Power Rankings: Denied Patriots have to get back in line

Updated Feb. 5

Perfectville, that mythical neighborhood created by the 1972 Miami Dolphins, is a really tough place to gain entry into, an ultra-exclusive area that features few in it.

The exclusivity of it makes any gated community, even those of the high-rolling stars, seem as if they're open to all of us. You can't buy your way in, either. You have to earn it.

Tom Brady heads off into the sunset for now -- better luck next season. (Getty Images)

The New England applied for entry but got turned down when a group of blue-collar New York Giants proved the Patriots weren't good enough.

Sunday night's Super Bowl XLII gave us another valuable reminder of why we love sports so much. The seemingly unbeatable is always beatable.

The Patriots 17-14 loss ruined their chance at a 19-0 season, allowing them to stake a claim as one of the greatest, if not greatest, team of all-time. We were ready to anoint coach Bill Belichick as the greatest coach and Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback.

Now they have to spend the next six months hearing how they choked it all away. They are the biggest Super losers of all-time.

Yes, the Baltimore Colts were bigger favorites when they lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, but the Colts weren't unbeaten. They weren't trying to get into Perfectville.

Now the Patriots appear to be facing a tumultuous offseason. In addition to the sting of hearing how they gagged their season away, they have the Specter (as in Arlen) hanging over their heads.

They thought the spying scandal was long gone when they were caught early in the season, but now we get word there might be another tape, one in which they filmed the St. Louis Rams' walk-through before Super Bowl XXVI. If that is found to be true, Belichick could be facing a year-long suspension, which ultimately could lead to him walking away for good. There is talk among some in the league that the Patriots ownership wouldn't need much to send him packing.

Winning Super Bowls, they tolerate his boorish behavior and off-field dalliances. But if he's caught in another scandal, watch out.

Belichick, in his usual standoffish way, shrugged off a question about the latest allegations after Sunday's game. "I don't know about that," he said. Then again, he shrugged off a lot of questions, his bitter-beer face showing all the pain he was feeling inside.

His classless walk off at the end of the game, leaving the field with one second left in the game and a snap still to take, was vintage Belichick. How about losing with some class? Then again, some say he doesn't win with class so why should we expect him to lose with it?

The Patriots will also have to decide what to do with Randy Moss, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. He did little in the postseason, although he did have a touchdown catch Sunday after catching 23 of them in the regular season. He says he wants to come back to New England, but you can bet he won't take the home-team discount if that's what the Pats are thinking.

Then there's the aging defense, especially at linebacker. And wasn't that graying safety Rodney Harrison who gave up the two biggest completions Sunday night?

It will be a long offseason for the Patriots, one they thought they'd spend talking about their greatness.

Who didn't think they would start the 2008 season atop all the power rankings? But instead they are in the two hole, behind the Giants. If the two teams played 10 times, the Pats would probably win seven of them, which means they are probably the better team and should be in the top spot. Bodog.com sent out a list of odds for next year's Super Bowl and the Patriots are the favorites at 4-1. The Giants are 10-1, behind the Chargers and Colts and tied with the Cowboys.

But Super Bowl winners always take the top spot in the first set of our rankings that close out this season and peek ahead to 2008.

There will be another three or four sets of these rankings before we kick off the regular season, one after free agency, another after the draft and one or two more before the regular season opens.

New England thought they had the top spot locked until we kicked it off for real. The Giants took that from them and they took something far more important.

They took away their slide card for entry into that elite community known as Perfectville.

Now they have to wonder if they'll ever get in.

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They didn't look great against the 49ers, but they found a way. That's what good teams do. It has to be good having Bob Sanders back again.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	It was a little bit of a struggle against the Falcons, but the schedule is favorable the rest of the way, to say the least. Is an undefeated season possible?
	3	Vikings · Trends	4
	They have a real hold on the division after sweeping the Packers. They really are a balanced team and Brett Favre is coming off a big game. There, I said it. Aside from the Steelers game, he is playing well.
	4	Broncos · Trends	3
	After their first loss, here come the champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers will provide another stiff test for the Broncos. They need to throw it better. Period.
	5	Patriots · Trends	5
	They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat.
	6	Bengals · Trends	6
	At 5-2 after their bye, they get a rematch with the Ravens this week. They can throw it better now than when they beat them the first time, which should help.
	7	Steelers · Trends	7
	They can show they are back with a road victory at Denver. The bye week gives them a little edge heading into that one, although Denver will be angry coming off its first loss.
	8	Eagles · Trends	8
	We get Eagles-Cowboys this week for first place in the NFC East. That should be fun. The Eagles are rolling after that Oakland disaster two weeks ago.
	9	Cowboys · Trends	11
	Is it time to stop ripping on Tony Romo? He's playing some of his best football. The defense, which was a problem much of the season, is playing better.
	10	Ravens · Trends	14
	They had to beat Denver to save their season, but now they get a big one against the Bengals on the road. To have a real chance to win the division, they need that one.
	11	Cardinals · Trends	9
	Can anybody figure this team out? They play well on the road and stink it up at home. Good thing they're on the road this week.
	12	Giants · Trends	10
	They are an example of how fast things can go bad in the NFL. If that defense doesn't play better soon, they could be playoff-less.
	13	Texans · Trends	16
	The improvement of the defense to go with that passing game has really helped this team. They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball.
	14	Chargers · Trends	17
	They seemed to right things the past two weeks, but now must head east to play a desperate Giants team. That won't be easy.
	15	Falcons · Trends	12
	They played well at New Orleans, especially in the second half, and the schedule gets easier now. They are a good 4-3 team.
	16	Packers · Trends	13
	Boy that offensive line is bad. If they don't improve there, Aaron Rodgers doesn't stand a chance.
	17	Bears · Trends	19
	Nothing like the Cleveland Browns to provide the perfect potion for all that ails a team. Facing Arizona at home this week won't be as easy.
	18	Dolphins · Trends	22
	That wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. Now they have to go to New England, with a chance to get back into the race. Playing two consecutive road games is tough.
	19	Jets · Trends	15
	There is no way they should have lost to the Dolphins at home, but at 4-4 they have been way too inconsistent. How about some special-teams work this week?
	20	Jaguars · Trends	18
	They will be a .500 team at best. The defense isn't very good, so they will play a lot of high-scoring games. The good news is they have a winnable game against Kansas City this week.
	21	Panthers · Trends	24
	Was that a job saver for coach John Fox and a season saver last week in Arizona? It was a big win, but those two things are still to be decided.
	22	49ers · Trends	20
	Playing close isn't good enough. They have to start winning those kinds of games. It's hard when they're limited on offense.
	23	Bills · Trends	21
	The run defense is really bad and they don't have the offense to make up for it. Did you ever think they would long to get Trent Edwards back so much?
	24	Seahawks · Trends	23
	They've been a major disappointment in a lot of people's minds. But the injuries have crippled this team. It's a tough first year for Jim Mora Jr.
	25	Raiders · Trends	25
	At least they showed up and competed against the Chargers. It's more than they did the previous week. Wonder how Tom Cable's troubles will affect the team?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They come off their bye with the Larry Johnson saga hanging over their heads. Something they need more of: Better play from Matt Cassel.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	Did they fix things during the bye? Is Jim Zorn safe now that he made it through the week off? Can they turn it around? Doubtful.
	28	Rams · Trends	31
	They won. They won. They won. After 17 consecutive losses, they should celebrate. Steven Jackson is having a good year for a bad team.
	29	Titans · Trends	32
	The move to Vince Young paid off. Yeah, as long as Chris Johnson runs for 228, it paid off. They did show more life coming off their bye in winning for the first time.
	30	Lions · Trends	28
	Losing to the Rams drops them down a few spots. They are competing, which is a good sign for this young team.
	31	Browns · Trends	29
	Does this team need a bye or what? Do they really have to play out the season with that offense?
	32	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	The Josh Freeman Era begins, and it's the right thing to do. They have to get him going for the future. Why wait?