The New England Patriots have been one of the league's best teams through eight weeks and currently sit second in the AFC and atop the AFC East. Their 6-2 record has already bested their win total from last year (4), and both their offense and defense are among the best in the league.
Drake Maye is playing at an MVP level, the defensive line has been incredible, and Christian Gonzalez has been lockdown. The squad has been incredible across the board, as shown by their now five-game win streak.
That win streak isn't just impressive, but it's the longest in the NFL. It began with a battering of the Panthers, followed by a massive divisional win against the Bills, and three far easier matchups against the Saints, Titans, and Browns, all of which ended in wins. Despite having the third-best record in football, the Patriots place #10 on the site's rankings.
To a degree, a lower ranking is understandable. The teams the Patriots have played over the past three weeks have combined for four wins in 24 games, and their victory over the Panthers didn't offer much in the way of an opponent either.
Their offensive explosion against the Browns, one of the league's best defenses, was impressive, and, of course, the aforementioned win over the Bills is key. Despite this, the Patriots may still be ranked too low.
The Patriots are too low in this week's power rankings after impressive win over the Browns
The Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank 9th and 8th, while the Bills, who the Patriots beat in Buffalo, sit seventh. The Lions, Eagles, Packers, and Rams all sit ahead of New England, and the 7-1 Colts sit atop the charts. Second is the 4-3 Chiefs.
Of course, the Pat Mahomes-led squad will find its way into the playoffs and become a problem in January as it always does, but to say they've been the second-best team in football to this point simply isn't true.
They shut out the Raiders and beat Detroit by two scores, but their season began poorly: a 2-3 start that included losses to the Chargers and Eagles. A 17-point win against the Ravens was impressive, but their other two games were a loss to Jacksonville and a 13-point win over the Russell Wilson-led Giants. The Chiefs are still a talented team, but they aren't playing better football than the Patriots are right now.
Arguably, New England should sit ahead of the Broncos, Buccaneers, Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs. To put them ahead of the Colts, Rams, Packers, or Lions seems a bit steep, though. To say the Patriots are a top-five team right now is far from ridiculous, and that's a testament to the incredible turnaround they've achieved thanks to Mike Vrabel and company.