It was far from perfect.
It didn’t need to be.
The Patriots bravely came back from an early deficit to beat Washington 33-7.
They actually trailed 7-0 in the first quarter, the first time they had been behind all year. But that lead didn’t hold up, as the Patriots’ (5-0) scored 33 unanswered.
Tom Brady threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but was picked off once. They ran well (Sony Michel had 91 yards and a touchdown), and continued to play good defense.
They also showed some resilience, with kicker Mike Nugent overcoming a missed extra point on his first extra point as a Patriot. He eventually hit a couple of field goals, and bounced in an extra point off the upright late in the game.
The early touchdown by Steven Sims was a nice moment for Washington (0-5), but it didn’t last long.
Colt McCoy was picked off and sacked six times in his debut as starting quarterback, throwing for just 119 yards with the Patriots keeping pressure on an overmatched offensive line throughout the game.