Top 14 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 2021

[74_75_78_79_]

Neither this very season, nor the following, were ever made into threads by yours truly. The first of the 17-week seasons, both were!

As much as I've opined that the NFL has 'declined' more and more since the '90s, I'd have to say that this very season, along with '22, may serve as a stop and reverse in direction (if, however, temporarily; maybe, maybe not). A previous thread praising this campaign of having one of the best post-seasons ever if not #1 altogether caused me to nod in agreement. Yes, the all-in-vain Brady comeback over the Rams along with the Bills/Chiefs game seemed a bit unreal with me at the time; but with the smoke long being cleared - and me still not thinking that the NFL is "fixed" - yes, a memorable post-season!

A bit like 1980, actually, this playoff field was going in. No truly dominant teams unless you'd like to call both 13-4 team as such (GB & TB) which I will call as such. I did think since the beginning that the Bucs would repeat. And come playoff time, they'd beat the Packers at Lambaeu en route.

After those two who were tied for the best-record in the league, you had four 12-5 teams. Two of them were the top-2 seeds in the AFC - Titans then Chiefs - and, in the NFC, #3 Dallas and #4 Champs-to-be, Rams.

AFC's 3rd-seed, Bills, and NFC 5th-seed, Cardinals, were the two 11-6s.

Bengals, Patriots, Raiders, and Forty Niners were the four 10-7s with Cincy being the only division-winner of the quartet.

The two remaining playoff teams were the two 7th-seeds as well as the two Pennsylvania teams: 9-7-1 Steelers & 9-8 Eagles.

The non-playoff qualifiers with winning records were the Dolphins, Colts, Chargers, and Saints each, of course, at 9-8. Do any of them "break-in" with you?

Browns, Ravens, and Vikings were the 8-9s if worthy of mention. Baltimore did drop their final six but there were real close losses down that stretch, including both their losses to the Steelers with one of those being the finale (they were, FWIW, close).

So time to shuffle-up 20 months later!

Here are mine...

1) Buccaneers
2) Packers
3) Bills
4) Titans
5) Chiefs
6) Cowboys
7) Cardinals
8) Forty Niners
9) Bengals
10) Rams
11) Patriots
12) Raiders
13) Chargers
14) Colts

If it were a top-16, I'd have actual playoff-participants - Steelers and then the Eagles - to round things out. Chargers & Colts were overall more impressive as barely-outs than Pit & Phi were as barely-ins IMO. I really would like to place both over Vegas as well, but Raiders did beat each - one at a time - those final two weeks to get themselves in instead (fair is fair).

Yes, Flores' 8-1 finish with Miami. Maybe place them over Pit/Phi. Did beat falling Ravens and a nothing-special Saints team in that stretch. Penultimate game, however, vs a real contender at Tennessee which was the loss; and a lopsided one, 34-3. Win finale but vs a NE team that already clinched. Again, maybe better than the two PA teams (maybe not), but will keep it this way for now.

Rams nothing really special. At last minute, if memory serves, I picked Cards over them in the 1st Rd. I really though TB would repeat (beating Bills in SBLVI). But Rams simply had their #. Didn't think at the time LA would beat SF in the NFCC, and despite Cincy having no OL, I thought Bengals would beat LA as well.