“They’re still a lot better than anyone expected. Mainly because everyone expected them to stink.” - Mike Florio
Despite a 23-20 OT loss the Seahawks on Sunday, the Patriots only dropped to an average of 26th, down a half a point in the power rankings this week. This is mainly because of the quote above.
Optimistic expectations in 2023 had the Pats starting the year somewhere in the middle of the pack. The team dropped to 19th after week 1 and then down to 22nd after a sloppy, turnover-filled loss to the Dolphins slapped the experts with a readjustment reality-check.