The above link takes you to a recap of the New England Patriots victory over the Minnesota Vikings yesterday evening.
SportsReaction
I won’t lie. I am a big New England Patriots fan, and I always have been. After watching them win yesterday and improve their record to 6-1, I wondered whether my favorite team was, at this moment, the best team in the NFL.
After doing some research, the answer is a definite no. Yes, they are 6-1 and have the best winning percentage in the NFL to go along with impressive victories over the Miami Dolphins (on the road), Baltimore Ravens, and San Diego Chargers (on the road) and their lone defeat is a very respectable road loss to the New York Jets; I can’t overlook how bad the Patriots team statistics are.
I know the bottom line in the NFL is points scored vs. point against, but, take a look at the following chart and tell me if you think the Patriots should be in the discussion for the best team in the NFL:
| Offense | Stat | NFL Rank | Defense | Stat | NFL Rank | |
| Yds/Game | 330.3 | 19 | Yds/Game | 384 | 28 | |
| Pass Yds/Game | 217.6 | 16 | Pass Yds/Game | 282.4 | 31 | |
| Rush Yds/Game | 112.7 | 14 | Rush Yds/Game | 101.6 | t-11 |
The Patriots clearly aren’t winning games with a great (or even good) offense or defense. They are winning games with takeaways (+7, tied for 2nd in the AFC), and by converting third downs (48.4%, best in NFL). While both of these stats are very important, they seem to be stats that will regress to the mean as the season progresses. What does this mean? It means the Patriots true identity soon will show. And that identity is a team that has one of the league’s worst defenses, and an offense that ranks in the bottom half of the NFL.
I hope that I’m wrong, I really do. I love my Patriots, and am ecstatic about the fact that they now are currently atop the AFC East all by their lonesome. It’s just hard for me to say they are the best team in the NFL even though they have the leagues’ best record.
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