NFL Power Rankings: Week 17 (2021)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – playoff-clinching time!
Six teams have punched their ticket to the 2021 NFL playoffs, starting at the very top with the AFC South champion Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve got bigger goals in mind: another Super Bowl for Patrick Mahomes and company.
The Packers, Buccaneers, and Cowboys also clinched their playoff spot and wrapped up a division title in the process. Out in the NFC West, while neither the Rams nor Cardinals clinched the division title, both ensured they’ll be playing extra football this year. It’s just a matter of where they’ll be seeded.
Here’s where all 32 NFL teams slot in the second-to-last edition of the power rankings.
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NFL Power Rankings Week 17
| Team | Rank (Δ) | Last Week | Next Week | Notes |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1 | W 36-10 vs. PIT | @ CIN | AFC South champs. |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | W 24-22 vs. CLE | vs. MIN (SNF) | NFC North champs. |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | W 32-6 @ CAR | @ NYJ | NFC South champs. |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 (+1) | W 30-23 @ MIN | @ BAL | Clinched playoff spot. |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 (+1) | W 22-16 @ ARI | vs. LV | What a win without their entire offensive line. |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 (+1) | W 56-14 vs. WSH | vs. ARI | NFC East champs. |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 (+3) | W 33-21 @ NE | vs. ATL | Buffalo is in the driver’s seat in the AFC East again. |
| New England Patriots | 8 (-5) | L 33-21 vs. BUF | vs. JAC | It’s very un-Patriot-like to squander a division lead this late. |
| Arizona Cardinals | 9 (-1) | L 22-16 vs. IND | @ DAL | Clinched but reeling. |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 (+3) | W 41-21 vs. BAL | vs. KC | The Bengals control their destiny. |
| Tennessee Titans | 11 (+3) | W 20-17 vs. SF | vs. MIA | Every game is a playoff game for Tennessee. |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 (-3) | L 20-17 @ TEN | vs. HOU | San Francisco got some help with Minnesota’s loss. |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 13 (-2) | L 41-29 @ HOU | vs. DEN | Yikes. |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 14 (+1) | W 34-10 vs. NYG | @ WSH | Currently the seven seed in the NFC. |
| Miami Dolphins | 15 (+1) | W 20-3 @ NO | @ TEN | Seven in a row. |
| Baltimore Ravens | 15 (-4) | L 41-21 @ CIN | vs. LAR | It doesn’t get any easier next week against the Rams. |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 17 (+6) | W 17-13 vs. DEN | @ IND | Give this team credit for battling through adversity. |
| Cleveland Browns | 18 (-1) | L 24-22 @ GB | @ PIT (MNF) | Their season is on life support. |
| Minnesota Vikings | 19 (-1) | L 30-23 vs. LAR | @ GB (SNF) | Their season is also on life support. |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 20 (-1) | L 36-10 @ KC | vs. CLE (MNF) | No comeback in the cards this week. |
| Denver Broncos | 21 (-1) | L 17-13 @ LV | @ LAC | Another team whose season is all but over. |
| Washington Football Team | 22 (-1) | L 56-14 @ DAL | vs. PHI | Eight losing seasons in 11 years for Ron Rivera. |
| New Orleans Saints | 23 (-1) | L 20-3 vs. MIA | vs. CAR | Tough to withstand all the losses on both sides of the ball. |
| Atlanta Falcons | 24 (+1) | W 20-16 @ DET | @ BUF | Credit Atlanta – they may have the least impressive seven wins in NFL history, but they’ve still got seven wins. |
| Chicago Bears | 25 (+3) | W 25-24 @ SEA | vs. NYG | The magic of Nick Foles. |
| Seattle Seahawks | 26 (-2) | L 25-24 vs. CHI | vs. DET | Rock bottom. |
| Carolina Panthers | 27 (-2) | L 32-6 vs. TB | @ NO | Remember when the Panthers won the Matt Rhule sweepstakes? |
| New York Jets | 28 (+1) | W 26-21 vs. JAC | vs. TB | Toilet Bowl champs. |
| Houston Texans | 29 (+1) | W 41-29 vs. LAC | @ SF | Davis Mills put up… 41 points!? |
| New York Giants | 30 (-3) | L 34-10 @ PHI | @ CHI | The fact that ownership plans on retaining Joe Judge is a disgrace. |
| Detroit Lions | 31 | L 20-16 vs. ATL | @ SEA | Still playing hard for Dan Campbell. |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 32 | L 26-21 @ NYJ | @ NE | You’ve got to feel terrible for James Robinson. |
Big Movers
Buffalo Bills
Oh, how a few weeks can change everything. The Bills dropped a home game to the division-rival Patriots just three weeks ago to relinquish a first-place spot that most felt like Buffalo had wrapped up before the season even started. A week later, the sky was falling in Orchard Park as the Bills lost in overtime to the Buccaneers. But now, Buffalo has won two in a row, and the Patriots have lost their last two, creating a situation that allows the Bills to control their destiny. Beat the Falcons and Jets: you’re AFC East champs.
Cincinnati Bengals
What a roller coaster ride it’s been this year for Cincinnati. They haven’t won or lost more than two in a row all season, and after dropping 41 points on the division-rival Ravens for the second time this year, the Bengals clawed their way into first place in the AFC North. Like the Bills, the Bengals control their destiny. They’ve alternated two wins followed by two losses in succession since Week 6, but if they can beat the Browns in Week 18, even if they lose next week to the Chiefs, Cincinnati should be playoff-bound.
Tennessee Titans
Since shelving their entire offense, the Titans knew that every week was a playoff game. And for the most part, they’ve responded well. They beat San Francisco back on Thursday night, which feels like a lifetime ago, not only keeping their spot atop the AFC South intact but putting themselves in a solid position to control their playoff fate. They’re currently the two-seed, but the Titans could be looking at a Wild Card spot with how hot the Colts are if they slip up heading to the finish line.
Random Musings
Los Angeles Rams
How about the Rams? Just a month ago, the Rams were sputtering, losers of three straight, and the Cardinals were the first team to 10 wins in the NFL. A few weeks later, all the Rams’ new pieces have gelled, and Los Angeles is currently alone in first place in the NFC West. They’ve clinched, so they’re in; now it’s just a matter of seeding. They close out the year against Baltimore and San Francisco, so it could certainly be more manageable. But they’re rolling right now.
Las Vegas Raiders
It’s time to give this Raiders team some props. They started 5-2 and then went through all the turmoil that has been well-documented throughout the year. They hit a skid, losing five of six, but have won two in a row to pull a game above .500 into a tie for the final playoff spot in the AFC. They finish up with the Colts and Chargers, and it will be difficult, but it’s hard not to root for this team to continue overcoming adversity.
Cleveland Browns
What a disappointment this season has been for Cleveland. They started the year in the top five power rankings and scored as high as the three-spot. This team was an offseason darling and a dark horse among some circles to contend for the Super Bowl. How the mighty have fallen. Sure, injuries have hit the Browns all year, but they’re under .500 with just two games to go, and their playoff hopes are all but over. Perhaps even more daunting for this team is the offseason decision looming with Baker Mayfield. Throwing four picks against the Packers surely didn’t help his case.
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Mike Wagenman is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @mjwags23.