The New England Patriots needed their best performance of the season to hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss.

An optimal effort ended up being just enough to pull out a 43-40 win.

Tom Brady threw for 340 yards and a touchdown. Sony Michel ran for 106 yards and two scores. The Patriots defence gave up 446 total yards but also grabbed two clutch interceptions. Even then, New England still needed a game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock in the fourth quarter to earn the victory on Sunday Night Football.

The evolution of the Patriots offence has been interesting to watch. After being held to an average of 19.0 points per game while losing two of three to open the season, New England has averaged 39.7 points per game while reeling off three straight wins. On Sunday, the Patriots improved to 39-0 when scoring 40 points or more in the Bill Belichick era.

It’s worth noting that even following a substantial spike in production over the past three weeks, there is a realistic chance the New England offence still hasn’t reached its peak potential. After all, Sunday’s win was only the second game of the season for one of Brady’s favourite targets in Julian Edelman, who missed the first four weeks due to a suspension. Edelman, who made a nice adjustment on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Brady in the second quarter against the Chiefs, has 11 receptions for 111 yards and a score in his first two games.

Meanwhile, fellow wide receiver Josh Gordon is coming off his best performance since being acquired by the Patriots after registering five catches for 42 yards on nine targets versus Kansas City. Gordon, who is still learning a new playbook while working through a nagging hamstring injury, is the type of elite playmaker that can stretch the field and force opposing defences to account for him.

The impact Edelman and Gordon have on the New England offence also extends beyond their individual production. First, it allows the other wide receivers on the roster to fill roles better suited to their skill sets. Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson have a combined 45 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns this season. While they won’t be as productive when Edelman and Gordon get up to speed, that trio could be even more efficient in lesser roles.

At the same time, forcing opposing defences to account for Edelman and Gordon also opens up space for the team’s star tight end in Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski was targeted just four times against the Chiefs. However, he ended up with three receptions for 97 yards. Simply put, the additions of Edelman and Gordon drastically change the look of the Patriots receiving core.

It’s also important to acknowledge the impact an improved rushing attack has had on the New England offence. Rookie first-round pick Sony Michel has averaged 105.3 rushing yards with four touchdowns over the past three weeks. The Patriots averaged 4.6 yards per carry for 173 yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Kansas City.

The ability to establish the run early and maintain a balance on offence also opened up the play-action passing game. Brady had 13 completions on 15 play-action pass attempts, which is his most in a game since ESPN began tracking those statistics in 2006. According to Pro Football Focus, Brady owns an NFL-best 112.8 passer rating on play-action passes over the past three seasons. As long as New England continues to run the football effectively, their offence will be difficult to slow down. Based on their success, there is a good chance we see the Patriots rely heavily on play-action once again versus Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears this Sunday.

Raiders falter again

It’s impossible to ignore how quickly and drastically the outlook of the Oakland Raiders has changed in recent months. In January, the Raiders made Jon Gruden the highest paid coach in NFL history with a 10-year, $100 million deal. There was a lot of talk at the time about how Gruden was the coach that put this team over the top as a playoff contender.

However, before the season even started Oakland cut ties with Khalil Mack, Michael Crabtree, Cordarrelle Patterson, Sean Smith and David Amerson. Since then, the Raiders have lost five of six to open the season, including an ugly 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. We aren’t even at the halfway mark of the season and already Year 1 under Gruden appears to be a write off. What’s next for the Raiders?

Falcons lose Freeman

The Atlanta Falcons will be without running back Devonta Freeman until at least Week 16. Freeman, who is scheduled to have surgery on his groin and will be placed on IR, won’t be eligible to return until the Dec. 23 game against the Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons are coming off a 34-29 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to improve to 2-4. However, Atlanta had just 70 rushing yards in that win and ranks 29th in the NFL with an average of 86.0 rushing yards per game. Matt Ryan’s 1,955 passing yards is the third-most in the league through six games. Even with a healthy Tevin Coleman, there is a good chance the Falcons continue to rely heavily on Ryan and the passing game this Sunday against the New York Giants.

Allen out for Bills

The Buffalo Bills won’t have rookie quarterback Josh Allen under centre when they visit the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Allen suffered an elbow injury in Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans and is expected to miss the next couple of weeks.

That means the Bills will turn back to Nathan Peterman, who went 6-of-12 for 61 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions including a pick-six in relief of Allen last week. Peterman has thrown nine interceptions in his first six career regular-season games. The 2017 fifth-round pick will likely start against the Colts with veteran Derek Anderson in the backup role after he was signed by the Bills last week.