It seems the dust is settling and things are returning to normal as the 2021 season wears on in the power rankings. The predicted teams now occupy the top five, with the Chiefs and Patriots returning this week after their own wins, and the Bucs are now firmly entrenched in the top three.
Tampa Bay went to visit a red-hot Colts team in Indianapolis and quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski essentially did what they've done for years as former members of the AFC against Indy: they beat them. Brady's stat line was actually pretty vanilla, preferring to hand the ball off on its way into the end zone, giving running back Leonard FOURnette as many scores as his name suggests on the day, but Gronk tallied seven catches on 10 targets for 123 yards. With some help from the Bucs' defense in containing the league's number one running back in Jonathan Taylor, Tampa Bay is looking like a team that can weather the storm.
The experts seem to agree as the Bucs rose in this week's power rankings across most major outlets. It may not have been pretty, but it was encouraging nonetheless. After all, the teams that go far in the postseason aren't necessarily the ones that have had smooth sailing all along, but rather those that have faced adversity and come out the other side anyway.
See below for the full list of power rankings from the major outlets.
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- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 3
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Cardinals, Bucs, Chiefs, Patriots
- NFC South: Panthers (24), Saints (25), Falcons (28)
- Week 13 Opponent Ranking: Falcons (28)
- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 5
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Packers, Bucs, Patriots, Chiefs
- NFC South: Saints (22), Panthers (24), Falcons (26)
- Week 13 Opponent Ranking: Falcons (26)
- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Bucs, Cardinals, Patriots, Chiefs
- NFC South: Saints (23), Falcons (25), Panthers (27)
- Week 13 Opponent Ranking: Falcons (25)
- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 4
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Packers, Bucs, Ravens, Patriots
- NFC South: Saints (21), Panthers (24), Falcons (26)
- Week 13 Opponent Ranking: Falcons (26)
- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 6
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Cardinals, Bucs, Ravens, Patriots
- NFC South: Saints (20), Panthers (24), Falcons (25)
- Week 13 Opponent Ranking: Falcons (25)