New England Patriots

Consider this one a scrimmage before the next big showdown on New England's schedule.

The Patriots have had the benefit of playing most of their first half at home, but as the winter months approach, they're now in a position where they'll be playing quality opponents away from the confines of Gillette Stadium.

Beating the Jets on Sunday was a nice confidence-booster with another huge game against a highly decorated opponent on the horizon. This weekend, the Patriots will travel to New Orleans to face the unbeaten Saints, just two weeks after suffering a gut-wrenching defeat against the undefeated Colts.

Given the circumstances of that loss to the Colts, the Patriots desperately needed this win Sunday against the Jets. After a 3-0 start, the Jets entered this game as the wounded lion, and it was up to the Patriots to pounce. They did just that, coaxing rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez into four turnovers -- three of them interceptions.

Now the road gets much tougher, as New England plays in another hostile environment against a team looking to keep its unbeaten season alive.

Don't expect Saints quarterback Drew Brees to make the same mistakes Sanchez made against the Patriots, but don't completely dismiss what New England's defense did against the Jets either. Facing heavy criticism following his questionable call in the closing minutes of the Indianapolis game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick proved he can still craft a game plan good enough to rattle opposing offenses.

The Patriots couldn't contain Sanchez in their Week 2 loss at the Meadowlands, but they made him look like a deer in headlights on Sunday. Perhaps this is a sign of Sanchez hitting the rookie wall, or perhaps this is just another case of Belichick and his staff making the proper adjustments.

Can they do it against the Saints? That's going to be a lot more difficult considering the quality of opponent and the fact the game will not be played in New England. This is another true test for the Patriots. They've yet to record a signature road victory in 2009.

—Wide receiver Wes Welker set a team record with 15 catches Sunday for 192 yards, the most catches by a Patriot in a non-overtime game.

The overall record belongs to Troy Brown, who had 16 catches in an overtime win over Kansas City in 2002. Sunday's performance topped Welker's previous career-high of 13 catches, which he set in 2007 against Philadelphia.

• Cornerback Leigh Bodden finished with three interceptions Sunday, tying the Patriots' franchise record for a single game. He became the ninth player in team history to accomplish this feat and the first to do so since Asante Samuel in 2006.

  Sunday was the second time in Bodden's career he's had at least two picks in a game, and he became the second Patriot to have at least two interceptions in a game this season, joining Brandon Meriweather.

• Quarterback Tom Brady set a team record and a personal best with his fifth consecutive 300-yard passing game, finishing with 310 yards against the Jets.

  Brady needs at least 300 yards this week to tie the NFL record for consecutive games with at least 300 yards, which is shared by Steve Young, Kurt Warner and Rich Gannon.

Player Notes

• WR Wes Welker had another huge game with 192 receiving yards and even ran vertical routes in addition to his dominance in the slot. Welker continues to be the team's most consistent player on a weekly basis.

• NT Vince Wilfork earned his paycheck Sunday with a dominant performance at the line of scrimmage. His play allowed the Patriots to put pressure on QB Mark Sanchez and put the Jets in unmanageable situations.

• CB Leigh Bodden made waves with his three interceptions Sunday, even though none of them was overly spectacular. The point is Bodden has emerged as a quality addition and a good anchor in this secondary.

• G Dan Connolly did not get the job done replacing Stephen Neal on Sunday. He got beat for two sacks and was the only weak link in what was an otherwise solid performance by the offensive line.

• The Patriots have reportedly given LB Eric Alexander a contract extension with noticeable escalator clauses. Alexander has been a solid contributor on special teams and a key cog with Larry Izzo playing elsewhere.

Report Card Vs

. BENGALS

Passing Offense:

A-plus—Hard to find anything wrong in this department. Tom Brady had another 300-yard passing game, and Wes Welker finished with 15 catches, setting a franchise record for a regulation game. The Patriots have been clicking on all cylinders in the passing game recently, and Sunday was no exception.

Rushing Offense:

C-plus—This was a mixed bag. Laurence Maroney had two touchdowns Sunday, but he also fumbled for the second week in a row. Overall, the Patriots dominated through the air, and the running game was merely an afterthought. Nothing great, but nothing terrible either.

Pass Defense:

A-plus—Pretty close to perfection here. The Patriots held Mark Sanchez to eight completions with four interceptions. They completely dominated at the line of scrimmage and made the once-promising rookie look incredibly awkward.

Rush Defense:

C—Thomas Jones finished with 103 yards, and they weren't just garbage-time yards either. The Jets once trailed 24-0 but got back in the game thanks to their performance on the ground. For all the pressure the Patriots put on Sanchez, there were some holes in their run defense that need to be corrected.

Special Teams:

B—Stephen Gostkowski had a rare miss from 40 yards out, but Chris Hanson did a nice job with two punts inside the 20-yard line. Again, there wasn't much going on in the return game on both sides of the ball and no major field-position swings as a result.

Coaching:

A—You can't find fault with any of Bill Belichick's calls this week. Then again, he didn't face any major decisions late in the game. Aside from losing a challenge in the first half, everything went according to the game plan, and the Patriots did a nice job rebounding from their early-season loss to the Jets.