NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Ravens perched atop AFC, Packers bounce back
By Dan Parzych
7. New England Patriots (3)
Despite previously only having one loss heading into Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, it was no secret there were issues on offense for the New England Patriots since Tom Brady and company had been struggling to put up points in recent weeks.
After barely getting by against teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, some of the struggles caught up with the Patriots on Sunday during their loss to the Texans, making it clear this team seems beatable for any opponent that happens to meet them come January.
Of course, if history has anything to say about this situation, there’s clearly no reason to hit the panic button in New England since Brady has been in this position before, and usually finds a way to bounce back strong.
But also, the Patriots will now be dealing with some extra pressure moving forward since Sunday’s loss to the Texans dropped the team to the No. 2 seed behind the Baltimore Ravens.
When looking at what happened earlier in the year when these two AFC powerhouses squared off against one another, the last thing New England should want to do is travel to Baltimore in January with a potential Super Bowl trip on the line.