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The New England Patriots are still sitting behind the Baltimore Ravens in USA TODAY’s power rankings after Week 11, with the Patriots enjoying a bye week and the Ravens blowing out the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore (7-2) doesn’t have the best record in the AFC, but it’s win over New England (8-1) appears to have thrust the Ravens into the top spot.
Here’s a look at what USA TODAY had to say about New England:
2. Patriots (4): Super Bowl LII rematch in Philadelphia looms all the more important with Baltimore now one game from moving into top slot of AFC’s projected playoff field.
It’s easy to imagine the Patriots and Ravens staying in the same position, if both teams win this week. New England has a fairly formidable opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles, but Baltimore will see a tough AFC rival in the Houston Texans. But perhaps the Patriots could pull ahead of the Ravens in the coming weeks with wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
Even after a loss on Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers, led by former Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, are the top team in the NFC at No. 3 in the rankings behind the Patriots and Ravens. San Francisco is ranked just about the fourth-ranked New Orleans Saints.
In the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills are ranked at No. 15, the Miami Dolphins are sitting at No. 30 and the New York Jets have fallen to 31st.
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