Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse – a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Patriots fans, sign up HERE to join FanPulse.
After their dominant week four victory over the visiting Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots were back on track: the team’s offense appeared to finally be back in sync again, while the defense almost pitched a shutout against an explosive opponent. The win did not only bring the team back to .500 on the year, it also had an impact on how the fanbase views it.
The Patriots’ 38-7 win against the Dolphins gave the team the biggest confidence jump in the league in our weekly FanPulse survey: while only 31% of fans participating still felt confident in the direction the team was headed after its week three loss in Detroit, the number jumped to 73% following the Dolphins game:
After having the least confidence fanbase in the AFC East one week ago, the Patriots are now back on top in the division:
New England Patriots: 73% (+42%)
Miami Dolphins: 55% (-31%)
Buffalo Bills: 32% (-41%)
New York Jets: 12% (-31%)
How will yesterday’s win against the Indianapolis Colts – one during which the team looked unstoppable at times but also struggled with sloppy play in the third quarter – impact the Patriots’ confidence score? It will likely climb back to at least the level it had before New England’s loss against the Lions, when the team sat at 76%.
The real test will come in nine days, though: the Patriots will face a Kansas City Chiefs team that has looked like an offensive juggernaut so far this season.