The Pats are back

If there were any lingering doubts about the New England Patriots, who just a few weeks ago looked hopelessly lost at sea, there aren't any now. Not after New England's decisive victory in Buffalo on Sunday, a game the Pats really needed to win coming off their biggest win of the season against the previously undefeated Bengals. Against the Bills, with whom they shared a tie for first place in the AFC East, the Patriots continued to roll with a 37-22 win. They were especially dominant in the second half, piling on 24 points to put the game away.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots kicked it into gear as the game developed into a shoot-out. Though New England's ground game was stifled by Buffalo's suffocating run-defense -- the Patriots managed just 50 net rushing yards in 27 plays (a meager 1.9 yards per carry) -- Tom Brady had by far his best game of the season. For the second week in a row Brady was in top form, completing 27 of 37 pass attempts for a season-high 361 yards and four touchdowns. He spread the ball around too, connecting with 10 different receivers. Then again, Brady usually makes it look easy against the Bills, against whom he is 23-2 in his NFL career.

With Brady picking apart Buffalo's defense, the New England offense was once again the prolific point-scoring machine that Patriots fans are used to seeing. After scoring just 80 points through their first four games (32 of which came via Stephen Gostkowski), the Pats have ripped off 80 over their past two against formidable defenses. Much of their newfound success can be attributed to an improved offensive line, which has done a much better job limiting mistakes and protecting their signal-caller. Given more time to survey his options, Brady has been able to limit his own miscues as well. He had more turnovers (five) than touchdowns (four) through the first four weeks, but over the last two he has six scores against zero turnovers. Brady looks like an elite quarterback again rather than a handsomer Ryan Fitzpatrick.

In fact, nobody on New England turned the ball over, which is pretty impressive considering Buffalo forced 10 turnovers through Week 5. Meanwhile, the Patriots defense induced three turnovers, recovering two fumbles and intercepting Kyle Orton. Those giveaways proved costly for Buffalo, leading to 13 New England points.

After slogging through September, the Patriots look like a new team in October, which is to say they resemble the Patriots of old. It's been fun watching them play mostly error-free football over the past couple weeks, but nobody's perfect. Their offensive line has been better, to be sure, but on the whole is still having issues (looking at you, Nate Solder). Their defense doesn't scare anybody and just allowed 299 passing yards to Eli Manuel's replacement. Given that New England hasn't even faced an above-average quarterback yet, it's scary to think how they'll fare against one. We'll find out in November, when the Pats will be tasked with stopping Peyton Manning, Andew Luck, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers.

For now, New England can look forward to an easy home matchup against another hapless QB. The resurgent Pats should be able to maintain their momentum against the 1-5 Jets tomorrow night. New England's formerly competitive division rivals have dropped five in a row, are winless on the road and should be easy prey for Brady with their soft secondary. New York's Geno Smith-led offense doesn't pose much of a threat, either. Expect another blowout, and expect that New England will extend its first place lead over the rest of the division.

Two weekends ago the Patriots proved they weren't washed-up yet. On Sunday they reaffirmed that, establishing themselves as a team to fear going forward. Tomorrow night that team merely has to show up.