LONDON - The Patriots enter their bye week having beaten their last two opponents by an aggregate score of 94-7, one in a snowstorm, the other in a foreign land.
So why the reason for concern in Foxborough?
For one, those scores - 59-0 and 35-7 - are much more impressive in a vacuum than they are in reality. The Titans came into New England coming apart at the seams, and the Buccaneers are in midst of a major rebuilding effort. Together, they stand at 0-13.
And for that reason, in many ways it’s hard to get a read on just where these Patriots are at the bye. They’re clearly short of creating the kind of early season magic Indianapolis and New Orleans have. But they’ve also proven to be the most consistent team in their division (which isn’t saying that much), and they have notable wins over the Falcons and Ravens, though they lack a quality road victory to date.
For every positive, you can find a qualifier. For every negative, there is a reason. Which is why they look, at this point, fairly enigmatic.
“We got a little bit of time now to go back and regroup, and work on, certainly, a lot of things we need to work on here,’’ coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ve got a tough game coming up against Miami, and we know the whole second half of the season has challenges from week to week. But we’ll tackle Miami first.’’
That’s just the first leg of a five-week gauntlet during which the Patriots should learn more about themselves than they have over the first two months of the season.
Included are trips to visit the aforementioned unbeaten Colts and Saints. There’s also a home-and-home with the Dolphins, and a third division game, at home against the Jets.
When that run ends, the Patriots will have five of six division games under their belts, and a much better idea if the Colts and Broncos are catchable in the race for home-field advantage.
“We’re gonna enjoy this win and have fun with it,’’ receiver Wes Welker said after Tampa Bay was subdued at Wembley Stadium. “And then we’re back to work on Wednesday. And we’ll have a good week of practice and go into our bye week feeling good about ourselves.’’
Here are some reasons they can . . .
■ Tom Brady’s play got more consistent in the second half Sunday, and for the first time all season he put together consecutive games with a triple-digit quarterback rating. He’s been able to maintain a pretty high level re-acclimating after about a full season away because of his serious knee injury.
Consider: If he had a bad game in years previous, would the same questions have been asked after the Jets or Broncos games? Or is it just happening because people might be watching a little too closely. Too many times this year simple hiccups by Brady have been seen as bad signs.
