A 2-2 record after four games is typically nothing to sniff at, but Mike Vrabel's Patriots may have sent a message to the league and the AFC with last week's 42-13 pasting of the Carolina Panthers. Yes, Carolina is closer to the No. 1 pick in the draft than to being considered an elite team, but if you want to be a contender, you've got to beat up on bad teams, especially in your building.