Last Sunday's win in Foxborough reminded the rest of the NFL what Tom Brady is capable of when he's at the top of his game. Randy Moss, Bill Belichick, even Laurence Maroney and Junior Seau … they're all capable of helping to bring the Pats back to the promised land. Of course, they aren't there yet, and they won't get there next week. But with their win over the Titans, they served notice that they're back in the championship conversation.
Of course, there are other teams willing to fight them for that spot, and, frankly, there are teams with more impressive resumes to this point in the season. Where do the Patriots stand? Check out this week's NFL Power Rankings, where we run through each NFL team from best to worst.
The beauty of it? It will all be decided on the field.
1. New Orleans Saints
(5-0, first in NFC South)
With the league's top-ranked offense — and Drew Brees lighting up the scoreboard — and a top-10 defense, the Saints have a chance to be dominant. However you cook it up, their 48-27 drubbing of the previously unbeaten Giants was pretty dadgum impressive.
2. Indianapolis Colts
(5-0, first in AFC South)
The Colts have beaten five second-tier teams so far, but their schedule doesn't get a whole lot tougher. This week, they travel to face the lowly Rams in St. Louis. Safety Bob Sanders — the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year — could play for the first time this season.
3. Denver Broncos
(6-0, first in AFC West)
Another week, another solid win for the Broncos, who continue to surprise even the wisest of NFL experts. Their offense is solid under new coach Josh McDaniels, but it's their defense (led by pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil and his league-leading 10 sacks) — which remains the stingiest in the league, allowing just 66 points through six games — that has turned them into a near-elite team.
4. Minnesota Vikings
(6-0, first in NFC North)
Brett Favre has performed beyond all expectations in helping to lead the Vikes to the top of the NFC North, but it's Adrian Peterson who sets the tone for the Minnesota offense. Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jared Allen, whose total of 7.5 sacks is third in the NFL, leads the way on the other side of the ball.
5. New York Giants
(5-1, first in NFC East)
The No. 1 defense in the NFL gave up 48 points to the high-flying Saints last week. That'll knock you down a peg or two, and it doesn't help that some key Giants have been struggling with minor injuries of late. But with Eli Manning, a group of talented young wideouts and the two-headed running monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, the offense will continue to perform. It's up to the defense now to get back on track.
6. New England Patriots
(4-2, first in AFC East)
A freak snowstorm in mid-October? No problem. How's 59 points through three quarters? Tom Brady looked like the Brady of old, Randy Moss was able to get open with ease and running back Laurence Maroney looked delighted to reclaim the starting role with injuries to Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris. With the Buccaneers on tap in London on Sunday, the Pats will look to stay hot on both sides of the ball.
7. Atlanta Falcons
(4-1, second in AFC South)
The Falcons have been terrific since their Week 3 loss in Foxborough, rocking the 49ers 45-10 in San Francisco and topping the Bears at home on Sunday. The sophomore slump still hasn't hit quarterback Matt Ryan, whose efficiency through the air has kept the Falcons on target.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
(4-2, tied for first in AFC North)
Big Ben Roethlisberger has been, well, big for the Steelers. His 1,887 passing yards lead the NFL. Troy Polamalu is back for the Pittsburgh defense, too, so watch out if you happen to be a receiver going over the middle.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
(4-2, tied for first in AFC North)
The Bengals lost a tough home game to the Texans on Sunday, but for the most part, this is a team that's performed better than advertised. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco (who has a new iPhone ap) have all bounced back admirably in 2009. The Cincy defense will miss Antwan Odom, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon after putting up eight sacks through the first six contests.
10. Green Bay Packers
(3-2, tied for second in NFC North)
With a top-10 offense and defense, you'd expect a better record, but the Packers have struggled against solid opponents. Aaron Rodgers has had an up-and-down season to this point, and running back Ryan Grant has been OK, but not great, averaging 69.4 yards per game. Green Bay brought back Ahmad Green to see if he can spice up the team's ground game.
11. Chicago Bears
(3-2, tied for second in NFC North)
Love him or hate him, Jay Cutler has been very solid since coming to Chicago. He's averaging about 240 passing yards a game and has tossed 10 touchdowns, which is a good thing because running back Matt Forte has struggled, rushing for 58.8 yards a game. Forte also has three times as many fumbles as he does touchdowns.
12. Dallas Cowboys
(3-2, tied for second in NFC East)
Tony Romo hasn't been great so far, but the Cowboys are hoping that Miles Austin can outperform Patrick Crayton as the No. 2 receiver with Roy Williams. A bye last week should have given running backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones — not to mention defensive stalwart DeMarcus Ware — some time to get healthy for the Falcons this weekend.
13. San Francisco 49ers
(3-2, tied for first in NFC West)
Michael Crabtree is likely to make his pro debut this week, which could be fun to watch, both for fans and for San Fran quarterback Shaun Hill. I'm still not sold on the Niners as a playoff team, but the next five weeks will be very telling for this team. They travel to Houston on Sunday, then play at Indianapolis, at home against the Titans and Bears, then finish the stretch off on the road at Green Bay. We'll see.
14. Baltimore Ravens
(3-3, third in AFC North)
Three consecutive wins to start the season. Three consecutive losses since. What happened? "We just cannot continue to give up big plays," coach John Harbaugh told the AP. "Big plays are the problem. If we continue to give up big plays, we're going to continue to struggle."
15. Arizona Cardinals
(3-2, tied for first in NFC West)
Kurt Warner can still fling it downfield with the best of 'em, and with weapons like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston, why shouldn't he? The Cards' running game is satisfactory at best, but it doesn't matter. When Warner is on, they'll score a boatload of points. After traveling to the Meadowlands to face the Giants on Monday night, Arizona's schedule gets quite a bit easier, so look for them to be on the rise as the year goes on.
16. Houston Texans
(3-3, tied for second in AFC South)
As good as the Texans' offense is, with Matt Schaub going off for 392 yards and four scores against the Bengals in Week 6, their defense is that bad. Though they'll continue to score a ton of points, they'll continue to give up a lot, too. And with two games against the Colts in the Texans' next five, the ability of their defense to step up its game will play a major role in whether Houston is still in the conversation come playoff time.
17. Philadelphia Eagles
(3-2, tied for second in NFC East)
Just when you thought the Eagles were back on track with a healthy Donovan McNabb, they go and lose a snoozer to the Raiders. Allow me to repeat: the Raiders! Philly's defense is ranked fourth in the NFL, but you're not going to win a lot of games when you score nine points.
18. New York Jets
(3-3, second in AFC East)
Like the Ravens, first three up, last three down. What's the difference? Well, the struggles of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez have been well documented. But Rex Ryan's defense has allowed an average of 11.0 points in the Jets' three wins and 23.7 points in their three losses. Coincidence? I think not.
19. San Diego Chargers
(2-3, second in AFC West)
Everyone saw the Chargers as slam-dunk division champs in 2009. But it hasn't been that way so far. Philip Rivers looks dominant at times, especially when he gets Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson involved down the field. But LaDainian Tomlinson looks much older than 30 and has rushed for just 140 yards in the three games he's played to this point. Their defense is giving up 27.2 points per game, fifth worst in the NFL. One columnist from the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that, "There is undeniable mediocrity to their mediocrity." Ouch.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
(3-3, tied for second in AFC South)
The Jags are another Jekyll and Hyde team. One week they look like world beaters, with the scary-good Maurice Jones-Drew going off and David Garrard breaking the 300-yard barrier. The next week, they lose 41-0 to the Seahawks. Honestly, I have no idea how good this team is. Even linebacker Clint Ingram said, "We're trying to find out exactly who we are." But a weak schedule down the stretch should keep them in the playoff race till the end.
21. Miami Dolphins
(2-3, third in AFC East)
After struggling in their first three games, the Fins have shockingly come alive thanks to the masterful use of their Wildcat offense. Ronnie Brown is thriving: His 443 yards on the ground are eighth in the league, and he has already reached the end zone six times. Ricky Williams, too, has experienced a renaissance of sorts, and Chad Henne has been better than expected in relief of the injured Chad Pennington.
22. Carolina Panthers
(2-3, third in NFC South)
Carolina's defense is ranked 12th in the league, but it's their offense that has been simply dreadful. Jake Delhomme has thrown for just 169.4 yards per game and his 4-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio has even his staunchest supporters cringing. After telling reporters that he's "no longer an asset to this team," wide receiver Steve Smith said Delhomme's struggles are "new territory, unforeseen territory."
23. Buffalo Bills
(2-4, fourth in AFC East)
The Bills are one of those teams where every time you watch them, you feel like they should be so much better than they are. Their defense is tough, and their offense has talent … it's just a matter of them putting it all together. Just imagine if they had beaten the Patriots in Week 1. Would they have gone on to lose at Miami and at home to Cleveland in Weeks 4 and 5? Guess we'll never know, though a relatively weak second-half schedule bodes well for Dick Jauron's future, even with Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm.
24. Seattle Seahawks
(2-4, third in NFC West)
In Week 6 against the Cardinals at home, the Seahawks put up 128 yards of total offense. Starting tailback Julius Jones ran for 5 yards. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 112 and had a QB rating of 32.5. That's not gonna cut it. Their defense has been more or less solid, but things aren't looking great heading into their bye week. Still, Hasselbeck told the AP that the doubt surrounding his team's immediate future is just "an opportunity to pull together and prove people wrong." We shall see.
25. Oakland Raiders
(2-4, third in AFC West)
One week after their so-called "scrimmage" loss to the Giants, the Raiders went out at home and beat a solid Eagles team. "Let that be a lesson to the skeptics out there," wrote Yahoo Sports, "who have written off the Raiders simply because they'd lost four of five games to start the season and 77 of [their last] 101." Funny. But JaMarcus Russell is still the NFL's worst starting quarterback.
26. Kansas City Chiefs
(1-5, fourth in AFC West)
Matt Cassel has underwhelmed since joining the Chiefs this offseason, but K.C. did earn its first win of the campaign on Sunday against the Redskins. Interestingly, first-year head coach Todd Haley still thinks his squad is capable of much more. "We weren't acting like a 0-5 team. When we were in the locker room after the game, it felt like this is what we should have been doing." Hmmm, the power of positive thinking.
27. Washington Redskins
(2-4, fourth in NFC East)
The Redskins have had a disastrous season, plain and simple. Head coach Jim Zorn has been relieved of his play-calling duties and replaced by Sherm Lewis. "I need to understand what the reality of the situation is," Zorn told the AP, "and I think our players expect me to rise up. We expect them to play under adverse conditions. We expect them to risk it all. … I'm conscious of what's going on. I'm not naive about what's going on, and yet I have to just hold back on any feelings and make the decisions." That does not sound like a guy who will be ordering new office furniture anytime soon.
28. Detroit Lions
(1-5, fourth in NFC North)
It feels wrong to be putting the struggling Skins ahead of the Lions, who beat Washington back on Sept. 27 in Week 3. But the Lions may be a worse team than they were then. Since that win, things haven't exactly swung back too far in a positive direction for Jim Schwartz's squad. Their offense has been bad without injured quarterback Matthew Stafford and fallen wide receiver Calvin Johnson, managing only 149 of total offense last week against the Packers.
29. Cleveland Browns
(1-5, fourth in AFC North)
Is it just me, or does new Browns signal-caller Derek Anderson think it's illegal for him to complete double-digit passes in a game? In his two starts, he's gone and 2-for-17 and 9-for-24. He does realize this is the NFL, right? And just to make matters worse, there's a nasty flu going around the Cleveland locker room. The Browns have the league's 31st-ranked offense and the 32nd-ranked defense, making the votes pretty much unanimous: This is a bad team.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(0-6, fourth in NFC South)
The Bucs have been close in many games so far this season, including in last weekend's 28-21 loss to Carolina. But this week, they face a trip to London to face the red-hot Patriots. "Bill Belichick is not going to take it easy on us," coach Raheem Morris told Yahoo Sports. "He just played a [winless] team [last week], and he won 59-0. Now he's going to play another one, and I'm sure Bill Belichick is licking his chops, and he should be."
31. Tennessee Titans
(0-6, fourth in AFC South)
Earlier this season, one coach called the Titans — who went 13-3 in 2008 — the best winless team he's ever seen. Well, after losing 59-0 to the Patriots on Sunday, can we finally put that notion to rest?
32. St. Louis Rams
(0-6, fourth in NFC West)
Was there really any question? They have the league's fewest points scored (54) and have allowed the third most (169). At least they're consistent.
