The Patriots moved to 5-1 on the season with a spirited 35-17 victory over the tough Cincinnati Bengals. There were plenty of heroes for the home team but ESPNBoston.com singled out the play of Rob Gronkowski, who finished with a career-high 162 receiving yards. Gronk admits he got a little heated at times when the Bengals got a little chippy.
The Patriots defense was on its heels for most of the afternoon Sunday but ESPNBoston.com says an adjustment in the secondary helped stabilize things. The Boston Globe agreed, citing the defensive adjustments that occurred on the fly. One aspect of those adjustments was the debut of Eric Rowe.
Tom Brady has been so good the *Boston Globe* wonders if he ever really left in the first place. Brady's return to greatness was no surprise to the Boston Herald. Brady enjoyed a happy homecoming says the Providence Journal.
The Patriots victory may have looked lopsided on the scoreboard but the *Herald* believes it was much closer than that. Despite the victory, the *Providence Journal* says there were many lessons to be learned. This one turned on Dont’a Hightower’s safety. CSNNE.com also points to Hightower as the catalyst.
MassLive.com looks at the performance of James White and wonders where he stands in terms of Patriots third-down backs.
In Cincinnati, Bengals.com is lamenting a lot of missed opportunities for the visitors.
It looked like the Patriots would receive a stern test next week in Pittsburgh but the Post-Gazette is reporting that Ben Roethlisberger will miss the game after undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee.
