Wow what a game! A few thoughts:
1) After taking a few throws to shake off the rust and nerves, Brady looked great. No QB 42 or older has more than 11 TDs in a season, and barring injury Brady looks poised to shatter that record.
2) The WR group the Patriots have obviously contains a ton of talent, and that was Without Antonio Brown and Demaryius Thomas. They will be very difficult to defend against, even for teams with great DBs, and for teams without itll be practically impossible.
3) The Patriots run blocking obviously has taken a major hit since last year, it is there the loss of Gronk felt the most noticeable. Hopefully they'll figure out the ground game, because even though Brady *can* throw 30, 40, 50+ times a game, he'll stay fresher longer if he isn't doing so.
4) Defensively, the Patriots showed they're still one of the best defenses in football, keeping the Steelers in check on the ground and in the air. They surrendered just 3 points, and honestly it felt like the Steelers took the field goal there just to avoid getting shut out.
5) This looks like a top 5 scoring offense and a top 5 scoring defense, and with that kind of balance they'll be a tough out come playoffs. Since they only face 1 opponent (the Bills) who won yesterday in their next 7 games, and since 2 of their 4 toughest games are not just November or later but are at home, them making the playoffs with good seeding seems likely.