A week ago, the New England Patriots were coming off a 35-6 loss to Jacksonville, and the NFL had dropped them to No. 31 in its Week 4 power rankings.
Safety Kevin Byard noticed.
After the Patriots beat the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills 29-26 on Sunday, he made clear how much the ranking had bothered him.
Quarterback Drake Maye was asked about the rankings during his Monday appearance on WEEI. He questioned how much thought players should give opinions from people outside the locker room.
“With the way that the NFL is and how many people care about it and talk about it, you have really no idea who’s behind rankings or all that,” Maye said. “They probably never touched a football in their life.”
Maye didn’t identify a particular ranking or writer. Byard, however, Monday appearance on WEEI that he had seen the NFL place New England 31st before the Buffalo game. He said it “kind of pissed me off” because he felt people were writing off the Patriots after their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Byard Saw the Patriots Fall to No. 31
The ranking captured how expectations had veered.
New England is the defending AFC champion, but a 1-2 start and a lopsided loss in Jacksonville had raised doubts about its offense and Maye’s play. The NFL’s accompanying assessment said the Patriots had problems across the roster and singled out the quarterback’s struggles.
Byard said he usually pays slim attention to power rankings. This one stuck with him.
On WEEI, the veteran safety said he knew what type of team New England had in its building, even after its showing against Jacksonville. The trip to Buffalo gave the Patriots a chance to test that belief against a division rival that had opened 3-0.
Maye demonstrated the strongest answer on the field. He threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, added a team-high 54 rushing yards and led the drive that ended with Efton Chism III’s one-handed, go-ahead touchdown catch. The Patriots became the first visiting team to win at Buffalo’s new stadium.
It was a razor-sharp response from a quarterback who had faced lingering questions about his performance. And it handed Byard something more persuasive than an argument (following losses) over where New England belonged on a list.
Maye Points to Vrabel’s Message
Maye’s comments on rankings came as he discussed how coach Mike Vrabel had motivated the team.
Vrabel showed players a clip of Allen Iverson stepping over Tyronn Lue during the 2001 NBA Finals and urged them to “be the answer,” Maye told WEEI.
Maye said the message put responsibility on the players to pull themselves out of their difficult start.
Vrabel said Monday that he can help Maye’s confidence by showing him what he does well, while the quarterback ultimately has to build it through preparation and play.
Against Buffalo, Maye still had an interception and a lost fumble, but he kept making plays when the Patriots needed them. New England is 2-2, with a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders next.
The next rankings will likely take the Patriots more seriously, as both Maye and Byard have a scoreboard to point to — one that shows New England as a better squad than the Bills.
At least, that’s the case for one week.
Patriots’ Drake Maye Scoffs at Armchair Critics After Upsetting Buffalo Bills