Tom Brady threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns as the New England Patriots made a huge statement inside a frosty Gillette Stadium Sunday Night.

The Patriots, now 7-2 on the season,  have been on the winning end of five consecutive games and now boast the best record in the AFC. Tom Brady moved to 11-5 all-time against Peyton Manning in regular season contests and unseated John Elway for fifth in career passing yards. Brady has been an absolute wizard since the Patriots were pummeled on Monday Night Football by the Kansas City Chiefs way back in week four. He has thrown for 18 touchdowns and has only one interception since that loss, which feels like it occurred a decade ago now. The blowout win over the powerful Denver Broncos certainly moves the Patriots to the top of the AFC power rankings at this point in the season. The team appears to be well on its way to a sixth straight AFC East crown and could find themselves with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by way of the tie-breaker over the Broncos.

Brady vs. Manning

Peyton Manning was his usual flashy self throwing for over 400 yards but his two interceptions proved to be costly as he fell to 2-7 in games played at Gillette Stadium. The debate on which player is the better quarterback will likely go on for eternity, but will this dominate win by the Pats have any say in the Manning vs. Brady argument? It most definitely should, as Brady, 37, is working with a rag-tag group of receivers (minus robo-stud Gronkowski) and virtually no running game. His offensive line has been much-maligned and a former college quarterback (Julian Edelman) is the teams leading receiver.  Brady’s gutsy and efficient play over the past two seasons has been nothing short of remarkable given the lack of talent around him. Watching Brady operate is like watching Piccasso paint; the beauty is almost incomprehensible. And now the Patriots will be able to enjoy a bye-week before traveling to Indianapolis for a date with the Colts, another game that will have a huge impact on the AFC playoffs.

What About the Broncos?

Despite the loss, Denver (6-2) is very much in the drivers seat in the AFC West and should win the division barring a late-season meltdown. The Chiefs are sitting at 5-3 and are one of the NFL’s hottest teams, but The Broncos have only suffered one loss in its division since Manning arrived in Denver. A playoff rematch with the Patriots is very likely, although the Broncos will have to finish with a better overall record to ensure that a rematch would be played inside Mile High Stadium.