Biggest Takeaways from New England Patriots' Week 5 Win

The New England Patriots are 4-0 for the second time in the past three seasons, but this might be the best Patriots team we've seen in a long time.

Like usual, these Patriots are proving they can beat an opponent in any number of ways. Whether it's an aerial onslaught, a rushing juggernaut, a stifling defense or some combination of the three, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not afraid to resort to any strategy, so long as the end result is a victory.

In the Patriots' 30-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, we saw the Patriots win without video game numbers from quarterback Tom Brady but instead with an efficient and consistent offensive attack that kept the chains moving and created positive plays one by one. The Patriots didn't get off to their usual fast start, but they finished stronger than ever and came out of Dallas with the win.

Here are a handful of the biggest takeaways from Sunday's win.

Time for Stability on the Offensive Line?

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In the first three games of the season, the Patriots rotated their offensive linemen in and out of the game, bucking the conventional wisdom that says the offensive line should be the same five players for as many snaps as is possible. They did the same thing in their fourth game against the Cowboys, but this was the first time this season that it seemed to do them more harm than good.

Center David Andrews, right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, right guard Josh Kline, left guard Shaq Mason and left tackle Marcus Cannon all earned at least 40 snaps on Sunday, according to Pro Football Focus. Nate Solder (25 snaps) left the game with an elbow injury; otherwise, he might have replaced Cannon on that list.

Tom Brady was harried and hurried by the Cowboys defensive front in the first half and faced some form of pressure on 11 of his 33 dropbacks in the game. He was sacked five times in the first half—the most he'd been sacked in one half in his career.

The Patriots made some adjustments to help give Brady more time in the pocket and to help reduce the amount of pressure in his face. Quick passes and more action for tight end Michael Williams helped the Patriots build rhythm on offense. One has to wonder, though, whether they will take this as a sign to adjust their strategy on the offensive line, or if this will just be viewed as a bump in the road in what's otherwise been an effective game plan.

Center Bryan Stork and guard Ryan Wendell should be returning to the field soon, so we'll have to wait and see whether their presence means more stability on the offensive line.

Jerod Mayo's Role Just Got a Lot More Important

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Never underestimate the value of good depth.

Veteran linebacker Jerod Mayo was little more than an afterthought in the Patriots' first three games of the season, playing just 44 snaps in that time. Linebacker Dont'a Hightower suffered a rib injury in Dallas, which put Mayo in the spotlight for the first time this year. He played 30 snaps of a possible 74, by far his biggest workload this year.

If Hightower's injury is anything serious, that workload could increase even further. 

Of course, Mayo is not the only one who could be in line for a higher snap count. Special teams ace Jonathan Freeny also got some run on defense, with 26 snaps on Sunday. The Patriots traded for linebacker Jon Bostic from the Chicago Bears, but he was inactive Sunday against the Cowboys. 

Over the past two seasons, injuries to Mayo have forced backups and young players into bigger roles. If Hightower's injury is serious, Mayo may be on the other side of that equation this year.

The Patriots Can Win Without Video Game Numbers from Tom Brady

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took a lot of hits on Sunday—11, to be exact (six hits, five sacks)—but his case as 2015 MVP didn't. And neither did the Patriots' ability to win, even when Brady isn't putting up the otherworldly statistics he posted in the first three games of the season.

Brady "only" threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but in completing 20 of his 27 passes (74.1 percent) at 10.2 yards per attempt with a 130.9 passer rating, he was still as efficient as ever. He just didn't put up the mammoth amount of passing yards that he'd been posting early in the season and didn't attempt a gaudy number of passes like he had through three games.

Instead of winning on the strength of Brady's arm, the Patriots won on the strength of a solid defensive performance by holding the Cowboys to just six points and 264 yards of offense—both good for the best the defense has done this year.

The Patriots don't have the luxury of playing Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden every week, but they don't face a lot of elite quarterbacks for the rest of the regular season: Only Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning remain on the slate of talented quarterbacks the Patriots must face this season.

Dion Lewis Is a Nightmare for Opposing Defenses

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It's official: Dion Lewis has done more in four games with the Patriots than he had done in his four-year career prior to arriving in New England.

The Patriots scatback tallied six carries for 34 yards and eight receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Cowboys, bringing his season total to 36 carries, 180 yards, two rushing touchdowns, 23 receptions, 238 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

Over the years, the Patriots have been a factory of third-down backs. Whether it was Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead or Shane Vereen, the Patriots have had reliable production from quick, agile and versatile backs who can do damage in both the running game and passing game. 

Lewis has the skill set to follow in the footsteps of the talented scatbacks who came before him. The Cowboys found that out Sunday the hard way. 

The Patriots Are the Class of the AFC

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This might seem like an overreaction to a win against a Tony Romo-less, Dez Bryant-less Cowboys team. But it's more of a reaction to what's going on across the conference.

There are three undefeated teams in the AFC, and it's impossible to argue that the Patriots aren't far and away the best of the three.

The Denver Broncos? They're proving that they can win with defense instead of a record-setting offense, but with quarterback Peyton Manning playing (statistically) the worst we've ever seen from him, it's hard to fully buy in on them as Super Bowl contenders. Four of their five wins were by seven points or fewer, and each of their wins was against a team that is .500 or worse right now.

Besides, for all the plaudits the Broncos defense has earned, Brady has classically owned Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips: Since 2007 (four games), Brady is 81-of-122 (66.4 percent) for 1,055 yards (8.6 YPA), 11 touchdowns, one interception and a 120.1 passer rating against him.

The Bengals? They look more dominant than ever and are ranked in the top 10 on both offense and defense, but their real test will not begin until the playoffs, where quarterback Andy Dalton is 0-4 with one touchdown and six interceptions. Let's not forget that the Patriots turned their 2014 season around with a blowout win over the Bengals. 

Patriots fans are probably wishing that they could fast-forward through the rest of the regular season and just get to the playoffs already.

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.