The New England Patriots have moved up two spots -- from No. 8 to No. 6 -- in the latest edition of the RealClearSports NFL Power Rankings, earning an average score of 5.88 based on the rankings of eight different sites.
Although they were on a bye, the Patriots benefited from losses by the Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints, teams that were ahead of New England, but now sit at No. 14 and No. 8, respectively.
The Baltimore Ravens -- the Patriots' opponents this weekend -- are the new No. 1 team, with an average ranking of 1.5. The Jets, Steelers, Falcons and Colts round out the top-five.
The Patriots are ranked as high as No. 4, by both FanHouse and Sporting News, and as low as No. 11 (Fox Sports). Here's what FanHouse had to say:
Put the Patriots here with a bullet. With Randy Moss, they looked like an elite AFC team. We'll have to see how they fare with Deion Branch in the lineup instead. Upcoming games against Baltimore, San Diego and Minnesota provide a nice litmus test.