New England Patriots Restoring Confidence, One Game At A Time

After a stretch in their first three games where they couldn’t seem to pull away from their opponents, the New England Patriots have returned to their 2007 ways, putting up points in bunches on everyone in their path.

The New England Patriots rocked the Tennessee Titans 59-0 in one of the biggest blowouts in NFL history, in the snowy mess of New England’s home Gillette Stadium.

Then, New England proved they can dominate in olde England, too. They laid the smack down on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the tune of 35-7 at Wembley Stadium.

We have seen the full spectrum of what to expect from the Patriots this season already, and we're only in Week Seven; close games, blowouts, high-scoring shoot-outs, and low-scoring defensive struggles.

We’ve seen this not only in how they win or lose, but also in terms of the team’s play. The offensive line looked deteriorated and old in the early portion of the season, but they have done remarkably well keeping Brady upright and free from pressure over the past few weeks.

The running game has only showed flashes of brilliance over the season, but hasn’t been given much of a chance to shine behind the gun-slinging offensive gameplan the Pats have employed.

From Tom Brady in his rusty first few weeks to the 2007 record-setting pace he’s been on over the past two games, the Patriots have seemed to follow the lead of their king, the most crucial piece to the puzzle.

When the Patriots were handed their Week Two loss by the Jets, it seemed that this team could be in disarray and in need of an overhaul. This was thought to be especially true in the trenches, where they could neither protect Brady from pressure nor create any pressure on defense.

These past two weeks, their offense has been firing on all cylinders and is finally getting the ball rolling. They’ve been deploying multiple formations to frustrate their opponents (as if lining up across from Tom Brady isn’t frustrating enough).

From empty backfields to two tight ends and everything in between, the Patriots have seemingly been playing offense on a whim...and it’s working.

We must bear in mind, though, that the Patriots’ season has already been somewhat of an anomaly.

Not only did they face undefeated teams in their first five games, but they then had the pleasure of facing winless teams in their last two.

The two games against the Titans and the Bucs have helped get the Patriots moving in the right direction headed into their bye week, and they’re finally on a roll on offense.

414 yards of offense this week. 619 yards of offense last week.

Granted, they’ve faced two winless teams over the past two weeks, but 94 points in two games while only giving up seven is an accomplishment no matter who you’re facing.

And speaking of the seven points allowed, how about the defense? Five interceptions and four forced fumbles in the past two games is pretty remarkable, especially when only giving up two interceptions to the opposition.

Their defensive line may not be producing the sack totals that are synonymous with the stoutest units in the league, but they are finally pressuring the passer into poor, early decisions.

One admirable trait of the defense is the ability of the youth to step in and produce. Jerod Mayo has proven this year and last that he is a force on the defense and can be a leader just like his predecessor, Tedy Bruschi.

Brandon Meriweather is developing into one of the more notable safeties in the league. It’s not unrealistic to think that he will soon be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Bob Sanders, guys who lead with their nonstop motor.

The team was in need of a boost in confidence after a mediocre start to the season, and that's exactly what they got (with the help of some inept franchises).

With four difficult games coming up (MIA, @IND, NYJ, @NO), they will need to be spectacular on both sides of the ball to come up with wins.

If these two weeks prior to the bye were a warm-up for the Patriots, then the four weeks afterward can be a harsh realization for the rest of the league that the Pats are as good as advertised.