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With the 2021 NFL schedule now released, rookies picked up by teams and free agency almost complete, a clearer picture about the upcoming season is beginning to emerge.
On that note, let's have a look at the top ten NFL teams going into the 2021 season.
Top 10 NFL Power Rankings
#1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the advantages of winning the Super Bowl and keeping the quarterback around is that most NFL power rankings project the winner going all the way again. That doesn't change for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the reigning Super Bowl champions.
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With Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Shaq Barrett, OJ Howard, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh, Vita Vea, Jason Pierre Paul, Lavonte David and others expected to be there for the 2021 NFL season, the Buccaneers have a formidable roster.
#2 Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed the Buccaneers' position in the NFL last season and are expected to make a deep run this year.
The Chiefs will feature Patrick Mahomes, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Travis Kelce, Orlando Brown and Jerick McKinnon, among others. Andy Reid will mastermind the scheme.
The Chiefs have one mission in 2021: to prove they have not peaked already.
#3 Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have made the NFL playoffs every season with Lamar Jackson. That's a trend that could continue this year too.
While every other team is striving to get faster and more elusive, the Ravens are perfectly content playing tough, hard-nosed football by running the ball between the tackles to create explosive plays.
The Ravens' next goal will be to reach the Super Bowl.
#4 Pittsburgh Steelers
At this point, it's safe to assume the Pittsburgh Steelers will fare well going into every NFL season.
That's because Ben Roethlisberger is back, as is Juju Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool and TJ Watt, among others. If the Steelers hadn't shot themselves in the foot so often over the years, they could have been a dynasty matching the Patriots.
Nevertheless, Big Ben will look to get back to the Super Bowl in 2021.
#5 Cleveland Browns
The AFC North in the NFL is stacked this year. The Cleveland Browns will battle for the division with Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry, Myles Garrett, Jadaveon Clowney, Denzel Ward and Malik Jackson.
The Browns will finally hope they can put behind their long streak of winless campaigns behind them. The doubters of Baker Mayfield are nowhere to be found. The New York Jets and other historically poor teams would look at the Cleveland Browns as a beacon of hope.
#6 Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills' offense looks explosive going into the 2021 NFL season. Five years ago, who would have thought that would be the case? This year, the Bills will have Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley in their ranks.
Moreover, their defense is decent, with Sean McDermott calling the plays and Tre'davious White locking down the secondary. The Bills will look to prove that they are going to own this division in the NFL for years to come.
#7 Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are almost in the category of being a shoo-in for the NFL playoffs every year.
The acquisition of Ryan Tannehill have transformed the fortunes of the franchise. This season, the Titans will also feature Derrick Henry, AJ Brown and Josh Reynolds from the Los Angeles Rams.
Moreover, their defense has been good on a yearly basis for a while.
#8 Los Angeles Rams
It's a little risky to put the Los Angeles Rams in the top 10 NFL power rankings this early in the year, as they have got a new quarterback, but Matthew Stafford is likely to be a considerable upgrade.
Sean McVay was able to reach the Super Bowl with a quarterback who imploded on most third downs longer than six yards. With Stafford, though, the sky appears to be the limit.
With Stafford, this roster will look to fare better than they did last year. Cam Akers, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, DeSean Jackson, Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will fancy their chances of a great future over the next five years, with Stafford under center.
#9 Indianapolis Colts
If Stafford's addition should make Rams fans excited as well as nervous, the addition of Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts could do the same too.
The NFL reunion between Frank Reich and Carson Wentz will likely return the latter to his old MVP-caliber form, which will bring back memories of Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.
But it remains to be seen if the ex-FCS quarterback can stay healthy during the year.
#10 Green Bay Packers
It is rare for a team to break a top-10 NFL teams list when the quarterback is unknown.
Will Aaron Rodgers or Jordan Love play in September? If Rodgers is back somehow, the Green Bay Packers should be fine. However, if Jordan Love enters the fray, he will likely need to have a year of sitting behind Rodgers to learn the tricks of the trade to be successful in the NFL.
Nevertheless, in an already unstable NFC North in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers could still be the most stable franchise. Moreover, with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones back next season, the Packers should be just fine in the NFL. To quote Aaron Rodgers: "R-E-L-A-X."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fans! Check out the latest Tampa Bay Schedule and dive into the Tampa Bay Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
