Tom Brady kept the New England Patriots perched atop the NFL hierarchy throughout his illustrious career. The iconic quarterback recognized his old team for successfully re-climbing the ladder.
New England boasts an NFL-best 11 wins following Monday night’s convincing victory over the New York Giants. Having last lost in Week 3, the Patriots have a legitimate claim as the NFL’s best team.
Brady teased finally giving New England the No. 1 spot in his weekly power rankings. However, the seven-time Super Bowl champion first wondered if he should risk it after the Los Angeles Rams became his latest top-ranked team to lose.
“The top spot in my rankings may actually be cursed,” Brady said. “And it got me thinking, it’s been a few years since a certain team from the Northeast was at the top of the pile. Could we do it this week? No, we can’t. Can we?”
Turns out he could. Brady placed the Patriots first in a top 10 that underwent some significant shakeups.
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“After a serious drought, the New England Patriots are No. 1 in the power rankings,” Brady declared. “New England hasn’t played the league’s hardest schedule — it’s actually been the easiest, but this team passes the eye test. (Mike) Vrabel had them flying around on all three phases on Monday night.”
Brady dropped the Rams to sixth, and two of his former No. 1 teams (Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts) fell outside his top 10 entirely. The Patriots rank right ahead of their primary competitor for the AFC’s first-round bye, the 10-2 Denver Broncos.
As Brady noted, he picked a fortuitous time to avoid jinxing his old team with the Patriots entering a Week 14 bye. Vrabel’s squad will then face two significant tests against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
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