Counterintuitive though it may be, the shiny hood ornament theory stands today indisputable. The Patriots suddenly appear tougher, nastier and better equipped to play various styles of football than they appeared just one month ago. Their defense is playing better, surrendering fewer points and roughing up opposing teams like it once did in during its Super Bowl glory days earlier in the decade.

The Patriots, in the wake of the Moss trade, have all the appearances of a tougher team. They look like the Old School Patriots, as we noted a couple weeks ago.

Two plays have summed up that new-old grittier style of New England football perfectly: the first was when safety Brandon Meriweather roughed up Baltimore tight end Todd Heap with an illegal hit in New England’s 23-20 victory three weeks ago, the first game of the post-Moss Era. Yes, it was an illegal hit that spawned a wave of controversy from folks other than the Cold, Hard Football Facts. But in the NFL, in a realm where the Law of the Jungle still rules, the hit changed the course of the game.

And then against Minnesota on Sunday, one play summed up the new Old School Patriots: the Vikings faced 4th and goal at the New England 1 in the final seconds of the first half. The game was tied 7-7.

Minnesota decided to pound it into the end zone with the great Adrian Peterson. But in a statement moment, the suddenly tougher New England defense rose up and stuffed Peterson for a 2-yard loss. The stop preserved the tie, preserved momentum and, in the end, might have preserved the victory.