NFL Power Rankings 2012: New Englad Patriots Drop Due To Surprise Loss

With Week 2 officially in the books, the New England Patriots (1-1) took a bit of a hit in the power rankings due to the disappointing 20-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals (2-0) in Foxborough this past Sunday. Largely considered as one of the league's top teams, the Patriots are no longer ranked in the top-five in either of SB Nation's or NFL.com's Tuesday morning rankings but managed to hold on to a spot in ESPN's poll.

At SB Nation, the Patriots dropped five spots to No. 7 after being ranked second after Week 1.

The Patriots are probably better than the seventh-ranked team but you can not lose to the Cardinals -- !!!! -- in your home opener. First ever home opener loss at Gillette. That was bad.

NFL.com also had the Patriots drop five spots to No. 7 and has the team behind the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. At ESPN, New England dropped four spots from No. 1 overall to five. While the drop was not as substantial as the other polls, the sentiment was far more ominous.

A home loss to Arizona either will be a wake-up call or the beginning of the Patriots' demise.

For more on the Patriots, head over to Pats Pulpit and continue to check out SB Nation Boston.

NFL Power Rankings 2012: New England Patriots Rise To No. 2 In SB Nation Ranking

We're just week into the 2012 NFL season, and Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are already moving their way up the charts. New England was ranked second in SB Nation's latest NFL power rankings.