Stephen A. Smith breaks down the offensive struggles New England displayed against Tampa Bay, but praises the heavily-criticized defense for a solid performance. (1:58)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Five regular-season games down, 11 to go for the New England Patriots.

On the day of the week that power rankings are traditionally released, let's continue with the Tuesday theme of a Patriots-specific version. There have been the newcomer power rankings and also the unsung hero power rankings.

Today, it's the toughest-remaining-games-on-the-schedule power ranking:

1. At Broncos (Nov. 12) -- They are already 3-0 at home, with wins over the Chargers, Cowboys and Raiders, with a defense that is in the conversation for being among the best in the NFL. They will be coming off three straight road games (Chargers, Chiefs, Eagles), so the home crowd will be charged up to welcome them back after almost a full month away.

2. Vs. Falcons (Oct. 22) -- A highly anticipated Super Bowl LI rematch. Atlanta is a team that seems to play especially fast at home, but this game will be in Foxborough. The Falcons have already proved they can win on the road this season, as they are 2-0, with victories at Chicago and Detroit.

3. At Raiders (Mexico/Nov. 19) -- Off to a disappointing 2-3 start, the Raiders should be a different team with quarterback Derek Carr back under center. They will be coming off their bye week.

The Patriots defense once again will be charged with coming to grips with Ben Roethlisberger on Dec. 17. James Lang/USA TODAY Sports

4. At Steelers (Dec. 17) -- After a 30-9 home loss to the Jaguars in which Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions, two of them returned for touchdowns, and then was questioned if he was slipping as a player, maybe this game won't be as challenging as it once looked. The Patriots will be coming off a short week after a Monday game at Miami.

5. At Bills (Dec. 3) -- First-year coach Sean McDermott has the Bills playing fundamentally sound football, and who knows what the weather conditions will be like at that time of year in Western New York?

6. At Dolphins (Dec. 11) -- The Jay Cutler-led Dolphins offense is struggling to score points, which is supposed to be the forte of second-year head coach Adam Gase. A Monday night game in South Florida, though, figures to be a tough test nonetheless.

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7. At Jets (Oct. 15) -- Winners of three straight, the Jets enter with confidence after rebounding from an 0-2 start with victories over the Dolphins, Jaguars and Browns. The last four games the Patriots have played on the road against the Jets were a 30-27 overtime loss in 2013, a 17-16 victory in 2014, a 26-20 overtime loss in 2015 and a 22-17 comeback triumph in 2016.

8. Vs. Chargers (Oct. 29) -- The 1-4 Chargers just posted their first win of the season, beating the Giants on the road. Before that, they hung tough with three of the NFL's better teams in Denver, Kansas City and Philadelphia. Quarterback Phillip Rivers is a gamer who seems to be one of Bill Belichick’s favorites.

9. Vs. Dolphins (Nov. 26) -- The Dolphins were supposed to be coming off a bye, but after having their Week 1 game postponed because of Hurricane Irma, this will instead be their 11th straight game.

10. Vs. Bills (Dec. 24) -- They’ve been playing everyone tough in their 3-2 start. The level of difficulty of this game will be tied to whether the Bills are still in the playoff hunt.

11. Vs. Jets (Dec. 31) -- While they are a surprise 3-2, the projection is that they won't be in the playoff mix, which lands the season finale in Foxborough in the final spot.