4. New England Patriots
Week after week, the New England Patriots just keep climbing up these rankings. At this point, they are doing more than just passing the eye test. They’ve beaten the Bills, Drake Maye is playing outstanding football in year two, and the Patriots are one of the only teams playing truly complementary football at this stage of the season.
What more can you ask for?
There are very few teams that look as well-rounded right now (or over the last four weeks) as the Patriots. It’s not a signature win, going up against the Titans, but didn’t the Patriots already do that with their win over the Bills in primetime a couple of weeks ago?
It might seem like a bit of a hot take, and we do consider the opponents played by teams in these weekly NFL Power Rankings, but the Patriots look like a top-5 team in the NFL at this stage of the season.
3. Indianapolis Colts
If Kyle Shanahan isn’t going to win NFL Coach of the Year, then Shane Steichen should probably win it. The fact that virtually no NFL team looks like as well-oiled a machine as the Colts right now speaks volumes to the job that Steichen has done.
And frankly, general manager Chris Ballard as well.
The Colts took a shot on Daniel Jones this offseason, knowing that bringing in competition for Anthony Richardson was necessary. That’s not an easy pill for an NFL brain trust to swallow, especially when you’ve invested a top-5 overall pick at that quarterback position.
But ultimately, nobody’s worried about the Anthony Richardson pick being a miss, potentially, because Daniel Jones is looking more like an MVP out there than he is a reclamation project. The Colts are fun, and they’re a threat in the AFC right now.