Positives: This was the first time they've dominated with a full team effort like this in awhile. The team came out and played with a must-win mentality, and every player showed tremendous effort. On defense, they seemed to communicate way better and didn't miss many tackles; when they did miss, there was always someone right there to finish the job. The team just seemed to play a lot looser; maybe they are just finding their identity now and lower expectations helped them to shake the 2x defending Conference Champions burden they've been carrying.
Negative: This is the first time I've wondered if Brady's age is actually catching up to him. He has played some off-games, but he has always seemed to be sharp and still playing at an elite level. Even when not at his best, typically his arm strength and decision making have not come into question.
Something just seemed to be off with him all game, despite his decent statistical output. He threw 2 INTs that were not good passes (arguably the first was just a good defensive play, but he usually throws it so it's only catch-able by his receiver.) A lot of throws were just off-target and required some athleticism to make a catch. The receivers and protection are not great right now, but Brady just seems rattled. He is throwing the ball quickly when he doesn't need to, and he isn't flawlessly moving around in the pocket like we are used to. We've seen him play with terrible supporting casts before, and he he doesn't look like this. I almost hope he has some undisclosed injury he is battling and this isn't the first cracks showing, like we saw with Manning in mid-2014.