Week 10 Patriots Power Rankings: Pats the BEST worst team in the AFC

The one-win streak was fun while it lasted. Thank goodness they had it - and especially that it came vs. the Jets. Not a good look for New England to be the only single-win team left in the NFL, am I right? Oh, the embarrassment! For perspective, currently there are nine teams with two wins, and 18 teams under .500. Only the Chiefs remain undefeated. Funny but I don't remember there being this many bad teams at the same time when the Patriots were in their heyday. Parity, eh Mr. Commissioner?

Just past the midpoint of the season, here's my eye-test perspective. Despite three turnovers against the Titans, Drake Maye at quarterback is a net positive. He's the man. The rookie has good instincts, a terrific attitude and better mobility than I thought he'd have. The offensive line is an incoherent revolving door of various bodies in different places. No cohesion. The QBs take too many hits, the running backs can't consistently put together an attack, and don't get me started on the receiving corps. Hunter Henry is a sure-handed veteran. The rest of the bunch have had their productive moments but have also been plagued by too many drops. The defense has been a disappointment, but I'm well aware the players lost to injury (or to being on the Commissioner's exempt list) were key to stopping the run. Barmore, Bentley, and Peppers have been missed and their absences have been too big to overcome. Special teams? I see you Marcus Jones. I found myself looking forward to the next punt just to see if he was going to break out.

So, yes, there are some positives to keep an eye on during Patriots games. An occasional win would be nice too. Being in the top five in the 2025 draft order is pretty much assured so I'm not worried about drafting third vs. first.

This week the Pats travel to Chicago to face the 4-4 Bears and rookie QB Caleb Williams. Like a lot of weeks, the Patriots could win, but I wouldn't put my money on it. The Bears are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, and are 6.5 point home favorites. I'll be rooting for the Pats to win, as always. They just might pull it off.

GO PATS!

Around the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills (7-2) at Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

New York Jets (3-6) at Arizona Cardinals (5-4)

Miami Dolphins (2-6) at Los Angeles Rams (4-4)

New England Patriots (2-7) at Chicago Bears (4-4)

AFC Matchups:

Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) vs. Denver Broncos (5-4)

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) at Washington Commanders (7-2)

Houston Texans (6-3) vs. Detroit Lions (7-1)

Baltimore Ravens (6-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5)

Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) vs. Tennessee Titans (2-6)

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) vs. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)

Cleveland Browns (2-7) - Bye Week

Las Vegas Raiders (2-7) - Bye Week

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Diante Lee (The Ringer): When QB Drake Maye was dodging pass rushers on the final play of regulation for what felt like an eternity, I was convinced that we were witnessing one of the best rookie feats of the season. Against the Titans, Maye ran for an impressive 95 yards (though some of the contact wasn't worth the extra effort to gain those yards) and pushed the ball aggressively into coverage voids. Alongside the high moments there were an awful interception in the middle of the field and a fumble lost during an attempt to salvage a play unnecessarily. Maye capped the up-and-down play with a game-ending interception, taking a chance at winning the game and throwing right into the area of a lurking safety. As Maye gets more experience, he'll learn which plays aren't worth the risk, but at least his aggression makes New England worth watching. [-1]

Nate Davis (USA Today): Valiant effort by rookie QB Drake Maye and Co. in Sunday's overtime loss in Nashville. But it feels like the Pats are starting to chart a course – perhaps including a stop atop the 2025 draft – and that it might be short-sighted to strip this team of any low-level assets that might otherwise contribute to Maye's development down the stretch. [-1]

Staff (The Score): Drake Maye made a miraculous touchdown pass to send the Patriots to overtime against the Titans. It didn't result in a win, but Maye's clutch play was a promising sign for the future. [nc]

Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): Drake Maye is getting better, even if they aren't winning games. He does have to cut down on turnovers, but learning for him is what this season is all about the rest of the way. [-1]

Conor Orr (SI): Sometimes, I find the NextGenStats-ification of our football society is ruining some of the discourse by robbing the game of its inherent beauty and making it more quantifiable. However, seeing Drake Maye basically buy himself the same amount of time on a game-ending pass from inside the 10-yard line as Jayden Daniels did on a Hail Mary was the perfect marriage of technology and moment. [+1]

Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Will Jerod Mayo be one and done? [-5]

NFL Nation (ESPN): Most important game remaining: Week 12 vs. the Dolphins. The Patriots are one of nine teams with only two wins this season, which means their draft position could vary considerably depending on how things shake out. The Dolphins, who already recorded a 15-10 win over the Patriots in Week 5, are among that group. The rematch between the teams takes place in South Florida, which has traditionally been a hard place for the Patriots to win. — Mike Reiss. [-1]

Ryan Dunleavy (NY Post) . [-3]

Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): Jerod Mayo should have gone for the 2-point conversion and the win. He didn't, then oddly has refused to give a decent explanation for his decision. It's not the worst thing for a 2-7 team, but hopefully it's a learning moment. [nc]

Ben Rolfe (Pro Football Network): Offense rank 31, Defense rank 29, Special Teams rank 1, SOS rank 20. The Patriots don't have much going for them right now, with their offense ranking 31st and the defense 29th. The offense has looked better with Drake Maye, but he still has a huge talent deficiency around him in terms of pass catchers compared to the rest of the league. [nc]

Eric Edholm (NFL.com): Drake Maye's miracle TD throw made all the highlight reels, deservedly so, giving New England fans some hope that maybe they really did get this QB thing right. But why did Jerod Mayo not go for two and the win? The Patriots were road dogs, outgained by more than 100 yards at that point, looked pretty gassed and hadn't come close to the end zone in the three prior drives. What did they have to lose? There's a whole lot more valor in losing with a "gutsy" call (I use quotes because I really didn't even think there was much risk in that spot) than in being worn down in overtime. Maye deserved a chance to take the game right there. The OT interception he forced really stung, but Maye did plenty of encouraging things out there Sunday. He just needs Mayo and his teammates to start giving him more help and more chances to win. [-2]

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots look like they have a keeper at quarterback in Drake Maye, as his big plays with his arm and legs are bound to outweigh his tough mistakes in not too long. [-2]

Matt Johnson (SportsNaut): Drake Maye didn't have a good performance through the air (2 INTs, 69.5 QB rating), but he did rush for a career-high 95 yards. He's demonstrated his unique playmaking ability, but that wasn't even the biggest 'win' for the New England Patriots on Sunday. With the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers recording victories, the Patriots are back in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. [-3]

Consensus (Bleacher Report): The good news for the Patriots is that quarterback Drake Maye had another solid statistical performance Sunday in Nashville. He finished with 206 passing yards, 95 rushing yards and a backyard play that helped force overtime against the Titans. The bad news is, well, everything else. Maye included. Maye helped keep New England's talent-bereft offense in the game against the Titans, but he also had three turnovers. Maye's second interception ended the game, and he told reporters afterward that he has to cut back on mistakes. But if Maye stops taking chances, New England's already struggling offense will grind to a halt. The rookie is about the only good thing going for the team right now. ... More. [-2]