The Patriot Way – New England Patriots News 11/26

Nov 24, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) fumbles the ball in front of New England Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher (52) in the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

So has everyone recovered from Sunday night? Fairly solid demonstration of The Patriots Way, wasn’t it? Go down a couple of scores, break out in the second half, beat Peyton Manning. All pretty standard, really. (Who am I kidding, I spent the entire first half shouting at the TV).

Anyway, now that people have had Monday to cool off, we’ll take a look around some of the pieces dealing with the fallout, as well as analysis and opinions – don’t worry, I’ve weeded out most of the “why can’t Ridley hold onto the ball” pieces.

We start over at Grantland. First, Charles Pierce looks back at Sunday night’s game, especially the performance of the offence around Tom Brady. Then there is Bill Barnwell’s deep dive into what made the game a classic, as well as some other notes from the week’s other, less interesting, games.

Swinging over to the Bleacher Report, James Christensen is making the case for Bill Belichick to be made Coach of the Year – roster turnover, scheme versatility and dealing with distractions being key reasons (Tebow alert!). Marc Freshman has compiled a slideshow of five things we learnt about the Patriots from Sunday’s game, and yes, Ridley’s fumbling is mentioned. Then Erik Frenz is calling the Patriots the “team to beat” in the AFC, which isn’t a hugely outlandish statement, especially if the Chiefs can beat the Broncos at Arrowhead.

Jeff Howe at the Boston Herald is full of praise for the Patriots defence and its ability to slow down Manning (complete with plenty of cold-related puns), while Ron Borges has compiled the weekly report card on the team – including some recognition for Dane Fletcher.

Ending with a couple of player-related stories. First, Chandler Jones, as quoted in this piece on WEEI.com, has been very happy with the additions made to the Patriots defence this season and how guys are stepping up – with Jones being one of those guys. Another is Julian Edelman, who, of all the diminutive, white wide receivers had the biggest game on the weekend, despite being the least discussed. Finally, Mike Reiss at ESPN Boston wonders: what to do with Stevan Ridley? If only we had an answer, then things would be going pretty well.