2020 NFL Power Rankings: Brady's Bucs finish with momentum
The 2020 NFL regular season is in the books, and the final week did not disappoint.The Green Bay Packers locked up the top seed in the NFC with their win over the Chicago Bears. Aaron Rodgers also likely solidified his third NFL MVP award with his four-touchdown performance.Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be on the road when their playoff run begins, but they took down the Atlanta Falcons to snag the fifth seed in the NFC.In addition, the Tennessee Titans clinched the AFC South, Washington earned the NFC East title, the Miami Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention, and the shorthanded Los Angeles Rams defeated the also-shorthanded Arizona Cardinals to steal their playoff spot.There's much more where that came from in Week 17. Here are our updated Power Rankings after the final week, plus a look at which teams will be competing in the postseason.
The Jaguars fittingly wrapped up their 2020 season with a loss and look ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft where they'll have the first overall pick.
(Last three rankings: 32, 32, 31)
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The Jets were defeated by the Patriots on Sunday and subsequently parted ways with head coach Adam Gase. They'll have the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.
(Last three rankings: 31, 31, 32)
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Cincinnati was demolished by Baltimore in the Week 17 matchup, 38-3. The Bengals will have the fifth overall pick in the draft.
(Last three rankings: 29, 30, 30)
A disastrous season for Houston ended with a loss to the Tennessee Titans on a last-second field goal. The Texans have plenty to figure out, including their head coaching position, this offseason.
(Last three rankings: 30, 27, 26)
The Falcons were torn apart by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday, resulting in a 44-27 loss. Atlanta will have the fourth overall pick in the draft.
(Last three rankings: 28, 29, 29)
The Eagles already were eliminated from playoff contention heading into Sunday night's game vs. Washington, and then they spoiled the Giants' playoff hopes by losing the Week 17 matchup. Philadelphia replacing Jalen Hurts with Nate Sudfeld will be a hot topic in New York this week.
(Last three rankings: 27, 25, 24)
The Lions' season mercifully came to an end Sunday with a 37-35 loss to the Vikings. Detroit will be looking for a new head coach this offseason.
(Last three rankings: 26, 23, 23)
The Broncos fell to the Raiders in their final game of the season, 32-31. On the bright side, rookie receiver Jerry Jeudy had 140 yards and a touchdown on the day.
(Last three rankings: 25, 21, 21)
The Cowboys were officially eliminated from playoff contention after falling to the Giants on Sunday, 23-19.
(Last three rankings: 24, 28, 29)
The Panthers were dominated by the Saints on Sunday despite New Orleans losing all of their running backs to COVID-19 protocols. Carolina's quarterbacks (Teddy Bridgewater and P.J. Walker) combined for five interceptions on the day.
(Last three rankings: 21, 26, 25)
The Giants will not be headed to the playoffs despite beating the Cowboys in Week 17. That's because the Eagles spoiled their postseason hopes by losing to the Washington Football Team on Sunday Night Football, and Washington was crowned champion of the NFC East.
(Last three rankings: 23, 20, 20)
The Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs backups on Sunday, 38-21. Justin Herbert made a strong closing argument for his Offensive Rookie of the Year case with 302 yards passing and four total TDs.
(Last three rankings: 20, 24, 27)
The Patriots wrapped up their letdown season with a victory over the lowly New York Jets. In what likely was his final game in New England, quarterback Cam Newton shined.
The Pats will have the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and there's plenty of question marks up and down the roster as they enter the offseason.
(Last three rankings: 19, 19, 17)
The 49ers made the Seahawks sweat, but they were unable to finish the job on Sunday as they fell 26-23.
(Last three rankings: 18, 22, 22)
Minnesota's disappointing season ended on a high note Sunday as it defeated the Detroit Lions, 37-35. Justin Jefferson had nine catches for 133 yards to surpass Randy Moss and Anquan Boldin's records for receiving yards in a season by a rookie.
(Last three rankings: 17, 18, 18)
The Raiders finished their 2020 campaign by edging out the Denver Broncos on Sunday, 32-31.
(Last three rankings: 16, 16, 15)
The Cardinals' season came to an unceremonious end Sunday with their loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
(Last three rankings: 15, 14, 14)
The Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention after a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The future is looking bright in Miami, however, as it'll have the No. 3 and No. 18 overall picks in this year's NFL Draft.
(Last three rankings: 12, 12, 13)
Washington's 7-9 record is good enough for a trip to the playoffs as it won the NFC East title by taking down the Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The Football Team will visit Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 22, 17, 16)
The Bears squeaked into the playoffs and will have the seventh seed in the NFC despite falling to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Chicago will visit the Saints for its wild-card matchup.
(Last three rankings: 14, 15, 19)
With John Wolford under center, the Rams were able to defeat the Cardinals to punch their ticket to the playoffs and simultaneously end Arizona's season.
L.A. will visit Seattle in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 13, 13, 7)
The Browns are in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 after taking down the Steelers in Week 17. Now, they'll look to beat Pittsburgh again in the first round of the postseason as the sixth seed in the AFC.
(Last three rankings: 11, 7, 8)
The Colts won their Week 17 matchup vs. the Jaguars but did not win the AFC South. That title went to the Titans, who beat the Texans on Sunday.
Indy has the seventh seed in the AFC and will visit the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 10, 9, 10)
The Titans earned a dramatic victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday to clinch the AFC South title and the No. 4 seed in the conference. They'll host the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.
(Last three rankings: 8, 8, 9)
The Ravens breezed past the Bengals in Week 17 to clinch the fifth seed in the AFC. Lamar Jackson and Co. will begin their playoff run with a matchup vs. the Tennessee Titans
(Last three rankings: 9, 11, 12)
The Seahawks offense woke up in the fourth quarter to take down the 49ers on Sunday, 26-23. They'll meet up with the Los Angeles Rams on wild-card weekend.
(Last three rankings: 6, 6, 6)
The Steelers are stumbling into the playoffs with losses in four of their last five games. They'll be the No. 3 seed in the AFC with their loss to the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills' win over the Miami Dolphins.
Pittsburgh will meet up with Cleveland again in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 5, 5, 2)
Tom Brady has looked like vintage Tom Brady in recent weeks, and that bodes well for the Buccaneers as they enter the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Tampa Bay has the fifth seed in the NFC after beating the Falcons on Sunday and will host Washington in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 7, 10, 11)
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No running backs, no problem for the Saints on Sunday. Despite losing their entire running back room to COVID-19 protocols, the Saints rushed for 156 yards and dominated the Panthers on Sunday, 33-7.
New Orleans has the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will host the Chicago Bears on wild-card weekend.
(Last three rankings: 4, 4, 4)
The Packers will have the No. 1 seed in the NFC after taking down the Chicago Bears, 35-16. Aaron Rodgers' third career NFL MVP award could be in the bag as he finished off his spectacular season with four TD passes on Sunday.
(Last three rankings: 3, 3, 3)
Josh Allen and the Bills remain red hot as they enter the postseason. They wrapped up their outstanding 2020 campaign with a 56-26 victory over the Miami Dolphins to force their AFC East foes out of playoff contention. Allen had 3 TDs in the win.
The Bills have the second seed in the AFC and will host the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round.
(Last three rankings: 2, 2, 5)
The Chiefs sat most of their starters and fell to the Chargers on Sunday, 38-21. No matter though as they'll hold the top seed in the AFC when they look to defend their Super Bowl title.
(Last three rankings: 1, 1, 1)
