The way the experts see it, the Patriots’ stunning turnaround has them clawing their way up from irrelevance, back from being a disconcerting mess and asserting themselves as a credible threat in the AFC… until injuries and offensive line health threaten to derail them this week in Chicago. Nate Davis from USA Today actually knocked them down two spots because they might lose Thursday night. Didn’t realize the rankings were based on what might happen in games that haven’t been played yet.
I’m not
that pessimistic. The 4-2 Bears are a good team with a good quarterback and a solid defense. As a team, they’re not going to make Jets-like mistakes. Here’s hoping Brown has been spending quality time with either Drake Maye or his favorite Jugs machine. Bears are favored by 3.5 but my Monopoly money is on the Patriots to “Advance to GO, collect a win in Chicago and earn some much needed rest.
GO PATS!!
AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (5-1) – Bye Week
New England Patriots (4-2) at Chicago Bears (4-2)
New York Jets (2-4) vs. Miami Dolphins (0-5)
AFC Matchups:
Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) at Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
Cleveland Browns (4-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) – Bye Week
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at New Orleans Saints (2-4)
Denver Broncos (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Baltimore Ravens (4-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) vs. Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
Indianapolis Colts (2-4) at Vikings (5-0)
Houston Texans (2-4) vs. New York Giants (3-2-1)
Los Angeles Chargers (0-6) – Bye Week
5th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): Patriots have now improved their rushing total to 784 yards in 6 games, a clip of 131 rushing yards per game – a huge number that doesn’t get enough credit for their offensive success. They are up from 129 yards per game last year and it’s helped them get Drake Maye out of his slump. [+2]
5th – Ian Glenn (Full Press Coverage): Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes in a 26-19 victory over the Jets, giving New England three straight wins. The Buffalo upset and Raiders blowout now look like the start of a genuine run rather than isolated good Sundays. Pats are back among the AFC’s most credible threats. [+2]
7th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Biggest issue on offense: Offensive line health. The Patriots had three starters — right tackle Morgan Moses (ankle), left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and right guard Ben Brown (knee) — get knocked out of Sunday’s game. And the only reason Brown was in the lineup was because opening-day starter Mike Onwenu (ankle) and his replacement Greg Van Roten (hip) were put on IR earlier in the season. The Patriots have started three different OL combinations in their first six games, and there will likely be a fourth Thursday in Chicago. — Mike Reiss [+2]
7th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): The Patriots lost 13-10 at Seattle in the opener, when they were in position to kick a game-tying field goal at the end. If that turns out different, we’re having a much different conversation about the Patriots. They have blown out the Steelers and Raiders, who have had some good moments this season. They won at the Bills. The win over the Jets might not have been dominant but they were up 10 points going into the final minute. Of course, the Patriots’ season turned when Drake Maye started to heat up. Through three games he had 585 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. In the three games since he has 878 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception. A.J. Brown is back (though Romeo Doubs went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury) so the Patriots’ offense should continue to flourish. [+4]
7th – Nick Shook (NFL): New England has transformed from a disconcerting mess into a professional outfit that is improving weekly on the defensive side and benefitting greatly from Drake Maye’s return to prominence. A.J. Brown was a bit rusty in his return, but I love the trajectory the Patriots are on right now. [+3]
8th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): The injuries are piling up before a short-week trip to Chicago. [+1]
8th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Given all the injuries they sustained Sunday, gonna be tough to sustain a three-game winning streak with a trip to Chicago on Thursday night next up on the docket − especially if WR A.J. Brown drops four more balls. [-2]
9th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): They have turned their season around the past three weeks as Drake Maye has lit it up. The defense is also getting to the quarterback. [+2]
9th – Conor Orr (SI): While it’s a very, very small sample size, the A.J. Brown drop rate being on par with Quentin Johnston is not what you want. My bold prediction is that Drake Maye gets him into the end zone twice against the Bears on Thursday night. [+1]
11th – Ralph. Vacchiano (FOX Sports): Yawn! The Patriots beat the Jets. What else is new? But that’s three straight wins now for a team that was on the brink of disaster after Week 3. And more importantly, it was a third straight good game from QB Drake Maye. The turnaround is stunning. He averaged 195 passing yards and had one touchdown pass and six interceptions over the first three games. He’s since averaged 292.7 yards while tossing 10 touchdowns with just one interception. Maye may not get there because that terrible start could be an anchor, but he’s playing like an MVP contender again. [+2]
AVG RANK: 7.6 [+1.7]
