NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: New England Patriots steady at No. 5
The New England Patriots return from their bye week looking to establish their identity on both sides of the ball. Despite their struggles, they are still ranked in the top 5.
Well, the New England Patriots have had two weeks to reflect on a poor showing against the Tennessee Titans. Outplayed in all facets of the game, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for a team still searching for an identity, particularly on the road.
Coming in at No. 5 in the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings, the Patriots are still an elite team despite some of their obvious weaknesses. A few of those weaknesses should take care of themselves with the return of a few players coming back off injuries.
One of those key players is Rob Gronkowski. Although he hasn’t been his usual dominating self, his presence should help Tom Brady and the offense develop more consistency. If they are going to eventually compete with some of the teams ranked ahead of them, they will have to be able to put up the points.
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With the Monday night matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs ending in a 54-51 Rams victory, being able to hang with those teams will be key. We kind of seen that when the Patriots defeated the Chiefs 43-40 earlier in the season.
When asked about that Monday night showdown between the Rams and Chiefs, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick answered the only way you would expect him to answer.
"“Yeah, the Jets,” Belichick said, via WEEI. “That is my takeaway. Getting ready for the Jets.”"
That just proves where the team’s focus is. They have to get better to secure homefield advantage in the AFC. With the Chiefs loss they are just one game back for the No. 1 spot, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are now ahead of them and both the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are not far behind.
The remaining six games
With six games left in the regular season, the New England Patriots really need to hit their stride in all phases of the game. If they continue to have struggles, it could be an early exit from the playoffs.
In those six remaining games, the one game that stands out is the matchup against a Pittsburgh Steelers teams currently ranked one spot ahead of them in this week’s power rankings and a half game ahead of them in the overall AFC standings. To win that game on the road, the Patriots will more than likely have to play their best game of the season.
That game will also be necessary to catch the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 spot in the AFC. The Patriots have the tie-breaker since they won the head-to-head matchup but will basically have to run the table and hope the Chiefs lose one more game to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
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The Chiefs, who dropped to No.3 behind the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams in the power rankings, are proving they will be a very tough out, especially if they get the top seed.
In all, the New England Patriots are going to have to start playing like a top 5 ranked team to get back to the Super Bowl. It all starts Week 12.