Tom Brady and the New England Patriots didn't spend a lot of time in London, but they sure knew how to have a good time there.
The Patriots romped over the St. Louis Rams 45-7 in front of 84,005 fans at Wembley Stadium. Tom Brady hasn't given the London crowd close games in his two games overseas, but he showed them what dominant offense is all about. (The Patriots won 35-7 four years ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.)
New England's offensive tackles held up very well in protection against St. Louis' pass rush. Brady threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns on 35 attempts, with Rob Gronkowski doing a fantastic job getting open up the field and helping block in the running game.
One day after spiking a microphone, Gronkowski got to show off his patented "Gronk Spike" twice Sunday. The first one included a nod to Buckingham Palace's "Changing of the Guard." The crowd loved it, and Gronkowski ended up with 144 yards on a day when Aaron Hernandez was out.
Gronkowski provided a clearer explaination to Comcast SportsNet New England's Art Martone as to what he was trying to mimic after the touchdown.
"That little nutcracker dude that's guarding the house," Gronkowski said.
Brady, however, wasn't exactly a fan of the Gronkowski nutcracker suite.
"I don't know what the hell he was doing (on) that first one," Brady told Martone. "Yeah, he needs some work on that."
The Patriots don't need to work on their offense -- they scored a touchdown on their first five possessions, and the Rams didn't make a defensive stop until late in the third quarter. New England's secondary gave up a few big plays but did a nice job getting off the field on third down. The game was over so quickly that Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett was able to replace Brady.
At 5-3, the Patriots hit their bye week with the top-scoring offense in the NFL. They have shown a troubling tendency to give up big leads, but they also have won three games in blowout fashion.
That's the sign of a very good team. In a watered-down AFC, the Patriots remain in great position.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
