The New England Patriots have work to do to return to contention status after falling to 1-2 to begin the 2026 NFL season.
ESPN ranked the Patriots No. 16 overall in their latest NFL power rankings entering Week 4, reflecting the difficult start to the season that New England has gotten off to.
The Patriots are dealing with down play from Drake Maye, who has thrown six interceptions to only one touchdown through three games played this season. He has 585 passing yards on the season, but the Patriots are only averaging 12 points a game thus far.
The rest of the offense has had its share of highs and lows. TreVeyon Henderson (76 rushing yards) and Romeo Doubs (96 receiving yards) played well in Week 2, and Mack Hollins (87 receiving yards) came alive
in Week 3, but all in all, the unit has struggled to get into the end zone and to reel in all of its catchable targets.
New England’s defense has been better, with Christian Gonzalez off to a great start to the year and rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas showing great promise. Nevertheless, the Patriots’ scoring output, margins of defeat and turnovers have been the story of the year so far, and many other teams in the league are performing at a higher level than them.
Week 4 now offers New England an opportunity to turn the tide. A sharper performance from the Patriots could quickly rejuvenate their season.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots continue to plummet in ESPN's Week 4 NFL power rankings
