Welcome to the season opening column for the 2026 Patriots Power Rankings. Preseason rankings aren’t worth the trouble as there are too many hypotheticals too far away from games that count, “Team X drafted this player so they’re better, or Team Y lost Joe Blow in free agency so now they’re worse.” Those opinions may prove correct, but there’s no Win-Loss results to measure them by. They’re a fine excuse to offer some thoughts about each team, but they’re more of a suggestion than a ranking.
That
said, after the Week 1 loss in Seattle New England sits at a hard 0-1, third in the AFC East and ranked between 8th and 19th. The Jets are 1-0 and first in the division. Former head coach Bill Parcells famously said, “You are what your record says you are” but he wasn’t referring to Week 1 rankings whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
Conor Orr and Frank Schwab had the more positive takes below, while Mike Florio added his signature snark and Pete Prisco called the upcoming match against the Steelers “a must win.” [Insert eye-roll emoji here]. It may be early in the season but the hyperbole is in mid-season form. The Steelers won last week … vs. the Falcons, but I think they’re beatable. Pats win and cover the (4.5) spread.
GO PATS!!
Around the AFC East:
New York Jets (1-0) vs. Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Buffalo Bills (1-0) vs. Detroit Lions (1-0)
New England Patriots (0-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Miami Dolphins (0-1) at San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
AFC Matchups:
Baltimore Ravens (1-0) vs. New Orleans Saints (0-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)
Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Houston Texans (0-1)
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Tennessee Titans (0-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
8th – Bradley Locker (PFF): Last year’s AFC champions turned heads thanks to the exemplary performance of Drake Maye, who received a worthwhile boost in the form of Brown entering his third pro season. The Patriots’ defense rode a scintillating finish to end the year third in EPA per play and points per drive, with a lockdown secondary serving as the anchor. New England has been fraught with doubt all offseason — in part due to a questionable pass rush and run game — but will be in the mix to get back to the playoffs with the 13th-easiest schedule.
9th – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots had a bad draw in their Seahawks’ Super Bowl rematch in Seattle but still had a chance to win the game late with more impressive defense. The pressure is on early with the Steelers, Jaguars and Bills next on the schedule.
10th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Non-QB newcomer debut: Edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones. Signed to a three-year, $36.5 million deal in free agency, the eight-year veteran totaled four QB hits, one sack and two tackles. He was generally a solid presence setting the edge in the running game, as well. The Patriots targeted Jones over retaining K’Lavon Chaisson, who led the team with 7.5 sacks last season. Runner-up choice: Sixth-round rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor (TCU), who led the team with three special teams tackles, including one on the opening kickoff. — Mike Reiss.
10th – Nate Davis (USA Today): QB Drake Maye has four multi-interception games in his three-year career, half of them in his past two starts against Seattle. But, hey, at least he wasn’t hit nearly as much in the opener as he was in Super Bowl 60.
10th – Ralph Vacchiano (FOX Sports): Three interceptions by Drake Maye, an injury that will cost WR A.J. Brown a month, and they couldn’t beat a Seahawks team led by Drew Lock. Unfortunately, their schedule won’t get any easier.
11th – Conor Orr (SI): Drake Maye is primed for a silence-all-doubters game this week after throwing one of the most ill-advised situational balls of the last few regular seasons. Of course, the way opening week played out, New England is tasked with both an emotional exorcism this week against a bad Steelers team and a schematic streamlining. Luckily, it doesn’t look like Pittsburgh is posing much of a threat.
11th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): The overreaction directed at Drake Maye proves that the hate of the Patriots hasn’t died just because Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are long gone. Maye didn’t play well in the opener and didn’t have a good postseason either. He played elite defenses in almost every game though. Maye is going to be good. He’s just not able to overcome a middling supporting cast — A.J. Brown was out for the second half and TreVeyon Henderson was inactive in the opener — against great defenses as a third-year player. He’s not nearly as bad as you’ll read on social media.
13th – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Fortunately, blowing it twice in the same game counts as only one loss.
18th – Eric Edholm (NFL): Drake Maye’s three interceptions clearly contributed to New England’s meltdown in Seattle, but the quarterback wasn’t the lone culprit in the 13-10 defeat. The Patriots’ defense allowed backup QB Drew Lock to lead the Seahawks on two fourth-quarter scoring drives, and Mike Vrabel’s team wilted under the pressure applied by the reigning champs. Now New England is staring at a month (or longer) without A.J. Brown. The Pats will need to bounce back quickly to fight off the allegations of being soft-schedule merchants.
19th – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Drake Maye has struggled against good defenses, which he did in the opener against Seattle. This week’s game with the Steelers feels like a must-win for the Patriots.
AVG RANK: 11.9
