Tom Brady’s NFL Power Rankings: The GOAT Is Taking A Mini Victory Lap With New No. 1

Tom Brady knows that Super Bowls aren’t won in October, but you can get an “I told you so” or two during the fall. That’s what the seven-time Super Bowl champion did when he unveiled his most recent power rankings. With the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, Brady has a new team at No. 1 ahead of Week 8, saying that he’s taking a “mini victory lap” as a result. Brady’s new No. 1 team doesn’t reside in the AFC North, even though the division has four teams with a winning record. In fact, Brady doesn’t have any of the four teams from that division in his top 10, suggesting they’re the first four teams out in his power rankings this week. But Brady is enjoying how competitive the AFC North is. “Let’s put the AFC North in an 18-week round-robin every single year, and the winner of it slots into the division round,” Brady said. “You guys cool with that?” Here’s a full look at Brady’s top 10 this week. Week 7 result: Idle Brady’s thoughts: Jacksonville got a bye to travel back from London. You gotta go 1-0 against jet lag in that situation. They’re back Sunday against the Colts with a 2.5-game lead in the AFC South and, by midseason standards, a relatively healthy roster. If Trevor Lawrence keeps up this level of play, this division could turn into a runaway in a hurry. Liam Coen’s the right guy to keep those guys in that aggressive mentality. I’m very impressed with what Liam’s done as head coach. Hats off to Liam. He was a great coordinator for one year, moved on to head coach and he hasn’t missed a beat. Up next: vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday) Week 7 result: 30-24 loss at Chicago Bears Brady’s thoughts: Drake Maye dueled with Caleb Williams. It was a great game Thursday night in Chicago, and we don’t get enough of those throughout the year. So that was a nice treat. They couldn’t get the road win in the end, but I still consider this a very strong showing for New England in one of the toughest — yeah, you got it, Chicago — one of the toughest primetime environments in the league. Drake’s last four games: 12 tuddies, two picks. They got a good chance to get back in the win column in Miami on Sunday. Up next: at Miami Dolphins (Sunday) Week 7 result: 20-17 win vs. Green Bay Packers Brady’s thoughts: You guys remember a few weeks ago when I called the Lions the most fun team in football to watch? Well, we got to show the whole country as Jared Goff and co. won a thriller against Green Bay in Detroit. The Jared-to-Jameson Williams connection is on fire right now — four touchdowns in their last two games. KB (Kevin Burkhardt) and I will be back in the booth on Sunday for an NFC North collision with the Vikings. One of the best offenses in the NFL going against the best defense in the NFL. Heart medication will be on deck, KB. I can’t wait for this one. It’s (the Vikings’ defense) as tough as it gets, and it all starts with a lot of film study this week, a lot of walkthroughs, a lot of preparation for that Lions offense. Jared Goff’s doing such a great job as a field general, sorting protections out, making sure he’s got all the blocking assignments pre-snap, but then it comes down to post-snap. How does the line from the Lions handle these different looks, and ultimately, these very good rushers on this Minnesota defense? It’s going to be a tough battle all day. Up next: vs. Minnesota Vikings (Sunday) Week 7 result: 20-3 win vs. Kansas City Chiefs Brady’s thoughts: Seattle handed the Chiefs their first loss of the year with a dominant defensive performance, completely shutting down K9 (Kenneth Walker III) and that rushing offense. JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) did what he always does, going for 150 yards and a tuddy, which should give Sam Darnold some much-needed confidence going forward. The Seahawks got another tough one against the Bears in a massive Monday night game, but we’ll see if the defending champs can really get on a roll. Up next: vs. Chicago Bears (Monday) Week 7 result: 30-16 win at Arizona Cardinals Brady’s thoughts: Another week, another Broncos win — and it’s not always pretty. It’s actually almost never pretty, but who cares when you’re winning games? Their only two losses came against the Niners and the Chiefs, so it’s hard to find a hole in that résumé. And now Kansas City, the team that beat them 31-10 in Week 1, heads to Denver on Sunday. That’s a chance to make a real statement in the AFC. Up next: vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday) Week 7 result: 30-24 win vs. New England Patriots Brady’s thoughts: We talked about Thursday night already, and Caleb Williams has been hot since coming back from that hamstring. He got 300 yards, no turnovers on Thursday and I really don’t think any team is having more fun celebrating their postgame wins than the Bears. And how long until Ben Johnson is popping the top again? As we go down the list, I’m realizing we’ve got an insane slate of games this weekend, so don’t be surprised if we shake things up in next week’s rankings. Can Chicago go from No. 5 to No. 1 with a win in Seattle? I’m just saying. Up next: at Seattle Seahawks (Monday) Week 7 result: 20-3 loss at Seattle Seahawks Brady’s thoughts: Be honest, you were thinking it — we were all thinking it: Was Kansas City about to rip off, like, 12 straight to start the season? Lucky for the AFC West, the answer is no, as the Chiefs stall out in Seattle. Pat Mahomes had a rough night, and it doesn’t happen often. But after the way this offense has played all year, we can cut them all some slack. I have no doubt Pat is itching to get back out on the field in Denver and make things right. That’s the kind of leader he is. Kickstart that offense early, give Pat some time to work receivers open, and yeah, I’ll say it: Can we make some field goals, guys? Up next: at Denver Broncos (Sunday) Week 7 result: Idle Brady’s thoughts: The Bills come off a bye with an extra week to get ready for the Ravens, and they might be getting Lamar Jackson back. Thank God. For the sake of the fans, please give us Josh Allen vs. Lamar. A full-strength Baltimore offense would be a great test for a defense that’s really struggled this year. Luckily, the offense leads the league in points per game, so it can usually make up for it. They moved into a tie atop the AFC with that Chiefs loss, and now they can create some daylight and prove the conference goes through Buffalo. Up next: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Sunday) Week 7 result: 29-20 loss at Atlanta Falcons Brady’s thoughts: Down go the Niners, not very far, and I may have jinxed this last one last week when I said they’ll cruise into their bye at a perfect 7-0. It was one of my first announcer jinxes. My bad, guys. They get a well-timed bye this week because the injuries continue to pile up for the Niners. But as I’ve said before, I think Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have built a team capable of withstanding it. Brock Purdy was not great in Atlanta, simple as that, and I know he’ll be in the film room and ready to go next time out. It’s all about pliability. Get in there, get those muscles worked out, relieve the tension and be ready to go in a few weeks. Up next: Bye Week 7 result: 16-10 win vs. Indianapolis Colts Brady’s thoughts: Someone alert the media: We’ve got a new No. 1 in the Tom Brady Power Rankings as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Colts to stay unbeaten. I’m taking a mini victory lap here. We were getting some heat early when I had the Vikings up with the Niners and Chiefs of the world, but they’re backing it up. Like I’ve talked about with Denver, the offense is far from efficient at this point, and they’ll have to figure that out fast. But they’re well coached, they get after the quarterback, they take the ball away and they’re rallying around Kyler Murray. We’re going to learn a lot about this team in Detroit on Sunday, and I will be there at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Up next: at Detroit Lions (Sunday)