NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Patriots drop due to ‘killer mistakes’

Following a 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots drop in the Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, but how far did they fall?

The New England Patriots had no business having a shot at beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs Monday night, but through three quarters they absolutely had a chance and probably should’ve been leading in that game, which is why the team only dropped two spots to No. 10 in the Week 5 NFL Power Rankings.

What if Cam Newton played in a game in which the Patriots’ defense once again confused Patrick Mahomes? What if the team didn’t drop two interceptions and the officials didn’t prematurely blow the whistle on another that feel in the hands of Shilique Calhoun?

With Bill Belichick as the head coach, of course the New England Patriots were still in position to upset the Chiefs despite COVID-19, despite no Cam Newton, despite no Sony Michel and despite traveling and playing a game on the exact same day.

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But, in the 26-10 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions, fans were quickly reminded why Brian Hoyer is a career backup quarterback. Two turnovers and a boneheaded play right before the half were just the things Hoyer couldn’t do to not lose the game.

The Patriots left both points and turnovers on the board and those two aspects of the game came back to haunt the team in the fourth quarter when Patrick Mahomes finally broke through.

While the combination of Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham had the team within 13-10, one could only imagine who that game would’ve gone if Cam Newton was running the show.

NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus is notes just how important Newton is to the team’s overall success:

"“Right about now, Bill Belichick is thanking his lucky stars another team didn’t aggressively target Cam Newton this offseason. With Newton sidelined following a positive coronavirus test, the Patriots’ offense was unable to avoid killer mistakes in a 26-10 loss to the Chiefs on Monday night at Arrowhead. Brian Hoyer was benched after an error-filled performance and Jarrett Stidham threw two picks in relief (though Julian Edelman owes his QB an Apple Watch or something after his drop produced the game-clinching pick-six). The Pats’ defense did a fine job containing Patrick Mahomes for most of the night, but you need to play a far cleaner game to beat the defending champs.”"

Where the New England Patriots stand

In dropping two spots to No. 10, it is obvious the New England Patriots are being measured by how they respond in compete in the games they have lost.

In traveling to Seattle and coming a yard short of beating the Seahawks (No. 6) and coming a few mistakes short of upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1) with two backup quarterbacks playing are signs of the character the team has.

Of course, any team coached by Bill Belichick is going to be competitive, but the Chiefs game and all the obstacles surrounding it were all the reason for the Patriots to lay down and just take a loss.

But instead, they competed, and the defense played good enough to beat Patrick Mahomes.

Despite the quarterback play, the New England Patriots saw their offensive line play well and has to be encouraged by the rushing performance of second year running back Damien Harris who rushed for over 100 yards in really his NFL game.

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Healthy and fully loaded, fans have to be encouraged on where this team is headed and how they will compete in 2020. They are now two games behind the Buffalo Bills (No. 4) in the AFC East, but they have a string of winnable games coming up that should set up a classic battle with the Bills in Week 8.

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