It’s the NFL’s second season aka the playoffs. A year ago, a wild card team won Super Bowl LV. Here’s a look at the clubs ranked from No. 14 to No. 1.
From 32 teams to 14 playoff participants. And for the second consecutive year, the National Football League has seven teams representing each conference in the postseason. There are seven clubs in the playoffs in 2021 that were not here a year ago.
Here the remaining teams are ranked from No. 14 to No. 1. The difference here is that compared to regular-season rankings, NFL playoff experience into account. And this is a pretty loaded field historically in terms of franchises, players, and coaches who have been down this path numerous times.
It’s been an up-and-down year for Mike Tomlin’s team, which has struggled in the first quarter and saved a lot of its offensive heroics for late in the game. The Steelers’ defense has been shaky, finishing dead last against the run.
But veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has shown a lot of grit while rookie Najee Harris runs hard and doesn’t fumble. Led by relentless T.J. Watt (22.5), the team has led or tied for the NFL lead in sacks five consecutive years.
The Niners are in the playoffs for the second time in three years. But it was a rollercoaster year for Kyle Shanahan’s club. San Francisco won its first two games, dropped four in a row, and finished 8-3 in its last 11 contests.
Versatile All-Pro Deebo Samuel finished with 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 TDs. Jimmy Graoppolo had his moments but his 15 turnovers are still a concern. A healthy Nick Bosa finished with 15.5 of the team’s impressive 48 sacks.
First-time NFL head coach Nick Sirianni and the team went through its growing pains early in the season. The Eagles were just 3-6 after nine games. But things began to click as second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts and an offensive line led by All-Pro center Jason Kelce found its rhythm.
The Birds finished 6-2 in their final eight games and led the NFL in rushing. And there’s plenty of playoff experience on this roster, most notably in the trenches.
Kilff Kingsbury’s team won its first seven contests and was the last club in the league to lose a game in 2021. But the Cardinals, a franchise making its first postseason appearance since 2015, have dropped six of their last 10 games.
As was the case in 2020, Arizona’s offense sputtered a bit during the second half of the season. But this club also finished 8-1 on the road this season – including a 37-20 win over the Rams at Los Angeles in Week 4.
It’s surprising to think that a quarterback who has been in the NFL eight years will be making his first playoff start. But resilient Derek Carr was injured the last time the Raiders reached the postseason in 2016. He was the driving force to the team’s season-ending four-game winning streak.
The defense remains an issue, but ends Yannick Ngakoue (10) and Maxx Crosby (8) combined for 18 sacks. The franchise seeks its first postseason win since 2002.
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The Bengals are division champions and playoff-bound for the first time since 2015. The team also owns the NFL’s longest current playoff victory drought – having not won a postseason game since 1990.
Second-year quarterback Joe Burrow has hit on 70.4 percent of his passes and more than twice as many TD passes (34) as picks (14). But he was sacked a distressing 51 times. End Trey Hendrickson (14) led a revived pass rush that finished with 42 sacks.
It was a tale of three seasons for Bill Belichick’s team. The Patriots dropped four of their first six outings, reeled off seven straight wins but went 1-3 down the stretch. Still, the franchise is making its 12th postseason appearance in the last 13 years dating back to 2009.
Rookie quarterback Mac Jones led a balanced attack. And per usual, the Pats were near the top of the NFL takeaway list (30). But the defense did struggle late in the season against the run.
The team is in the playoffs for the fourth time under Sean McVay’s command. The decision to deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford did pay off in many regards. But the 13-year pro had his issues with ball security late in the year, throwing eight interceptions in his last four games.
Cooper Kupp had an amazing 2021, leading the NFL in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947), and TD receptions (16). And All-Pro Aaron Donald had 12.5 of the team’s 50 sacks.
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The NFC East champions led the NFL in scoring with 530 points and totaled a league-best 34 takeaways. The defense has a pair of All-Pro playmakers in linebacker Micah Parsons (13 sacks) and cornerback Trevon Diggs (11 interceptions).
Quarterback Dak Prescott will be making his fourth postseason start and running back Ezekiel Elliott is playoff tested as well. But Mike McCarthy’s team was a 6-0 vs. the NFC East and 6-5 vs. the rest of the NFL.
Head coach Sean McDermott’s club is in the playoffs for the third straight year and the fourth time in five seasons. But it was an odd year for the talented Bills, who dropped their season opener, won four in a row, dropped five of their eight next games, and closed the year with four consecutive victories.
The club allowed the fewest total yards and points in the NFL. But Josh Allen once again was a little sloppy with the ball, committing a shaky 18 turnovers.
Andy Reid’s team seeks a third straight appearance on Super Sunday. And after a 3-4 start, the Chiefs won nine of their final 11 games and a sixth straight AFC West title. The club is in the playoffs for the sevenths consecutive year, the longest active streak in the league.
But Steve Spagnuolo’s defense slumped a bit in the last four games. But quarterback Patrick Mahomes and much of this roster are battled-tested when it comes to the postseason.
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This may be the most resilient team in the league given how many players the Titans went through in 2021. Mike Vrabel’s club overcame the midseason loss of workhorse running back Derrick Henry and still finished the season fifth in the league in rushing yards.
There were more than twice as many turnovers (25) as opposed to a season ago (12). But the franchise is the conference’s top seed for the first time since 2008 and had played with a lot of heart.
Only the Dallas Cowboys gained more total yards than the reigning Lombardi Trophy holder, who look to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2003 and ’04 Patriots.
Veteran Tom Brady led the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 scores through the air. The team is a little thin at wide receiver these days but tight end Rob Gronkowski is healthy. Surprisingly, Tampa’s run defense showed some cracks late in the season.
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To think that the team lost its first game of the season by 35 points and then wound up tied for the best record in the NFL is fairly impressive. It was another banner year for Aaron Rodgers, who finished with 37 TD passes and just four picks.
Under new coordinator Joe Barry, the defense was much more consistent despite some key injuries to this unit. But too often down the stretch, teams managed to move the football with ease and that bears watching.