The ending of Sunday's win over the Steelers felt like a turning point of sorts for the Patriots' offense.
It wasn't just about the fact that New England proved it could close out a team when it had a late lead; it was the way they did it: pounding it straight down Pittsburgh's throats with pulling guards and up-the-gut brute force.
So much for those outside zone runs we were all fretting over in training camp due to their ineffectiveness, right?
The Patriots have apparently decided to get back to their roots while they work through their offensive struggles, and they made have rediscovered their identity in the process.
When asked about the state of the offense after Sunday's game, receiver Kendrick Bourne revealed a lot has changed since the preseason.
"There are plenty of things we've scrapped," he said. "Knowing what we do well at, and them knowing us, just playing to our strengths. We're learning it well.
Today you could see that."
There you have it.
After more than a month of bashing their heads against the wall trying to make a Shanahan/Sean McVay-style rushing attack work for their offense, the Patriots reverted to what's worked best for them in recent years: powers, duos, crack-tosses and gap runs in general.
Even before that fateful final drive, New England fed Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson the ball up the middle repeatedly, grinding the Steelers' front down to the tune of 118 yards on 24 combined carries between them. Whether it was out of shotgun or under center, the Patriots kept going right back to the well, and Pittsburgh couldn't stop them.
Also, the aforementioned Bourne got back into the act this week, catching two of his three targets for 16 yards in the 24 snaps he played.
It certainly wasn't always pretty, but the growth from Week 1 to Week 2 was obvious as was the familiar style the Patriots leaned on to make it happen.
Does that mean that the outside runs and zone schemes are officially dead for the rest of the season? Not likely. It would still behoove the Patriots to incorporate those aspects and use them to keep defenses honest later in the year.
But this team showed it knows what its bread and butter is on Sunday, and the surety the offense displayed in executing that game plan stood out in the win. When the going gets tough, you know where the Patriots are going: right at you.
