The Patriots didn’t exactly cruise past Miami, but they did what good teams are supposed to do: survive a messy first half, settle in, and leave with a win. That’s why the drop in this week’s power rankings feels a little strange. New England came back to beat the Dolphins, and even with the injuries piling up, the result should have carried more weight.
The consensus still landed the Pats at 10.5 overall, which is a fair middle ground. One ranking had them as high as fifth, another as low as 14th.
The average says this is a team that belongs in the top half of the league, and Sunday’s matchup with Green Bay offers another chance to prove it. A win over the Packers would give New England a nice bump.
The challenge is real. Green Bay comes in at 5-3, and while the Packers are 2.5-point road underdogs, they’re still a dangerous opponent for a Patriots team trying to keep things together through injuries.
Both clubs are entering Week 9 with momentum. Drake Maye has put up MVP-type numbers over the last four games, throwing 11 touchdowns with just 1 interception and clearing a 110 passer rating in each outing.
Jordan Love has been rolling too, with 8 touchdowns and 3 picks in that same stretch while averaging more than 300 yards and 2 touchdowns per game on a strong completion percentage.
If New England keeps the game clean, the path is there. Turnovers and penalties could be the difference, and the Patriots have a shot to win by a touchdown if they handle those details.
The AFC East picture around them is busy as well: Buffalo is at Minnesota, the Jets are at Kansas City, and Miami hosts Detroit.
Around the AFC, Denver visits Carolina, Jacksonville goes to Baltimore, Cincinnati heads to Atlanta, Cleveland travels to New Orleans, Las Vegas plays at San Francisco, Houston is at the Chargers, and Indianapolis takes on Dallas. Pittsburgh is on a bye, and Tennessee is also off this week.
The rankings themselves tell the story of a team that has earned respect, even if not everyone is sold on the style points. Nate Davis of USA Today put New England fifth, noting that the Patriots have only scored more than 30 points once this season while also allowing more than 30 only once. Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News had them 10th, pointing to Drake Maye’s efficiency and the team’s 131 rushing yards in the win over Miami.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports also slotted them 10th, writing that the Patriots had to “shake off an ugly first half” and reminding readers that they were missing top receivers and one of their best running backs. He added that the next two games could be telling, especially if A.J.
Brown can return. Vacchiano also noted that New England is now 8-1 against divisional opponents since the start of last season.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk kept it simple at 10th, saying, “They avoided the South Florida trap, again.”
ESPN’s NFL Nation placed them 11th, with Mike Reiss highlighting Kyle Van Noy as the best in-season trade acquisition ever for the franchise. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports also had them 11th, saying the Patriots “didn’t look great in the victory over Miami, but a win is a win” and adding that the defense is improving each week.
Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab also ranked them 11th and pointed to the interior offensive line as the biggest need, noting the pressure Drake Maye faced against Miami and the injuries to guards Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker. Schwab also mentioned trade speculation involving Carlton Davis III.
Nick Shook of NFL.com had New England 11th as well, emphasizing the road win in Miami after a rough first half and crediting Mike Vrabel’s halftime message for a second-half surge that included 21 straight points. Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage rounded out the group at 12th, pointing to the 24-19 comeback and saying the slow start against a one-win opponent kept the Patriots from climbing higher.
For now, New England has held its ground. The next test is whether they can turn that into a bigger rise.
In Other News...
Patriots Defense Just Delivered The Momentum Shift Fans Needed
The Patriots needed a spark after a sluggish first half against Miami, and their defense supplied it in a hurry. New England trailed at halftime before turning the game around in the second half, with the unit stringing together three-and-outs and consistently making life uncomfortable for the Dolphins quarterback.
Kevin Byard gave the comeback a jolt with his first interception as a Patriot in the fourth quarter, a play that helped swing momentum and fed into a touchdown drive. For a team that had to claw back into the game, it was the kind of timely defensive moment that can change how a win feels, not just how it looks in the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick Had A Very Belichick Response To An Off-Field Question
Bill Belichick was back in familiar territory at a press conference, fielding a question about his personal life after a TMZ report raised eyebrows around his relationship with Jordon Hudson. The report said the two ended their romantic relationship last year but remain close friends and business partners, a detail neither has publicly confirmed.
Belichick, unsurprisingly, wanted no part of the conversation. When asked about it, he declined to discuss his personal life and pushed back at the premise of the question, asking the reporter whether they worked for a tabloid. For a coach long known for keeping the focus on football, it was a very on-brand answer, and one that left the broader story where it started. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Be Ready To Move On From Christian Barmore
Christian Barmores name is suddenly in the trade conversation, with a Sports Illustrated report saying the Patriots are willing to listen on the defensive tackle. For a team still sorting out its long-term roster and cap structure, that kind of move would not just be about parting with a talented interior defender, but about deciding how aggressively to reshape the roster around younger, cheaper pieces.
The financial side is what makes the possibility worth watching. Moving Barmore would create meaningful flexibility for New England in the near term and beyond, which helps explain why the idea is being floated at all. The question now is whether another team values him enough to meet the Patriots price and make a deal worth considering. [Read more 🡒]