They're not the worst.

That's what the New England Patriots proved in their 42-13 victory against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

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New England, an organization which owned top-five selections in each of the last two NFL drafts, is making strides with head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm. That's what the Patriots showed in their rout of the Panthers, who have finished with the worst record in the league in two of the last three seasons.

There are levels to the league and the Patriots aren't at the bottom; the Panthers are.

"A bad team, which the Patriots have been, trying to get to mediocre needs to show separation from their fellow bad teams," Patriots insider Tom E. Curran said on Patriot

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