Pats Power Rankings: Climb continues after three straight wins

The Pats are starting to earn some serious respect around the NFL after winning three straight games to improve to 4-2. Mike Vrabel's team has turned its season around following a difficult start, with Drake Maye's improving play and a defence that is beginning to find its feet driving the recent surge.

The latest power rankings reflect that progress, although there is still some disagreement over just how good New England has become. Every outlet moved the Patriots up this week, with Yahoo Sports leading the way after a four-place jump. The Pats are now sitting comfortably inside the top 10 across all seven rankings, with one outlet even pushing them into the top five.

This week's rankings at a glance

Source	This week	Last week	Movement
The Athletic	5	8	▲ 3
ESPN	7	9	▲ 2
NFL.com	7	10	▲ 3
FOX Sports	11	13	▲ 2
CBS Sports	9	11	▲ 2
Yahoo Sports	7	11	▲ 4
NBC Sports / PFT	8	9	▲ 1

It's a clean sweep for the Pats, with all seven outlets moving them up the rankings. Yahoo Sports made the biggest jump, lifting New England four places, while The Athletic and NFL.com each bumped the Patriots up three spots.

The Athletic: Pats crack the top five

The Athletic has the Patriots ranked fifth in the NFL, up three places from eighth last week. It's the highest ranking New England received from any of the seven outlets, showing just how much the team's recent form has changed the conversation.

The biggest reason is Drake Maye. After a difficult opening three weeks, the young quarterback has caught fire, climbing to third in fantasy scoring over the past three games. He's thrown three passing touchdowns in each of those contests, and his performance against Buffalo appears to have been a turning point.

Maye has thrown 10 touchdown passes against just one interception since the Week 4 win over the Bills. If he keeps playing at that level, the Pats could find themselves climbing even higher in the coming weeks.

ESPN: Offensive line injuries are the biggest worry

ESPN moved New England up two places to seventh, having ranked the Patriots ninth last week.

There's plenty to like about the direction of the team, but ESPN isn't ignoring the biggest concern hanging over the Pats: the offensive line. Injuries have forced New England to use three different combinations in its first six games, with Morgan Moses, Alijah-Veteran and Ben Brown among those dealing with issues, according to the outlet's commentary.

Mike Onwenu's ankle injury is another major concern, particularly with a Thursday night trip to Chicago coming up. Keeping Maye upright has to be a priority if the Patriots want this winning streak to continue. The offence is finding its rhythm, but the last thing New England needs is for injuries up front to derail that progress.

NFL.com: Pats are becoming a much more professional outfit

NFL.com has the Patriots seventh, up three places from 10th last week.

The outlet describes New England as having transformed from a disconcerting mess into a professional outfit that is improving every week. That's quite the turnaround, and it's hard to argue with the assessment after three straight wins.

Maye's return to form has been central to the improvement, but the defence is also beginning to deliver. The Pats are looking more organised, more confident and increasingly capable of putting together complete performances.

A.J. Brown's rusty showing following his return gets a mention, but the overall tone is positive. NFL.com clearly believes this team is heading in the right direction.

FOX Sports: Three straight wins have changed the conversation

FOX Sports moved the Patriots up two spots to 11th, from 13th last week.

While it's the lowest ranking New England received, the commentary still recognises the significance of the team's recent run. Three straight wins have made the Pats a much more credible contender, and Maye's development is becoming one of the biggest stories surrounding the team.

There are still concerns about turnovers, but the quarterback's production has been impressive. If Maye continues to deliver at this level while the defence keeps improving, the Patriots could soon be pushing towards the top 10 in FOX's rankings as well.

CBS Sports: Maye and the defence are turning things around

CBS Sports has the Pats ninth, up two places from 11th last week.

Its assessment is simple: New England has turned its season around over the past three weeks, with Maye hitting his stride and the defence beginning to make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

That combination is exactly what Patriots fans wanted to see after the opening weeks. Maye is becoming more comfortable in the offence, while the defence is doing a better job of supporting him. A top-10 ranking from CBS suggests the outlet is increasingly convinced that this is genuine progress rather than a temporary hot streak.

Yahoo Sports: Biggest jump of the week

Yahoo Sports made the biggest move of the bunch, lifting the Patriots from 11th to seventh. That's a four-place jump and a clear sign that the team's recent performances have caught the outlet's attention.

Yahoo revisits how differently the season might have been viewed had New England managed to come away with a Week 1 win in Seattle. The Pats lost 13-10 after having a chance to kick a game-tying field goal late in the contest, and Yahoo suggests that a different result might have changed the narrative surrounding the team.

The losses against Pittsburgh and Las Vegas also feature in the discussion, but the focus is now firmly on the turnaround. Maye has thrown 10 touchdowns against just one interception over the past three games, while producing 878 passing yards.

That's the kind of production that gets people talking. If the young quarterback can keep this up, Yahoo believes the Patriots' offence should continue to flourish.

NBC Sports / Pro Football Talk: Injuries could spoil the fun

NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk has New England eighth, up one place from ninth last week.

The commentary is brief, but it highlights a concern that Patriots fans will know all too well: injuries are piling up just as the team starts to find its feet. With a short week ahead of the trip to Chicago, the timing couldn't be much worse.

The Pats have already been forced to shuffle their offensive line, and keeping the key players healthy will be crucial if they are to maintain their momentum. The ranking still represents progress, but New England needs to get through this stretch without losing too many more starters.

Average ranking: Patriots firmly on the rise

The numbers back up the growing optimism. Across all seven outlets, the Patriots' average ranking has improved from 10.14 last week to 7.71 this week, an improvement of approximately 2.43 places.

Yahoo Sports delivered the biggest jump at four places, followed by The Athletic and NFL.com at three each. Even FOX Sports, which still has the Pats 11th, moved them up two spots.

The Athletic is the most bullish, placing New England fifth, while FOX remains the least convinced at 11th. That gap shows there is still some debate over just how far this team can go, but the overall direction is unmistakable.

Drake Maye is the common thread running through much of the praise. His recent performances have transformed the offence, while the defence is beginning to provide the support needed to win games consistently. The injury situation, especially along the offensive line, remains the biggest concern.

For now, though, Patriots fans have plenty of reasons to be encouraged. A 4-2 record and three straight wins have put the Pats firmly back on the map, and the national rankings are finally starting to catch up.

The next test comes Thursday night in Chicago. Another win would give New England four in a row and provide an even stronger argument that this resurgence is the real deal.