The New England Patriots used a combination of a dominant defensive performance and efficient offense to blow past the Detroit Lions 34-9, at Gillette Stadium, Sunday.

New England's defensive secondary set the tone for the day by shutting down the pass-heavy Detroit attack that had, for most of the season, fueled the Lions' success as they entered the day tied with the Green Bay Packers for first in the NFC North.

Led by Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington, New England's pass defense held Detroit's two dynamic top targets, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, to pedestrian-like numbers as together they combined for just eight catches on the day. By taking away his top two receivers, the Pats were also able to hold Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford to one of his worst statistical performances of his career. Facing pressure all day, the QB went just 18 for 46 with an interception.

As for the Patriots' offense, everything seemed to run smoothly for quarterback Tom Brady and company. Brady completed 38 of 53 pass attempts for 349 yards and two scores in total. He threw 25 of those 38 completions to wide receivers Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who seem to be his most trusted targets.

Brady's two touch down passes came in the red zone on completions to big tight end and goal line weapon Tim Wright, who has become a nice compliment to the dynamic Gronkowski.

The rushing attack was not as dominant for New England as it was last week, when practice squad call up Jonas Gray ran for 201 yards and four scores in Indianapolis, but the recent addition of the big bodied LeGarrette Blount, who was waived earlier in the week by Pittsburgh, payed dividends as the back rushed for 78 yards and two scores on 12 carries.

Blount, who played for the Pats last season, saw a majority of the time in the backfield as Gray was benched for the whole game, after sleeping in on Friday and being sent home from practice.

With another one in the win column, New England can now look ahead to another tough match up with the Green Bay Packers, who are one of the NFC's top teams. New England will be forced to take their seven game winning streak into Lambeau Field, which is always a tough place to steal a win from the Pack this late in the season. If New England is to come out on top they'll need a similar defensive performance as they go up against one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. They'll also need some more solid offensive output. Tune in next Sunday at 4:15 to see all the action.

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