NFL Power Rankings: New England Patriots and 3 Top Teams That Tumbled in Week 3

Week 3 of the 2011 NFL season was not kind to some of the top teams in the league, to say the least. A number of high-profile teams took it on the chin on Sunday, with these three in particular taking the biggest, and most surprising, tumbles.

New England Patriots

Boomer's right—nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.

Especially not the Patriots. Tom Brady threw as many interceptions on Sunday (four) as he did all of last season.

The guy just doesn't get picked off, yet the Bills made him look more like Eli Manning or Jay Cutler.

Still, the Pats needn't worry about their offense. They'll put up points with the best of 'em so long as Brady is taking snaps under center.

The greater concern for New England is on defense. The Pats gave up a whopping 448 yards to the Bills, though that represents the fewest yards they've allowed in a game so far this season. Their corners have been picked apart by opposing quarterbacks, who've had little trouble staying upright against their revamped pass rush.

Chances are, New England will recover from this loss, finish the season with 11 or 12 wins and claim the AFC East crown once again.

But for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, Sunday's loss reaffirms the reality that their defense just isn't good enough to carry them deep into the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are shaping up to be this season's "Jekyll and Hyde" team. First they get walloped by the Ravens, then they vent their frustrations against the Seahawks and now they barely scrape by against the Colts sans Peyton Manning.

Pittsburgh's ground game has been ghastly in both of its subpar performances, managing only 66 yards against Baltimore and 67 against Indianapolis. That's certainly not a good sign for a team that prefers to butter its bread with three yards and a cloud of dust on offense.

What's more, Ben Roethlisberger has taken a beating in each game, and the more he has to drop back to throw, the more likely he is to get hit and, as a result, sustain an injury.

The Steelers can hardly afford to lose Big Ben if they are to stand tall atop the AFC North, much less get back to the Super Bowl. Wherever Rashard Mendenhall is, the Steelers need to find him and remind him that the season's already started.

Otherwise, the 2011 season could turn out to be a long one along the Allegheny.

Philadelphia Eagles

Speaking of quarterbacks getting beaten up, I'd enter that the NFL MVP be set aside for Michael Vick right now. The Eagles have already proven themselves to be an entirely different team when he's not good to go.

Simply put, when Vick plays, Philly is anywhere from pretty good to awesome. When he doesn't, they're awful, perhaps among the worst teams in the NFL.

Andy Reid's offense is so Vick-centric that the team seems to fall into a deep existential crisis whenever Mike Kafka (or is it Franz?) steps under center.

The bad news for the Eagles? Michael Vick's right hand is broken. The good news? Vick is left-handed.

Whether Vick is able to play or not, it doesn't change the fact that Philly's offensive line is still horrible in pass protection and will put whomever is starting at quarterback, whether it be Vick, Kafka or Vince Young, squarely in harm's way.

And, at 1-2, the Eagles find themselves in a fragile position at the bottom of the NFC East. Their next three games, against up-and-comers San Francisco and Buffalo and at divisional foe Washington, don't figure to grant them many opportunities to strengthen that standing.

Josh Martin's Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Detroit Lions

4. Buffalo Bills

5. New England Patriots

6. New York Giants

7. Houston Texans

8. Dallas Cowboys

9. Baltimore Ravens

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

11. San Diego Chargers

12. New York Jets

13. Cleveland Browns

14. Washington Redskins

15. Philadelphia Eagles

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

17. Tennessee Titans

18. Atlanta Falcons

19. Oakland Raiders

20. San Francisco 49ers

21. Carolina Panthers

22. Chicago Bears

23. Miami Dolphins

24. Denver Broncos

25. Seattle Seahawks

26. Minnesota Vikings

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

28. Arizona Cardinals

29. Cincinnati Bengals

30. St. Louis Rams

31. Indianapolis Colts

32. Kansas City Chiefs

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