NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles fall flat in Week 11

4. New England Patriots

Man, what happened to the New England Patriots down in Tennessee?

I know it was only one game, but it’s not often you watch Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady get defeated by 20 points in an AFC showdown, so when it does happen, it’s certainly something to behold.

But is this the start of a trend? Has Brady’s tenure as the best quarterback in the league officially come to an end and the Pats will finally fall back to a middle-of-the-pack team moving forward?

No.

While it may be fun to speculate about that kind of a ‘changing of the guard’ moment, this was just one of those typical Patriots losses that happen a few times each year. The Pats will still find a way to get double-digit wins, win the AFC East, and find themselves competing with the Chiefs for a chance to represent their conference in the Super Bowl.

Need proof? Just check the team’s forthcoming schedule.

With three games against opponents with losing records still on the schedule, the Pats should finish out the year 10-6 at worst, with a 12-4 record very much still in play if they can tighten things up down the stretch. Once the Patriots return to full strength, this is going to be a hard team to beat as usual.