4. New England Patriots
It wasn’t pretty, but the New England Patriots got the win in Week 9 and improved to 7-2 on the season. While the defense ultimately came through in the end, the team struggled to provide consistent pressure on quarterback Michael Penix and gave him all the time he needed to connect with star wideout Drake London downfield.
Drake Maye is still playing like one of the best quarterbacks in football, but yesterday’s performance showed he’s not unstoppable. A Trey Hendrickson trade would dramatically boost the defense and make it so that a second-year quarterback like Maye won’t have to carry the entire team when they start facing better competition.
