It’s hard to ignore the New England Patriots this season, especially after their Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.
Tom Brady has taken notice and believes they’re a legitimate contender in the AFC East. The former Patriots quarterback and current FOX analyst released his weekly power rankings and had his former team at No. 3 — the highest the Patriots have been ranked all season.
“New England breaks into the top three with a convincing win in Tampa. What more is there to say? The knock on this team had been their schedule, but they went into a hostile environment and beat a great team that was playing well heading into the game,” Brady said. “Shoutout to Stefon Diggs, who’s given this locker room a whole new attitude throughout this seven-game winning streak.”
Brady had the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 1, and the Los Angeles Rams at No. 2 in his rankings. The Patriots were No. 6 last week.
The Patriots’ schedule has been a talking point this season. Statistically, they have one of the easiest schedules this season and go into Week 11 against the 2-7 New York Jets.
The schedule talk is something coach Mike Vrabel called “mind-boggling.”
“I can only coach one team at a time. I don’t make the schedule. Every team beats every (team),” the Patriots coach said on WEEI. “That’s just mind-boggling to me, in the National Football League, that there be strength of schedule. You got a salary cap. Everybody spends the same amount of money. So you guys know in this league, that that doesn’t really mean anything.”
The Patriots have won seven straight games, including road wins against the Buffalo Bills and the Buccaneers. They return home Thursday night to take on the Jets, who have won their last two games.
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