NFL Power Rankings: Week 12 (2021)

Nov 24, 2021 - 1:04 AM

The NFL’s top teams have gotten upended the last few weeks, and it’s had a profound effect on the power rankings.

We’ve got another new number-one team, as the Cardinals won their second game without Kyler Murray. We’ve got two teams in the top three who spent a lot of time in those spots over the last few seasons, the Patriots and Chiefs, after they both put on stellar defensive shows to extend their respective win streaks. And we saw two AFC favorites, Buffalo and Tennessee, no-show on their home field, costing them valuable positioning in the playoff race.

This week’s power rankings feature more movement from top to bottom than any week since September. Here’s how the NFL’s 32 teams stack up.

Check out our consensus NFL power rankings >>

NFL Power Rankings Week 12

Big Movers

New England Patriots
It was a fun year off in 2020 for Patriots haters, but guess what? They’re back. And not just back like good again. Back like the number-two ranked team in my power rankings. Is this partially because the parity in this league is insane and the top teams just keep losing? A little bit. But it’s mostly because Mac Jones is already good, New England’s defense is air-tight, and Bill Belichick is doing what he always does - improving his team as the season wears on. This team is not a fluke. They lead the AFC East like old times, and they’re coming for home-field advantage too.

Kansas City Chiefs
Like the team above, the Chiefs are indeed back. As I said last week, they don’t look like the team who went to back-to-back Super Bowls, but they’re on a four-game win streak and we all know all Patrick Mahomes has to do is get in the postseason and anything can happen. Just 19 points of offense after a pretty electric start against the Cowboys is a bit of a letdown, but their defense played well yet again. That’s four straight solid games from that unit, and what do you know - they’ve won all four games. Coincidence? I think not.

Indianapolis Colts
I incorrectly declared the AFC South over just a few weeks back, but that was before Derrick Henry was ruled out for the year and Julio Jones was placed on IR. The Titans still obviously have the inside track to win the division and their remaining schedule is remarkably easy, but the Colts aren’t going away. They may have to settle and battle for a Wild Card slot, but they’re playing as well as anyone right now. The way Jonathan Taylor is running, they’re capable of beating anyone too. Have fun tackling him in the playoffs after 17 games of wear and tear. Or worse - enjoy colliding with that guy in the freezing cold.

Random Musings

Tennessee Titans
The Titans came into Week 11 as the number one seed in the AFC. They came out of Week 11 with a nine-point loss to the basement-dwelling Houston Texans. This was the most obvious letdown spot you could possibly script; the Titans had just ripped off six-straight and eight of nine including five-in-a-row against playoff-caliber teams, they have New England next week followed by a bye and the league’s easiest schedule after that. Not only did Tennessee not cover, they found a way to lose to the Texans outright. They’re 8-3, but losses to Houston and the Jets look ugly.

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were dead in the water just a few weeks ago, but they’ve won three of their last four and have risen to .500. Sure, two of the three wins were against Chicago and Jacksonville, but with the collapse of the Seahawks, the recent struggles of the Rams, and the absence of Kyler Murray, San Francisco is suddenly playing relevant football again. I don’t think they’ve got a legitimate shot at the division title, but the Wild Card race is wide open.

Philadelphia Eagles
Don’t look now, but the Eagles are 5-6 and look at their remaining schedule: Giants, Jets, Washington, Giants again, Washington again, Cowboys. Would it be that surprising if the Eagles went 4-2 to finish the year? That would give them nine wins, and perhaps that won’t be enough for a playoff berth, but this team was anchored to the bottom of every NFC East preseason prediction you could find. This would be a huge step in the right direction for a young team, a young quarterback, and a young coach. There’s suddenly something brewing in Philly.

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