Despite the first-half offensive and defensive domination by the Patriots, Sunday's 31-14 victory over the Jets turned out to be a workmanlike win for New England. The Pats did what they were supposed to do. They beat an inferior team. No knock on doing what you are supposed to do, but no extra credit, either.

OFFENSE: B-

There is a disturbing trend here: The offense is not nearly as productive in the second half of games. Granted, there could be a number of reasons. The Patriots have been so good in the first half that it would be difficult to maintain the pace in the second half. Defenses will be more aggressive when trailing. Coaching staffs on opposing teams will make halftime adjustments. The Patriots may be trying to work the clock.  All that being said, the poor second-half output is still puzzling.

Tom Brady was his usual very good self. His view of the field is unparalleled in the league. Brady and Wes Welker have a mental connection second in NFL history only to what Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison had from 1999-2003. I had the feeling Brady was forcing the ball to Randy Moss at times.

Welker had career highs in receptions (15) and yards (192). He is now leading the league in catches and yards per game. One of the best parts of his game is the big yards he gets after the catch. Moss was held in check for the most part. Darelle Revis did a very good job on Moss with less help than he had the last time they faced each other. But Moss' presence alone opens the field for Welker, as evidenced by the one seam route that Welker caught. In a zone defense, three Jets defenders jumped Moss on a short route, leaving Welker wide open down the seam. Revis abandoned his responsibility to cover Moss, leaving Welker wide open. Julian Edelman made a great play for a first down with a tremendous effort after the catch.

The best thing the running backs did on Sunday was help out in the passing game. The blitz pickup was fine, and Kevin Faulk made some good catches. Laurence Maroney ran hard at times but had another fumble. Sunday was a microcosm of why we are frustrated with Maroney. There were some good runs and there was some dancing. Not bad overall, but hard to settle for not bad.

The offensive line was adequate. Brady was getting hit a little too much. Mark LeVoir filled in when Sebastian Vollmer left with a head injury. The drop-off was noticeable, although Levoir made a highlight-reel hit on a defensive back on a screen play. Dan Connolly struggled filling in for the injured Stephen Neal.

Normally, scoring 31 points will get you a higher grade, but the Patriots were offensively stagnant in the second half. The Pats have not been impressive in the second half of games, Tampa and Tennessee aside. That will kill them against New Orleans.

DEFENSE: A-

A big part of the game plan against New York was to force Mark Sanchez to win the game for the Jets. So far, the rookie quarterback has proven incapable of consistently bringing his team back from behind. The Pats offense gave the defense the big lead, and the results were predictable.

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Hard to judge how well the secondary played because of how poor the Jets offense is. The Patriots did make the plays, and in the end that is what matters. Leigh Bodden took advantage of a number of poor throws by Sanchez. The overall coverage was pretty good even later in the game when there was not as much pressure on the QB. Jonathan Wilhite actually had reasonable coverage on Jerricho Cotchery on the Jets' only touchdown but turned the wrong way at the last minute.

There was not really a lot for the linebackers to do in this game. There were only 49 offensive plays by the Jets, and 13 of those were incomplete passes. Gary Guyton and Jerod Mayo were good but not great in pass defense. The run defense was not good at times. But this was a curious game to get a feel for defensively. There were a number of times when the Jets should have been passing, but the fear of Sanchez screwing up had the New York coaches calling run plays. The run defense looked soft sometimes, but part of that was the Pats correctly thinking that the Jets were in obvious pass situations. Adalius Thomas is slowly picking up his level of play. Tully Banta-Cain continues to be the Patriots' best pass-rusher. He had another impact game against the Jets.

Ty Warren came back with a fairly strong game. Vince Wilfork continued his domination of interior offensive linemen around the NFL. The defensive line rotation was not as important this week because the turnovers by Sanchez and the third-down ineffectiveness of the Jets got the guys off the field.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

You cannot let that punt get blocked. The Jets were getting spanked and had no life whatsoever. Letting the Jets block the punt and score gave them a ray of hope. Stephen Gostkowski missed a 40-yard field goal. That distance is usually a routine kick for him. The kickoff and punt coverage was not good enough. Bret Lockett had a dumb penalty on a return. All in all, a very poor day for the special teams.

COACHING: C

This team and coaching staff have been unbeatable with a lead at the half for so long. It is strange to see this team struggle in the second half — and not just in the games they lost. The Jets should have been put away easier and earlier than they were. The offensive play-calling was more conservative in the second half. I understand the idea of working the clock, but you can work the clock and still work the ball downfield. The players share the blame, but when the second-half game plan is not as aggressive as the first, it puts the whole team at a disadvantage.