Pats Cruise Past Rams At Gillette As Brady Becomes All-Time Wins leader

It turned out to be a historic day at Gillette Stadium, Sunday, as the New England Patriots cruised past the Los Angeles Rams 26-10.

All-Time Winningest QB- The New England victory marks the 201st career win for Pats quarterback Tom Brady. That means that the 17-year vet has officially become the all-time winningest quarterback in league history, passing Peyton Manning whom he tied after last week's win. Just another nice addition to G.O.A.T's list of career accolades and achievements.

Getting Back On track- It has been an up and down season for Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski so far in 2016, but Sunday saw the Kicker riding as high as he has this season. Entering the game with seven total missed kicks through the team's first 11 games, Gostkowski was true on each one of his scoring attempts Sunday. The 11-year vet knocked through all four of his field goal attempts, including three from at least 45 yards out, and also connect on both of his point after opportunities. Having a perfect day in relatively good playing conditions could be the first step in getting Gostkowski back in the "weapon" category and out of the "liability" zone.

Locking In On Two- While the Pats are working with some banged up pieces on offense and are officially without dominant tight end Rob Gronkowski for most likely the rest of the season, Brady was able to find a pair of receivers early and often on Sunday. On the day, Brady completed 33 of 46 pass attempts for 269 yards and a score. 16 of those completions were to the wide out tandem of Julian Edelman and Malcolm Mitchell, who each caught eight balls and combined for 183 receiving yards on the day. While Edelman has long been one of Brady's most trusted and relied upon targets, the emergence of Mitchell over the past three weeks has been quite the sight. After totaling just seven receptions for just 95 yards and no scores, the rookie wide out has reeled in 17 passes for 222 yards and three scores in the team's past three outings.

Power Football- The Patriots employed a heavy dose of power football on offense, Sunday, as big back LeGarrette Blount carried the load through the game. On 18 carries, the seventh year pro tallied 88 rushing yards, including a 43-yard scamper that resulted in a touchdown on the team's opening drive. With the Rams coming into the game struggling against the run, Blount and company did what LA's opponents have done well so far this season, as they rushed for 133 yards on the day.

A Couple Of Picks- The patriots not only won the game, but also won the game's turnover battle. The New England defense had two interceptions on the day, including one by top corner Malcolm Butler and another from one of the unit's newer members, Kyle Van Noy. Both interceptions were followed up by scoring drives for the offense, which is most important. On the day, New England scored 10 points off of turnovers.

Still Figuring Things Out- While the game was a blow out and the Pats cruised from the first series on, their first game without Rob Gronkowski was a bit underwhelming offensively. Aside from strong performances by Edelman and Mitchell in the passing game and some big runs from Blount, the Pats offense never really seemed to fully hit its stride. In a game that they scored 26 points, it felt like they could have scored 46. They did have to settle for four Stephen Gostkowski field goals and, while they gained 402 yards of total offense, they were a somewhat ineffective 4-16 on third down, on the day. When they play tougher opponents later in the season, they must capitalize on more of those third down opportunities and turn some of those field goals into touchdowns.

Getting After The Rookie- Up until their final series on the field, the Pats defense had one of their best games of the season Sunday. Part of their success was undoubtedly due to the fact that they went up against one of the worst offenses in the league, but another reason was their tenacity in getting to rookie quarterback Jared Goff. On the day, Goff was a lowly 14 of 32 for 161 yards one score and two picks. he was also rushed relentlessly all day, with the Pats recording four sacks for 35 yards.

A Great Game Until The End- The Pats defense was great in this game, until their final series of the game. Overall, the Pats held LA to just 162 total yards of offense on 49 plays. They also allowed just seven first downs and only allowed one third down conversion on 12 attempts. Those stats, coupled with the two picks and four sacks, are all reasons to be excited about a potential turnaround for this defense. However, it must not be lost on anyone, that the Rams offense is just about as bad as you'll see in the league this season. Also, for as good as they played over the first 56 minutes of the game, they fell apart on their final series on the field. After refusing to let Goff get into any sort of rhythm all day and creating havoc for the Rams offense, the Pats seemingly fell asleep on their final trip on the field. On six plays, the Rams moved the ball 66 yards for a score. On what was a good day for the New England defense overall, it was an ugly finish.

All in all, the Pats beat up on a bottom of the barrel team, Sunday, and cruised to an easy win. It was a monumental win in Brady's career, as he is now the all-time wins leader, but it was also one in which the offense looked slightly ineffective. It was one in which the defense cruised, but somewhat sputtered to the finish line. At the end of the day a win is a win and the Pats are now 10-2 and in absolute control of their own destiny.