National Football Post ranks them 4th (nc):  The Pats come off the bye week and get to see the Dolphins and the wildcat offense for the first time in ’09.

The Sporting News ranks them 5th (-1):  A bye week gave them extra time to prepare for the Dolphins and their Wildcat attack.

Fox Sports ranks them 5th (nc):  Quick quiz: Name the only team in the league with each of the NFL's two remaining unbeaten teams remaining on its schedule. Tom Brady and those Patriots, sweet. Perhaps no other team in football could be better cast to potentially take down both undefeated teams. Regardless, with their weak December opposition, the Pats should be a lock for 11-12 wins and a playoff spot when the dust settles this season.

ESPN ranks them 5th (nc):. Enjoying a bye after a romp in London, the Patriots didn't have to do anything to open up ground in the AFC East.

Vic Carucci at NFL.com ranks them 5th:  The refreshed Patriots have had plenty of time to prepare for the Dolphins' Wildcat, although it’s hard to say how much they’ll see of it considering the recent shift in Miami’s offensive approach.

Yahoo! Sports ranks them 5th (nc):  Has anyone noticed that they’re completely in control of the AFC East – exactly as we expected them to be?

CBS Sports ranks them 5th (nc):  They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat. 

Don Banks at SI ranks them 5th (nc):  Wondering what the heck is going on with Adalius Thomas in the New England defense? So are the Patriots, I imagine. The truth is, Thomas just isn't making many plays, and he really never has since arriving as a highly paid free agent in 2007. At this point, his impact seems mostly in the past, and the Patriots aren't going to let him take snaps away from younger, developing players. That's the New England way, and that's how you wind up with Adalius Thomas as a game-day inactive.

Cold Hard Football Facts ranks them 5th (nc):  Last week: bye. Over their two-game sweep of Tennessee and Tampa, the Patriots piled up 1,025 yards, ran for 300 and forced eight turnovers.

USA Today ranks them 5th (nc):  Their big-play offense set to square off with Dolphins.

What If Sports ranks them 6th (-1)

Peter King at SI ranks them 6th (-1):  Tom Brady's yards-per-attempt in the past two games: 10.42. Not bad, considering that intergalactic is anything above 9.0, even though Tennessee and Tampa Bay are, well, Tennessee and Tampa Bay.

ProFootball Weekly ranks them 6th (nc):  What has happened to James Sanders, Adalius Thomas?

WEEI ranks them 6th (nc):  The next four weeks will tell us what type of team the Patriots really are. The bye week came at a perfect time for the Pats as they needed some time to get healthy. Ty Warren said on the Dale & Holley show yesterday that he is “OK” and it looks like he should be ready to play. That is great news because the Pats don’t have much depth on the defensive line and they will need Warren against the Dolphins.

AVERAGE RANK:  5.21 (-.29)