SI Power Rankings: Buccaneers on the Rise After Win vs. Giants

Tampa Bay finds itself in a logjam with a few other teams for one of the top spots in this week's power rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to get on track with a win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football and Sports Illustrated's Week 12 Power Rankings acknowledge the effort that Tom Brady and Co. put in against the G-Men.

Tampa Bay has jumped from No. 5 last week to a five-place tie for No. 2 this week. The Bucs are currently tied with the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers, and the Arizona Cardinals for runner-up. The Patriots made the biggest jump of all five teams. They were 10th in last week's rankings while the Bucs came in at No. 5 after their loss to Washington. 

This is what Gary Gramling -this week's author- had to say regarding Tampa Bay:

(tie)2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7–3)

Last week: Win vs. N.Y. Giants, 30–10
Next week: at Indianapolis

The offense might not quite get there until Antonio Brown is back, but the news is good on Vita Vea's knee and Carlton Davis could be back soon. Basically, it looks like they're getting healthy just in time for December and January.

The Chiefs have regained the No. 1 spot after their impressive victory over the Dallas Cowboys. They moved up eight spots themselves to reach the top of the mountain for Week 12, but it's the Bucs' next opponent in the Indianapolis Colts that made the biggest jump this week. Indy climbed all the way from No. 19 last week to No. 7 this week after its 41-15 win over the Buffalo Bills.

7. Indianapolis Colts (6–5)

Last week: Win at Buffalo, 41–15
Next week: vs. Tampa Bay

They were always one of the five best teams in the AFC. The issue was that they gave away so many red-zone possessions early in the year—and therefore games early in the year—that they put themselves in this hole. They’ve won six of their last eight with the two losses coming in overtime, one because their kicker got hurt in Baltimore and the other in the third-most poorly officiated game of 2021 (behind Bills-Jaguars and Bears-Steelers), against Tennessee.

The Bucs travel to Indy this weekend. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 1PM EST on Sunday, November 28.

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