Last night's win made a believer out of me

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Patriots fan are excited about last night's 43-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and rightfully so. The Patriots looked impressive in every facet of the game, cutting through the Cincinnati Bengals defense like they weren't there, while Revis Island was out in full effect against A.J. Green (5 catches, 81 yards and a TD, most of which came against Logan Ryan and a fumble that Darrelle Revis forced). Not to mention a fumble recovered for a touchdown on special teams, which proved to be the killer blow in the game. And Tom Brady was spreading the ball around like he should, to the point where top target Julian Edelman only had 5 catches for 35 yards. 8 different players had a catch in the game, 4 receivers had multiple receptions, and everyone except Danny Amendola had double-digit yardage.

So, the question is now, "Am I convinced?" The answer to that is yes. I haven't forgotten the Monday night disaster against the Kansas City Chiefs and how bad they looked, but I think that loss and all the talk following that game provided a spark that I think will carry the Patriots for the rest of the season. The Pats were playing angry last night. They came out wanting to make an immediate statement, which they did with an opening drive touchdown that set them up quite nicely for the rest of the game. They still have a pretty tough schedule for the rest of the season with 5 division games (starting next week against the Bills and the Jets at home on a short week and closing out against Miami, New York and Buffalo respectively), as well Denver, Indianapolis, Green Bay and San Diego among the highlights down the stretch. They'll have to continue play at a high level like they did against the Bengals, but I saw enough last night to make me believe they can keep this up and end with another 10+ win season.

All stats from ESPN.com. Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter or leave a comment.