Patriots Power Rankings Roundup Heading Into Week Five

As the New England Patriots attempt to build on their Week Four loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a great deal of self-evaluation will be made as the team prepares for a tough matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. While head coach Bill Belichick and his coaching staff do not place great value on assessments from outside sources, weekly NFL Power Rankings may provide a glimpse into the Pats place in the League’s grand scheme.

Heading into Week Five of the 2021 NFL Season, the Pats are in need of improvement in all three phases of the game.

Using seven prominent national outlets for our power rankings roundup — Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports, Pro Football Network, Sporting News and USA Today — the Patriots ranged from 18th to 22nd in the league.

Here's a roundup of the 2021 power rankings heading into Week Five (including the comments from each outlet), along with Patriot Maven’s analysis.

Sports Illustrated

Rank: #18 (previous week : #22)

“The Patriots are here because they are the best 1–3 team in football. It’s clear the rebuild is still underway, and that certain pundits (me) may have overestimated how quickly it would come together. But the way Mac Jones played on Sunday night certainly was a solid piece of evidence that the Patriots just may have gotten their QB pick right. It’s been interesting to watch how Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have chosen to break in a rookie QB, which so far looks like they’re bringing him along at a measured pace. They’re playing the long game with him.” -Jenny Vrentas

ESPN

Rank: #20 (previous week: #19)

(ESPN’s Rankings by: NFL Nation, ESPN)

“The group of Isaiah Wynn (LT), Mike Onwenu (LG), David Andrews (C), Shaq Mason (RG) and Trent Brown (RT) was supposed to be a strength of the Patriots' offense, but rookie QB Mac Jones has taken 34 hits through four games. Also, the running game has been inconsistent, as evidenced by gaining minus-1 yard on eight carries Sunday night against the Buccaneers. Brown's right calf injury, which has knocked him out of action for everything but the first series of the season, has been a factor in the performance, but is far from the only reason for the struggle.”

-- Commentary by Mike Reiss, on the Patriots’ offensive line.

CBS Sports

Rank: #19 (previous week: #20)

“They showed well against the Buccaneers. The best news is Mac Jones is improving each week.” -Pete Prisco

NFL.com

Rank: #22 (previous week: #23)

“The irony is that Bill Belichick would never have settled for that 56-yard field-goal try in steady rainfall if Tom Brady was still his quarterback. Mac Jones had played an extremely efficient game to that point, but gaining Belichick's trust in game-deciding moments remains a work-in-progress. So, facing fourth-and-3 from the Bucs' 37, Belichick instead sent out Nick Folk, who clanked the ball off the left upright in a 19-17 loss to the defending champions. It was a difficult ending to an evening in which the Pats defense didn't surrender a touchdown pass to Brady and held Tampa Bay to its lowest point total of the season. Still, Brady's team found a way at Foxborough. The same old story ... with a twist.” -Dan Hanzus

Pro Football Network

Rank: #19 (previous week: #20)

“The Patriots simply don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with some of the better teams in the league. That was evident in Week 3 when they fell behind the Saints and struggled to move the ball or mount a comeback attempt.

Bill Belichick is a defensive wizard, and New England’s defense will typically keep things close. But when push comes to shove, Mac Jones and Co. have neither the weapons nor the firepower to claw their way back into games. They need to play their brand of ball-control football, and that style is becoming increasingly more difficult in the modern NFL.

Against a Buccaneers team down all three of their starting cornerbacks, the Patriots were unable to take advantage, managing only 17 points. New England’s defense stymied Tampa Bay’s offensive attack, but the offense couldn’t do enough to win the game — despite Josh McDaniels getting deep into his bag of tricks.” -Dalton Miller

Sporting News

Rank: #22 (previous week: #21)

“The Patriots fought as hard as they could against the Buccaneers with Mac Jones playing well, but the Bucs just had too much with Brady in the end. As well as Bill Belichick can coach to get the best out of them, it's not close to a playoff team.” -Vinnie Iyer

USA Today

Rank: #21 (previously week: #22)

“They're 0-3 at home for the first time since Robert Kraft bought the franchise in 1994. Burning it all down might be an option ... if Houston wasn't next on the schedule.” -Nate Davis

SI Patriot Maven Analysis:

Rank: #19 (previous week: #20)

While a loss hardly qualifies as a cause for abundant optimism, the Patriots had several positive takeaways from the field on Sunday night against the Buccaneers. Quarterback Mac Jones demonstrated a great deal of poise, command, and maturity in leading the Patriots offense, finishing the night having completed 78 percent of his passes, with two touchdowns. The Patriots defense applied consistent pressure to Tom Brady, taking away his passing lanes, and forcing the Bucs to run the football. Though the 19-17 outcome was not the outcome for which New England had hoped, they stood toe-to-toe with the defending Super Bowl Champs. In the process, it should give them the confidence to know that they can play with anyone, which should allow them to improve upon their 1-3 record.” -Mike D’Abate

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