With 13 weeks of the 2025 NFL season already in the record books, the sample size is big enough to start jumping to conclusions and talking about the best teams in the game. Record-wise, that’s none other than the New England Patriots.
Some argue that the Patriots aren’t a true contender because of their easy schedule. However, you can only beat whoever is in front of you, and even the legendary Tom Brady has been quite impressed by what he’s seen so far.
That’s why, after watching his former team dominate the New York Giants 33-15 on Monday Night Football, the seven-time Super Bowl champion had no choice but to put them at the top of his updated power rankings.
Tom Brady says the Patriots are the best team in the NFL
“After a serious drought, the New England Patriots are No. 1 in the power rankings,” Brady said. “New England hasn’t played the league’s hardest schedule -- it’s actually been the easiest. But this team passes the eye test, and (Mike) Vrabel had them flying around in all three phases on Monday night.”
A team @TomBrady knows VERY well has climbed into the No. 1 spot of his Power Rankings this week 👀👇 pic.twitter.com/EjJJJmqsHl
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 3, 2025
Brady put the Dallas Cowboys at No. 10, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos, respectively.
The Patriots will now enter their bye week before closing out the season against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. Divisional games are always a toss-up, but they’ve dominated all those teams this season, and the NFC East is theirs to lose at this point.
Easy schedule or not, Drake Maye has looked like the best deep-ball passer in the league this season. He’s completed 71.5% of his 386 passes for 3,412 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He’s also scrambled 81 times for 319 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and he’s one of the leading MVP candidates.
Coach Mike Vrabel has brought back the Patriots’ hard-nosed identity. Their defense is giving up just 18.5 points per game, the fifth-fewest in the league, all while putting up 27.0 points per game on their opposition.
Granted, they might not be as dominant as one may tell by their record, but even if that’s the case, this team is clearly far ahead of schedule and ready to return to perennial playoff contention after years of struggles in the post-Brady era.