Phil Simms, an NFL analyst and two-time Super Bowl champion, called the New England Patriots the NFL’s best team on Oct. 16. Boston.com reported that Simms made the assessment during an appearance connected to Kay Adams’ Up and Adams.
Boston.com reported that New England entered the Patriots best team in the NFL conversation with a 3-2 record after opening the season 1-2.
The Patriots’ recent wins over the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders helped change the discussion around the team. Drake Maye’s Week 5 performance gave Simms’ opinion a clear statistical point of reference, while New England’s defense also ranked among the NFL’s better units in two key categories.
Why Phil Simms Called the Patriots the Best Team in the NFL
Simms’ statement was an analyst’s opinion, not an official NFL designation or a unified league ranking. Boston.com reported that he praised New England’s overall profile during his appearance with Adams, saying, “They’ve got everything,” before adding, “They’ve got it all.”
Simms’ assessment focused on balance rather than one isolated result. His comments connected Maye’s development with a defense that Boston.com reported had allowed the fifth-fewest net total yards and fifth-fewest points in the league through Week 5.
The distinction between Simms’ view and the numerical rankings matters. Calling the Patriots the best team in the NFL is a strong personal evaluation, while the published power rankings provide separate snapshots of how other evaluators viewed New England through the same point in the season.
The Patriots’ 3-2 Turnaround Has Changed the Conversation
Boston.com reported that the Patriots’ 3-2 record followed a 1-2 start. The wins over Buffalo and Las Vegas moved New England into a different part of the national conversation after the team’s first three games.
That change in perception is tied to results, not an official change in league status. The Patriots remain a 3-2 team through Week 5, but the record has created the context for Simms’ broader claim about the roster’s potential.
Boston.com also reported that New England’s offense ranked seventh in net total yards and eighth in yards per game through Week 5. Those placements give the Patriots a statistical basis for the idea that the team has improved on both sides of the ball.
Drake Maye’s Week 5 Performance Gives Simms’ Case Weight
Drake Maye supplied the clearest individual performance behind the recent praise. According to Boston.com, the Patriots quarterback threw for 374 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers in Week 5.
Simms compared Maye’s potential trajectory with San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, framing the comparison as an opinion about what Maye could become. Boston.com reported that Simms said, “If he keeps playing like that, then he’s like Brock Purdy,” while discussing the quarterback’s upside.
Maye’s Week 5 line does not establish a full-season conclusion by itself, but it explains why the Patriots’ quarterback became central to the conversation. The performance gave Simms a recent example of the passing production he believed supported his assessment of New England.
More context on Maye’s recent development is available in this Drake Maye Clutch Time Performance breakdown.
The Patriots’ Defense Is Supporting the Hype
Maye was not the only part of Simms’ argument. Boston.com reported that the Patriots’ defense ranked fifth in the NFL in net total yards allowed and fifth in points allowed through Week 5.
Those defensive placements complement the offense’s seventh-place ranking in net total yards and eighth-place ranking in yards per game, both of which Boston.com also cited. Together, the figures show why Simms emphasized the team’s overall balance rather than presenting the quarterback as the sole reason for his opinion.
The numbers remain tied to the 2026 season through Week 5. They provide current evidence of New England’s standing, but they do not turn Simms’ assessment into an official league judgment or settle where the Patriots will finish.
How Simms’ View Compares With Patriots Power Rankings
Boston.com cited three separate power-ranking evaluations that placed New England below Simms’ top-line assessment. ESPN ranked the Patriots No. 10 through Week 5, NFL.com ranked them No. 9, and former Patriots quarterback and analyst Tom Brady ranked them No. 7.
These placements are separate evaluations, not a unified league ranking. They put New England in the top-10 discussion, while Simms’ “best team in the NFL” comment goes further than the numerical positions cited by Boston.com.
Brady’s placement also belongs in the analyst category. He is identified here as a former Patriots quarterback and current analyst, not as a member of New England’s current organization.
What the Patriots Must Prove Next
The Patriots must sustain the efficiency that produced their 3-2 record and current statistical profile. Boston.com reported that New England ranked seventh in net total yards and eighth in yards per game, while the defense ranked fifth in both net total yards allowed and points allowed through Week 5.
Those rankings support the idea that the Patriots have made progress since their 1-2 start, but the sample remains early. Simms’ praise is a notable opinion about the team’s current level, not a prediction or a guarantee of a full-season result.
The attention also adds context to broader discussions about New England’s ceiling, including these Patriots 2026 Super Bowl Chances. The next stretch will determine whether the Patriots can maintain the offensive and defensive standards that made Simms’ assessment possible.
