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The Patriots blew the game- and the Jets- out in one of the greatest second quarters you will ever see a team play. It started with a three-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker right off the bat that got the ball rolling. Then, the magic was set up.

Bill Belichick couldn’t have been happier with how his 200th win came about. The Patriots were in New York, blew out a bitter rival, and they did so on Thanksgiving Day in total annihilation. Not only did the Patriots score a whopping 35 points in the second quarter to take a 35-3 lead into the half, but it was the way in which they did it that makes it special. This is a Thanksgiving game that I will never forgot.

In 52 seconds, the New England Patriots put 21 points on the board, and Rex Ryan looked like he was about to barf, crap himself, and cry at the same time. If you didn’t see his face, then you should have. It was even more priceless than the butt fumble. Anyway, let’s run through each of the three beautiful touchdowns.

1. Shane Vereen, 83-yard touchdown pass

Pretty much all of those yards came from Vereen and his ridiculous speed. He caught the screen pass and just blew by absolutely everyone on the Jets, and that defense looked about fifty gears too slow for Vereen. Bart Scott looked like he was frozen in time, the way Clark Kent froze everyone in Smallville. Vereen is just so explosive, and he showed it by making the Jets defense look utterly foolish. I know that’s not hard to do, but what is hard to do is run so fast for 83-yards that somebody watching on TV will miss that player score if they turn for even a split second.

2. Steve Gregory, 32-yard fumble return

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. It’s really hard to scoop up a bouncing football while running, but Steve Gregory’s path to the end zone was threat. No, no, the credit for the butt fumble touchdown goes to Vince Wilfork; Mark Sanchez had no idea what hit him. Then, he realized, it was his own guard Brandon Moore. So Sanchez tries to scramble, and he ends up falling a little bit and smashes his helmet right into Brandon Moore’s butt (I feel for him). Part of the reason why this play happened is because Wilfork was strong enough to push Moore backwards into Sanchez’s direction. At the end of the play, Wilfork just pushed Moore to the ground.

3. Julian Edelman, 22 yard fumble return

Ah, another miscue from the Jets. Joe McKnight returned the kick-off and was promptly clocked by Devin McCourty on what was a terrific play by the Pats star safety on special teams. Julian Edelman scooped the ball up and ran it into the end zone to cap off the 21 points in 52 seconds.

The final touchdown of the half from the New England Patriots is also notable, and it was also notched by Julian Edelman. The current free agent wide receiver took advantage of some shoddy coverage by the Jets, and he got past the last man in the Jets secondary deep down the middle of the field. Tom Brady hit him up with a pinpoint pass (who said he can’t throw it deep?), and it ended up in a beautiful 56-yard touchdown pass that was probably my favorite touchdown of them all. I’m a huge fan of good ol’ offensive execution.

Speaking of execution, the Jets probably felt like a Thanksgiving Day turkey in that game. Heck, even Tom Brady got into the act with a fourth quarter rushing touchdown. The Jets tried to rack up some garbage yards in the passing game, but the damage was already done in 52 seconds. 49-19 was the final score, but the game was over with 8:51 left in the second quarter when Julian Edelman crossed the end zone for the first time that game.

Was this the best game the Pats played last year, or was it that blowout win on Monday Night Football over the Houston Texans?

The Patriots “Look Back” series strives to look back on the most notable (good or bad) moments of the 2012 NFL season. This is mostly based on viewer input, and today’s moment was provided by Foxboro Blog writer @vaidyeah33 via Twitter. You can send in your suggestions in the comments section, via email, on Facebook, or you can reach me on Twitter.

Previous “Look Back” articles on Chandler Jones‘s debut and the loss to the Arizona Cardinals can be read here in the links provided.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Chung’s best asset might also be his biggest flaw, and that is his aggressive play and hard-hitting. The former Oregon Ducks star is one of the best hitting safeties in the NFL, and Chung plays the run extremely well for the safety position. Although he is a liability in deep coverage, Chung is actually about average covering intermediate routes, but covering obviously isn’t his forte.

I honestly think that the Patriots main reason for likely letting Chung walk isn’t because of poor play, and I don’t even think he fell out of favor with the staff anyway. I think the Pats are willing to let Chung go, because his injuries have made him unreliable. In fact, there might be no way for him to avoid constantly injured, because the reckless abandon with which he throws his body around in the defensive backfield makes him a valuable player. I could see Chung being an above-average starter for a team if restricted into an inside-the-box role, and I view him as a poor man’s LaRon Landry.

Seriously, Chung is the next-best thing for teams looking at Landry, and Chung’s price tag will be much lower than Landry’s. That’s especially since, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, teams have questions about his health. Reiss writes that Chung is liking looking for a one-year deal to prove himself, and I could see him having success with another team. I hope he does, because it sounds like he won’t be back with the New England Patriots. That’s probably for the better, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if stays. In fact, I think Chung is superior to Steve Gregory. The only clear advantage Gregory holds over Chung is health, but that’s a huge advantage based on the sentiments echoed by most Pats fans and writers.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty (32) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

(This is another entry into the ‘positional breakdown’ feature on Musket Fire.

Under Contract for 2013: Devin McCourty, Steve Gregory, Tavon Wilson, Nate Ebner

Devin McCourty:

After McCourty switched from cornerback to safety, the Patriots defense performed much better. McCourty had a great rookie season at cornerback in 2010, but since that time he really struggled at the cornerback position. The only real reason he was moved to safety was because of depth issues, but, as it turned out, moving McCourty was a very good move by the Patriots coaching staff. Despite his struggles at cornerback, McCourty has always shown good ball skills when defending the pass. He may not be that great in keeping with guys in man coverage, but he is great at locating the ball and making a play on it. This serves him very well at safety, as he is not called upon to play too much man coverage and he keeps everything in front of him. He helped the Pats limit the big plays, and allowed the cornerbacks to be much more aggressive. I expect McCourty to only get better next year, and I think the Pats have a cornerstone at safety for the years to come.

Steve Gregory:

Gregory was brought in before the 2012 season began to try and bring a veteran presence to a young position on the Patriots roster. Overall, I thought Gregory did a very solid job for the Pats. He did struggle quite a bit in run defense, but in the passing game I think played well and made a lot of plays. He is best suited in my opinion to be in the intermediate part of the field, reading the quarterback and going and forcing some turnovers. I believe that Gregory was at his best in the Thanksgiving bashing of the Jets, he made a lot of big plays for the Pats in that game. When he is forced to play deep and limit the big plays, I think he struggles. However with McCourty now in the fold at safety, I think it allows the Pats to keep Gregory up closer to the line of scrimmage and make big plays in the middle of the field.

Tavon Wilson:

After the Pats loss toSeattlein week six,Wilsonwas getting a ton of hate thrown at him, including myself. However after watching him settle into a nice role for the Pats in the last few weeks of the season I have changed my mind on him. I believe thatWilsoncan be a very solid player for the Pats down the road. He has good instincts and very good ball skills as he had four interceptions in his rookie campaign. If the Pats give him time to develop, I think they have a guy that can start for them in the future.

Nate Ebner:

Ebner is a convertedRugbyplayer and  is not going to make any impact for them except on special teams. He is a very solid special teams player, and I think he will remain there for the Patriots.

2013 Outlook:

I think the main need for the Pats at the safety position is get some depth behind McCourty and Gregory. If they add a solid backup to go along with Tavon Wilson, the Pats will have a solidified safety position. Safety Matt Elam is somebody in the upcoming draft, that I think the Pats may go after to help out them out. I think Kenny Vacarro out of Texas is a better safety, and would love if Pats drafted him, but I do not think he will fall to pick 29 in the draft. I believe drafting Elam is a much more likely scenario. With Devin McCourty and Steve Gregory as starters, I think the Pats have a solid starting rotation at safety, and if they add some quality depth then I think they will have a very good group at safety for 2013.