20. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons beat the Arizona Cardinals and moved to 6-9 on the season. Kirk Cousins has been starting for the Falcons for the past several weeks due to the season-ending knee injury that Michael Penix Jr suffered, and with how much QB demand there is going to be this coming offseason, I bet Cousins is hoping for one last starting chance in 2026.
That could be what his primary motivation is right now, but as for the Falcons, this team was once 3-2 on the season and had just come off a major win in primetime over the Buffalo Bills. The arrow finally felt like it was pointing upward for this franchise, but the team has since struggled to find their footing.
I am not sure Raheem Morris is the man for the job, and if we are asking this in his second year as the team’s head coach, there is a chance that he simply might not be a quality head coach in this league, period. The Falcons have to decide on Morris’ future and perhaps the future of GM Terry Fontenot, who has assembled a good roster but is also someone who traded away the team’s first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s yet another year to forget for the Falcons.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers crater in our NFL power rankings as Week 16 comes to a close. The Bucs could not beat the Carolina Panthers and are now at a huge risk of missing the playoffs entirely.
Tampa needs a refresh in the worst way, and missing the playoffs might be the best thing for them. I get the sense that fans might want to see a new coaching staff brought in. Todd Bowles has probably run his course with the team and is clearly not capable of elevating this squad anymore.
The Bucs did battle some injuries this year and are seeing a bit of a regression from Baker Mayfield, but the buck stops with Todd Bowles. Tampa takes a huge hit in our NFL power rankings and are just not a good team anymore. They’ve won the NFC South for years now but might see that streak come to an end.