The New England Patriots have had an unorthodox 10-2 year, with three different starting quarterbacks, numerous injuries on offense, and a mid-season changeup on defense. One constant remains: QB Tom Brady is still a fan favorite.
Brady has received 519,210 Pro Bowl votes, good for 1st in the AFC and 3rd overall behind a pair of Dallas Cowboys rookies. RB Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL with 681,361 votes, while QB Dak Prescott is 2nd with 607,621 votes. Brady, Steelers WR Antonio Brown (508,913 votes), and Raiders QB Derek Carr (500,770 votes) round out the top five.
Brady ranks 1st in the NFL with a 113.1 passer rating and his 19:1 touchdown to interception ratio is the best of any quarterback with more than 200 attempts.
Only one other member of the Patriots ranks atop his positional group in the AFC and it’s definitely not someone I was expecting. TE Martellus Bennett leads all AFC tight ends with 185,749 votes. Bennett ranks 26th in the AFC with 544 receiving yards, and trails Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (815 yards) and Titans TE Delanie Walker (657 yards). He’s had one standout game since suffering an ankle injury in week 5, but it happened to be a 102 yard performance against the Seahawks. A whopping 72% of his receiving yards and 100% of his touchdowns have come in four games (Dolphins, Bills, Browns, Seahawks).
There are a few Patriots omissions that are surprising to me, especially based on the current voting. Raiders FS Reggie Nelson ranks 1st with a mere 82,819 votes; Patriots FS Devin McCourty should be atop this ranking. Bills LB Zach Brown (106,464) and SS Eric Berry (104,844) also have surprisingly low vote totals to be in 1st place.