NFL Power Rankings, Week 15: 49ers win thriller over Saints, Chiefs stake claim
By Dan Parzych
9. New England Patriots (7)
The good news for the New England Patriots is with the way this offense has looked in recent weeks, the group should be able to get back on track in one of the best ways possible during Week 15 with an extremely favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Controversial plays or not towards the end of the game, this still doesn’t take away from the previous struggles by New England in general over the last few weeks on the offensive side of the football.
After putting up just 16 points at home during Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots no longer seem like a lock for a first-round bye in the AFC playoff picture, and could even receive some surprise trouble from the Buffalo Bills over the last few weeks.
Luckily for New England, with two of their final three games against the Bengals and Miami Dolphins along with a home meeting against the Bills, the Patriots should still find a way to earn the No. 2 seed since it’s unlikely they catch the Baltimore Ravens.
New England is always considered a team that finds a way to overcome these kinds of issues when needed the most, but there seems to be something different about this year’s squad, and the last month is the perfect example of the concerns on offense the rest of the way.