And you could see the missed tackles, penalty flags, breakdowns and mistakes all over the field.

The Bengals came away from Paul Brown Stadium with tread marks on their stomachs and backs after absorbing a humiliating 38-13 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots in front of 66,035 spectators on Sunday.

Rookie running back Laurence Maroney got New England's offense rolling like old times. Maroney ran for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns Sunday, restoring balance to the Patriots'off-keel offense and setting up a 38-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that had a familiar feel.

"Kind of like the Patriots you guys were used to seeing,"smiling quarterback Tom Brady said.

Only a week earlier, New England (3-1) was so pitiful on offense that Brady uncharacteristically waved his arms in frustration during a loss to Denver. The only time he lifted his arms Sunday was to signal another Patriots touchdown.

Maroney got the biggest ones.

Fresh off their victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, the unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals get to measure themselves against the team that has won more Lombardi trophies than any other this decade.

The Patriots (2-1) have bigger problems as the opening month winds down. Losing Deion Branch and David Givens -- their top receivers last season -- has sapped the offense and left one of the NFL's model franchises in an unaccustomed state.

A fourth of the way into the season, these New Englanders are missing something important.

First, Dick LeBeau. Now, Bill Belichick.

For the Bengals offense, it doesn’t get any easier.

A week ago, Cincinnati had to decipher LeBeau’s zone-blitz scheme. Who would be coming? When? From where?

But at least there was a starting point. The Steelers’ scheme was no mystery.

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer sounds like he's running for office — president of the Tom Brady Fan Club. That's how much Palmer admires his New England Patriots' counterpart.

"The way he manages games and controls a game are his strengths," Palmer said. "Another big strength of his that I admire is the way he stands in the pocket, moves around and doesn't look to run. He's always waiting and waiting and waiting, and then getting rid of the ball.

It took almost nine months, but wide receiver Chad Johnson finally admitted to throwing a temper tantrum in the locker room at halftime of the Cincinnati Bengals' 31-17 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 8.

Johnson called a news conference two days after the game and repeatedly said, "Nothing happened."