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Pats remain No. 1
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NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have won six games in a row and steamrolled most of their opponents in the process.

So, it’s little surprise that they maintained their spot as the top team in the NFL.

The Patriots (8-2) received eight of 12 first-place votes Tuesday for the AP Pro32 power rankings, which are decided by a media panel that regularly covers the league.

The Patriots are coming off a 42-20 rout of the Indianapolis Colts on the road Sunday night.

Running back Jonas Gray led the Patriots offense with 201 yards — a stat change Tuesday put him over the 200 mark — and four touchdowns.

“The Patriots showed us another way that they can win games — hello, Jonas Gray — while making an important gain toward earning home-field advantage in the playoffs.” Jenny Vrentas of The Monday Morning Quarterback said.

The Arizona Cardinals (9-1), who have the NFL’s best record, earned the other four first-place votes and remained at No. 2 in the poll.

“Impossible to argue against 9-1 record, NFL’s best,” Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki said.

The Green Packers (7-3), who routed the Philadelphia Eagles 53-20 on Sunday, jumped from No. 6 to No. 3.

“Aaron Rodgers playing at a positively stratospheric level right now, with 28 touchdowns for the season, including a combined nine in his last two games,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said.

The Packers are 5-0 at home and will host the Patriots on Nov. 30.

“Putting up historic numbers at Lambeau, where no opponent wants to venture in January,” Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune said.

The Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) held off the Seattle Seahawks 24-20 and jumped from No. 10 to No. 4.

“The Chiefs looked like the 2013 Seahawks with a hard-nosed style that beat Seattle last Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium,” Foxsports.com’s Alex Marvez said.

The Denver Broncos (7-3) dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 after their 22-7 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

“Not a good loss in St. Louis, but every team has one clunker in them,” ESPN’s Herm Edwards said.

The Detroit Lions (7-3), Dallas Cowboys (7-3), Eagles (7-3), Colts (6-4) and the San Francisco 49ers (6-4) rounded out the top 10.

The Seahawks fell from No. 8 to No. 11 and host the Cardinals on Sunday.

“This week vs. Arizona almost a must-win game,” NBC Sports’ Tony Dungy said.

The Cowboys travel to the Meadowlands for a Sunday night game against the struggling New York Giants.

“The Cowboys play four of their last six games on the road and the only home game in December is against the AFC South-leading Colts,” said Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News.