New England Patriots defeat Cincinnati Bengals, 38-13

It was the week in which Tom Brady's body language became the official dialect of Patriot Nation.

National television commentators talked about it. Scribes wrote about it. Fans looked at the game films after the Denver debacle and dissected Brady's every gesture. Nonstop nuance. Forget about body surfing, body painting, body politic, body by BALCO, and Jesse ``The Body" Ventura -- we were immersed in Brady's body language.

And it wasn't just in New England. The New Y...

When the outside world looked at yesterday's matchup at Paul Brown Stadium, it saw a battered defense that was missing half its secondary facing an elite quarterback and the fourth-highest-scoring offense in pro football. The world looked at this and saw a disaster about to happen. The Patriots looked at it and saw opportunity.

``We'll get to the quarterback," New England defensive end Richard Seymour privately promised late last week. ``They've got a great offense. A g...

When Laurence Maroney took a handoff from Tom Brady in the third quarter, he was thinking end zone. It didn't matter that he was 25 yards away.

``I'm always thinking end zone every time I touch the ball," Maroney said after totaling 125 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns, including a 25-yard score in the third quarter. ``I always try to crack a joke and tell the offensive line `Let's go one and out, I'm tired of being in this huddle.' It just keeps it a little fun ...

Safety Rodney Harrison acknowledged it was an unknown.

In past years, these were the type of games the Patriots won. No matter that they were coming off a demoralizing home loss, were banged up in the defensive backfield, and were heading into a hostile environment against the undefeated Bengals.

But could they do it this year?

``I don't know if it was doubt, or if it was just uncertainty," Harrison said in an elated locker room following a resounding 38-13 victor...