Brady leads Pats In Rout Of Bills

The New England Patriots headed into Buffalo Sunday, searching for revenge of their only loss of this season, and didn't disappoint as they attacked the Bills all day long and cruised to a 41-25 win. 

Flipping The Script- In the first meeting between the two teams, the Bills shut out a wounded and devoid of star power Patriots offense. Back in the Week 4 loss the Pats had just 277 total yards of offense and 13 first downs. They also converted just one of 12 third down opportunities. The second go-around, however, was the complete opposite. With Tom Brady back under center and his full assortment of weapons at his disposal, the Patriots offense hung 41 points on the Buffalo defense. On the day, New England totaled 358 offensive yards and 23 first downs on 61 plays. They also converted nine of 13 third down attempts and scored on all four red zone trips, including three touchdowns.

The Great TB12- In his fourth game of the season, Brady continued his absolute dominance over the league. Brady put together his third 300-plus yard game on the year, as he threw for 315 yards on 22 of 33 passing. The future Hall-of-Famer also finished the day with four touchdowns, including two 53-yard scores. Brady also utilized his sneaky mobility all day long, to get himself around the rush and deliver consistent strikes to his receivers. He also added a 15-yard scamper for a first down, just to prove he can make a play with his legs if needed. There is just no disputing how in control Brady is right now and how almost impossible it is to slow him down. If he's not your mid-season MVP, with just four games in hand, then you are lying to yourself.

History Being Made- The Pats had history made multiple times in the win. First, tight end Rob Gronkowski hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to place him at the top of the franchise's all-time total touchdowns list with 69. With the win, Brady also made history, as he joined Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre as the only two quarterbacks to beat a single opponent 26 times. Brady's career record against the Bills improved to 26-3.

Another Solid Game- Along with snagging his franchise-record 69th touchdown in the first half, Gronkowski had another all around solid game. The All-Pro led the team in both receptions and receiving yards, as he caught five passes for 109 yards total. Gronk, who averaged a cool 21.8 yards per catch on the day, also has the honor of being the first tight end to score on the Buffalo defense so far this season.

A Trio Of Options- With only three true receivers dressed for the game, the trio stepped up and all contributed in the blowout win. In fact, all three receivers, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan, caught one touchdown pass apiece. In total, the three wide outs combined for 11 catches on 16 targets for 157 yards and the three scores. Hogan might have had the top day out of the three as the former Bill showed his team just what they're missing by catching a four balls thrown his way for 91 yards and one of Brady's two 53 yard scores. Amendola also added a 73-yard kickoff return, on special teams. I guess, with Brady under center, you only need three healthy receivers.

A Perfect Day For SG3- After all of the issues he has incurred so far this season, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski had a bounce back performance going a perfect seven for seven on his attempts today. Gostkowski connected on two field goals, including a 51-yarder that he booted off of the left upright and through the middle. He also was perfect on his five extra point attempts. With Gostkowski already having five misses on the season, it was a promising sign to see the previously sure-footed kicker take care of business, Sunday.

Underwhelming Defense- Once again, the New England defense was very underwhelming in their play, Sunday. Battling against an already less-than-stellar Buffalo offense that came in extremely short-handed and without a number of its top options, the Pats defense allowed 376 yards and 25 points. Granted some of those points and yards came late, in garbage time, but at the end of the day the New England defense just didn't play up to expectations. The two top issues for the defense today seemed to be a lack of pass rush, which has been an issue all season but might be a bit explained by trying to contain shifty quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and a lack of consistent solid play at the second cornerback position. In all seriousness, if Taylor was a more accurate passer and the guys out there with him could have caught some of the passes that were actually in there hands and dropped, the Bills might have made the game a shoot out. With the trade deadline upcoming, don't be shocked if the Pats make at least a small move to try and better their pass rush or their secondary.

On Top At The Bye- The Patriots now head into their bye week atop the league with a 7-1 record. They now can take a week off without worry and regroup for a second half run that echoes their strong start. With half their season left to go, the Patriots are in prime position to make another long postseason run.

All in all, the Pats offense was just the best unit on the field all day long. They ran circles around the Buffalo defense and gave their defense plenty of breathing room, from the jump. With a week to mentally and physically decompress and get healthy, the Pats are moving in the right direction. That defense still has a ways to go, but fortunately for them, there aren't many teams that can contain this offense.

All Stats, Here.