New England Patriots in top-5 of NFL Power Rankings
The New England Patriots are ranked in the top-five of Bleacher Report’s most recent NFL Power Rankings.
The New England Patriots are once again expected to be one of the best teams in the NFL. After falling just short of another Super Bowl victory in February, many people expect them to challenge for another title this season.
New England was the unanimous pick to win the AFC East earlier this offseason. While they are faced with some difficulties to begin the season, such as Julian Edelman‘s suspension, experts are not worried about their season-long outlook.
The first look we had of the Patriots in game action did nothing to change those feelings. While some regulars did not see the field, such as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots defeated the Washington Redskins in their preseason opener, 26-17.
The Patriots have some work remaining this offseason, but they still look to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Just how good do they look? In the latest NFL Power Rankings over at Bleacher Report, the Patriots come in ranked fifth.
The Patriots are the only AFC team ranked in the top-five. Ahead of them are the New Orleans Saints at No. 4, Minnesota Vikings at No. 3, Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 and Philadelphia Eagles coming in at the top spot.
Here is part of what was said at Bleacher Report about the Patriots being ranked fifth.
"That the Pats check in at fifth is a little surprising, though.Maybe it shouldn’t be. Tom Brady is the reigning MVP, but he’s also 41 years old. Brady won’t have his top wide receiver to open the season with Julian Edelman suspended. The team’s top rusher from a year ago left in free agency, and the player brought in to replace him (rookie Sony Michel) may not be ready for Week 1. The man who has protected Brady’s blind side for years left too.Never mind that a New England defense that was mostly awful in 2017 didn’t get much better."
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Yes, the Patriots lost a few key players in free agency. Dion Lewis, Danny Amendola, Malcolm Butler and Nate Solder all signed elsewhere. In addition, the Patriots also saw defensive coordinator Matt Patricia leave to become head coach of the Detroit Lions.
While that is a lot of key contributors to lose in offseason, and a blow to the coaching staff, the Patriots being ranked fifth is still a surprise. Despite the things working against them, they will be contenders as long as Tom Brady is under center and Bill Belichick is manning the sidelines.
While the teams ahead of them are all strong teams, New England is still the cream of the crop. They should be ranked right behind the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles as the No. 2 team in the power rankings.
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Where they are correct, however, is that the Patriots are the best team in the AFC. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the closest, coming in at No. 6. The Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers round out the top-10.