After a nightmare opener against the Raiders that threatened to derail the Mike Vrabel era before it even began, the Patriots stormed into Miami and flipped the script. Suddenly, they looked like a team with answers — and second-year Drake Maye delivered the kind of performance that backed up those lofty Josh Allen comparisons. And yes, Julian Edelman was watching.

Julian Edelman dropped his verdict on the Patriots, and it’ll induce every sense of hope in the Patriots fans. “I was really impressed with it. It’s a division opponent that has had continuity for a long time, and even a Brady-Gronk-Edelman team struggled playing in Miami in that heat in September, and they went and got it done. They look like…..a more fundamentally sound football team,” he said.

Edelman’s got it right. It was a hard-fought win, but it’s always tough playing in Miami. “They look like an offense that’s getting better, learning each other, there’s guys making plays. And this is an early part of the year for everyone….you’re already seeing improvement. They got a lot more to do, but it’s awesome to see that they got a divisional win,” he added.

Yes, the offensive line that looked so poor in week 1 held up. Left tackle Will Campbell turned in a spotless performance, holding his own against Bradley Chubb for most of the night. The result? Drake Maye faced pressure on just six of his 31 drop-backs — a huge reason the Patriots’ offense clicked the way it did. Facing pressure on just 19.4 percent of his drop-backs marked the first time in Maye’s career that he experienced a pressure rate below 20 percent. Pre-snap penalties were a problem, though; they’re nothing that can’t be worked upon.

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And Rhamondre Stevenson? He anchored that offense. He grinded out 54 yards on the ground and another 88 through the air. His 142 scrimmage yards on 16 touches made him the quiet engine of the offense, keeping drives alive and the clock in New England’s favor.

The special teams showed up big time. First, Miami’s Malik Washington had a fourth-quarter 74-yard punt return. Then, almost instantly, New England struck back as Antonio Gibson blazed 90 yards on a kickoff for a touchdown. Gibson’s return was the momentum swing that kept the scoreboard alive and forced both sidelines into survival mode.

But the biggest positive of the night was Drake Maye’s arm. His 19-of-23 passing showcased sharper reads and faster decisions, fueling efficient scoring drives instead of forcing throws. The stat line speaks for itself: 230 yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing score, and a 137.3 rating.

And this one carried extra weight: New England hadn’t walked out of Miami with a win since Sept. 15, 2019. The streak stretched all the way back to Brady’s years, who is working with the Raiders as a minority owner now. With Sunday’s victory, the Patriots finally snapped that Hard Rock curse. And it showed in the power rankings.

Patriots’ shocking climb in the power rankings

The analysts were left even more impressed than Edelman was, apparently. The win over the Dolphins saw the Patriots move up ten full spots, from No. 24 all the way to No. 14. With a 1-1 record and a game that wasn’t perfect by any means, that jump is almost unheard of. But it just underscores the importance of this victory.

After all, this win broke quite a few records (or curses). Five straight losses in Miami. A winless 0–7 mark against Tua. Forty-six consecutive games without cracking 30 points — the longest active drought in the league. All of it, every bit of it, died on Sunday with the first win of the Mike Vrabel era (which had some issues of its own). That’s the reason behind that leap.

Still, the jump left plenty of fans raising eyebrows. Yes, it was a big win with plenty of positives to circle — but are the Patriots really a step ahead of the Texans (Rank 17), Steelers (Rank 19), or Broncos (Rank 15)? That’s the question hanging in the air. And we won’t have an answer for this question until we’re through with a few more weeks.

But if Drake Maye keeps putting up numbers like these — and the line holds just enough to keep him clean — then suddenly that No. 14 ranking doesn’t look so crazy. In fact, the Patriots might have every reason to climb even higher. The weapons are there. The playoff path is there. It’s just a matter of playing it right.