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2019 NFL Power Rankings: Who heads into summer at No. 1?

By Ian Cummings

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns warms up prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 03: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 03: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

No. 3 – New England Patriots

“This is the year the Patriots dynasty will crumble. This is the year.”

Every year, that’s what we say. And every year, the Patriots come out and find their way back to the AFC Championship, at the very least. Now, to simply assume they’ll be back again, just because they’ve been there so many times before, is irrational. But a quick look at their roster confirms one thing; these Patriots are better, on paper, than past Patriots squads. Squads that have won it all with less.

Granted, the Patriots lost a lot of personnel over the course of the offseason. Defensive guru Brian Flores left to coach the Miami Dolphins, and took a handful of Patriots coaches with him. The legendary Rob Gronkowski retired. Offensive tackle Trent Brown left the Patriots, after a career year, to join the Raiders for record-breaking money, and Trey Flowers, the team’s stalwart, versatile defensive lineman, joined Patriots West, otherwise known as the Detroit Lions.

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Surely, these losses should be the ones to break down the foundation, correct? Not so fast. Bill Belichick is still the head coach who wins with cunning, inspiring leadership, and profound situational awareness. Tom Brady is still the quarterback who wins with accuracy, astronomical on-field intelligence, and a brazen competitive fire. And this offseason, the Patriots added to their stable of weapons, bringing in versatile, explosive wide receiver N’Keal Harry to replace the talent lost.

All across the roster, the Patriots are, at the very least, solid. Their running back room hosts a bevy of scoring threats, headlined by Sony Michel. Their offensive line is stocked with both starting talent and depth, and their defensive line has plenty of players who can get the job done for the Patriots, from Danny Shelton to Lawrence Guy, and from Michael Bennett to Chase Winovich. In the second and third defensive levels, New England is well-equipped, with a good mix of veterans such as Kyle Van Noy, Stephon Gilmore, the McCourty twins, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmon.

Where the Patriots are good, they’re very good. And where they’re less than good (Really only at tight end), they have the ability to coach those players up, as they’ve shown in the past. Maybe next year will be the year that the NFL empire falls. We say it every offseason. Eventually, it’ll be true. But not in 2019.

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