Tom Brady throws shade at Patriots leading the AFC after playing 'easiest' schedule

Tom Brady didn't sugarcoat his assessment of the Patriots' path to the top. The Fox Sports analyst made it clear that New England benefited from facing the league's "easiest" opponents this season.

The retired quarterback delivered six championships to the franchise before departing for Tampa Bay in 2020, where he added his seventh ring.

He released his weekly power rankings on Wednesday via Fox Sports. The rankings came one day after New England beat the Giants in primetime. Brady ranked the Patriots at No. 1.

"After a serious drought, the New England Patriots are number one in the power rankings," Brady said. "New England hasn't played the league's hardest schedule. It's actually been the easiest.

"But this team passes the eye test, and Vrabel had them flying around on all three phases on Monday night. So what do you think is the curse real? Well, the Pats head into a bye this week. So good timing to avoid a loss," said Brady.

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@NFLonFOX

A team @TomBrady knows VERY well has climbed into the No. 1 spot of his Power Rankings this week 👀👇

New England (11-2) owns the NFL's best record heading into its bye. The Pats have won 10 consecutive games since starting the season 1-2. It's the franchise's longest streak since Brady's final years with the organization.

Mike Vrabel gets credit from Tom Brady while not mentioning Drake Maye

NFL: New York Giants at New England Patriots - Source: Imagn

Tom Brady singled out Mike Vrabel for orchestrating New England's turnaround. The first-year Patriots coach and Brady's former teammate has the franchise operating like a championship contender again.

However, Brady didn't mention Drake Maye in his analysis. The quarterback has thrown 23 scores against just six picks while piling up over 3,400 passing yards. These numbers have him as the betting favorite to win MVP.

Maye tossed three scoring strikes against New York, completing 24 of 31 passes. The defense suffocated the Giants passing attack all night long.

The Patriots will host the Bills after their break.