NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Patriots moving like wind towards No. 1
With a bizarre 14-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, the New England Patriots have secured their spot-on top of the AFC East and are on path to re-introducing themselves as the best team in all the NFL.
Coming in at No. 4 in the Week 14 NFL Power Rankings, the Patriots are moving their way to the top of the rankings all while Bill Belichick continues to prove he is the GOAT when it comes to NFL head coaches. If winning a game throwing the ball just 3 times doesn’t prove it, well perhaps the fact that he has his team at 9-4 with a rookie quarterback and a revamped roster will further solidify that.
And what was showcased in windy Buffalo on Monday night, a solid defense and a dominate running attack surrounding Mac Jones is the very formula for success.
In his NFL Power Rankings, Week 14 column, Dan Hanzus talks about that formula and the genius of Bill Belichick:
"“The man’s rare sideline smile told the story: This was the kind of night that keeps Bill Belichick in the game. With frigid cold and gusting winds, Belichick took the ball out of his quarterback’s hands (three pass attempts for Mac Jones) and won with a pounding run attack and a defense that bent but did not break. The 14-10 victory over the Bills pushed the Pats’ winning streak to seven games and gave them sole possession of the No. 1 seed in the AFC with five weeks in the regular season. Tom Brady might be gone, but the Pats’ continued ability to win contests like this goes right back to the legend in the hoodie on the sideline.”"
Where the New England Patriots stand following Week 14
There is still a question about whether the New England Patriots are the top team in the AFC. That question surrounds the No. 5 team in the Week 14 Power Rankings, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are 8-4 despite a slow start themselves and are starting to win games on the defensive side of the football, just like the Patriots. Offensively, Patrick Mahomes II and the Chiefs’ offense has been slowed down, but the explosiveness is still there. Therefore, Kansas City does present the biggest challenge for the Patriots.
As far as the three teams ranked ahead of the Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 3), the Arizona Cardinals (No. 2) and the Green Bay Packers (No.1), all three teams feature great quarterback play, can run the ball, and play solid defense.
Next. 2 Pros and Cons from the New England Patriots big win in Buffalo. dark
Back when Belichick and the Patriots were 2-4, to even think the Pats would be in the mix in the AFC was ludicrous, but the potential of the best team in all of football. Well, that will depend on the further development of Mac Jones over the final four games of the 2021 NFL season.
With a bye week ahead, it’s time for the Patriots to rest up and prepare to take on another AFC team making a push for the playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts.