Injuries Make Patriots’ Road Tougher

The Times’ rating scale for this week’s games:

**** -- Don’t miss a down.

*** -- Could be good.

** -- Who let the dogs out?

* -- Stupor Bowl.

Now that their 21-game winning streak is kaput, the banged-up New England Patriots can concentrate on more pressing matters -- such as finding a way to get through the next few weeks.

The Patriots (6-1) will play at St. Louis on Sunday without their two starting cornerbacks, Tyrone Poole, nursing a knee injury, and All-Pro Ty Law, who suffered a broken bone in his foot last Sunday at Pittsburgh.

There’s never a good time to lose a player such as Law, who’s expected to be out at least four weeks, but it’s particularly tough before a game against an explosive Ram offense.

“We won’t sit back and feel miserable,” Patriot safety Rodney Harrison told reporters this week. “What are you going to do, sulk because he’s not here? He’s the best cornerback in the game, but what are you going to do? We’ve got to play the game.”

The Rams (4-3) have a 12-game winning streak when facing visiting AFC teams, and quarterback Marc Bulger has thrown touchdown passes in 14 consecutive games.

New England quarterback Tom Brady, meanwhile, has thrown at least two touchdown passes in 10 consecutive road games. With St. Louis, Buffalo and Kansas City in the next three weeks, Brady and the rest of his teammates are determined not to follow the Streak with the Slide.

In other games:

****Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- The Steelers ended New England’s record winning streak last Sunday, and an unintended benefactor might have been the Eagles, who are hoping for a Pittsburgh letdown. The Eagles, led by the high-powered battery of Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens, are the last unbeaten team.

*Arizona at Miami, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Just as the Cardinal offense is getting healthier with the return of receiver Anquan Boldin, the Dolphin defense has to deal with the loss of linebacker Junior Seau. The decisive factor could be how well Miami’s run defense holds up against Arizona’s big front five. Then again, Arizona has gone 17 consecutive road games without a victory.

**Dallas at Cincinnati, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Shaky one week and solid the next, Dallas has joined the ranks of the entirely unpredictable. Eddie George rushed for 99 yards in a victory over Detroit last Sunday, and the Cowboys could use an encore. The 2-5 Bengals, meanwhile, have to be weighing the merits of replacing Carson Palmer with Jon Kitna.

***New York Jets at Buffalo, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Herman Edwards has done a masterful job of coaching so far and it showed in the Jets’ 41-14 hammering of Miami. The up-and-down Bills proved last Sunday they’re an all-weather team, pounding Arizona on a cold, windy day at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

**Kansas City at Tampa Bay, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- No offense has been hotter the last two weeks than Kansas City’s, which rolled up a total of 1,130 yards and 101 points in victories over Atlanta and Indianapolis. Tampa Bay is coming off an idle weekend and quarterback Brian Griese is riding a three-game winning streak against the Chiefs.

*Oakland at Carolina, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Quarterback Kerry Collins, the first Panther drafted, will face his old team for the first time. He has to be wishing it was under better circumstances. The Raider passing game is struggling, and its running game has been horrible. Carolina, once among the league’s best defenses, hasn’t offered much resistance up front.

**Washington at Detroit, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- The boos Mark Brunell might hear at Ford Field won’t compare to the ones he heard at home last Sunday, when he had two interceptions to match his two touchdowns, and a slew of bad passes. Up-and-coming Detroit has proved it can win on the road but now needs to protect its home turf.

***Chicago at New York Giants, Sunday, 1 p.m. -- Running back Anthony Thomas accounted for more than half of Chicago’s total yards in last Sunday’s victory over San Francisco. He’ll be lining up against a Giant team riding high after a surprising pounding of Minnesota.

***New Orleans at San Diego, Sunday, 1 p.m. -- So far, San Diego is the surprise of the league, and quarterback Drew Brees is a candidate for comeback player of the year. Like the Chargers, the Saints also know how to bounce back. They scored only seven points in their opener, but since have averaged 24.5.

*Seattle at San Francisco, Sunday, 1 p.m. -- Banged-up Seattle is still making mistakes but getting the ball into the hands of Shaun Alexander isn’t one of them. Alexander rushed for 195 yards in a victory over Carolina last Sunday. The 49er rush defense is one of the team’s precious few strong suits, however.

***Houston at Denver, Sunday, 1:15 p.m. -- The Texans, vying for their third consecutive road victory, are reaping the benefits of a defensive turnaround. In the last two weeks, Houston held Tennessee and Jacksonville to 16 points and one touchdown. This week’s road test is against a prolific yet mistake-prone Denver passing offense, and a Bronco defense that has given up far too many big plays.

**Cleveland at Baltimore, Sunday, 5:30 p.m. -- It looks as if Jeff Garcia is starting to feel more comfortable running Cleveland’s offense, and just in time. This is a pivotal game for the Browns. Jamal Lewis is back from a two-game suspension for Baltimore, and Raven quarterback Kyle Boller had his best game as a pro last Sunday.

****Minnesota at Indianapolis, Monday, 6 p.m. -- Was last Sunday’s loss to the Giants an isolated letdown for the Vikings, or the first hint of an avalanche? The Colts, so impressive earlier, are hoping to bounce back from a pair of losses.