1-32 poll, plus New Year’s resolutions for every team

Now that 2021 is in the rearview and we’re now in 2022, the NFL Power Rankings are looking ahead. While there are still playoff berths to be earned and championships to be won, we decided this was a perfect time for each franchise to give a New Year’s resolution for 2022.

To do that, we asked our NFL Nation reporters to pen their version of “Auld Lang Syne” and come up with a primary goal for the teams they cover over the next year. While the New England Patriots went rogue a bit, the rest of the responses mostly fell into a few categories. For contenders like the Green Bay Packers, short-term goals to set up a run at this season’s Vince Lombardi Trophy were the primary focus. For other teams, rewarding deserving players or surrounding stars with better help are what caught the reporters’ attention. And for your downtrodden franchises (sorry Jacksonville), simply taking a positive step down the long road to respectability was the call.

How we determine our Power Rankings: Our power panel — a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities — evaluates how teams stack up throughout the season.

Previous rankings: 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Preseason

Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

Previous ranking: 2

New Year’s resolution: Help IR guys return

There’s a group of players on injured reserve — and not just any players but starters and some Pro Bowlers — who have a chance to return for the playoffs. Among them are CB Jaire Alexander, OLB Za’Darius Smith, LT David Bakhtiari, C Josh Myers and WR Randall Cobb. After Sunday’s game, Aaron Rodgers spoke optimistically about some or all of them coming back this year, although coach Matt LaFleur downplayed it slightly. The return of any of them could help in the postseason. — Rob Demovsky

Previous ranking: 1

New Year’s resolution: Re-sign Tyrann Mathieu

The Chiefs need to keep Mathieu around past the end of his contract in a couple of months. He has plenty of value as a player and an equal amount as a leader in the locker room. The Chiefs would struggle to find all that he brings at a lesser price than what it would take to re-sign him. They haven’t invested heavily in their secondary other than Mathieu, and he is one player they cannot do without. — Adam Teicher

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Ryan Clark details why Antonio Brown has run out of room for forgiveness from NFL teams despite his elite skill set.

Previous ranking: 4

New Year’s resolution: Get healthy for the postseason

The Bucs are decimated by injuries. Chris Godwin‘s done for the year. Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David and Giovani Bernard are on IR but could come back. Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul are out because of knee and shoulder injuries. Mike Evans just returned from a hamstring injury and Antoine Winfield Jr. from a foot injury. Ronald Jones II left Sunday’s game because of an ankle injury. They’re limping into the postseason big time right now. To make matters worse, they must now replace Antonio Brown, who left the team. — Jenna Laine

Previous ranking: 5

New Year’s resolution: Eliminate turnovers

Matthew Stafford has undoubtedly ignited the offense, but if only the 13th-year quarterback could eliminate some of his turnover streaks, the Rams would be unstoppable. Stafford ranks second in the NFL with 38 passing touchdowns, but he also is tied for second with 15 interceptions — including four pick-sixes, which lead the league. The wild part is the Rams have overcome back-to-back multi-turnover performances to produce victories, enabling a five-game win streak. Imagine how dominant they could be if Stafford found a way to cut down on the multi-turnover games (he has five) or eliminate them altogether. — Lindsey Thiry

Previous ranking: 8

New Year’s resolution: Re-sign OLB Harold Landry III

The Titans haven’t had a pass-rusher finish with double-digit sack totals since Brian Orakpo had 10.5 sacks in 2016. Landry’s 12 sacks this season place him in a tie with Kyle Vanden Bosch for the fifth most in a single season in franchise history. Suddenly, the Titans have a formidable pass rush, led by Landry, that has 41 sacks, the sixth most in the NFL. The Titans drop Landry into coverage sometimes, and he is strong against the run. Landry has also been one of the team’s most durable players, as he has missed only one game in four seasons. — Turron Davenport

Previous ranking: 7

New Year’s resolution: Find ways to win close games

The Bills are on their way to the playoffs and need a win over the Jets or a Patriots loss to the Dolphins to clinch the division for a second straight year. But Buffalo had the potential to take care of its path to the playoffs much earlier. Instead, the Bills have gone 0-5 in one-score games, with the offense having late opportunities to win the game or tie in four of…