After three weeks of the NFL season, there was a lot of “I told you so” going around from those who believed the 2025 Patriots were simply the beneficiaries of an easy schedule.
The Patriots’ 1-2 start still hasn’t been erased, per se, but the dominance of Drake Maye over the past two weeks while lifting the team to 3-2 has garnered some more belief around NFL circles.
To get an idea of where the Patriots stand in the eyes of national commentators and analysts, here’s a look at the latest power rankings.
Previous ranking: 14th
The big jump came with a warning from Mike Reiss on cornerback depth, noting that “New England has allowed a 66% completion rate this season, which ranks 25th in the NFL.”
Previous ranking: 18th
“It took one wild win over the Bills to return the Patriots to excellence. They detonated the Raiders on Sunday, with fantastic offensive performances by Drake Maye, Efton Chism III, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas — heck, just throw in every skill-position player. They all feasted in a game that saw New England finish with 536 yards of offense, pairing perfectly with a defense that put the clamps on Las Vegas early.”
Previous ranking: 13th
The patriotic pigeons had a field day on Tom Brady’s statue.
Previous ranking: Unranked in top 10
“A tale as old as time in New England. I’ve heard it before. I was there when it happened. The sky’s falling in September, and the Pats are dead in the water … until they aren’t. Drake, he’s responded so great. There was the first real slump early in the season, but he’s throwing the ball with confidence now again, and the whole team is feeding off of it. Aaron Rodgers could have said it best all those years ago: Relax, everyone. This is a damn good football team.”
Previous ranking: 11th
“Drake Maye played arguably the best game of his career, totaling 403 yards of total offense (excluding kneeldowns) and five touchdowns in the Patriots’ domination of the Raiders. And that was with a lengthy injury report. Think of what this team will look like when it gets healthy and Maye has A.J. Brown to throw to.”
Previous ranking: 12th
“I don’t really care whether it was a designed play or not, but Efton Chism’s in-game backwards pass, which followed an unbelievable end zone grab the week prior against the Bills, ensures that the story of the NFL in 2026 cannot be written without Josh McDaniels and a white Patriots wide receiver shorter than six feet tall. Time is truly a flat circle.”
Previous ranking: 15th
“Drake Maye has righted things in a big way. He’s been on fire the past two weeks as the Pats have turned their season around.”
Tom Curran and Mike Giardi join Trenni Casey on Arbella Early Edition to react to A.J. Brown’s return to Patriots practice.
Previous ranking: 15th
“The Patriots are such a different team when Drake Maye is playing like Drake Maye. … And with him rolling, their running game was suddenly working, too. It’s no wonder that they made quick work of the upstart Raiders. And with the Jets and Dolphins coming up in their next three games, they’ve got a shot to get on a little bit of a roll now, too.”
Previous ranking: 13th
“Drake Maye isn’t a bad quarterback. Go figure. After naysayers got their licks in during Maye’s three-game slump to start the season, which was an extension of his postseason issues, Maye has 643 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 79 rushing yards and a rushing score in his last two games. Those games came against the Bills and Raiders, who had one combined loss before facing New England. Stunning, but a 24-year-old quarterback who was one vote from winning MVP last season might still be good.”
