The New England Patriots bounced back from one of their worst regular season losses on Sept. 29 under head coach Bill Belichick—a 41-14 drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs—with a dominant 43-17 win on Sunday night over the previously undefeated Cincinnati Bengals.

The win was by far the Patriots’ most impressive performance of the season thus far, pushing their season record to 3-2, including wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders. 

The offense started the game with a methodical 10-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown and set the tone for the rest of the game.

While the defense was not quite as dominant, they kept the Bengals out of the end zone and forced multiple turnovers that helped the Patriots build up a sizeable 20-3 lead going into halftime. 

The Bengals answered early in the second half with a long punt return and a quick strike from quarterback Andy Dalton to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from 37 yards out to bring the lead to within 10 points. 

From then on, the Patriots took back control of the game with a touchdown drive and a quick fumble return for a touchdown on the subsequent kickoff to go up 34-10. 

The Bengals managed to score another touchdown, and the Patriots tacked on three more field goals to make the score 43-17, a statement win in the season’s fifth week.

The win came at a crucial point in the young season, as rumors and speculation swirled around a Patriots team that is never eager to divulge information about the inner workings of the team. 

Coming into the season, there were questions about quarterback Tom Brady’s age and effectiveness going forward, and Brady did very little to put those questions to rest in the first four games of the season. 

Animosity seemed to flow from both sides, with Brady’s displeasure stemming from the departures of long-time offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia and Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins and the organization’s worries stemming from Brady’s worsening on-field performance each week.

Sporting a 2-2 record coming into the game, with losses against two mediocre or middling teams in the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, there were questions about how good this team really was, even with a .500 record. 

The Patriots traveled back to Gillette Stadium as rare home underdogs on Sunday night, giving one-and-a-half points to the visiting Bengals in the points spread before the game. 

While the team managed to silence the buzz for at least one week with the win, the questions that were asked coming into the game still remain unanswered. 

Brady is still surrounded by a woefully young and inexperienced line, the talent that he finds himself throwing to has been completely unimpressive, sans All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, and Brady himself has shown signs of decline. 

The situation becomes more pressing with a young and promising quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, waiting on the sidelines, who was reportedly drafted by the Patriots this past offseason to eventually replace Brady. 

Next week, the Patriots will go up against the surprisingly competent Buffalo Bills in an American Football Conference Eastern Division matchup. The Bills sit tied with the Patriots atop the AFC East with a 3-2 record after an overtime win against the Detroit Lions. 

If the Patriots lose, the same questions will manage to come up. The team will be in a perpetual fight against time for the rest of the season, but so far, the Patriots seem to be winning.