Yes, all eyes were the Buccaneers-Patriots leading into Week Four with Tom Brady making his return to New England. But all those narratives aside – the matchup itself was dramatic solely on its own. There were seven lead changes as both teams battled the elements – and each other's game plans – before the Bucs emerged victorious when their kicker made a 48-yard go-ahead field goal and the Tampa Bay defense forced New England to attempt a 56-yarder that doinked Patriots' fans hopes of besting Brady and his Bucs.
No, the Patriots weren't ranked terribly high going into the game in these power rankings and on paper, this wasn't supposed to be the battle that it was. But with the familiarity between both Brady and his former coach, I think you'd be hard-pressed to fault the Bucs for not achieving a blowout. Do the experts think the same?
Some do. Tampa Bay stayed 'pat' in NFL.com rankings and actually rose a spot on CBS Sports but in other major outlets, they actually dropped, giving way to teams like the Cardinals and Bills.
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See the full list of NFL power rankings below.
- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Bucs, Bills, Packers, Ravens
- NFC South: Panthers (14), Saints (19), Falcons (27)
- Week 5 Opponent Ranking: Dolphins (26)
- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 4
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Packers, Bucs, Bills, Browns
- NFC South: Panthers (12), Saints (17), Falcons (24)
- Week 5 Opponent Ranking: Dolphins (26)
- Rank: 3
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Rams, Bucs, Browns, Cowboys
- NFC South: Panthers (12), Saints (13) Falcons (27)
- Week 5 Opponent Ranking: Dolphins (26)
- Rank: 4
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Cardinals, Bills, Rams. Bucs, Packers
- NFC South: Saints (13), Panthers (15), Falcons (28)
- Week 5 Opponent Ranking: Dolphins (25)
- Rank: 4
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Bills, Cardinals, Rams, Bucs, Packers
- NFC South: Panthers (12), Saints (17), Falcons (27)
- Week 5 Opponent Ranking: Dolphins (26)
