NFL Power Rankings: Week 19

My current NFL Power Rankings for Week 18 of the 2021 NFL Season.

I’m going to use these rankings as the order for my 2022 NFL Mock Draft during the 2021 season. Follow @walterfootball.

I’ve gone from WORST to FIRST, so if you don’t see reverse numbering (via Javascript), don’t worry; the Jets and Texans aren’t my top teams.

Updated: Jan. 4

New York Giants (4-13) – Previously: 31.
The Giants lost a miserable game in front of their frustrated fans, but hey, at least they’re not a team that gets into fights on the sideline. They’re just a team that loses to teams that get into fights on their sideline.

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14) – Previously: 32.
What a great Sunday for Jaguar fans. Not only did Trevor Lawrence play a great game for the first time in his career; the team also preserved the No. 1 pick because the Lions wanted to beat the Packer backups. Charlie predicts that the Jaguars could trade the No. 1 pick for three first-round selections in his 2022 NFL Mock Draft with trades.

Carolina Panthers (5-12) – Previously: 30.
The Panthers looked like they were going to be competitive against the Buccaneers. They didn’t even cover, losing 41-17. This is all part of the 7-year Jay-Z plan, however. Matt Rhule may look like Silkk the Shocker right now, but imagine what will become of him in five seasons!

Detroit Lions (3-13-1) – Previously: 29.
The Lions blew a chance to have the No. 1 pick, but their selection at No. 2 will be one of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aidan Hutchinson or Kenny Pickett. They’re not in a bad spot, despite the unnecessary victory.

New York Jets (4-13) – Previously: 28.
Zach Wilson looked good against softer defenses prior to Week 18, but we saw his struggles reemerge against the Bills. It’s insane that the Jets averaged just 1.2 yards per play. That means the Jets weren’t even guaranteed a first down if they were playing football on Beginner Mode and were faced with a seventh-and-3 situation.

Houston Texans (4-13) – Previously: 27.
The Texans really wanted to scare me with their stupid comeback that covered the spread in the second half. I had their under four wins, and I expected to at least get my money back with a push. Thanks to Davis Mills’ second-half heroics, my bet was nearly ruined. At any rate, Mills will return as the starter in 2022. Let’s see if the Texans find a way to protect him, which they didn’t do with Deshaun Watson or David Carr.

Atlanta Falcons (7-10) – Previously: 26.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Falcons are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Chicago Bears (6-11) – Previously: 24.
The Bears were winning for most of the game against Minnesota, and they even outgained the Vikings, but an overturned touchdown and a pick-six swayed the game. Can the NFL please change the stupid quarterback diving rule? If they’re diving toward the end zone, they’re not giving themselves up! Derp!

Washington Redskins (7-10) – Previously: 23.
The Redskins dominated the Giants despite poor play from Taylor Heinicke. I don’t know what can be done about the Redskins’ quarterbacking situation in the offseason. The ultimate dream scenario would be for Russell Wilson to go there, but knowing the Redskins, they’ll probably overpay for Ben Roethlisberger.

Denver Broncos (7-10) – Previously: 22.
Congratulations to the Broncos, who finished as the first 7-10 team in NFL history. They tried hard against the Chiefs and even outplayed them. Melvin Gordon’s lost scoop-and-score fumble was the best thing that could’ve happened to them because it helped preserve their draft status.

Cleveland Browns (7-10) – Previously: 21.
The 2021 season in a nutshell: The Browns outgained the Bengals, 376-182, and averaged 2.1 more yards per play, yet they didn’t cover the 6.5-point spread because of a fumble returned for a touchdown. I didn’t even bet the game, but there have been so many results this year that haven’t been indicative of how the games were played.

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) – Previously: 20.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Steelers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Baltimore Ravens (8-9) – Previously: 18.
I guess we can stop talking about Tyler Huntley as a potential starting quarterback somewhere else next year. Huntley quite literally threw the game away against the Steelers with his two horrible interceptions. The Ravens outgained the Steelers and averaged 1.2 more yards per play, but the picks were killers.

New Orleans Saints (9-8) – Previously: 19.
I didn’t judge the Saints by their performance against the Dolphins, given that they were missing their top three quarterbacks, both tackles, the top two linebackers and other players. They were still missing lots of personnel against the Panthers, which would explain why they had trouble putting away Carolina. Getting Ryan Ramczyk back versus the Falcons was huge, as the offensive line had stability for the first time in a while.

Seattle Seahawks (7-10) – Previously: 25.
It’s a shame for the Seahawks that the season is over because Russell Wilson finally looked 100 percent in the final two weeks of the season. Rashaad Penny, meanwhile, looked like a superstar runner. The announcers talked about how Adrian Peterson helped Penny develop, which is pretty cool. Perhaps Peterson has a future as a coach in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings (8-9) – Previously: 16.
Kirk Cousins was excellent in the second half against the Bears after a miserable start. Nevertheless, the Vikings need to ask themselves what they plan on doing with Cousins, who is far too expensive for what he produces.

Indianapolis Colts (9-8) – Previously: 14.
The corpses of the Indianapolis Colts can be found at the bottom of the Jacksonville Jaguars swimming pool. The faceless players will wander the stadium on some nights, so make sure you avoid them.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-8) – Previously: 15.
I’ve discussed the Eagles as potentially being overrated. They haven’t beaten a team with a winning record, and their previous three wins have come against Garrett Gilbert, Jake Fromm and Taylor Heinicke. They’re not going to face that sort of competition in the playoffs.

Miami Dolphins (9-8) – Previously: 17.
The Dolphins would be a great fade in Week 19 if such a thing existed. They basically played their Super Bowl against the Patriots. Don’t forget how they were destoryed by the Titans the prior week.

San Angeles Chargers (9-8) – Previously: 12.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Chargers are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) – Previously: 13.
I talked about the Raiders’ offensive ineptitude in the past, but that has changed recently. The big difference was seen Sunday night when Darren Waller returned from injury. Waller caught only two passes, but he drew so much attention that everything else opened up.

New England Patriots (10-7) – Previously: 7.
Brian Flores just has Mac Jones’ number. Jones had two of his worst performances against the Dolphins this year, bookending the 2021 NFL season. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise because brilliant defensive-minded coaches tend to dominate rookie quarterbacks. Perhaps someone should’ve told Stephen Ross that.

San Francisco 49ers (10-7) – Previously: 11.
The 49ers would be one of the best teams in the NFL if they had a trustworthy quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo can play well sometimes, but he tends to struggle when going against defenses that can cover the middle of the field.

Tennessee Titans (12-5) – Previously: 10.
The Titans will have an extra week to get Derrick Henry healthy, which is a big deal if you consider how Ryan Tannehill nearly imploded in the second half against the Texans. I can’t believe Tennessee didn’t cover after leading 21-0 heading into intermission.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) – Previously: 9.
The Buccaneers got a dream first-round matchup as a result of the Rams losing. All the Eagles do is run the ball, and yet the Buccaneers are stellar against the run.

Los Angeles Rams (12-5) – Previously: 8.
Overrated NFL Team: See why the Rams are an overrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Dallas Cowboys (12-5) – Previously: 6.
The Cowboys’ offense has been sluggish for the most part since Dak Prescott returned from injury. Prescott threw five touchdowns in three quarters against the Eagles, but did so versus backups who left his recievers open all night. I don’t see how the Cowboys can take away anything from that game. If anything, it might give them a false sense of security.

Arizona Cardinals (11-6) – Previously: 5.
The Cardinals seemed to snap out of their funk against Dallas, but in reality, it may have just been a fluky performance against a struggling team. Arizona was gifted two touchdowns versus the Seahawks, yet were still down 14 before the final minutes of regulation.

Cincinnati Bengals (10-7) – Previously: 4.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Bengals are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Buffalo Bills (11-6) – Previously: 3.
Underrated NFL Team: See why the Bills are an underrated NFL team in our Overrated-Underrated page.

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) – Previously: 2.
I nearly marked the Chiefs down for a loss. Prior to the final drive, they were outgained by the Broncos. They averaged 1.4 fewer yards per play. Sure, Tyreek Hill was barely on the field, but the offense should’ve scored more than 13 points following the opening possession. The defense was atrocious.

Green Bay Packers (14-3) – Previously: 1.
I get playing the starters for a drive or two in a meaningless finale, but the Packers really played with fire by keeping Rodgers on the field for the entire first half. Nevertheless, Green Bay will be much better with David Bakhtiari and Jaire Alexander returning in the divisional round of the playoffs.

By the way, we have a t-shirt to support Aaron Rodgers in our merch store! This is your chance to support Rodgers, who has been attacked unfairly by the scumbag media!

MVP Race:

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
2. Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals
3. Tom Brady, QB, Buccaneers
4. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals
5. T.J. Watt, DE/OLB, Steelers

Scrubs of the Week:

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
2. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints
3. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
4. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
5. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
6. Chase Claypool, WR, Steelers
7. Aaron Jones, RB, Packers
8. Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
9. Josh Allen, QB, Bills
10. Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders
11. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
12. Cam Newton, QB, Panthers
13. James Robinson, RB, Jaguars
14. James Robinson, RB, Jaguars
15. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowbys
16. Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
17. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys
18. Kenny Golladay, WR, Giants

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