There is a much purported myth that during the Patriots Super Bowl runs they were a team that never taunted and always uber-professional. In fact, many of the team’s key players played with an arrogant attitude. (Law, Harrison, Malloy, and Branch being the best examples) All of last year and the first 3 games of the season this year that cocky confidence was missing until today. Maroney took the time to turn around and taught an opposing player as he was scoring a TD. Dillon threw a ball into the stands and did a touch down dance. I saw Harrison talking shit on more then one occasion. Overall, the team seemed to step up their hard hits and taunts after the play when Caldwell was leveled. This is what I like to see from the Patriots. But victories don’t come on swagger alone. Here is what I thought were the keys to the victory.

• The Offensive line should get the Game Ball; Brady had time to throw all day and the O-Line opened up holes for the RBs to the tune of 236 total yards on the ground.
• Maroney’s explosiveness resulting in 3 huge runs with two of them resulting in TDs.
• In the first Quarter the defense like the name of track 5 off of A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, and A Scare bent but did not break; limiting the Bengals to field goals on the first 2 drives kept the Pats in the game.
• Then when the Pats took the lead, the Pats defense smelled blood and repeatedly took the ball away from the Bengals. (they almost had one more on Colvin’s near INT)
• Gostkowski though missing one field goal, repeatedly kicked the ball into the end zone for touch backs when he kicked off limiting the Bengals to starting at the 20.
• On a side note, any one else thing that Chad Johnson of the Bengals was auditioning for Wesley Snipes role in the in the sequel to Demolition Man with his blonde Mohawk hairdo?