Welcome to the post-Week 16 edition of triggering power rankings.
Check here for last week’s edition.
No. 32: Jacksonville Jaguars (+0)
The Jaguars have secured the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Welcome to Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence.
No. 31: Detroit Lions (-2)
Covid-19 decimated the Detroit coaching staff, but Tampa Bay would have decimated Detroit anyway. Matthew Stafford is the only saving grace.
No. 30: Philadelphia Eagles (-3)
Jalen Hurts’ best quality is that he is not Carson Wentz. He has not played at an elite level, but at least he seems to be better than Wentz.
No. 29: Houston Texans (-6)
The Texans could use a top pick to supplement Deshaun Watson. Currently, the Texans own the third pick in the draft. By Texans, I mean Miami. Houston traded their 2021 first-round pick for Laremy Tunsil.
No. 28: Cincinnati Bengals (+3)
Brandon Allen torched the Texans as if he was prime Peyton Manning. Samaje Perine had the game of his life. It was a strange win for the Bengals.
No. 27: New York Jets (+3)
The Jets are locked into the second pick in the draft. They should go quarterback with the pick.
No. 26: New England Patriots (-8)
The Patriots lost by 29 at home to Buffalo. Yikes.
No. 25: New York Giants (-4)
While the Giants do have an overachieving defense, it is consistently undermined by the anemic offense. Daniel Jones is not the answer.
No. 24: Carolina Panthers (+4)
The Panthers hurt their draft stock, but the team should look very good when they have a quarterback that is better than Teddy Bridgewater.
No. 23: San Francisco 49ers (+3)
Instead of continuing to unravel, the 49ers played a complete game against the Cardinals. They should be dangerous in 2021.
No. 22: Dallas Cowboys (+3)
Andy Dalton is not Dak Prescott. It’s not close. However, Dalton is capitalizing on elite weapons. Dallas is in the playoffs with a win and Washington loss.
No. 21: Denver Broncos (+1)
Jerry Jeudy had five drops on Sunday. On the bright side, he consistently got open, but he needs to make those catches.
No. 20: Atlanta Falcons (+4)
AJ Terrell dropped what would have been the game-winning interception. On the next drive, Younghoe Koo shanked a 39-yard field goal. Ouch.
No. 19: Washington Football Team (-2)
Chase Young may be having the best rookie season this year, but he and his teammates cannot overcome one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
No. 18: Las Vegas Raiders (+2)
The Raiders were a miracle away from beating the Dolphins. Sure, they lost, but it took one of the most ridiculous plays of the season.
No. 17: Minnesota Vikings (-1)
Minnesota’s offense is great. Minnesota’s defense is equally great … at being porous.
No. 16: Los Angeles Chargers (+3)
If the Chargers had a better coach than Anthony Lynn, they could be in the playoff hunt.
No. 15: Arizona Cardinals (-1)
The offense is sputtering. Kyler Murray seems incapable of consistently completing passes beyond 10 yards.
No. 14: Chicago Bears (+1)
David Montgomery is on fire. The defense is on fire. Mitchell Trubisky is being carried by playcalling. The 2018 Bears are alive and well in this 2020 group.
No. 13: Los Angeles Rams (-4)
The Rams have received back-to-back losses. Additionally, they will be without Jared Goff for their Week 17 clash against the Cardinals.
No. 12: Miami Dolphins (+1)
It took a miracle for the Dolphins to knock off the Raiders, but they got the miracle. Tua Tagovailoa will start again in Week 17.
No. 11: Indianapolis Colts (-3)
The Colts dominated for three quarters, but they soon forgot how to play football. The Colts need help to get into the playoffs.
No. 10: Tennessee Titans (-5)
The Titans were punched in the mouth by a physical Green Bay ground game, and they could not recover. They still have the inside track on an AFC playoff spot.
No. 9: Cleveland Browns (-5)
The Browns are still very good, but Baker Mayfield unraveled without his top four receivers. It was an unfortunate situation, but the Browns have to win to make the playoffs (unless Jacksonville upsets Indianapolis)
No. 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3)
The Buccaneers had one of the most impressive wins of the season, clobbering the Lions by 40.
No. 7: Seattle Seahawks (+3)
Russell Wilson only needed a few strong drives to put the Seahawks in a great position. Seattle’s defense is playing at a high level.
No. 6: Baltimore Ravens (+1)
Baltimore may never be as good as they were in 2019, but the rushing attack is heating up. The offense is averaging 27 points and 385 yards over the last four games.
No. 5: Pittsburgh Steelers (+7)
Congratulations, Pittsburgh. With a strong second-half performance on offense, the Steelers clinched the AFC North and moved back up in the power rankings.
No. 4: New Orleans Saints (+2)
Alvin Kamara and the offensive line had a mammoth Christmas Day. New Orleans clinched the NFC South, and they are still in play for the NFC’s top seed.
No. 3: Green Bay Packers (+0)
Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are playing at an extraordinarily high level. The defense played well against Derrick Henry and the Titans. However, the most important aspect of Sunday’s win might be the emergence of AJ Dillon.
No. 2: Buffalo Bills (+0)
Josh Allen is unstoppable. The defense is heating up. The Bills are a genuine Super Bowl threat.
No. 1: Kansas City Chiefs (+0)
The Chiefs won, yes, but they needed a dropped interception and a missed field goal to get that victory. Patrick Mahomes has 16 dropped interceptions on the season. From a ceiling perspective, no one sniffs the Chiefs, but if Mahomes is potentially throwing two or three interceptions, the Chiefs are vulnerable.
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