Week 13 Patriots Power Rankings: Bottom’s up!

New England ranked 31st across the board this week to no one’s surprise. The Panthers are worse and the Patriots aren’t better than any other team. But I was still curious to read the latest commentary, and the experts did not disappoint in upping the negativity. Tops is fromThe Ringer: The New England Patriots are officially a dumpster fire... Yep, ‘bout sums it up.

Bottom of the rankings means top of the next season’s draft order so it’s not all bad. That’s the new intrigue when watching games, with some even questioning whether it was suggested to Chad Ryland to miss the kick. Anyone watching that game live knows that wasn’t the case. The Patriots would win if they could. It’s just unfathomable that the master planner Bill Belichick has built and is steering this rudderless ship. Ride’s not over yet though, so buckle up.

The Patriots are heading into Week 13, with six games to go: (1:00 pm), Thursday night (8:15 pm), Monday night (8:15 pm), Sunday night (8:15 pm), (1:00 pm) and last but not least, home vs. the . That’s a long time to be a lame duck team but it’s just part of the process. I’m still taking it one game at a time and rooting for the players who keep trying, to do well. Those guys deserve the support.

GO PATS!

Around the AFC East:

New England Patriots (2-9) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (4-7)

Miami Dolphins (8-3) at Washington Commanders (4-8)

Buffalo Bills (6-6) - Bye Week

New York Jets (4-7) vs. Atlanta Falcons (5-6)

AFC Matchups:

Baltimore Ravens (9-3) - Bye Week

Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) at Green Bay Packers (5-6)

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-10)

Cleveland Browns (7-4) at Los Angeles Rams (5-6)

Indianapolis Colts (6-5) at Tennessee Titans (4-7)

Denver Broncos (6-5) at Houston Texans (6-5)

Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) - Bye Week

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NFL Nation (ESPN): The Patriots are averaging 13.4 points per game. Quarterback Mac Jones has been pulled from four games this season as the offense — with shaky QB play one key factor alongside a mix-and-match offensive line and limited skill-position targets — has been the anchor holding the team back. And for the financial and roster-based investments Bill Belichick makes on special teams, that area has also been a disappointment. — Mike Reiss [-1]

Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): It feels like Bill Belichick is just messing with ownership at this point. [+1]

Eric Edholm (NFL.com): Whether Bill Belichick continues to coach in New England or not, the Patriots might end up with a 2024 draft selection high enough to consider quarterback options other than Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe next season. The current QB well has been spoiled, it appears, as the Pats sputtered away another game where the defense held its opponent to 10 points. Jones was benched (for the fourth time this season) in the second half, and after Zappe offered a ray of sunshine with a TD drive, he turned heel, throwing a bad pick into thick coverage. Maybe New England will go with Zappe down the stretch. Maybe it won’t make a difference. These are Sisyphean matters at this point. A shockingly bad season has sunk further into the abyss. The Patriots are now 0-7 vs. teams outside the AFC East. [nc]

Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Losing to the Giants is a bad look for this team. The Mac Jones experience is over. He has to stay on the bench now. [nc]

Dalton Miller (Pro Football Network): What happens when a stoppable force meets a moveable object? Well, it’s only a one-game sample, but the Patriots’ game against the Giants was a test of patience ... or possibly psychosis. Mac Jones was likely never going to be a high-end franchise QB because of his lackluster physical tools. However, there should be a congressional investigation surrounding the events of the past two seasons surrounding the young QB. The mistakes he’s making are entirely inexcusable, but he looked like a competent player as a rookie, and they’ve completely destroyed him. [nc]

NFL Nation (ESPN): The Patriots are averaging 13.4 points per game. Quarterback Mac Jones has been pulled from four games this season as the offense — with shaky QB play one key factor alongside a mix-and-match offensive line and limited skill-position targets — has been the anchor holding the team back. And for the financial and roster-based investments Bill Belichick makes on special teams, that area has also been a disappointment. — Mike Reiss [-1]

Karen Guregian (MassLive): It’s gotten so bad, Bill Belichick can’t beat an undrafted third string rookie quarterback. [nc]

Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): The Patriots need talent. It might be the worst roster in the NFL. And they drafted a kicker in the fourth round. And that kicker, Chad Ryland, missed a 35-yard field goal that would have tied the game in the final seconds Sunday. Is there a single positive to take out of this Patriots season? [nc]

Jarrett Bailey (TouchdownWire): Bill Belichick is hot and he’s cold, he’s yes and he’s no. He’s in and he’s out, he’s up and he’s down when it comes to picking a quarterback. Will he finally just stick with Bailey Zappe? Or will Macorckle get the call once more? [nc]

Staff (The Ringer): Every week is a new rock-bottom for New England. Sunday’s 10-7 loss to the Giants featured Mac Jones’ fourth benching of the season — he has been benched in 36 percent of his 11 starts this year! —and was the fourth time this season the Patriots failed to score at least 10 points. Also, the rookie kicker Belichick drafted in the fourth round missed a 35-yard field goal that would have tied the game late in the fourth quarter. Then again, the Patriots are now in line for the third pick in the draft, which is good, because a long-term answer at quarterback does not exist anywhere near this roster. — Nora Princiotti. [nc]

Josh Schrock (NBC Sports Chicago): Are we sure Bill Belichick isn’t tanking?

Conor Orr (SI): Bill Belichick’s press conferences now seem a bit like the fart from Step Brothers. For a while, Belichick’s behavior, terseness and playful non-answers seemed cool. As Seth Rogan’s character said: “downplaying the formality of the thing.” But now that the team has weirdly switched between, cut and benched a handful of bad quarterbacks countless times, the whole thing feels a little “f— up.” [nc]

Nate Davis (USA Today): The last time they drafted in the top five was 1994, that choice bringing USC LB Willie McGinest. Could they possibly be picking another Trojan up top next spring? [-2]

Matt Johnson (SportsNaut): Mac Jones never had a high ceiling, but Bill Belichick ruined the young New England Patriots quarterback by burning a development year by pairing Jones with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. In 2023, Jones brought in a better offensive staff but put Jones behind a porous offensive line with the worst pass-catchers in the NFL. The Patriots are a multi-year rebuild and Belichick shouldn’t have any involvement with the offense if he’s kept around. [nc]

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots had to change QBs and rely mostly on their running game against the Giants and wasted a huge defensive effort. They hit a new level of offensive ineptitude as it keeps getting worse for Bill Belichick. [nc]

Consensus (Bleacher Report): The New England Patriots are officially a dumpster fire. Sunday’s loss in New York was a new nadir in a season filled with them. After failing to name a starting quarterback until just before game time, Bill Belichick went with Mac Jones—and then yanked him for Bailey Zappe after Jones threw a pair of interceptions. Zappe threw one of his own too—the combined passer rating of New England’s quarterbacks was 33.4 Sunday. They threw for 136 yards without a touchdown. ... [nc]

Staff (The Score): No matter how many times Patriots fans ask Santa, Tom Brady ain’t coming down that chimney. It’s bad in New England. [nc]

AVG RANK: 31 (-0.7)