Why the New England Patriots Are Still the Team to Beat in the AFC East

As the New England Patriots were preparing to resume divisional warfare in the shape of Rex Ryan's New York Jets at Gillette Stadium last Sunday, the great contradiction of this latest group of Patriots became a key talking point.

Put simply, head coach Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind.

His reputation in the NFL has been forged over four decades. He has worked with some of the best defensive players in each era, from Lawrence Taylor in the '80s with the New York Giants through to Ty Law, Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest during the dynasty years in New England.

So why then, do the Patriots have one of the worst defenses (statistically speaking, at least) in the league?

The secondary's inability to stop the pass is nothing new. From the moment Asante Samuel left in free agency to join the Philadelphia Eagles in 2008, a host of names have tried to fill the void, from stop-gaps (Deltha O'Neal) to long-term solutions (Leigh Bodden, Devin McCourty), leaving a trail of draft busts along the way (Brandon Meriweather, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley).

Even Dom Capers, reinvigorated as the Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator during last season's Super Bowl run, couldn't stem the tide as the Patriots' defensive backs coach in 2008.

Thanks to a host of big plays on defense last year—the Patriots ranked first in turnover differential with plus-28, light years ahead of the second-ranked Pittsburgh Steelers with plus-17—the cracks in the secondary were papered over.

If anything, the lack of a running game and pass-protection issues in the playoff defeat to the Jets took most of the heat from the Boston media.

Now, the play-makers have vanished; despite their plus-three differential, tying for sixth-best in the league, the dam has burst.

Through four weeks New England gave up an average of 377 yards through the air per game. They lost to the Buffalo Bills for the first time since 2003. They even made Chad Henne look like an All-Pro.

And then suddenly, the Jets came to town, and everything clicked.

Granted, third-year signal-caller Mark Sanchez is going through a rough patch, but don't let that fool you. The pass rush contained some bite after a series of low-key outings. Passes were defended in the secondary. Seven three-and-outs were inflicted on the Jets' offense, who at times couldn't buy a yard on third downs.

Is it a false dawn? Or are we seeing the shoots of growth that fans have yearned to see?

Okay, enough about the downsides of the '11 Patriots. We are talking about one of the best teams in the NFL, both this season and in recent memory. Only once has a healthy Tom Brady not won the AFC East with the Patriots, and that was back in 2002.

They are still the team to beat, and the division goes through Foxborough for as long as the following points remain true: 

Tom Brady is far and away the best quarterback in the AFC East

Right now, not only does this state the obvious, but the competition isn't even close.

Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick has had an admirable start to the season, and has over 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns already. More importantly, he is winning.

But experience tells us that the 4-1 Bills are not conditioned to continue their success over a full 16-game slate: In 2008 they exploded out of the blocks with a 5-1 start before slumping to 7-9 overall.

Brady, on the other hand, has history and current form on his side; not many quarterbacks will throw for 321 yards on the Jets this season, and even fewer will ever be on pace for almost 6,000 yards after five weeks.

The defense will have its ups and downs, but the offense looks like it can practically guarantee 28 points per game right now. Keeping pace with Brady is the puzzle opposing offensive coordinators are tasked with from here to the playoffs.

Wes Welker is a beast

In a game where Welker figured to play a marginal role in his visit to Revis Island, the best slot receiver in the business broke free for five catches and 124 yards against the Jets last Sunday, including a 73-yard bomb where Revis shared coverage responsibility with Eric Smith.

He has been unstoppable in racking up 740 yards already this season, putting him on pace for 2,368 over 16 games. Somebody tell Jerry Rice to prepare his congratulatory speech—his single-season receiving yards record is under serious threat.

The Patriots can run the ball 

Over the past two weeks, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and rookie Stevan Ridley have formed a two-headed monster in the backfield, rushing for a combined 321 yards and four scores. Such commitment to the running game has prevented opposing defenses from loading up in sub-packages to defend Brady's multiple receiver formations.

The Patriots take pride in having no single identity, preferring to adapt to the conditions offered in a chameleon fashion, but only now can they legitimately lay a claim to running an effective brand of both styles of offensive football.

They have the best coach in the game

As long as Bill Belichick remains in charge, the Patriots will forever be a well-coached, well-prepared and disciplined team, regardless of the talent on display.

His two red-flag challenges in Sunday's Jets game perfectly illustrate the point: In tight situations, the Patriots make the right decisions in key moments. As the now-infamous "4th and 2" call in Indianapolis demonstrates, when Belichick gets it wrong, it makes headline news.

Very rarely do the Patriots beat themselves, and an opposition win in Gillette Stadium is a collector's item.

What hope do the rest of the league have?