NFL Power Rankings, Week 5: Chiefs, Patriots win thrillers to remain perfect

2. New England Patriots (2)

Heading into Week 4, the New England Patriots knew the Buffalo Bills were going to be their toughest matchup to date in 2019, and watching the defending Super Bowl champions hang on for the 16-10 win shows how close it turned out to be.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Patriots shouldn’t still be considered the team to beat within the division, but if anything says a lot about how the AFC East title will be far from a guarantee if the Bills continue to play at a high level.

There aren’t going to be many games in which New England still manages to win when Tom Brady fails to throw a single touchdown pass, but once again the defense deserves a ton of credit for another solid outing.

The fact that Week 4 marked the first time in which the Patriots allowed an opponent into the end zone this season shows just how great the defense has been so far, and it clearly makes the team that much more dangerous.

Normally, the Patriots are always going to be considered a top contender in the AFC as long as Brady manages to stay healthy, but this elite play of the defense takes things to a whole new level, and the Bills certainly saw that on Sunday.