2017 NFL Power Rankings Preseason Week 2: Los Angeles Rams take major step forward

1. New England Patriots (1)

If a team like the New England Patriots fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the regular season, there’s a good chance the level of frustration on Bill Belichick‘s end would most likely be at an all-time high. But since this was a preseason game in which Tom Brady sat out for obvious reasons, this is one of those games the Patriots could really care less about losing other than seeing which players have increased their chances of earning a roster spot.

The defending Super Bowl champions entered the preseason as favorites to repeat, and when seeing all of the key additions made during the offseason that included trading for a reliable deep threat in Brandin Cooks, this really isn’t that much of a surprise. In a way, it was already unfair to see Brady be fortunate enough to work with big playmakers in Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, but throwing Cooks into the mix is going to make this offense even more difficult to defend.

Next: 5 takeaways from Rams win over Cowboys

Brady has always been one of the most competitive players throughout his career, and will be a lock for the Hall of Fame when the time comes. New England could go on to lose these next three games of the preseason, and it still wouldn’t have an impact on how dangerous this team is going to look when the regular season begins a few weeks from now.