NFL Power Rankings: New England Patriots Unanimous No. 1
By Cyrus Geller
With the Green Bay Packers falling to the Buffalo Bills, and the New England Patriots putting a beat-down on the Miami Dolphins, there was a change at the top of NFL power rankings across the net. It now appears to be unanimous that the Patriots are the number one team in the land as we head towards the playoffs. ESPN, NFL.com, and Bleacher Report all concur.
Here is what ESPN had to say on the Pats:
"Tom Brady averaged 9.6 yards per attempt targeting Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, much better than the Week 1 loss to Miami (5.2)."
"“Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.” Yes, thank you, Roger Daltrey. The Patriots have reclaimed the throne they occupied three weeks ago.You had the feeling New England would pull away on Sunday, and that’s precisely what Bill Belichick’s team did, going on a 27-0 run after halftime to seal the AFC East and bring home-field advantage throughout the playoffs that much closer."
"The New England Patriots regain the top spot in this week’s power rankings, and they do so by dominating a Miami Dolphins team that beat them in Week 1. Revenge is sweet, and so are division titles.The Patriots clinched another AFC East crown by winning their 17th straight home game against division opponents. When they added 24 points to the scoreboard in the third quarter alone, you knew this one was over.Now Bill Belichick and Co. can focus on securing the No. 1 seed in the AFC. To do that, they’ll need to win both of their remaining games—against the Jets (in New Jersey) and Bills. The Patriots are tied with the Broncos in the standings, but since they won the head-to-head game, they’ll get the top spot if both teams win out. That means the Patriots can’t take their foot off the gas, especially with the Bills on the schedule in Week 17.But right now, no team looks better prepared for a Super Bowl run than the Patriots. And that should surprise no one."
Going forward, I think the Patriots are the team to beat, along with the Seattle Seahawks, who are obliterating opponents right now, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. Before the season began, I picked Seattle and New England to meet in the Super Bowl, and I am standing by that prediction. By the time the playoffs roll around, both the Seahawks and Patriots will own home-field advantage, which puts them on a collision course for the Super Bowl.
The Packers are always formidable, but I don’t trust that defense, and Aaron Rodgers has under-performed in the postseason too many times for me to be comfortable with them, especially if they have to go on the road.
Anybody else excited for the playoffs to start up?