Patriots Tied with Ravens for No. 1 Spot in Week 12 MMQB Power Rankings
The New England Patriots remain atop the MMQB power rankings for Week 12. But they aren't alone.
Tied for first place this week in the rankings are the Baltimore Ravens, who blew out the Houston Texans in Week 11. They were also the lone team so far this season to defeat the Patriots, which they did in Week 9 handily. Luckily for New England, a win in Week 11 over the Philadelphia Eagles kept them at the top, but a loss or a sloppy win in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys could have them dethroned by Baltimore very quickly.
Here is what the MMQB had to say about New England this week in the power rankings:
"More of the same from the defending champs as Brady threw 15 incompletions in the first half but got just enough out of a sputtering offense. Props to the defense once again for their three quarters of shutdown play, and a tip of the cap to punter/kickoff man Jake Bailey, who pinned the Eagles inside their own 15 on five of his eight punts."
There are two major takeaways from the Patriots' Week 11 win: 1) punter Jake Bailey is elite 2) New England's offense is the weakest unit on the team. The return of Isaiah Wynn this week may give a boost the offense, but it's hard to imagine that one offensive lineman will drastically change a unit that has struggled mightily over the last several weeks.
It'll be interesting to see how Josh McDaniels schematically attacks a stout Dallas defense this week. One has to think New England's hurry-up offense, which we saw had sparks of success against Baltimore and Philadelphia, may be used a bit more against the Cowboys.
