Despite the scare the New York Giants gave the Patriots this week, they are still sitting comfortably at the top of the Power Rankings system. They still hold the league's best offense and has vastly outproduced the #2 offense in the Arizona Cardinals. On defense, they still rank in the upper half at 14th overall. The Special Teams unit ranks first, although percentage points ahead of the Baltimore Ravens special teams unit. Not only do the Patriots have the top ranking in 2 of the 3 phases of the game, they also boast the highest schedule grade in the league as well. The team's strength of schedule and victory through the first 9 games is 38-36. With injuries piling up on the offense, the Patriots may have issues getting the #1 seed in the AFC without some help, but if they can get healthy they should be able to advance to the Super Bowl with the #1 seed.
The Top 10 teams are:
- New England Patriots 9-0, 86
- Carolina Panthers 9-0, 79
- Cincinnati Bengals 8-1, 72
- Denver Broncos 7-2, 65
- Arizona Cardinals 7-2, 64
- Minnesota Vikings 7-2, 62
- Green Bay Packers 6-3, 59
- Kansas City Chiefs 4-5, 59
- Buffalo Bills 5-4, 57
- Atlanta Falcons 6-3, 57
The most surprising team on the list is the 4-5 Kansas City Chiefs. This isn't a one game boost from when they flattened the Broncos on Sunday, but they took a rather curious jump in the rankings. Last week, the Chiefs were in the middle of the pack, but jumped into the Top 10 ahead of teams that are in front of them in the Wild Card standings. Their offense, defense, special teams, and schedule scores are all above 50, which makes you wonder how the heck they started 1-5 this season. Since then, they've won three in a row and have plenty of chances to win a Wild Card spot. Their current ranking seems right in line with the expectations I had with them in preseason, a middle of the pack offense, a Top 5 defense, and a solid special teams group.
The Patriots next opponent is the #9 ranked Buffalo Bills. The Bills score above 50 in all four categories as well and are not a good match-up for a banged up Patriots team. The Bills offense is above average in every category but situational downs, due to them not being able to extend drives on 3rd downs. On defense, they do everything well with grades all above 50. Their special teams coverage is a mixed bag. They do a good job of covering kicks, but struggle to return them. That's why they have issues creating field position for their offense, which is led by an inexperienced QB who has shown promise. The Patriots should definitely not take the Bills lightly, because they are good enough to beat them right now if the Patriots let them.
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