Here are three things we learned from New England’s victory
– Brady remains the face, but the defense is the backbone – You can’t think, “Patriots” without images of Tom Brady flashing through your mind. But the juggernaut defense is the reason why this New England team remains undefeated and is still the favorite to win yet another Super Bowl
The rain did factor into a disjointed passing attack, but even so, the Patriots still very much are figuring things out on offense. They can run the ball, and Julian Edelman remains Brady’s favorite target after catching two touchdowns on Sunday. But they’re still waiting for someone else to fill that void left by Rob Gronkowski’s retirement
Mohamed Sanu made his Patriots debut, but with only a few days of practice in this system, he was non-factor. Phillip Dorsett flashes but vanishes at times as well. New England struggled on third down, going 5-for-16, but it didn’t matter, because their defense did such a great job against the Browns
There’s no panic within the organization because another eight weeks of tinkering lie ahead for the Patriots, and more importantly, because of the defense. There’s no shortage of playmakers on that side of the ball, and their ability to generate turnovers helps ease the pressure on the offense. A Don’t Hightower fumble recovery gave New England its first touchdown of the game, and a Jonathan Jones forced fumble shortly after kept the Browns off of the board. Only a few snaps later, a Lawrence Guy interception on a Baker Mayfield shovel passes to set up the Patriots’ offense for a touchdown two plays later. The effectiveness of the defense enabled the Patriots to take a methodical, run-heavy approach on offense, and they didn’t have to force anything. The Patriots very likely will have things figured out offensively by the time December rolls around. But for now, they’ll continue to lean heavily on their defense while stacking additional wins
WAWLINE 