NFL Power Rankings: Where Will Experts Rank New England Patriots Next Week?

The New England Patriots got back on track against the Oakland Raiders after a Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Tom Brady led a balanced attack that was unlike anything we'd seen from the high-powered Patriots in the previous weeks.

Following a minor slide in some of the power rankings last week, the bandwagon filled right back up on Tuesday. Rightfully so because it's clear New England is one of the best teams in the league in 2011 and are a defensive improvement away from being the kings once again.

In Week 5, the Patriots will welcome the division rival New York Jets to Gillette Stadium in a game that could put New England back in control of the AFC East (sorry, Buffalo). So, let's look ahead to what the rankings might look like after this mammoth clash.

Week 5 Rankings Recap

Site or Individual	Patriots' Ranking
ESPN	3
CBS Sports	3
Fox Sports	6
Sports Illustrated	3
Tim Daniels	3

Other than Fox Sports, which cites concerns about the Patriots defense as the reason for the ranking, there is agreement that the Patriots are the third-best team in football right now. That's not surprising considering there are two undefeated teams.

Quick Week 5 Game Preview

The emergence of Stevan Ridley could take New England's offense to another level. They ran into problems against Buffalo because Tom Brady was forced to pass too often with a big lead and it came back to bite the Patriots.

Ridley looks to have a burst that neither BenJarvus Green-Ellis or Danny Woodhead have been able to provide, and gives opposing defensive coordinators another player to be worried about. As if New England didn't have enough weapons already.

Mark Sanchez needs to step up if the Jets are going to win this game. The Patriots secondary has a lot of question marks but if the USC product can't take advantage of them, New England will cruise. Especially considering the Jets' lack of a running game.

Look for the Patriots to keep working to add more balance to their offensive attack while giving Brady's arm a little rest in the process. It won't be a blowout, but I fully expect New England to walk away victorious on Sunday afternoon.

Prediction: Patriots 24 Jets 17

Week 6 Rankings Preview

Both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers have tough Week 5 games to deal with as Detroit hosts the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football while Green Bay has to travel to Atlanta for Sunday Night Football.

With that in mind, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that the Patriots could hold the No. 1 spot in a couple rankings come Tuesday morning. A lot like the college football polls, power ranking creators are hesitant to have a team jump another if they both win.

I have a feeling at least one of the undefeated teams will fall this week, so I will move the Patriots up to No. 2 if that happens. They are an amazingly efficient team and you know Bill Belichick is working on that offense every week. There will be notable progress before crunch time.

Projected Week 6 Ranking: No. 2