In a draft-day deal this past April, the Patriots traded running back Jeff Demps and a seventh-round pick for LeGarrette Blount. Following the impressive performance of Blount against the Buffalo Bills, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com takes stock of where the trade ranks among Bill Belichick's best deals.

Mike Reiss also offers his picked-up pieces from fourth-quarter review of the Patriots' 34-20 win over the Bills.

Tim Britton of The Providence Journal offers an interesting piece on Julian Edelman. Long an afterthought in the New England offense, Edelman has broken through in 2013 to become the Patriots' most reliable receiver.

"I'm just so proud of Julian and what he's done this year. He's been so big for our football team, week in and week out — just so reliable," said Matthew Slater. "I'm proud of him as a teammate, but I'm even more proud of him as a friend and knowing how hard he's worked to achieve what he's achieved this year."

Adam Kaufman of Boston.com discusses who might be the preferred divisional round opponent for the Patriots.

Erik Frenz of Boston.com reviews how the Patriots stack up against each of the contenders for the conference title.

Robert Burgess of Boston.com writes that the Cleveland Browns have requested to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the Cleveland head coaching job, according to a Boston Globe source.

Ron Borges of The Boston Herald offers his report card for the Patriots-Bills game.

The NFL has announced the 2014 opponents for all 32 NFL teams. Among the highlights... Two of the game's greatest quarterbacks -- Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers -- will get a rare opportunity to face each other at Lambeau Field next season.