that includes two losses against Dallas.
Their last loss to the Cowboys was on Sunday Night Football and it was over by the second quarter as they gave up 21 in the first and 21 in the second quarter.
Washington had a great run in the middle of the season but they are now 6-9 and need to start planning for the 2022 season.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins had a good game overall and really outplayed Matthew Stafford. However, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback was never able to overcome his red-zone interception early in the game. That left points on the board, which seemed to be the theme as Minnesota had to settle for three field goals in a seven-point loss to the Rams.
It ended up being a wasted effort by the defense who had three interceptions while trying to do all they could to keep them in the game. There was also a long punt return for a touchdown that helped seal the loss.
Now at 7-8, Minnesota might be looking ahead to the offseason — and they have a lot of questions to answer.
22. New Orleans Saints: Play on Monday Night Football vs. Miami Dolphins
It’s desperation time in New Orleans. The Saints are down to Ian Book at quarterback with Jameis Winston out for the year and Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian each being placed on the COVID list. This led to them reaching out to Drew Brees and even Philip Rivers as possible options.
Both said no, while the rumor is Brees sent a picture of himself golfing to remind them he’s retired. Book, a fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame this season, has a huge opportunity in front of him as he makes his first start on Monday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins.
New Orleans is still breathing at 7-7, so they’re crossing their fingers hoping that he can seize this chance and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
21. Atlanta Falcons
They’re still alive in the NFC, but barely.
The Atlanta Falcons scored a close win over the Detroit Lions and needed a late stand from the defense to pull it off. With a lead of just 20-16, wide receiver Russell Gage fumbled the ball away which gave the Lions — led by Tim Boyle who was filling in for Jared Goff — one last shot.
Boyle moved the ball to the nine-yard line before Foyesade Oluokun was gifted a pass right to his chest, and he hauled in the game-sealing touchdown. Now at 7-8, they suddenly have a lot to play for in the final two weeks but it won’t be easy considering they square off against Buffalo and the Saints to close out the year.
20. Cleveland Browns
Baker Mayfield played another terrible game and yet still had a shot to win it at the end as the Cleveland Browns were down 24-22 with roughly two minutes to play. However, their hopes were dashed when he threw his fourth pick of the game, dropping them to 7-8.
The Christmas Day loss was a tough one for Cleveland because they should have won. Not because the refs blew a pass interference call but because their defense played very well in giving up 24 to the Packers — especially when you realize 21 points came off of turnovers.
As for the missed call, the Browns feel like they keep getting robbed but the truth is, every NFL team gets bad calls. They just put themselves in such terrible situations that one missed call ruins their chances. Until they figure out how to fix that, this team will struggle.
19. Denver Broncos
On Sunday, the Denver Broncos had to go without Teddy Bridgewater and they simply looked lost. Drew Lock filled in and had just 153 yards passing on 15 completions, and threw no touchdowns. They did get one score from Javonte Williams, but overall, the running game manufactured 18 yards on 16 plays.
Statistically, the Broncos should have lost by 20. Their offense was simpy anemic all day — but the defense held the Raiders to just 17 points. Even with the score staying that low, Denver was unable to capitalize and wound up falling to 7-8 with the loss.
They now have a road game against the Chargers before finishing their season at home against the Chiefs. That’s less than ideal for a team struggling to score points.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered this weekend with a shot at making a run at the AFC North. Then, they were completely manhandled by the Kansas City Chiefs who were up 23-0 at halftime and then spent the entire second half killing the clock.
Kansas City even took out Patrick Mahomes early in the fourth since the win was in the bag. For the Steelers, they’re now 7-7-1 and need a whole lot to go right in order for them to get back into the AFC North race.
They do have games against the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens left but with how much they struggled in Week 16, it’s hard to believe in them.
17. Las Vegas Raiders
They beat the Browns in Week 15 which gave the Las Vegas Raiders a little more hope that they could finish 2021 with a winning record. Of course, they benefited from Cleveland being down to their third quarterback, but a win is a win.
Then in Week 16, they again benefited from a quarterback being out as Teddy Bridgewater missed this contest. That meant the Raiders faced a Denver team led by Drew Lock — who ended up with just 153 yards.
Las Vegas also held the Broncos to just 18 yards rushing. Having said all that, they still only won by four and needed a last-second field goal to win the week prior. In other words, they may have a winning record but they’re not striking fear into the hearts of legit contenders.
16. Miami Dolphins: Play on Monday Night Football vs. New Orleans Saints
The Miami Dolphins enter Week 16 on a six-game winning streak and it could very well become a seven-game streak due to the issues their opponent is facing. The New Orleans Saints already lost Jamies Winston earlier this year and now had to place Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on the COVID list.
With all that being said, they’re down to their fourth quarterback of the season, Ian Book. Of course, Miami can’t take anything for granted but they could improve to 8-7 with a win in this one. However, the road gets tough after that as they close things out with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots.
15. Philadelphia Eagles
There was a lot of hype for Washington in the NFC East but it’s been the Philadelphia Eagles who are trying to make a run. While they’re not going to be able to catch Dallas, they did improve to 8-7 on the season with a convincing win over the New York Giants in Week 16.
It was their third win in a row and was also a bit of revenge since their only loss in the last six games came at the hands of the Giants.
Philadelphia has two games against East opponents in Washington and Dallas and if they manage to finish with a winning record, that could be huge. But they could also sneak into the postseason, which seemed impossible earlier this year.
14. Baltimore Ravens
Josh Johnson deserves a lot of credit for how he played on Sunday. A 14-year veteran, Johnson hadn’t started a game since 2018 with Washington but was asked to take the field in a huge game against the Cincinnati Bengals with both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley out.
Johnson threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns but was still on the wrong side of a 41-21 score. A huge reason for that was the Ravens’ inability to stop Joe Burrow who had 525 yards and four touchdowns. They also gave Johnson no help on the ground, finishing with 39 yards.
Baltimore is now 8-7 as they have been battling injuries all season and somehow treading water. In the end, they may come up short but they still deserve a lot of respect for not folding.
13. San Francisco 49ers
An early 10-point lead wasn’t enough for the San Francisco 49ers who found themselves losing to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. The loss re-sparked criticism for Jimmy Garoppolo who had a couple of turnovers and left plenty of plays on the table.
Even worse, general manager John Lynch liked a tweet saying the 49ers should leave Garoppolo in Nashville. He said afterward it was a mistake, but then again, he hasn’t “accidentally” liked any tweets supporting Garoppolo.
At 8-7, their season is still alive but this was a tough loss that makes it much harder for them to try and make it into the playoffs.
12. Los Angeles Chargers
At one point, it looked as though the Los Angeles Chargers were going to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West title. Now, they’re flirting with a 500 record after suffering their most embarrassing loss of the season.
Los Angeles was on the road playing the Houston Texans and couldn’t get it done despite a 64 yard, two-touchdown performance from running back Justin Jackson. One huge issue was the turnovers as Jackson lost one fumble and Justin Herbert threw two picks in the 41-29 loss.
In the final two weeks, they play against the Broncos and Raiders and likely need to win both games just to have a shot at clinching a Wild Card spot.
11. New England Patriots
It was only a few weeks ago when the New England Patriots went into Buffalo and won a game while Mac Jones threw just three passes. Playing in a virtual wind tunnel, the Pats ran the ball over and over as the Bills had no answer.
Now in Week 16, the two met again and the weather was much better. With that not a factor, Buffalo was much better and Jones had to throw it a lot more — resulting in just 145 yards with no touchdowns and two picks on 14-of-32 passing.
Damien Harris did all he could to keep them in the game, going for 103 yards and three touchdowns but Bills got the win and it’s now a dead heat with both teams at 9-6 in the AFC East.
10. Indianapolis Colts
Carson Wentz is going to end up costing the Indianapolis Colts a first-round pick, but they’re going to be happy with that. In making their trade for the former Philadelphia starter, there was a condition that their second-round pick would become a Round 1 selection if Wentz played in 75 percent of the snaps — or if he played in 70 percent and they made the playoffs.
Right now, it appears both will happen. Wentz was a huge part of their win over Arizona on Christmas and while Jonathan Taylor continues to be the leader of this offense, Wentz threw a big touchdown late to put the game away.
Now that he’s back with Frank Reich, he’s looking more and more like the guy we saw in 2017 and the Colts are sitting at 9-6, nearing a postseason berth.
9. Buffalo Bills
It was a revenge game for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. This team was rolling until a couple of weeks ago when they hosted the New England Patriots in a blizzard, and had the ball rammed down their throats in a low-scoring loss. They then lost a close game to the Tampa Bay Bucs but won easily against Carolina before getting their rematch with the Pats in Week 16 — and they made the most of it.
In control from the start, the Bills won 33-21 as Allen had 314 yards passing, three touchdowns, and 64 yards on the ground. He even ran a huge fourth-down conversion late to help seal the win.
Now at 9-6, the Bills have the Falcons and Jets left — two teams with losing records — and could wind up winning the AFC East after all.
8. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans had been on a slump with three losses in their last four games and then faced a 10-0 deficit at halftime on Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. They were able to fight back as Ryan Tannehill and A.J. Brown were playing very well together — with Brown pulling in 11 receptions for 145 yards.
Tennessee also had a solid eight-play drive to end the game as they covered 49 yards while killing the final two minutes of the game. Randy Bullock then came in and nailed a 44-yarder to win the game, improving the Titans to 10-5 on the season.
They’re still in great shape to win their division and this win could help them seal things.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
If you weren’t sure whether or not Joe Burrow was a star, you only needed to watch him on Sunday. Needing a win over the Ravens to put his Cincinnati Bengals in first place in the AFC North, Burrow stepped up and threw for 525 yards with four touchdowns and no picks.
He was dialed in all day and hit Tee Higgins for 12 catches, 194 yards, and two touchdowns while also hooking up with Ja’Marr Chase on seven passes for 125 yards.
Cincinnati controls their own destiny now and even if they can’t beat the Chiefs in Week 17, they could seal it with a game against the Browns in Week 18. But let’s not jump ahead because that Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup could be a lot of fun with how No. 9 is playing.
6. Arizona Cardinals
Ever since returning to the lineup for the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray hasn’t looked the same as he did early in the season when he led his team to a 7-0 start. On Saturday night, they lost their third consecutive game and are now 1-3 since he returned.
They had no answer for Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman also went off with eight receptions. Arizona does at least still have a record of 10-5 but they are no longer in control of the No. 1 seed and are now focused on stopping the bleeding. In Week 17, they have a critical game against the Dallas Cowboys and then close things out with a home game against the Seattle Seahawks. They should make it to the postseason, but they need to avoid backing into it.
5. Dallas Cowboys
What a statement win.
The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East even before stepping on the field in Week 16, but that didn’t stop them from giving it their all as they hosted the Washington Football Team. The Cowboys knew they needed more than just the postseason as they’re looking at the No. 1 overall seed, to make sure the playoffs go through Big D.
They ended up with a huge win as Dak Prescott and the offense went off — while the defense and special teams also scored touchdowns in the big win.
Dallas is now 11-4 and while they need some help to win the top seed, they’re at least in the conversation with two weeks left to play.
4. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams had a three-game losing streak that looked as though it would threaten their season. Now, they’re on a four-game winning streak and back in control of the NFC West. On top of that, they still have a chance for the No. 1 overall seed, even though they need some help to pull that off.
As for their game Sunday, Matthew Stafford had a rough performance including three picks against Minnesota. But the defense held enough times in the red zone to keep the Vikings from taking control. There was even a huge punt return for a touchdown from Brandon Powell to help out.
Eventually, they put them away and the Rams are now 11-4 with games against a desperate Baltimore team followed by a Week 18 showdown with the 49ers who may have a playoff spot on the line.
3. Tampa Bay Bucs
Antonio Brown was back — and came back with a vengeance. Following several weeks off due to an injury followed by a suspension for a fake vaccine card — yeah, that was a weird situation but it always seems weird with AB — Brown went off with 101 yards on 10 receptions.
He helped Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay offense move the chains, and their running game got rolling as well with 159 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Defensively, they held the Panthers to just six points in a huge win that improved them to 11-4, keeping their hopes of a No. 1 seed alive.
It was a great way to rebound from their 9-0 loss the week prior to New Orleans, which still makes no sense.
2. Green Bay Packers
Playing at home on Christmas Day, the Green Bay Packers got a narrow win as they held off the Cleveland Browns in a 24-22 contest. While they’re now 12-4, they’re likely not very happy with their play the past two weeks.
In Week 15, they allowed the Baltimore Ravens to make a strong comeback against them after taking a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Ravens failed on a two-poing conversion, which would have given them the win, meaning the Packers escaped.
Then in Week 16, they were up by 12 late in the third quarter and Cleveland pulled to within two. They were moving the chains too until they started dialing up the passes — that and a missed pass interference helped bail out Green Bay.
They’re now 12-3 but have some minor issues to clean up. Even so, this is the best team in the NFC right now, and they’re more dangerous because they know they can be better.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
The Los Angeles Chargers opened the door with a shocking loss to the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs went plowing through it. With L.A. losing, the Chiefs needed a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to secure the AFC West. And they not only got a win, they got a convincing win.
Kansas City was able to sit Patrick Mahomes down early in the fourth quarter as Chad Henne came in to relieve their star player. Mahomes finished with 258 yards on 23-of-30 passing with three touchdowns and no picks.
He continues to prove that their early-season struggles meant nothing at all as they once again own the No. 1 spot in our 2021 NFL Power Rankings.