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The Patriots won their fourth game in a row Sunday, taking all suspense out of the affair early in the second half in a 31-13 win over the Titans. Welcome to the Unconventional Review, an instant reaction to standouts, stats, and story lines from the Patriots’ most recent game … Sure, there are probably speed bumps ahead. The Patriots’ schedule, with Myles Garrett and the Browns up next, isn’t as soft as the perception. And we’re not quite sure what their margin for error actually looks like against a good team. That’s something we can only learn along the way, as this season plays out and we get a full sense of how they measure up against every level of competition. But we can’t allow the future to distract from the wonders of the moment. The Patriots’ progress from the sloppy Week 1 loss to the Raiders that commenced the Mike Vrabel era is remarkable, a best-case scenario, a football daydream that has actually come true. The Patriots won their fourth game in a row Sunday, taking all suspense out of the affair early in the second half in a 31-13 win over Vrabel’s foolish former employer, the Tennessee Titans. Drake Maye, who has ascended to superstar status in stunningly rapid fashion, completed 21 of 23 passes — a more efficient day than Tom Brady ever had — for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also running for 62 yards. The defense was relentless and opportunistic against rookie quarterback Cam Ward, and the Patriots took care of business, just as they have done for four straight weeks since the mistake-addled loss to the Steelers, which suddenly looks like a turning point. The Patriots were a mess last season. They were a mess in the opener. And now, seven games in, they look every bit like one of the best teams in the AFC. It really is remarkable. All of it. Some further thoughts, upon immediate review … Three players who were worth watching Players suggested in the Unconventional Preview: Kayshon Boutte, Craig Woodson, Jeffery Simmons. Milton Williams: Tell me if I’m alone here: Is Williams even better than you expected? He’s exceeding my expectations. Like everyone else desperate to see a better product on the field this season, I was thrilled when the Patriots signed the former Eagle and Super Bowl standout to a $104 million deal in the offseason. But it was fair to wonder how he would fare with more responsibility (he played just 48 percent of the snaps last season for Philadelphia) and without monster Jalen Carter alongside him. As it turns out, Williams’s Super Bowl dominance was not a mirage. He is a force in his own right, and that was as evident as ever Sunday, when Williams tallied five tackles (one for a loss), a sack (he looked like a one-man swarm in chasing down Ward on that third-down play), and a quarterback hit. Rhamondre Stevenson: If Vrabel’s decision to stand by the veteran running back after his three early-season lost fumbles needed validating, well, consider Stevenson’s 18-carry, 88-yard performance Sunday the full validation. He was a force from the get-go, carrying the ball on the Patriots’ first four plays from scrimmage for 8, 14, 8, and 8 yards. He had 71 yards after his first nine carries, his most punishing run an 11-yarder with a little less than 11 minutes left in the second quarter in which he dragged a couple of Titans along for the ride. His 4-yard touchdown midway through the third, a breeze into the end zone off right tackle, gave the Patriots a 24-13 lead. Kayshon Boutte: Boutte’s emergence as a highly efficient downfield threat has been one of the most important developments this season. Against the Titans, he caught both of his targets — a 16-yarder in the second quarter along the left sideline with three defenders in the vicinity, and a gorgeous, full-extension 39-yard touchdown after flying through the middle of the defense to give the Patriots a 17-13 lead with 49 seconds left in the first half. Boutte is averaging 17.8 yards per reception this season, with 20 catches on 25 targets. Maybe it’s not exactly Stanley Morgan-level stuff, but that kind of efficiency while making big plays down the field is rare. Grievance of the game The offensive line needs to protect Maye better. And though he’s improved in this regard this season, Maye needs to protect himself better. The Titans sacked Maye four times and registered another four quarterback hits. He was sacked twice in a row (running out of bounds on one) on the early drive that ended with Andy Borregales’s 36-yard field goal to tie the score at 3. But the most troubling stuff came in the second half, even as the Patriots were seizing control of the game. Maye got buried blindside by Dre’Mont Jones on third and 7 with a little less than four minutes to play in the third quarter, and he got crunched again on a first-down pass by 366-pound nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat at 10:24 of the fourth quarter. Rookie left guard Jared Wilson was overwhelmed on both of those plays. He spent way too much time in this game peeling his blocking assignment off of his flattened quarterback. But the scariest play occurred at 12:27 of the third, when Maye banged his head on the turf upon being tackled by Roger McCreary after a 6-yard scramble. Maye immediately shook his head like he was trying to get rid of some cobwebs, an alarming visual considering he got knocked out of a Week 8 game vs. the Jets last season with a concussion and has taken a couple of hits this season that were worrisome. Maye went to the medical tent momentarily, and if for some reason you had just turned on the game near the 11-minute mark in the third quarter only to see Joshua Dobbs in at quarterback, you had an experience no Patriots fan wants. Dobbs actually threw a dart to DeMario Douglas — one of the best throws of the game by any quarterback — to convert a third down before Maye returned. But it wasn’t a moment that could be enjoyed at the time. There was no time to exhale until we knew Maye was all right. Three notes scribbled in the margins Predicted final score: Patriots 38, Titans 10 Final score: Patriots 31, Titans 13. We’ve written too much here without acknowledging K’Lavon Chaisson, who collected two sacks and ran in a Ward fumble for a touchdown in a dominant performance. He didn’t quite get Williams money in the offseason, but he has been a terrific addition in his own right on a bargain one-year, $5 million deal … You know, I think I’ll pause my near-weekly declarations that TreVeyon Henderson is about to break loose until he can earn more carries than Terrell Jennings in a comfortable win. Henderson ran twice for 5 yards, while Jennings had five carries for 18 yards. I do have full faith that Henderson is going to be an outstanding running back, but like many overwhelmed rookies, he needs the bye week to catch his breath and reset. Unfortunately, the Patriots’ break doesn’t come until Week 14 this year. Caught a little of the Sports USA national broadcast of the game while doing some driving Sunday. Former Patriots (and, for a season, Titans) kicker Stephen Gostkowski was the color analyst. Not a lot of kickers end up the broadcast booth, but he’s good. It was amusing to hear Gostkowski mix in a few familiar expressions from his time with the Patriots, including the Brady favorite, “My favorite ring is the next one.”
