Patriots Power Rankings Roundup: Wild Card Weekend Edition

Following a 33-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week Eighteen of the 2021 NFL Season, where do the New England Patriots stand in the national rankings heading into the playoffs?

As the New England Patriots attempt to turn the page from their 33-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, a great deal of self-evaluation will be made as the team heads into its Wild Card Weekend showdown with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night. While head coach Bill Belichick and his coaching staff do not place great value on assessments from outside sources, weekly NFL Power Rankings may provide a glimpse into the Pats place in the League’s grand scheme.

Heading into the postseason, the Pats will continue to make improvements in all three phases of the game.

Using seven prominent national outlets for our power rankings roundup — Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, The Athletic, CBS Sports, Pro Football Network, Sporting News, and Fox News— the Patriots ranged from 7th to 11th among the league’s 14 playoff teams .

Here's a roundup of the 2021 power rankings heading into the playoffs (including the comments from each outlet), along with Patriot Maven’s analysis.

Sports Illustrated

Rank: #10 (previous week: #9)

“After a one-year absence, the Patriots are back in the playoffs with a rookie quarterback under center. But we know they have experience elsewhere on the roster and a coaching staff that’s been here a time or two..” -The MMQB Staff

The Athletic

Rank: #11 (previous week: #10)

“Bill Belichick’s wild offseason paid off. The coach’s free-agent spending spree in March, his drafting of quarterback Mac Jones and the eventual decision to start Jones over Cam Newton made the Patriots an AFC contender. Jones still has plenty of room to grow, but after a one-year dip, New England’s post-Tom Brady era is off to a decent start..” -Lindsay Jones and Zach Berman

CBS Sports

Rank: #7 (previous week: #8)

“That was not a good showing at Miami, which is concerning heading to the playoffs. They have not played well on the road..” -Pete Prisco

NFL.com

Rank: #10 (previous week: #8)

“The Patriots entered Sunday with a chance to win the AFC East with a win over the Dolphins and some help from the Jets, but it wasn’t their day. The Bills handled their business in Orchard Park, and New England delivered an uncharacteristically sloppy performance in a 33-24 loss in Miami. Mac Jones threw a pick-six and lost a fumble in the game; he enters his first NFL postseason as a question mark. How much can the Pats rely on their rookie signal-caller? Jones struggled against quality competition in the final weeks of the season and is now tasked with navigating a stout Bills defense that shut him down when these two teams met in Week 16..” -Dan Hanzus

Pro Football Network

Rank: #10 (previous week: #8)

“It was a season of streaks for the Patriots. They started off struggling before they rattled off seven wins in a row. Then, they finished the year much like they started – by losing three of four.

Can New England return to their dominant ways as the playoffs approach? If they get down in games early, will Mac Jones prove he can throw his team back into games? We’ve looked for that answer a few times late in the season with less than ideal results.

But if the playoffs are won with defense and the run game, this Patriots team has the right formula to win games in January and February..” -Dalton Miller

Sporting News

Rank: #11 (previous week: #10)

“The Patriots (+2100) are limping into the playoffs having lost three of their last four games coming off a bye. One of those losses was getting ripped by the Bills 33-21 at home. The rubber match comes on the road. The Patriots beat up mostly on bad teams and the win over the Titans seems ancient. Here's also having little belief that Mac Jones will be some transcendent rookie passer in the postseason. Belichick's effort to get his team back on the playoffs on the strength of the defense and running game is remarkable, but it needs more than hoping for attrition to make any kind of run..” -Vinnie Iyer

Fox News

Rank: #11 (previously week: N/A)

“For a third time this season, the Patriots will square off against their AFC East rival. New England came out with a 14-10 win over the Bills in Buffalo in their first meeting, but two weeks later, the Bills rolled to a 33-21 victory over the Patriots.

Call it the rubber match between these two teams when they square off on Saturday night. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will put the team in the best position to win the game, but rookie quarterback Mac Jones will have to avoid making any mistakes if they want to take down Josh Allen and the Bills.” -Daniel Canova

SI Patriot Maven Analysis:

Rank: #9 (previous week: #8)

“In Week Eighteen, the Patriots checked all the boxes to complete a formula for failure against the Dolphins: falling into an early 17-0 deficit, committing costly turnovers, inexcusable special teams mistakes and failing to convert on much-needed clutch plays. While it may sound like the blanket of doom is about to extinguish the Patriots postseason fire, New England demonstrated a resilience which has kept them competitive in mostly every game they have played this season. Controlling the tempo will be crucial to any success the Pats hope to have against Buffalo. Winning in Orchard Park will be difficult, not impossible. However, to do so, the Patriots will need to be nearly flawless in their execution.” -Mike D’Abate