Power Rankings quote of the week comes from Frank Schwab:
Go ahead and rip them for the Bengals loss, but we'd be celebrating any other team that started 4-1 with the same type of injuries the Patriots have dealt with already.
It pretty much sums up how I feel about Sunday's loss to the Bengals and how it should be treated. A crappy loss that should be dropped quicker than a Brady-to-Amendola pass in Cincy. I think we're all ready to move onward and upward to Week 6 and the New Orleans Saints.
GO PATS!
Here is a look at the three remaining undefeated teams (buh-bye New England and Seattle) and their opponents through five weeks, plus a list of who's playing who in the AFC.
Denver - Baltimore, @NYG, Oakland, Philadelphia, @Dallas
Kansas City - @Jacksonville, Dallas, @Philadelphia, NYG, @Tennessee
New Orleans - Atlanta, @Tampa Bay, Arizona, Miami, @Chicago
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Week 6 AFC Rundown:
NY Jets (3-2) vs. Pittsburgh (0-4)
Buffalo (2-3) vs. Cincinnati (3-2)
Miami (3-2) Bye
Baltimore (3-2) vs. Green Bay (2-2)
Houston (2-3) vs. St. Louis (2-3)
Kansas City (5-0) vs. Oakland (2-3)
Denver (5-0) vs. Jacksonville (0-5)
Tennessee (3-2) at Seattle (4-1)
Indianapolis (4-1) at San Diego (2-3)
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Shutdown Corner (Yahoo! Sports) ranks them 5th: Go ahead and rip them for the Bengals loss, but we'd be celebrating any other team that started 4-1 with the same type of injuries the Patriots have dealt with already.
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) ranks them 6th: Where is the offense? It's so hard getting used to seeing them struggle on that side of the ball. Now comes a tough one against the Saints.
Brian Billick (Fox Sports) ranks them 6th: If you told me the Patriots would hold the Bengals to 13 points, I would have bet the mortgage that they would win. Whoops.
Elliot Harrison (NFL.com) ranks them 6th: Wet ball or not, that certainly was not Tom Brady's best effort Sunday in Cincinnati (18-for-38 for 197 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception). Still, his receivers aren't always making the right sight adjustments, nor were they able to hold on to complete catches against the Bengals. Their performance in the loss certainly resembled their effort in the ugly Week 2 win over the Jets.
Rick Drummond (Pro Football Focus) ranks them 6th: With their offense struggling and their defense missing its key cog, the Patriots ended up on the short end of a tight game this time. Their second minor step back in the ranks sees them settle back to their preseason starting spot.
Hank Gola (NY Daily News) ranks them 6th: Didn't stand up to Bengals' physicality.
ESPN experts rank them 6th: Don't blame defense. Sunday was the third time since 2001 the Patriots have held an opposing quarterback to under 200 yards and a negative TD-Int differential and lost the game.
Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) ranks them 6th: Their record is still better than it could be, or perhaps should be.
Chris Burke (SI) ranks them 7th: Though Sunday's game snapped Tom Brady's streak of consecutive games with a TD pass at 52, it was the 28th time in Brady's career that he failed to throw a touchdown. Somewhat amazingly, the Patriots have a record of 16-12 in those contests.
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) ranks them 7th: It's breaking news whenever neither Tom Brady nor any other Patriot produces a touchdown, which happened in the shocking 13-6 loss at Cincinnati. The Patriots can get right back up with a shot at the No. 1 team in SN power rankings, New Orleans, in Foxborough. They'll move down if they can't find someone to pick up the slack in the running game to take pressure off Brady.
Ryan Van Bibber (SB Nation) ranks them 7th: Tom Brady's touchdown streak ended at 52 games, and the Patriots failed to cross the goal line once in a rain-soaked loss to the Bengals. He really needs Gronkowski back in the lineup. How do we know this? Well, he was throwing the ball to Nate Solder in the end zone last week. Solder is an offensive tackle.
The AP Pro32 ranks them 7th.
USA Today ranks them 7th: Really Tom Brady? The week before you go into New Orleans to tie Drew Brees' record?
Pat Kirwan (CBS Sports) ranks them 8th: It's tough to watch Tom Brady playing without his real receiving weapons week in and week out, and now the defense will be without nose tackle Vince Wilfork for the rest of the season. The Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East and Rob Gronkowski returns soon.
Peter King (MMQB.SI) ranks them 8th: Hard to say what that loss in the rain meant, but the protection of Tom Brady simply must get better—and Rob Gronkowski might want to play one of these weeks.
WEEI ranks them 9th: A week won’t go by in New England when fans won’t compare Danny Amendola to Wes Welker. As Welker surpassed his touchdown total last year with his seventh in Week 5, Tom Brady and the Patriots offense searched for answers.
AVERAGE RANK: 6.6 (-2.7)