Jets (5-3) vs. New England Patriots (5-3)
Week 10
Today, 8:20 p.m.
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
TV: Channel 4
Radio: ESPN 1050-AM

THIS WEEK’S GAME REVOLVES AROUND …
Mark Sanchez

The Jets QB said it himself last week after Eli Manning directed the Giants down the field for a last-second, comeback victory over the Patriots. Sanchez called it “awesome.”

“It’s always going to take a good game by the quarterback to beat that team and that defense,” Sanchez said of New England. “Whether it comes down to the last drive or just being accurate all game, that’s what it takes to beat them.”

So there you have it. Against the Patriots, something always seems to go wrong for the Jets’ offense. A few third downs aren’t converted, an errant interception is thrown. But it’s up to Sanchez to step up and control these situations like he has in big games in the past.

Last week, Jets WR Santonio Holmes made reference to a calmer and more under control Sanchez, and in order to seal the deal against the Patriots today and put the Jets in the divisional driver’s seat, Sanchez will need to limit costly mistakes, pace his offense and keep Tom Brady off the field.

THE SAVVY FAN IS WATCHING …
Aaron Maybin

The popular refrain says the only way to beat Tom Brady is to unleash a relentless pass rush. For the Jets, one of the best at doing that has been Maybin, especially in obvious passing downs. Maybin says he’s been working on making himself more than just a pure speed-rusher, combining bull moves and some other techniques in practice. We’ll see how much that comes into play today.

PAST MEETINGS

10. Sept. 9, 2007. Patriots 38, Jets 14
9. Dec. 16, 2007 at New England. Patriots 20, Jets 10
8. Sept. 14, 2008. Patriots 19, Jets 10.
7. Nov. 13, 2008 at New England. Jets 34, Patriots 31
6. Sept. 20, 2009. Jets 16, Patriots 9
5. Nov. 22, 2009 at New England. Patriots 31, Jets 14
4.Sept. 19, 2010. Jets 28, Patriots 14
3. Dec. 6, 2010 at New England. Patriots 45, Jets 3
2. Jan. 16, 2011 at New England. Jets 28, Patriots 21
1. Oct. 9, 2011 at New England. Patriots 30, Jets 21

Remember when …
These two teams met late last season, with the same record, in a prime-time game? The Jets sure do. On Dec. 6, 2010, the Jets were pummeled, 45-3, by the Patriots on “Monday Night Football” in what was the most embarrassing loss of Rex Ryan’s head-coaching career. Defensive tackle Sione Pouha referred to it as humble pie that “tastes like a car tire, and goes down like peanut butter.” Two days after losing safety Jim Leonhard for the season with a broken leg, this game seemed like the lowest point the team had faced all season, one that spawned a stretch where they lost three of four.

WHAT THE PATRIOTS DON’T WANT THE JETS TO KNOW

1. Tom Brady is throwing more interceptions this season
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said he has noticed the Patriots QB getting a little more “anxious” in the pocket than in years past. It could be attributed to some injury issues on the offensive line, or a change in opposing defenses, but nonetheless Brady has already thrown six more interceptions than all last season. His receivers insist there’s nothing different and that, as a team, there has been a tickle-down effect due to a lack of execution. But as New England comes limping in with a two-game losing streak, it does make one wonder.

2. The Patriots do not lose three straight
The last time New England lost three consecutive games was 2002. Rohan Davey was Tom Brady’s backup, Antowain Smith was the primary running back and Deion Branch was a wide-eyed rookie out of Louisville. A lot has changed since then, but one thing that remains consistent is Bill Belichick’s ability to buckle down, make adjustments and coach his team out of a losing skid. Branch said last week that, despite two wrenching losses in a row, the locker room atmosphere has remained consistent and focused.

3. They are opportunistic
It is widely known the Patriots possess a basement-dwelling pass defense again this season, but just like 2010, they have a healthy amount of interceptions (10, tied for seventh) and Kyle Arrington is tied for the league lead with five. Jets coach Rex Ryan says the Patriots pass defense, which gives up 314 yards per game, is misleading. So many times they get a substantial lead and it forces opponents to throw the ball more against a softer prevent defense.

POSITION BREAKDOWNS

Quarterback
When 20 TDs, 10 INTs and a 337 yards-per-game average is a bad first half, you know you’re doing something right.
Edge: Patriots

Running back
Shonn Greene has slowly, but surely, climbed up the rankings and is now 18th in yards, three slots higher than BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Edge: Jets

Wide receiver
Wes Welker is, with little debate, the best receiver in the NFL this season.
Edge: Patriots

Offensive line
The margin between QB sacks (Jets have given up more) and rushing offense (Patriots have more yards) is too slim.
Edge: Push

Defensive line
The Jets are younger and quicker, but the Patriots have monster tackle Vince Wilfork.
Edge: Push

Linebacker
David Harris and Bart Scott are playing their best football of the season right now.
Edge: Jets

Cornerback
The Patriots’ secondary is struggling and filled with undrafted free agents.
Edge: Jets

Special teams
Joe McKnight continues to stretch the field on returns and Nick Folk has missed just one field goal all season.
Edge: Jets

FOUR DOWNS WITH …
Tight end/fullback Josh Baker

1. Your first NFL catch came last Sunday, how did it feel?
It was kind of crazy because I got moved to fullback, so the whole week last week I was in the fullback room and I didn’t see any of the tight end plays, so for my first time getting thrown out there, and to go out as a tight end, it was kind of crazy.
It was definitely a surprise because when I saw Dustin (Keller) get hurt, obviously I was concerned for him because of how he landed. But when they told me to go in, I just went in and did all I could do, and thankful the plays sounded familiar.

2. Was the “hybrid” role tough for you to get used to?
It’s fine. There’s some carry-over from the motion tight end, that position and their protections in the backfield. It’s just all about getting the lingo and the play calls on offense and translating it to the field, but I mean it’s not too tough.

3. Did you keep the ball? Do anything cool with it?
Nah, actually I didn’t. It was a little 5-yarder, but hopefully it’s not my last. If there’s any significance going forward I’d definitely keep it but I didn’t even think about keeping this one. … I probably should have, though (laughing).

4. How much experience do you have as a fullback and interior blocker?
In college I was the wildcat back at Delaware, and at (Northwest Missouri State) we messed around with it a little bit. And I did some fullback in college, too, so I’ve pretty much played every position from fullback to slot to tight end. I kind of bounced around.

ONE MORE THING ……

The Patriots and Jets have played 105 times, meeting for the first time in 1960. Does it come as any surprise that the series is at a complete deadlock? After the Patriots’ victory earlier in the season, the all-time series is at 52-52-1. The Patriots are 24-27 all-time in road games against the Jets.

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

That’s all for today.

Posted: November 7
Updated: Today at 10:07 PM

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots need to stop giving Eli Manning time to make a comeback.

Manning led the New York Giants on an 80-yard drive and threw a touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to beat the Patriots 24-20 on Sunday.

It was a remarkably similar ending to the Giants’ win over the Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, when Manning threw a touchdown pass with 35 seconds to go and New York ruined New England’s perfect season.

This time it was just a regular season game, but it still stung the Patriots.

“The offense put it in our hands and we just couldn’t make enough plays,” cornerback Kyle Arrington said.

Tom Brady put New England up 20-17 with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski with 1:36 remaining, but the defense couldn’t stop Manning during the Giants’ final drive.

The Giants capitalized after New England’s Sergio Brown was called for pass interference on a third down with 35 seconds left. It was a 20-yard penalty that set up the Giants with first-and-goal from the 1.

“I was looking at the ball the whole time. They just called it,” Brown said. “I was surprised. They come and tell us as long as we’re looking at the ball we can play the ball. I don’t want to sit back and let him catch it. I want to catch the ball, too. Nothing I can do about it now.”

The defense stopped the Giants twice, but Manning found Jake Ballard in the end zone with 15 seconds to go and that wasn’t enough time for Brady and the Patriots to answer.

“We obviously played a very poor first half but we battled back and we battled through some tough adversity there and put ourselves in position. They made some great plays,” Brady said. “You can’t expect just to walk over teams every week. They were a little bit better than we were today.”

The Patriots (5-3) have lost consecutive games for the first time in two years and for just the third time since the beginning of the 2003 season.

The loss put New England into a three-way tie for the AFC East lead with the Bills and Jets, who they visit next Sunday night.

It also ended several impressive streaks — wins in an NFL-record 31 regular-season starts at home for Brady and in 20 regular-season home games for the Patriots.

“This was a tough game. We had our chances,” New England coach Bill Belichick said. “The Giants are a good football team. They did a good job and we’ve just got to do a little better than we did.”

The Giants won for the sixth time in seven games despite injuries that kept their top rusher, Ahmad Bradshaw, and leading receiver, Hakeem Nicks, from making the trip. But New York’s defense pressured Brady much of the game, coming up with two sacks and two interceptions. New England also lost two fumbles.

Manning completed 20 of 39 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Brady was 28 for 49 for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

The offense was so bad that fans booed when Brady threw an incompletion toward Danny Woodhead with 8:30 left in the third quarter. They cheered on the next play when Aaron Ross fumbled Zoltan Mesko’s punt and Rob Ninkovich recovered at the New York 33. But the Patriots settled for a 32-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that cut the lead to 10-3.

“We’ve got to get the ball in the end zone when we get down close,” Brady said.

The Giants punted on the next series and got the ball back when Spencer Paysinger recovered Julian Edelman’s fumble.

Manning moved the Giants from the Patriots 40 to a third-and-goal at the 5, then threw an interception to Arrington in the end zone. Seven plays later, Brady hit Aaron Hernandez for a 5-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10 just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Giants had much better field position in the first half, starting at their 23, 22, 36, 28, 25 and 49.

But all those series ended with punts.

The Patriots began at their 5, 6, 17, 20, 11 and 9. They punted four times and lost one interception before wasting their best scoring opportunity when Gostkowski pulled his 27-yard field goal attempt to the left with 3 seconds remaining. On that drive, the Patriots had five first downs, matching their total to that point.

Their next-best series of the half began at their 17 and ended on the first play of the second quarter. With the ball at the New York 29, Brady’s pass was tipped by Michael Boley and intercepted by Mathias Kiwanuka, who returned it to the Giants 28.

Notes: The Giants have forced at least one turnover in 21 straight regular season games. … Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack for the fifth straight game. … The Giants have 14 players remaining from the 2008 Super Bowl team, the Patriots have seven.

There is the quick update of the day.

OCTOBER 30: Mike Wallace #17 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is tackled by Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots after catching a pass during the game on October 30, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

That’s all for today.

By HOWARD ULMAN
FOXBOROUGH — Kyle Arrington came to the New England Patriots with a meager resume.

College football at little Hofstra, a program that isn’t even in existence anymore. Undrafted in the NFL. Waived twice by the Philadelphia Eagles. Waived two more times by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now check out his updated bio, the one that has him as the league leader with four interceptions.

Impressive?

“I haven’t had time to sit back and reflect on that,” Arrington said Tuesday, “but after watching the film, I’ve seen a lot of plays I personally left out on the field. I tell myself, ‘shoot, I could have six or seven right now.’”

His latest theft came on the first series of Sunday’s 20-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys when he picked off Tony Romo’s pass intended for Dez Bryant. Nine plays later, the Patriots had a 3-0 lead.

Arrington’s ascent began when he finally joined a team that kept him. The Patriots added him to their practice squad on Sept. 21, 2009, seven days after he was waived by the Buccaneers.

He brought his intensity and athleticism with him.

“He’s one of the best athletes that I’ve been around, period,” Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater said. “And his work ethic. I remember guys giving Kyle a hard time when he first got here for going too hard at times and (they said) ‘ease up,’ but he never listened. He kept working hard.

“I remember encouraging him, ‘Hey, man, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re going to get a chance.’ There’s no denying his physical ability, and now he’s gotten that chance and he’s taken full advantage of it.”

Arrington, originally signed by the Eagles as a rookie free agent in April 2008, first made his mark on special teams after the Patriots signed him to the active roster after their seventh game in 2009. And after cornerback Leigh Bodden suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in training camp last season, Arrington started 14 of the 16 regular-season games.

But he finished with just one interception.

He returned home to Maryland with instructions from coach Bill Belichick to develop his ball handling skills. He spent time there training with Washington running back Tim Hightower and Atlanta defensive end Lawrence Sidbury.

“I did a lot of self-scouting after (last) season ended. I felt there were a lot of plays for me to be made, which I didn’t,” said Arrington, soft spoken off the field but aggressive on it. “We’re all great athletes in the NFL and what separates people, one, is definitely film study and, two, is confidence I think. So I’m just trying to work on both of them.”

When he came back to Foxborough for training camp, the improvement in his ability to catch the ball was obvious.

“Right from the beginning, it was evident that he had worked hard on that,” Belichick said.

In high school, where he also played basketball and ran track, Arrington’s ball-catching skills were one of his strengths.

“When I first started playing the game in high school (and) college I was more of a finesse player and had great ball skills and wasn’t much of a tackler, wasn’t much of a physical player,” he said, “but it was opposite when I first entered the league. (I was) more aggressive, could have worked on better ball skills.”

Two major reasons for this year’s accomplishments, Arrington said, are his greater confidence and his defensive teammates’ good plays — pressuring the quarterback, hitting a receiver, tipping the ball.

“It definitely takes a team effort,” he said. “I don’t read a lot into individual stats.”

His first interception came on the last play of the opener, a 38-24 win over Miami. He grabbed two more two weeks later in the Patriots only loss, 34-31 at Buffalo. They came on the Bills first two series with the initial grab setting up a touchdown drive.

In college, Arrington had just two interceptions in four seasons.

“I’m kind of baffled at how a guy like that ends up going to Hofstra with all the physical talents that he has,” Slater said. “He’s one of the most physically gifted guys that I’ve ever been around.”

But while Arrington is at the top of the NFL’s interception list, the Patriots are at the bottom in passing and overall defense. No team has allowed more yards in those categories.

“We’re competitors,” he said, “so that’s definitely not what we want to be a part of, worst or last pass defense in the league, so we’re working extremely hard to get better.”

There has been considerable improvement in the past two games.

Not nearly as much, though, as Arrington has made — from his days at a small school until his emergence as the NFL’s leading interceptor.

“I really haven’t had time to sit back and reflect yet,” he said, “but I’ve never really considered myself a longshot or anything like that. I’m a football player. It’s what I wanted to do since day one and it’s what I want to continue to do.”

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The New England Patriots defense picked the perfect time to deliver its best effort of the season.

A unit struggling mightily against the pass this year dominated quarterback Mark Sanchez and his New York Jets offense last Sunday, a pinpoint performance that the defense had been waiting patiently for.

And to think, they did it without the invaluable services of linebacker Jerod Mayo, a defensive captain who has led the team in tackles three years running, but is suffering from a sprained knee.

“Not having a guy like Mayo on the field is obviously going to hurt your defense,” linebacker Rob Ninkovich said Thursday. “But I think that we did a good job of everyone stepping up and knowing that without him out there, everybody has to step up.

“I think that we did well as a defense.”

And now, for the next act. New England (4-1) plays host to Dallas (2-2) on Sunday. And the challenge now is proving this unit has yet to peak.

“They’re a great team and obviously they have a lot of weapons offensively that you have to account for,” Ninkovich said of Dallas, fresh off a bye. “So, I think as a defense, you’ve just got to be aware of where everybody’s at and make sure that you know that they have some dangerous guys on offense.

“Try and do your best as a defense to take away those players.”

New England had little trouble eliminating the Jets’ primary offensive threats. A unit ranked last in the league in passing defense — permitting 326.6 yards per game — limited New York to 255 yards of total offense, merely 158 from the arm of Sanchez. New York receivers Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason were held to a combined eight catches. The scuffling Jets then traded Mason to Houston.

“That’s the most simple way I can put it. Just doing your job and just limiting the plays after a catch, getting the tackles,” safety Patrick Chung said. “Little things like that make a big difference.”

It certainly allows the defense to exit the field quicker, something they did time and again Sunday. New York was a paltry 3-for-11 on third-down conversions, including seven drives that went three-and-out.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is aware of the performance.

“You can tell they’re well coached. They play the right technique. They played really good ball last week,” he said. “When you watch them, they’ve got a couple of big guys up front that can create a problem. You just have to be ready.

“They do a lot of different stuff.”

Having already faced a handful of top-tier, talented receivers, New England is well prepared for the tall, physical versions Dallas presents. And just because second-year standout Dez Bryant and back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver Miles Austin are banged up, don’t think for a second that new England is underestimating their acrobatic abilities.

After missing the Cowboys’ last two games with an ailing hamstring, Austin practiced in full on Wednesday, as did Bryant, who is nursing a thigh injury.

“He’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he knows how to go up there and get the ball, he’s good after the catch. He’s a beast,” Chung said of Bryant. “We’ve got to find a way to stop him. They definitely have threats out there and they definitely have a good quarterback to get them the ball.”

One telling trait that has successfully translated from week to week is the Patriots’ ability to shut down tight ends. New England last week limited Dustin Keller to one catch for seven yards. More impressive, though, was their effort in a Week 2 victory over the Chargers, when they held San Diego’s Antonio Gates, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, without a single catch.

With another seven-time Pro Bowler in Jason Witten looming, the Patriots are ready to keep the trend up.

“Any time you have a tight end like Keller or Gates who is going to affect their offense and get open and have big plays, you’ve got to make sure that you try to get those guys at the line of scrimmage before they get going,” Ninkovich said. “I think Witten is a great player, so you have to make sure that you try and stop him.”

Perhaps the Patriots’ prowess at slowing tight ends stems from one of their own. After all, defending 6-foot-6, 265-pound Rob Gronkowski in practice daily can only help.

“He’s a good guy to compare Witten to,” Ninkovich said, “as far as size and being able to be a receiving tight end as well as a blocking tight end.”

No matter how many yards, points or big plays they allow, the Patriots’ defense cares about only one thing.

“We’re still winning these games, which is a good thing,” Ninkovich said, “and I think that as long as we continue to get the offense the ball and let them do what they do best, we’re going to be all right.”

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That’s all for today.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots were upset that opponents kept piling up yards on them.

They took it out on the New York Jets.

Even without star linebacker Jerod Mayo, the Patriots allowed just 255 yards and held the Jets without a first down on seven of their 11 possessions in a 30-21 win Sunday.

“We said, ‘Enough’s enough,’ and that’s where you make your stand,” said Patriots defensive end Andre Carter, who had seven tackles.

It was a surprising showing by a defense that entered the game last in the NFL with an average of 477.5 yards allowed. And it played without its signal-caller, Mayo, who missed his first game because of a serious knee sprain.

“I think every week we’ve been getting better and better and better (defensively) and today was a good day to get back on track,” defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said.

The Patriots (4-1) never trailed and won their 19th consecutive regular-season game at home. The Jets (2-3) lost their third straight.

“We lost two in a row last year but we bounced right back from it,” Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “This is a little different territory. So we’re going to see what a lot of guys are made of on this team and it’s my job to get guys ready to play this next week against Miami.”

BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a career-high 136 yards and two touchdowns and Tom Brady completed 24 of 33 passes for 321 yards, a touchdown and an interception after starting the day with an NFL-best 388 yards passing per game.

“We want to be an offense that can be able to do whatever we want to do, run or pass, and complement our defense,” said Green-Ellis, signed in 2008 as a rookie free agent from Mississippi.

The Jets didn’t do any of that well enough.

Sanchez completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns one week after going 11 for 35 for 119 in a 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. And the Patriots outrushed the Jets 152 yards to 97.

“I thought we did some good things” on offense, New York coach Rex Ryan said, “but lacked a little consistency, obviously, and you have got to convert on third down.”

The Jets were just 3 for 11 on third down, compared to the Patriots’ 7 for 14.

“They did a great job spreading the ball around,” New York cornerback Antonio Cromartie said.

Before last season’s 28-21 playoff win over the Patriots, Cromartie called Brady an expletive and said the quarterback showboated and pointed at the Jets sideline after a late touchdown during a regular-season game.

But few players referred to the rivalry after Sunday’s game. And the crowd was subdued in a lackluster first half and behaved most of the time as if the Jets were just another opponent.

Brady had another strong day, completing 24 of 33 passes for one touchdown and one interception as the Patriots scored at least 30 points for the 13th straight regular-season game.

The Patriots led 10-7 at halftime and 27-14 after Stephen Gostkowski’s 24-yard field goal with 12:57 left in the game.

Then Sanchez led a comeback by completing 5 of 6 passes for 65 yards on an 85-yard drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 7:14 left.

But the Jets couldn’t stop the Patriots, who held the ball for 6:12 as Green-Ellis ran 10 times for 59 yards.

“BenJarvus is a great guy to block for,” Patriots guard Logan Mankins said. “He reads the play out, he finds the hole and he won’t fumble.”

Gostkowski ended the march with a 28-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 1:02 remaining.

“Against New England, you’ve got to get off the field,” Ryan said. “They did a great job sustaining drives. You’ve got to give them all the credit. They earned it.”

On the first play of the third quarter, Brady and Wes Welker connected for a 73-yard gain. Three plays later, a wide-open Deion Branch caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brady on the left side of the end zone.

“I took my eyes off of him,” Cromartie said. “I took one peep. As soon as I peeped, he went the opposite way. That’s all on me.”

The Jets came right back when Joe McKnight returned the kickoff 88 yards one week after scoring on a 107-yard kickoff return. They needed just three plays to reach the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Jeremy Kerley, cutting the lead to 17-14.

But the Patriots defense never let them catch up.

“That was definitely our best game,” Carter said, “and now we have to continue to get better.”

Notes: A moment of silence was held for former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, who died Saturday. … Before the game, the NHL champion Boston Bruins came on the field to loud applause with captain Zdeno Chara holding the Stanley Cup. … The Patriots’ 13 straight regular-season games with at least 30 points are one less than the record set by the St. Louis Rams in 1999-2000. … Jets C Nick Mangold played after missing two games with a high right ankle sprain. … The Patriots had TE Aaron Hernandez and DT Albert Haynesworth back after they also were sidelined for two games.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rapid reaction after the New England Patriots topped the San Diego Chargers 35-21 Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium:

What it means: Tom Brady was great again, and while the defense gave up a bunch of yards, it forced four turnovers to lead the Patriots to a perfect 2-0 start. New England has scored 72 points and put up more than 1,100 yards off offense in its first two games.

Another big day for Brady: It might not have been another 500-yard performance, but Brady put together another monster effort. Brady completed 31 of 40 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns. It was the third 400-yard game of Brady’s career and tied a mark by Drew Bledsoe — honored at halftime after being inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame on Saturday — for the third most single-game passing yards in Patriots history. Bledsoe also passed for 423 yards in a 1998 win over Miami.

Tight ends continue to thrive: Patriots second-year tight ends Aaron Hernandez (7 catches, 62 yards, TD) and Rob Gronkowski (4 catches, 86 yards, 2 TD) combined to catch all three passing touchdowns and were absolutely immense for the second straight week. Brady continues to look for those players at crucial moments, including inside the red zone.

Goal line stand; Pats march 99 yards: With the Patriots out front, 10-7, the Chargers seemed poised to score, boasting first-and-goal at the Patriots 5 midway through the second quarter. The Patriots stopped four straight rushing plays, culminating with Jerod Mayo — aided by Devin McCourty taking on the fullback — tackling Mike Tolbert for no gain on a fourth-and-goal from the 1. The Patriots’ offense turned around and marched 99 yards on 10 plays over 5:25 capped with Rob Gronkowski catching a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady for a 17-7 advantage.

Giving it away: The Chargers gave away the ball three times on the Patriots’ side of the field (interceptions by Vince Wilfork and Sergio Brown). But none hurt more than when Tolbert fumbled the ball away at the Patriots 34 and Rob Ninkovich recovered for New England. The Chargers were on the move in a 20-14 game, but the Patriots made it hurt when Gronkowski hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass — his second of the game — and the two-point conversion rush by Danny Woodhead put New England up by two touchdowns.

Ochocinco gets involved: The center of much scrutiny this week, Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco didn’t have a loud performance, but he responded by catching two first-half passes for 45 yards. His first grab — a third-down catch on which he was interfered — drew a monster ovation from the crowd and set up New England’s first score of the game. Later in the half, he made a 30-yard catch in the center of the field to aid another touchdown drive.

Branch’s big day: Remember all that hubbub entering the regular season after Deion Branch didn’t make a single preseason catch. That looks foolish now after the veteran wide receiver caught a team-high eight passes for 129 yards Sunday, emerging as Brady’s favorite target.

Big man running with the ball: Wilfork made one of the game’s more spectacular plays, showing off his athleticism when he picked off a Rivers pass late in the second quarter and rumbled 28 yards the other way to set up a crucial field goal before the intermission. Wilfork brought back thoughts of offensive lineman Dan Connolly’s big kick return last season as he trudged down the field with two arms securing the ball after his first career interception.

Injuries in focus: The Patriots emerged with the win, but hardly unscathed. While most of those injured during the game returned to the field, there will still be maladies to monitor moving forward. During the game, Hernandez; safeties Patrick Chung and James Ihedigbo; cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and Ras-I Dowling; punter Zoltan Mesko; and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth all needed medical attention at one point during the game.

What’s next: The Patriots head to Buffalo against the also undefeated Bills. The Bills have actually scored more points than the Patriots, putting up 79 points in their first two games.

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

What’s going on in Foxboro, Mass.? For years, the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots was where fun went to die. The team, under coach Bill Belichick, perfected a brand of intense, win-at-all-costs football that never won the hearts and minds of casual fans as, say, the New Orleans Saints — a team that won the Super Bowl in 2010, inspired a beleaguered city and pulled off a catchy rallying cry (“Who dat?!”). While the Pats have had some electric offensive teams, they never earned an endearing nickname like, say, the Pittsburgh defense of the 1970s (the Steel Curtain) or the turn-of-the-century St. Louis Rams squads (the Greatest Show on Turf).

But now the two biggest (and by biggest, I mean most ridiculous) “controversies” of the first week of the NFL season are coming out of the Patriots’ locker room, and these kerfuffles, far from damning the behavior of New England players, speak instead to the team’s evolving spirit. This year’s New England Patriots have a chance to be — if you’re reading this, Belichick, don’t gasp — fun.
(See photos of being back on the field after the NFL lockout.)

The Patriots are usually entertaining on the field, and this year promises a bumper crop of points. New England’s offense exploded during the Patriots’ 38-24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, as quarterback Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and became the 11th QB in history to throw for at least 500 yards in a game. Wide receiver Wes Welker galloped for a 99-yard touchdown catch, sending his fantasy owners into a state of ecstasy and their opponents into abject despair. The aerial assault compelled the Patriots’ newest acquisition at wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, (who only had one catch for 14 yards) to tweet the next day: “Just waking up after a late arrival, I’ve never seen a machine operate like that n person, to see video game numbers put up n person was WOW.”

And somehow, for the crime of complimenting Brady on his virtuoso performance, Ochocinco got in trouble — at least with a couple of ex-Pats. Former New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi, now an ESPN analyst, ripped into Ochocinco on a Boston radio station; former safety Rodney Harrison later hit the airwaves to back up Bruschi’s comments. Some excerpts of Bruschi’s rambling rant:

“Drop the awe factor, O.K., Ocho, Chad, drop the awe factor. You’re not a fan, all right? You’re not someone who’s on another team or watching TV. You’re not an analyst. You’re a part of it. So get with the program, because obviously you’re not getting it and you’re tweeting because you’re saying, ‘It’s amazing to see’? It’s amazing to see because you don’t understand it! … Stop tweeting and get in your playbook. … Open your eyes and watch some film. That’s what you need to do. If you’re still in awe, that means you don’t get it because you don’t understand it.”
(See TIME’s video with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.)

Whoa. You won’t find a weirder, more illogical media overreaction than that one. Sure, Ochocinco didn’t produce, but his team did steamroll Miami, and all he did was say something nice about a teammate. Can’t a guy put up a few weeks’ worth of bad numbers before you rip him for a tweet that probably took five seconds for him to write?

Read about a world without Peyton Manning.

That’s all for today.

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