FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the Patriots signed Aaron Hernandez to a long-term and lucrative contract extension near the end of the preseason, it was widely perceived as evidence that he would become the focal point of New England's offense in the campaign to come.

It was an idea supported by the timing and the terms of the deal, with the Pats locking him in at a reasonable rate before his numbers exploded, before he could make a case in future negotiations that he should be paid like a receiver rather than a tight end, before his value as one of the NFL's most versatile weapons became undeniable league-wide.

But now three games since Hernandez hurt his ankle, and since Wes Welker resumed his familiar role at the heart of the passing attack, the Patriots' offense sure seems to be functioning just fine without him.

A week after hanging more than half a hundred on the Bills, the Pats didn't put up quite so many against Denver. Though a case can be made that in leading the way to a 31-21 beating of the Broncos, New England's assault was arguably as impressive on Sunday evening, when it effectively balanced the run with the pass and racked up 444 yards against a defense that entered Gillette Stadium as the seventh-stingiest in football.

There were some hiccups in the second half that allowed the Broncos to climb back into the game, and forced the Patriots' defense to bail itself out by forcing its third fumble of the day late in the fourth quarter.

But the late-game scrambling, which coincided with a scheme change seemingly instituted to kill some clock, shouldn't overshadow the dominance New England's offense displayed in the process of building a 31-7 lead by the time the Broncos started making this game any different than the one-sided blowout that played out on the same turf last postseason.

Things got dicey because of four sacks, a failed fourth-down conversion attempt and a Stevan Ridley fumble, but the Patriots were in a position where it ultimately didn't matter because of the way they methodically moved the ball at will for the better part of three quarters — and, by now, the way they have for the better part of three games.

New England's first drive didn't go anywhere, though after that it was fast, and it was fun, as Tom Brady and his no-huddle attack went 84 yards in 12 plays. Then 85 yards in 14 plays. Then 93 yards in 16 plays. The mastery of the first two of those possessions was so precise that both wound up in the end zone without a single play of more than 15 yards, while the third converted a third-and-14 en route to a field goal before the halftime buzzer.

Piggybacking on the win over the Bills, when the Pats scored on their final seven series, that sequence meant New England had produced points on 10 of 11 possessions, including eight touchdowns. And maybe even more impressive is that of the possible 694 yards they could've gained on those series, they'd picked up 608 of them — with 69 of the 86 they failed to gain coming on Sunday's initial drive.

A three-and-out — just the Patriots' fourth of the season – started the second half. But then it was back to business for Brady. Next time he had the ball he led the Pats 80 yards and tumbled into the end zone himself on the series' 16th play. Then, thanks to the first of Rob Ninkovich's two forced fumbles, needed just a penalty and a Ridley run to score again 18 seconds later.

From there things slowed down — literally, as they exited the no-huddle, and figuratively, gaining just 70 yards in a fourth quarter that saw linemen Sebastian Vollmer and Logan Mankins go down — though they still managed to eat up 9 minutes and 48 seconds of the fourth quarter. And by then, their work was done.

It included 35 first downs, resetting the franchise record after coming within one of tying the previous mark in each of the two previous weeks. It included 13 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown from Wes Welker, who caught nine passes in a half for the first time in his career, was targeted on 15 of Brady's 31 attempts and was respectfully called “a bad dude” by Broncos safety Rahim Moore afterward.

It included 151 rushing yards from Ridley, who is now up to 490 for the season, and could be on the verge of becoming an elite back if he can find a way to hold on to the ball. It included 54 rushing attempts, for a beastly 251 yards. It included scoring scampers from Ridley, Brady and Shane Vereen. It included touchdowns on four of five trips to the red zone. And it included an impressive 65 percent success rate on third down.

With all that, the Patriots have now gained 1,420 yards and scored 113 points over the past three weeks, against a trio of defenses that were thought to be among the best in the AFC at the start of the season. And they did it all without Hernandez.

What's got to be scary for the Seahawks and the teams that follow them is the possibility that Hernandez could be back as soon as next week. If that's the case, Brady and the Patriots will be even more dangerous. After all, there's a reason they gave him that contract. He's a special weapon.

But the Patriots continue to prove they're plenty special without him, too.

Dave D'Onofrio covers the Patriots for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.