The New England Patriots are a difficult team to rank.
It would explain why they’re all over the place in this week’s power rankings roundup. Are they a middle-of-the-road team or one of the bottom-10 teams in the NFL?
Buy Patriots TicketsOne thing is certain: They’re better than they were a week ago, when coming off back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. There isn’t going to be a parade for the Patriots taking care of business as usual against the New York Jets, but it was still a big win over an AFC East divisional opponent.
So it does count for something.
However, everyone seemingly has a different opinion of where the Patriots actually belong in the power rankings. Here’s the Week 4 rankings roundup, following New England’s win over the Jets:
Patriots Wire
Current Ranking: 16th
Last Week’s Ranking: N/A
Author: Jordy McElroy
Author’s take:
After a shaky start to the season, the New England Patriots are finally back in the win column. In the words of offensive tackle Trent Brown, it was a “grimy” victory for a Patriots team that was on the verge of falling 0-3 in their first three games.
Our take: It wasn’t a pretty win by any stretch of the imagination, but the Patriots managed to come out on top in Week 4. No one cares about the scores at the end of the season. They only care about the results.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 21st
Last Week’s Ranking: 24th
Author: Mike Reiss
Author’s take:
Tight end Pharaoh Brown’s 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Jets was one of the plays of the game and easily the team’s longest of the season. The Patriots have just three passing plays over 20 yards (58, 32, 23). “Those are statistically the hardest passes to hit, but we’ve got to hit them, we’ve got to throw them and we need more production out of the deep balls,” coach Bill Belichick said.
Our take: It would be easier to hit the large chunk plays if the Patriots had the right personnel at receiver. They lack a true No. 1 threat with the ability to consistently create explosive plays for the team. The Patriots haven’t valued the wide receiver position as much as other teams around the league, and it shows with their ongoing offensive struggles.
USA Today
Current Ranking: 17th
Last Week’s Ranking: 20th
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s take:
They head to Dallas with Ezekiel Elliott performing as their best back. But beware, New Englanders, as your team is 1-8 against the Cowboys without Tom Brady in the lineup.
Our take: History might not favor the Patriots without Tom Brady, but it won’t matter if they’re catching the same Cowboys team that got embarrassed last week by Joshua Dobbs and the Arizona Cardinals. The Patriots have the defense to keep things tight, and their offensive backfield can be downright nasty with both Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott carrying the ball.
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 24th
Last Week’s Ranking: 28th
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s take:
They beat the Jets for their first victory of the season, but it was far from impressive. The defense has been solid all year.
Our take: A win is a win, but if we’re being honest, there’s nothing impressive about barely hanging on to a 15-10 win over a Jets team with Zach Wilson as the quarterback. But then again, it was a messy, rainy game, and coach Bill Belichick mostly played it safe by running the football and trusting his defense.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 18th
Last Week’s Ranking: 25th
Author: Eric Edholm
Author’s take:
Sunday’s win had to be so familiar to Patriots fans by now: ugly and against the Jets. Ugly got the job done, though. Even during the worst doldrums last season, the Pats knew what they were getting from Jakobi Meyers and Rhamondre Stevenson. So far, the Meyers-for-JuJu Smith-Schuster swap-out has been a net negative, and Stevenson hasn’t been as decisive this season. The Patriots really need Mac Jones and Smith-Schuster to develop chemistry on the fly after the receiver missed a lot of on-field time this offseason. But they also need the offensive line to play better. This team is behind the sticks way too often.
Our take: The Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster swap has been an absolute bust up to this point. Smith-Schuster hasn’t looked nearly as explosive on his routes since his knee injury. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott looked like the better runner between the tackles over Rhamondre Stevenson against the Jets. Elliott is more inclined to pick a hole and run through it instead of hesitating like Stevenson has for some reason.
