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The Patriots re-signed veteran cornerback Marquice Cole on Tuesday. Also, rookie safety Kanorris Davis cleared waivers after being waived Monday and is expected to be re-signed to the team's practice squad.

The moves are related, as Davis had been promoted to the active roster on Saturday, mainly to fill Cole's special-teams duties. Cole had injured his hamstring and wasn't available for Sunday night's 30-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, which led to his release last Friday.

On Sunday, Davis played on each of the "Big 4" special-teams units -- kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return and punt coverage. He had one penalty, for illegal formation.

The Patriots don't have to release a player to make room for Cole, as they had an open spot on their 53-man roster after waiving Davis on Monday. The team also has an open spot on its practice squad.

A weekly examination of the Patriots’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 6 | Last Week: 5 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Patriots' No. 4 ranking represents their highest spot of the year. They've been as low as seventh.

When looking closer at the voting breakdown, it came down to the Patriots and Saints for the No. 4 spot, with New Orleans getting one more third-place vote to barely edge New England.

If things hold true this week -- the Patriots hit the road to face the Bengals, while the Saints visit the Bears -- it will set up a potential No. 3 versus No. 4 matchup between the Patriots and Saints on Oct. 13 at Gillette Stadium. If the weather cooperates, that could turn out to be a true gem, because from this viewpoint, there's not much better than high-level NFL football played on a perfect New England day.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

First up for the Patriots is a test against the Bengals, who dropped from sixth to 11th in ESPN's Power Rankings.

As for the No. 1 (Denver) and No. 2 (Seattle) teams in the Power Rankings, no arguments here. They deserve it and my sense is that most Patriots followers would agree, while also acknowledging that what the picture looks like today isn't always what we'll see when it counts in November and December.

Once a training camp, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick throws his team a bone, metaphorically speaking.

It usually takes place after a morning practice, often on a Saturday, and the circumstances are these: If a player of his choosing -- typically a lineman -- can catch a punt, the team will have the afternoon and evening off from meetings. Six to eight extra hours of freedom may not seem like much, but during training camp, every spare minute counts.

Forgive us for not recalling the year, but one fair-catch attempt will forever be remembered. Belichick tabbed nose tackle Vince Wilfork -- all 325-plus pounds of him -- to catch a punt (in the air, of course) with a night off on the line. But there was a catch to the catch: Wilfork had to do so with a ball in one hand, allowing him just one free hand to make the catch.

As the punt soared into the air, spiraling down the field, Wilfork gently glided laterally, lining his frame up under the punt. Just seconds later, the arcing football landed in his free arm, almost as if Velcro were affixed to both the ball and his forearm.

For a moment, Wilfork could have been mistaken for his pint-sized teammate and master ball handler Kevin Faulk, a regular punt returner.

The point of this vignette is that it illustrates Wilfork’s rare athleticism for a man of his stature, proof that men who stand 6-foot-2 and well over 300 pounds can be exceptional athletes, not merely human mountains.

But not all defensive tackles have Wilfork’s movement skills. In fact, maybe a handful of others around the league do.

And that is -- at least in part -- what makes Wilfork such an invaluable member of the Patriots' defense. It’s the ability to align in a variety of spots on the defensive line, the quickness and agility to disrupt as a pass-rusher and, yes, the hands to make a play on the ball as a pass defender, as we saw against the Chargers back in 2011, when he nearly returned an interception for a score.

Three-down defensive linemen are hard to find, especially among interior defensive tackles.

Vince Wilfork fits the bill.

When the Patriots opt to put Wilfork on the injured reserve list -- which looks like a certainty at this point, after he had surgery Tuesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon -- a key cog in their defensive wheel will be done for the season.

And we haven’t even talked about Wilfork’s contributions against the run. The Patriots don’t always play three-man fronts. In fact, they often align with four men at the line of scrimmage. But when Wilfork was selected by the Pats in the 2004 draft's first round, he provided the team a refined and ready-made nose tackle to anchor the defense.

In the Patriots' two-gap system, a defensive lineman is called upon to engage an opposing offensive lineman, lock his arms out to gain leverage, and be prepared to move laterally with the flow of a run. If a running back tries to squirt through one of the two gaps the defensive lineman is controlling, it’s up to him to shed the block and make a tackle.

That’s not easy. It’s an arduous task that requires unique skills. And yet, on virtually every play, the Patriots rely on Wilfork to man this task at a dominant level. A look at the numbers affirms his importance: According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Patriots in the past five seasons have allowed 4.1 yards per rush with Wilfork on the field, ninth-best in the NFL. When Wilfork was off the field, the Patriots ranked last in yards per rush allowed (5.0).

“The replay system is not working. The ruling on the field stands. New England will not be charged a timeout.”

That was the announcement made by referee Walt Coleman midway through the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, and represented an embarrassing moment of sorts for the NFL.

The Patriots (leading 30-13) had challenged a completion to receiver Julio Jones, directly in front of the New England sideline. Bill Belichick was decisive in throwing his red challenge flag after it was ruled Jones had made the catch.

Then, after what seemed like a lengthier-than-normal delay, Coleman informed the nation that the replay system was down.

We all saw Belichick’s reaction, his arms lifted into the air, his palms pointing up, his head shaking as if to say, “Are you serious?” (we're going with the PG, family-friendly version here.)

A day later, he was asked about the unusual occurrence during his weekly radio interview on sports radio WEEI.

“In that situation, you’re just playing without replay, which is the way we played for years and years. That’s what it is, but I mean, the fact we have however many zillions of dollars committed to this system and it doesn’t work, that’s a whole another discussion,” Belichick said on the “Salk and Holley” program.

Nice little zinger there from Belichick, who said he also would have challenged the second play after Jones’ upheld catch, when he felt an incomplete pass should have instead been a Chandler Jones sack.

The system was later fixed.

“That’s a question that really should be asked to the league office and the officials, because I don’t have a good answer for it,” Belichick said.

Appearing at halftime of the "Monday Night Football" radio broadcast on Westwood One, Tom Brady commented on Vince Wilfork's season-ending injury. Here's a transcript of what he said:

"Well, to say we'll miss him is an understatement. His presence in the locker room and on the field is really unmatched, so it will be a team effort. I know Coach Belichick said there's no Vince Wilforks on the street corner waiting to sign with the Patriots, which is the truth, but we're going to have to find a way to -- in a group effort -- replace such a valuable player. And he'll be around, his spirit, his leadership, he'll still have a big impact on our team. But he's been a great player for a long time and everyone's disappointed about his injury."

On if he can gauge what it does to the morale of the team when you lose such a player of that level of importance:

"Yeah, well, initially there's a blow to the team morale in that you wonder who's going to fill in that spot and who's going to take the void of such a great player. But then as soon as you get into the week, you start thinking about your job, how much you need to do and what the coaches are asking you, and then you really leave it to coach to think of the things that he can do now to help replace a guy like Vince as well as personnel. So injuries are really a part of the game and I think we've learned over the years that there's not one player that makes the team. Certainly losing a guy like
Vince doesn't help our team in any way, but we're going to have to find somebody to go in there and do the job of that nose tackle position and do it to the level that they're capable of. It's a team sport so the rest of the team has to pick up the pieces."

On if he sensed the severity of the injury when it occurred:

"I wasn't sure of the severity, I know that Vince never really goes down and stays on the ground so when he came over to the sideline and I went over and tapped him on the shoulder to ask him how he felt and he just kind of nodded his head which, I knew at that point that it wasn't a minor injury. He's as tough as they come. He's been durable, consistent. Like I said, his leadership and his ability to motivate the other players on the defensive side of the ball has been one of the best I've ever seen. So we'll miss him, we'll miss him for the rest of the year, but I know he'll come
back next year strong and as determined as ever."

On Rob Gronkowski and his injury status:

"He's been on the active roster for the last four weeks and I've seen him every day working as hard as he can to get back. So it ends up being a medical decision and that's not my role. So I'm just waiting for the day that he does get back because he adds so much to our offense. Every week that he's been out there he's made significant improvement. So it'll be great when he's back and it'll be great when we get Danny Amendola back and Shane Vereen back and finally we can see what our offense is really made of. Whether that's this week or the following week or the following week. I mean those things are really not determined by me."

The New England Patriots announced the release of defensive back Kanorris Davis on Monday afternoon, bringing their active roster down to 52 players.

Davis was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday afternoon to play a core special-teams role, logging 16 snaps on Sunday night and appearing on all four core special-teams units.

The undrafted rookie out of Troy is now subject to the league's waiver system. If he goes unclaimed on waivers Tuesday, he seems like a strong candidate to be re-signed to the practice squad.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick confirmed Monday afternoon what was reported earlier in the day: star defensive lineman Vince Wilfork’s season is likely over.

Wilfork left Sunday night’s game in the first quarter with what was reported to be a torn right Achilles tendon.

“It doesn’t look too good for Vince,” Belichick said during his weekly interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI. “I think he’s got a pretty serious injury and it’s probably unlikely that he’ll be able to play again this year.”

A review of four hot issues following the New England Patriots' 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons:

Life without Big Vince: With news that defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has a torn right Achilles, the Patriots now face life without one of their top players. How will they proceed? Wilfork’s value to the team, and the Patriots’ options to replace him, have been dissected and analyzed. Patriots coach Bill Belichick also shared some thoughts on rookies Joe Vellano and Chris Jones, who bump up the depth chart behind starter Tommy Kelly. The Patriots have had experience dealing with big injuries in the past, and this is one of the more significant ones based on Wilfork’s on-field and leadership contributions.

Other injuries to monitor: Alfonzo Dennard, elevated to the starting cornerback spot opposite Aqib Talib in the base defense, hobbled off late in the game and didn’t finish. Also, rookie receiver Aaron Dobson sustained a neck injury in the second half and never returned. Dobson has been working as the No. 3 receiver.

Gronkowski and Amendola close to returns? Tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Danny Amendola didn’t make the trip to Atlanta and now the focus turns to their availability for Sunday’s game in Cincinnati. Gronkowski’s murky status was detailed within the context of those in his inner “circle” having some reservations about him playing. Meanwhile, Amendola, we believe, has a good chance of making his return Sunday.

Defense answers the challenge: One of the big questions facing the Patriots was if the performance of the defense through the first three weeks was more a result of playing weak competition. Few, if any, would put quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons’ explosive attack in that category. Thus, the general perception of the Patriots’ defense seems to be shifting a bit. This is a solid unit, sparked by the standout play of Talib.

 

Less than 12 hours after news broke that Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork had suffered an Achilles tear that will likely shelve him for the remainder of this season, his teammates spoke about his impact -- one that transcends what the box score says.

"Obviously Vince is a huge asset to our team not only on the field, but off the field," fellow defensive captain Jerod Mayo said. "And he's a great leader, he demands double teams in the run game and he also coordinates some of the rushes in the passing game as well."

For Mayo, losing Wilfork doesn't just mean having to play without the team's best defensive lineman and one that clears space for him and his fellow linebackers to run around, but it also affects him personally, as he and Wilfork are close friends.

"Obviously Vince has been a staple for a long time and he rarely goes down with an injury, so it's very shocking and surprising to see my friend go down like that," he said.

Guard Logan Mankins, another team captain that has worked opposite of Wilfork during innumerable practices, understands the value of what the burly nose tackle brings to the defense.

"Vince is a big-time challenge," he said. "Not only [is he] strong and powerful, but he's quick for a man his size and he's a smart player."

While Wilfork is often thought about in regards to his run defense contributions -- he's the foundation for the Patriots in that sense -- he is a productive member of the team's pass rush, too.

"He just pushes the pocket, he's always collapsing the inside and helps the edge rush," Mankins said of Wilfork as a rusher. "He just does so many things for us."

While head coach Bill Belichick noted on Monday morning that the team is still gathering information about Wilfork's status, signs point to him landing on injured reserve.

As was the case last night when Wilfork departed the game in the first quarter, the Patriots will fall back on their tried-and-true remedy when there's an injury.

"We always talk about next man up, and we have a lot of talented guys on our team," Mayo said. "I think Vince got hurt in the first quarter yesterday and guys stepped up and played well for him. We ended up getting the victory, which is always a good thing, but that's our mentality, next man up."

On Sunday night, it was a pair of rookies, Joe Vellano and Chris Jones, who wound up earning more playing time than they've been accustomed to (it was Jones' Patriots debut), and they held their own, helping to limit Atlanta to just 58 yards rushing.

"Those guys, they play hard, they're always in the film room," Mayo said of Vellano and Jones. "The coaches always have them ready to go and I think football is all about preparation during the week, and those guys prepare well and came in the game and did some good things."

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn’t shed any new light on Vince Wilfork's Achilles injury on Monday morning, telling reporters on a conference call that the defensive lineman was undergoing tests but he otherwise did not have information on his injury.

“I really don’t know much right now,” Belichick said, adding that with the late game Sunday and traveling back Monday, he hasn’t had a chance to talk to the medical staff.

Wilfork left Sunday night’s victory against the Falcons in the first quarter and did not return. A league source indicated early Monday that the injury was a torn right Achillies and would likely sideline him for the season.

“He’s a great player, we all know that, and he gives us great leadership,” Belichick said. “He’s a strong contributor on and off the field and in the locker room. ... We’ll just have to see how things come together for him. Obviously if he’s not there, everybody will have to pull a little bit more weight on their end.”

Belichick did indicate he might have more information later Monday.

“It’ll all come together here at some point during the day,” he said.

ATLANTA -- When building a house, nothing really matters if the foundation isn't sturdy.

When considering what Vince Wilfork means to the New England Patriots -- in light of Shalise Manza-Young's report in the Boston Globe that Wilfork has a torn Achilles and is almost certainly out for the season -- think of a house's foundation.

He's the sturdy guy in the middle, the 6-foot-2, 325-pound mountain of a man with uncommon athleticism whose stats don't always reflect his impact.

Losing him puts the Patriots on shaky ground.

Because foundation players are rare, expect the Patriots to rely on multiple players to attempt to fill the void. There is no one replacement. Right now, it's veteran Tommy Kelly and rookies Joe Vellano and Chris Jones at defensive tackle. It's unclear if Armond Armstead might return to health and be an option when he's eligible to come off the reserve/non-football illnes list.

We've seen Wilfork's impact only grow in recent years. Consider his playing-time stats:

2009: 51.8 percent
2010: 69.8 percent
2011: 86.8 percent
2012: 81.3 percent

The Patriots have overcome injuries to key players in the past, so this isn't anything new to them. But Wilfork's injury ranks as one of the most significant, and one of the toughest voids to fill.

ATLANTA -- Midway through the fourth quarter, we were ready to write it in all capital letters for the New England Patriots: BEST WIN OF THE SEASON.

Then came a near collapse, so let’s just call it the best win of the season.

They did it in the Georgia Dome, one of the toughest places for visitors to emerge victorious. They did it against an Atlanta Falcons team that since 2008 has only lost back-to-back games three times. And they did it after taking control of the game with a commanding 17-point lead with 6:18 remaining. But then they almost gave it away after about half of the sellout crowd had headed to the exits.

Talk about creating your own adversity, then overcoming it. That’s what Sunday night’s 30-23 victory represented for the Patriots: a 60-minute roller coaster of sudden swings with a happy ending.

For those curious how players reacted, it was mostly a happy Patriots' locker room afterward, even though it seemed like quarterback Tom Brady wasn’t in the smiling mood. Maybe he was just exhausted. Or maybe he was peeved that a fumbled snap on fourth down with 1:54 remaining, when the Patriots needed to advance just a few inches to seal the win, nearly cost the team a victory.

Instead, it took cornerback Aqib Talib's fourth-down pass breakup, in the end zone, to finally extinguish the threat.

“We slugged it out,” Brady said early Monday morning. “We came to Atlanta, which is a tough place to play. They have a very good team. It’s nice to win and be 4-0.”

“I’m really proud of the way our team played today,” coach Bill Belichick said. “They made a good example of what it takes to win in the league, and that’s 60 minutes of good football. We have to do a better job of finishing out the game. Obviously we could have played a little better in the end, but it’s good to be 4-0 and get out of here with a win.”

As one player was quick to remind a reporter, few pundits predicted the Patriots would be in this position, which was a reminder that media buzz does resonate inside the locker room walls at times -- stuff like the Patriots defense needing to prove it can shut down a top-level quarterback, or the inconsistent offense being able to hold up its end of the bargain.

There will be fewer questions about the defense after this one, and anyone who might have doubted Talib’s value to the unit has to be having second thoughts. He’s been a big-time difference maker, the first real shutdown man corner the team has had since Ty Law (1995-2004), and he showed it again Sunday night.

But that doesn’t mean there are not concerns. Starting defensive tackle Vince Wilfork left the Georgia Dome with a protective boot on his right foot after being carted to the locker room in the first quarter. Belichick was speaking with Wilfork’s wife, Bianca, outside the team’s locker room after the game -- a conversation that both obviously hoped they wouldn’t be having.

The Boston Globe reports Wilfork has a torn right Achilles tendon and likely is done for the season.
Meanwhile, promoted cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who started in the base defense over Kyle Arrington for the first time this season, hobbled off late and didn’t finish. And rookie receiver Aaron Dobson left in the third quarter with a neck injury and never returned.

So the Patriots left Atlanta a battered team. But it’s safe to say they aren’t as bruised and beaten as the Falcons, who were steamrolled by a power running game that had shades of 2004, when Corey Dillon was tearing up opposing defenses. The Patriots, who owned a decisive size advantage over the Falcons, wanted to play old-fashioned big-boy football.

Wide-smiling 250-pound running back LeGarrette Blount, who romped for a 47-yard touchdown run at the start of the fourth quarter, relayed to the media that that was the crux of Belichick’s message all week -- physical play.

That’s why Brady had only nine pass attempts in the first half, the Patriots preferring to keep it on the ground (they only had three possessions) before their passing game erupted in the second half. Receivers Julian Edelman (7 catches, 118 yards) and Kenbrell Thompkins (6 catches, 127 yards and a TD) were immense.

“I’m just playing football and trusting the older guys to put me in the right spot for the plays that are being called,” said the unassuming Thompkins, whose diving 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter was similar to a play he failed to make in Week 2 against the New York Jets.

The play, in a sense, epitomizes the growth that players such as Thompkins and the Patriots have shown in a short time. And if the past is any indication, they should only get better.

When there was 6:31 remaining, and it was 30-13, it didn’t seem like a stretch to say the Patriots were putting together the type of performance that brought back memories of their Super Bowl championship past.

It had all the makings of the BEST WIN OF THE SEASON.

The ending, and near collapse, almost changed everything.

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ATLANTA -- Observed in the locker room after the New England Patriots' 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome:

Physical football the key: The final player to conduct interviews in the locker room was running back LeGarrette Blount, and, to a degree, the bruising 250-pound running back epitomized the team's offensive approach. "We wanted to be physical," he said of the Patriots' power running game. Blount said coach Bill Belichick had stressed that message to players early in the week. In a cramped locker room, it was Blount, fellow running back Stevan Ridley and several offensive linemen who drew big media crowds.

Mostly positive despite near-collapse: While quarterback Tom Brady didn't seem overly enthused, perhaps because of the way the offense couldn't close things out, one player said it was mostly a positive message from Belichick to the players. "Hey, we're 4-0. And we had a lot of doubters out there," one Patriot said, pointing out that the author in this space was one of them. In his postgame news conference, Belichick said: "I'm really proud of the way our team played. They made a good example of what it takes to win in this league, and that's 60 minutes of good football."

Talib's play draws raves: The first player whom media members swarmed was cornerback Aqib Talib, whose pass breakup in the end zone on fourth down sealed the win. Belichick raved about his performance, saying Talib has played well going all the way back to spring camps.

Wilfork's status a natural concern: Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork's wife, Bianca, attends almost every road game, and Belichick was seen speaking with her after the game. Naturally, the Patriots are concerned after Wilfork was carted to the locker room in the first quarter. Wilfork was later spotted with a protective boot over his right foot.

ATLANTA -- There was no hiding from the challenge of facing the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.

Atlanta boasts one of the most explosive offenses in football, catalyzed by a passing attack that features the NFL’s leading receiver, Julio Jones, and Roddy White, a four-time Pro Bowler.

And on Sunday night, as the game hung in the balance with a last-gasp effort from the Falcons to try to tie it in what would have been a miraculous comeback, it was a defensive player who capped the evening in fitting fashion, as Aqib Talib broke up a fourth-down pass intended for White. The play preserved the Patriots’ 30-23 victory.

“Coach dialed it up,” Talib said after the game. “I was on Roddy. Me and Roddy. He just ran a straight -- like an over route, a crossing route and Matt Ryan put it up. I just had to get to it, break it up.”

And break it up he did, as Talib managed to swat his fourth pass of the evening on a night when he also recorded his league-leading fourth interception.

Talib has been a stabilizing force for the Patriots' secondary since being acquired last season in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Sunday night may have been his best outing yet.

“Aqib’s played great for us all year,” coach Bill Belichick said. “All the way back to the spring, training camp, he’s stepped up when we needed him and he played well. He played the ball well. Played against good receivers, tackled well and just played well. He’s done a good job for us.”

There were times early in the game when the Patriots appeared to use Talib to shadow Jones, who finished the game with 108 yards -- nearly half of which came on one late downfield throw -- but he noted the importance of giving Jones a variety of looks to try to contain the gifted third-year wideout.

“We just switched it up on him, sometimes we doubled him, sometimes we single covered him,” Talib said. “We just tried to do a good job switching it up on him. I think we did a good job. Kept him off balance a little bit.”

The plan worked masterfully through the first half, as Jones entered halftime with just 5 yards on two catches. Things took an abrupt turn late in the fourth quarter when the Falcons successfully recovered an onside kick, and later when they stopped the Patriots on a failed fourth-down play (Tom Brady fumbled the snap).

On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Falcons, down by seven with 1:50 to play, looked long to Jones down the left sideline, connecting on the aforementioned 49-yard completion.

They were in business, it seemed, with a fresh set of downs and the ball inside the Patriots' red zone.

And yet, Talib said the secondary remained confident it was going to come through with the stop despite the sudden momentum swing.

“We practice it all the time,” he said. “We practice every situation. Bill [does] a good job putting us in every situation, so we’ve been in it in practice before, we did it in practice before, so we felt we could win the game.”

In the end, Talib and his secondary got the last laugh, as three plays later, White failed to come down with the ball in the end zone, Talib draped over him in coverage.

“The refs let us play,” he said of the win. “They did some pushing, we did some pulling, man. Came out with the victory.”

The Patriots head home 4-0 with a road trip to Cincinnati looming. That means another stiff test in the form of receiver A.J. Green.

When the team turns the page to the Bengals, rest assured it will be relying on Talib to help slow down Green next Sunday afternoon.

ATLANTA -- Thoughts on the New England Patriots' 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons:

What it means: The Patriots turned in an impressive effort through three and a half quarters and then almost collapsed. But they held on and improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 2007 season. The Falcons have been tough to beat in the Georgia Dome since 2008 (they were 34-7 entering the game), and they have been tough to beat after a loss over that span (22-3). The Falcons made a late charge, and the Patriots helped them get back into it with some sloppy play in critical situations, but the Patriots will obviously take the win.

Stock watch: Patriots defense -- rising. There were plenty of questions leading into the game about how the Patriots’ defense would fare against a top-level quarterback such as Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after beating rookies EJ Manuel (Bills) and Geno Smith (Jets) and soon-to-be-benched five-year veteran Josh Freeman (Buccaneers). It did its part, holding down the Falcons’ explosive offense. A heavier mix of pressure was part of the plan as Ryan had his rhythm disrupted at times. Cornerback Aqib Talib came up with the big pass breakup on fourth down in the end zone to end the game.

Wilfork’s injury looms large: Starting defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, a five-time Pro Bowler, left the game on the opening drive and didn’t return. He hobbled off to the sideline and then was carted to the locker room. The Patriots announced that he had an ankle injury and, at the start of the second half, Wilfork was spotted in street clothes with his right foot in a boot in the tunnel. The Patriots have been thin at defensive tackle since training camp began. After Wilfork, they have veteran Tommy Kelly and rookies Joe Vellano (undrafted) and Chris Jones (a sixth-round draft pick of the Texans who was claimed on waivers on Sept. 11). Jones was making his debut on Sunday night. Vellano had his first career sack in the third quarter.

Dobson leaves with injury: In addition to Wilfork, rookie receiver Aaron Dobson left the game with a neck injury in the third quarter and did not return. With Dobson not returning, and with Danny Amendola (groin) and special teams captain/emergency receiving option Matthew Slater (wrist) inactive, the Patriots’ depth at receiver was down to three players -- rookie Kenbrell Thompkins, five-year veteran Julian Edelman and rookie Josh Boyce.

Brady’s stats of note: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady extended his streak of games with at least one touchdown pass to 52, which is two shy of tying Drew Brees' record. But in a first half in which the Patriots turned to the power running game, Brady attempted just nine passes. Can’t think of too many times that has happened.

What’s next: The Patriots visit the Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) on Oct. 6.