NFL Week 4: Where Do the New England Patriots Belong at 2-1?

NFL Power Rankings are a subjective thing and rarely are two peoples' lists ever exactly the same. At my site, www.GuysNation.com, I took a hard look at all 32 teams, compared their records, the average points they've scored and allowed per game, their strength of schedule, and came up with the NFL Power Rankings for Week 4 in the 2010 NFL season.

One of the teams that was hard to place were the New England Patriots. They are one of several teams who have started off the season with a record of 2-1, so I really had to compare who they've played, where the games were held, what the final outcomes were, and what's going on with their team.

Admittedly not a fan of the New England Patriots, I tried to be as objective as possible, with the end goal being a list that captured the NFL landscape as accurately as possible.

The Patriots started out the season strong, getting a win by two touchdowns at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, an otherwise undefeated team who picked up a quality win in Week 2.

New England also scored 38 points in Week 3 when they hosted Buffalo. Two strong home field outings, albeit against teams they should expect to beat at Foxborough if they're truly a playoff-bound team.

I don't hate the loss against the Jets as much as some might think. New York is a good squad who I've predicted to make the playoffs this year. There's no shame in losing to a good divisional opponent in an away game.

What worries me is the Patriots' defense. Sure they can score an average of 30 points per game, but they're allowing an average of 27 points per game. Buffalo previously had scores of seven and 10 in their first two games, then exploded for 30 against New England.

So where did I rank New England? Surely I couldn't rank them higher than the Jets, but which other 2-1 teams did I think were better than the Patriots? Could I have possibly given them the nod over any of the 3-0 teams, some of whom might appear to be undefeated solely based on strength of schedule? 

The Ravens have looked anemic on offense, could the Patriots be ahead of them? 

The Eagles have victories over weak squads in Detroit and Jacksonville, but what other factors did I take into account?

For the complete rankings and analysis, check out the article on my website, www.GuysNation.com!  

Unlike Power Rankings you see elsewhere, your comments could help persuade me to rank your team better after Week 4!