Power Rankings: Pats aren't what we thought they were

Updated Dec. 4

Two weeks ago, I wrote in this very space that the New England Patriots would not be beaten.

With all apologies to Dennis Green, I said it was time to go ahead and crown their asses.

Did I get ahead of myself? You bet.

Feeling a bit more vulnerable, Bill Belichick? (AP)

The past two weeks have taught us again a very valuable NFL lesson: Anybody can be beaten. When things seem predictable and outcomes predetermined, we always seem to get something that reminds us to be careful racing to such conclusions.

The Patriots have been pushed to the limit in winning the past two weeks. They are still undefeated, but that gives hope to the rest of the league that the team being called by some the greatest of all-time has flaws just like they do.

The interesting thing is that they were tested in two very different ways. The Philadelphia Eagles went to New England and played an up-tempo style, trying to match the Pats point for point. They were there in the end, too, but two late-game interceptions kept the Pats unbeaten.

Monday night, the Baltimore Ravens took a different approach. They pounded them, beat them up and essentially mugged them, even making Tom Brady look uncomfortable in the pocket for much of the game.

In the end, Brady drove the Pats to the winning score in a 27-24 victory, helped by a favorable holding call late in the game. But I'm not about to sit here and say the officials cost the Ravens the game. Bad calls happen. They're a part of football.

What cost the Ravens the game was that stupid interception Kyle Boller threw from the Patriots 30 with the Ravens leading 24-17.

The late touchdown ruined a heck of an effort by the Ravens and forced the 1972 Dolphins to put the champagne back on ice. The Ravens flew to the football and they never backed down. They played so physical that at times it appeared they were pushing it a bit.

To their credit, the Pats didn't back down, which is why they are still atop the CBSSports.com Power Rankings. But the more I watched that game it became clear that New England doesn't like to be hit in the mouth. Who does? It also brought up this question: Have the Patriots become a finesse team?

If so, there will be plenty of tough-guy teams ready to smack them in the mouth come playoff time. One of those will visit Foxboro this week in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two others could be the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In two weeks, we've learned a lot about the Pats. We've learned they are soft in the middle of their pass defense. We've learned they can be pushed around at the line of scrimmage. We've learned that exotic blitzes seem to be the way to counter Brady. Mostly, though, we've learned they aren't unbeatable.

Crown their asses? Let's hold off on that. The NFL has a way of making all that rushing to judgment look bad.

The Patriots are still the team to beat. It's just that the past two weeks have taught us that beating them isn't as impossible a task as we thought.

The Power Rankings through Week 13: