2014 Week 1 Patriots Power Rankings

Welcome back, folks, to the NFL Power Rankings Kick Off for 2014.

Of course, that assumes we don't count the post-Draft power rankings or the rankings put out after the start of free agency, or the offseason power polls, and the um, Training Camp rankings.  Oh, and the ones published each week during preseason.  Forget those, we now have the official Power Rankings, written by the Experts and Analysts, all in one handy-dandy place just for you.  Unfortunately after the Patriots' Week 1 performance, this will be like reading how much the team sucked in 13 different languages.  Well, here goes:

'Sloppy', 'ugly', 'rusty', 'uneven', 'no style points'... that's the gist of the Week 1 reviews ... from LAST year, and the Patriots won that game against the Bills.  Yeesh.  For the most part you'll find more of the same below.

Around the AFC East:

Miami (1-0) at Buffalo (1-0) and NY Jets (1-0) at Green Bay (0-1)

Notable AFC Matchups:

Pittsburgh (1-0) at Baltimore (0-1) -- Seattle (1-0) at San Diego (0-1) -- Kansas City (0-1) at Denver (1-0) -- Houston (1-0) at Oakland (0-1)  -- Philly (1-0) at Indy (0-1)

GO PATS!

Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) ranks them 4th: The last time the Pats looked that bad in Week One, they won the Super Bowl.

Tom Layberger (Masslive) ranks them 5th: New England allowed a 10-point halftime lead over the Dolphins to dissolve in the South Florida steam bath Sunday. A miserable second half saddled New England with its first season-opening loss since 2003.

USA Today ranks them 6th: What was more concerning? The offense's disappearance after halftime, or Dolphins WR Mike Wallace handling Darrelle Revis?

ESPN Experts rank them 7th: Tom Brady was 2-of-18 on throws at least 15 yards downfield. His 16 incompletions on deep throws are the most by anyone in Stats & Info's data set (since 2006).

Dan Schneier (Fox Sports) ranks them 7th: For the first time in a while, the Patriots have chemistry and talent issues along the interior offensive line after trading away Logan Mankins. This is still a very talented team and we have only seen the surface of what Rob Gronkowski has to offer as he works his way back from injury.

Mark Maske (Washington Post) ranks them 8th: It’s unfamiliar territory for the Patriots, not being in first place in the AFC East. It’s doubtful any assistance was required for Bill Belichick to convince his players they’re probably not as good as their preseason buildup indicated, but if he did, he got it quickly.

The AP Pro32 ranks them 8th.

Peter King (The MMQB) ranks them 10th: Cause for concern, sure. But I still think New England wins 11 and takes the AFC East.

Danny Kelly (SB Nation) ranks them 10th: The Patriots lost their opener to Miami after the Dolphins dominated the second half at home. Rob Gronkowski returned to the lineup, though, and was an immediate factor for New England. Tom Brady, flustered by protection issues all day, managed to distribute the football to eight receivers. The Patriots had issues defending the run and pass protecting, but Bill Belichick will work to correct those issues this week.

Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) ranks them 11th: Darrelle Revis and the new-look defense was a bust, and Tom Brady was again dusting off a lot of pressure in the shocking loss at Miami. Bill Belichick must find a quick fix.

Elliot Harrison (NFL.com) ranks them 12th: My Super Bowl pick went down in a Cameron Wake heap Sunday in Miami. The Dolphins controlled the line of scrimmage all darn day. And while Tom Brady wasn't quite a model of efficiency, New England's run defense -- or lack thereof -- was the primary culprit in this defeat. Next up: another road contest, against the suddenly-scary Vikings. Maybe Cordarrelle Patterson will rack up 200 yards on reverses.

Hank Gola (NY Daily News) ranks them 12th: Complete second-half meltdown in the pits.

Patrick Imig (Cold Hard Football Facts) ranks them 25th: using CHFF's Quality Stats rankings.  /Vikings, by the way, were No. 1.

AVERAGE RANK:  6.9 (not including CHFF)