NFL power rankings: 49ers stay even, Patriots fall entering Week 3

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JACKSONVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 16: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots walks off the field following the New England Patriots 31-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on September 16, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

3. team. 47. . L, 31-20 @ Jaguars. Previous: . New England Patriots

All that said about the Jaguars’ impressive victory over New England, most of us would still take the Patriots in a must-win game when it counts the most.

Hence why the Pats are still ranked a spot higher than the Jaguars in this week’s NFL power rankings.

Still, head coach Bill Belichick’s squad drops a couple of places out of the No. 1 spot, so that’s significant. So is the fact the Patriots defense couldn’t contain a Jacksonville offense that was without running back Leonard Fournette, who missed Week 2 with an injury. If forcing Blake Bortles to make plays was part of Belichick’s game plan, it backfired badly.

Offensively speaking, the Pats weren’t able to get tight end Rob Gronkowski going for the game, which likely hindered quarterback Tom Brady’s efforts to an extent.

Brady was still effective, as the Patriots’ fourth-quarter comeback made things interesting. But coughing up that big lead early is what mattered the most here, and New England falls to .500 as a result.