Week 6 - Patriots Power Rankings Summary & Analysis: Pats continue to see gains

The Athletic: No. 8, Up From No. 11

The Athletic moved the Patriots three spots, from No. 11 to No. 8.

The focus is squarely on Drake Maye's dramatic turnaround, with the outlet highlighting his jump in EPA per drop back from 28th (Weeks 1–3) to 1st in the NFL over Weeks 4–5.

After throwing for 643 yards and seven touchdowns across the last two weeks, Maye delivered arguably the best game of his young career with 403 total yards and five touchdowns against Las Vegas.

The Athletic notes that New England accomplished this despite a lengthy injury report, posing an intriguing question for the rest of the league: what will this offense look like when fully healthy with A.J. Brown in the lineup?

ESPN: No. 9, Up From No. 14

ESPN elevated New England five spots, moving them from No. 14 to No. 9.

Rather than focusing on the offensive explosion, ESPN's Mike Reiss keyed in on the team's biggest defensive concern: severe depth issues at cornerback.

The Patriots were forced to play with only three healthy cornerbacks on Sunday after starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III were ruled inactive. The situation grew more perilous when fill-in starter Charles Woods exited with a shoulder injury, leaving only Marcus Jones and Kindle Vildor available.

While the Patriots secured a 45-17 blowout victory, ESPN warned that allowing a 66% completion rate on the season (25th in the NFL) remains a vulnerability to monitor.

NFL.com: No. 10, Up From No. 18

NFL.com made the biggest move of the week, vaulting the Patriots eight spots from No. 18 to No. 10.

Pointing back to the wild Week 4 win in Buffalo as the catalyst, the commentary describes how New England "detonated" the Raiders on Sunday.

The publication praised the entire offensive unit for feasting on Las Vegas to the tune of 536 total yards, calling out impressive performances from Drake Maye, Efton Chism III, Kyle Williams, and DeMario Douglas.

Pairing that explosive attack with a defense that clamped down on Las Vegas early, NFL.com believes New England has officially returned to excellence.

CBS Sports: No. 11, Up From No. 15

CBS Sports moved the Patriots four spots, rising from No. 15 to No. 11.

The assessment credits Drake Maye for completely turning the Patriots' season around over the past two weeks.

CBS noted that Maye has "righted things in a big way" and has been playing on fire, proving that New England's early-season struggles are firmly in the rearview mirror.

FOX Sports: No. 13, Up From No. 15

FOX Sports moved New England up two places, shifting them from No. 15 to No. 13.

FOX emphasized just how night-and-day the offense looks when Maye is playing at his full potential. After averaging a 31st-ranked 12 points per game through the first three weeks, the Patriots averaged a league-best 37 points per game in Weeks 4–5.

The outlet noted Maye's stat line shift—moving from 1 TD and 6 INTs in his first three games to 7 TDs, 1 INT, and 321.5 passing yards per game over his last two wins.

With Maye rolling and the running game producing, FOX noted that New England made quick work of the Raiders and has a real shot to build momentum against the Jets and Dolphins next.

Yahoo Sports: No. 11, Up From No. 13

Yahoo Sports bumped the Patriots up two spots, moving them from No. 13 to No. 11.

Yahoo took aim at the critics who questioned Maye during his early three-game slump, reminding readers that a quarterback who came within one vote of winning MVP last season is still elite.

Highlighting his 643 passing yards, 7 passing touchdowns, and a rushing score over back-to-back wins against winning teams, Yahoo showed how quickly the narrative has flipped.

The piece concluded with a quote from linebacker Robert Spillane, who noted how fun it is to see Maye's confidence restored as he leads the team on the field.

Pro Football Talk: No. 9, Up From No. 13

Pro Football Talk moved the Patriots four spots, rising from No. 13 to No. 9.

PFT delivered a short, lighthearted commentary on the celebratory mood around Foxborough, writing: "The patriotic pigeons had a field day on Tom Brady’s statue."

Power Rankings Table

Average Rank & Biggest Movement Analysis

Average Rank This Week: 10.14 (Up from an average of 14.14 last week).

Biggest Jump: NFL.com (+8 spots) made the largest leap, jumping the Patriots all the way from #18 to #10 following their dominant offensive explosion. ESPN (+5 spots, from #14 to #9) and CBS / NBC PFT (+4 spots each) also posted significant upward adjustments.