NFL Week 15 Power Rankings: How Do the New England Patriots Stack Up?

Tony SantorsaDec 12, 2011

Yet another week done and yet another disappointing victory for the New England Patriots.

All I have to say is that I am completely shocked the Patriots have posted a 10-3 record thus far in 2011 despite having not only the worst defense in the entire NFL, but the worst defense in the Bill Belichick era in New England.

New England's 34-27 victory against the lowly Washington Redskins is still a victory, but it's a major concern. How in the world did the Redskins only lose by seven points? Well, for starters, New England's pass defense is putrid as Rex Grossman picked on Devin McCourty all day as the Redskins finished Sunday's game with 293 passing yards and three touchdown passes. The way New England's secondary played against Washington, it would simply be demolished by any above-average quarterback.

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Now, for the other side of the ball, this may have been the worst performance of 2011 by Tom Brady—he was pretty bad. If you watched this game you noticed how inaccurate Brady was and how the ball flew all over the place. In fact, Brady finished the game with a 59.5 completion percentage while being picked off once. However, he did throw for 357 yards and three touchdowns—but he wasn't the Tom Brady we're all accustomed to.

With all of that being said, how do the Patriots stack up in my weekly power rankings?

Tony Santorsa's Weekly Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Houston Texans

4. Baltimore Ravens

5. San Francisco 49ers

6. New England Patriots

7. Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Denver Broncos

9. Atlanta Falcons

10. Detroit Lions