For all your nuts-and-bolts coverage of New England's first win of the season – written, video, and otherwise – you've come to the right place on patriots.com. Some of our media colleagues, though, have offerings worth consuming, if you still need more.
A columnist for **The Boston Globe** declares that after an offseason filled with drama, Week 1 showed us that these are the same old Patriots on the field as they vanquished yet another opponent.
"Relationships might have changed in Fort Foxborough — or ebbed and flowed as Brady said in the "Tom vs Time" docuseries epilogue — but the standard of football remains unscathed," the author writes. "The Patriots ignored the noise that they stoked all offseason and got back to winning football games. All is right in our football world."
A column from **The Athletic website** echoes the Globe's sentiments.
"Surely, the Patriots' faults have been scrutinized, overanalyzed and hyped up for the past six months," says the author, "but they functioned largely as the same old perennial contender Sunday at Gillette Stadium."
Meanwhile, **an ESPN blog post** explains why QB Tom Brady's touchdown throw to WR Phillip Dorsett was historically significant, and why Brady's next TD toss could be even more so.
"We definitely had a better connection," Dorsett said in the story. "We were working on it all throughout camp, and it showed."
It was a big day versus Houston for TE Rob Gronkowski, who led all pass catchers in the game with 123 yards and a TD. Before the game, it was reported by NFL Network that Gronk nixed a possible trade of him by telling the Patriots he only wanted to play for them, that he'd sooner retire than be dealt to another club.
With that in mind, plus the way he played Sunday, **a Boston Herald columnist** examines why Gronkowski is determined to remain a Patriot.
"Playing with Brady and for Belichick offers him the best chance for success," the writer argues in part. "It may also offer him the best chance at avoiding injury, given that crazy coaches have a way of putting players in harm's way and Belichick lives on the other side of the county from Crazytown."
On defense, the Patriots were encouraged by their pass rush against the Texans, as **NBC Sports Boston’s website** writes.
Rookie RB Sony Michel was inactive versus the Texans, but **the MassLive blog** surmises why he might be an important piece of the offense going forward now that veteran Jeremy Hill might be lost for an extended period.
Elsewhere, free agent wide receiver **Dez Bryant is once again expressing an interest in joining the Patriots**, as Boston.com details today.
