FOXBORO -- It was kind of the bafflingly athletic play Josh Gordon has made time and again over the course of his roller-coaster career. His rare speed, physicality and coordination were all on display when he reeled in his first touchdown as a member of the Patriots.

And the fact that it came on what Gordon called a "sandlot football" type of play only served as an indicator of Tom Brady's trust in him after just two games together.

"I think after seeing the rush, [Brady] get out of the pocket," Gordon said, "it kind of just goes to sandlot football. Scramble drill. You know, go in the opposite direction of where you were going. Went in the end zone, we made eye contact . . . perfect throw."

Gordon's touchdown didn't just look good. It was key in the Patriots pulling away from the Colts in the fourth quarter of their Week 5 victory, making the score 37-17 with just over nine minutes remaining.

But it sure did look good.

Gordon started the play by running a deep over route. Nothing out of the ordinary there for him. The majority of his targets in a Patriots uniform have come on inward-breaking routes. He had a 16-yard catch over the middle, absorbing a big blow as he came down with it, not too long before his score.

When the play broke down, Gordon quickly threw on the breaks and bent his path to the Patriots sideline. In the process, the defensive back in coverage almost pulled Gordon down as he tried to change directions with him.

Fighting through the contact, Gordon gathered himself, ran toward two defenders in the corner of the end zone and out-jumped his competition to snag Brady's floater.

"That was a great play Josh made jumping over the top of two defenders," Brady said. "That shows you the type of confidence I have in him in a very short period of time. He's earned it. Happy he made that play."

After the game, Gordon called it "a relief" not to be a focal part of an offense, the way he was when he was on the field in Cleveland. For a talent like his to be an afterthought might make him the most dangerous offensive also-ran in the NFL at the moment.

On Thursday, James White led the team with 10 catches and 77 yards. Julian Edelman, in his first game back off of suspension, was right behind with seven grabs for 57 yards. Rob Gronkowski had six for 75. Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson and Sony Michel also caught passes on the night.

What a difference a few weeks can make.

It wasn't all that long ago that the Patriots were having trouble moving the football through the air. Gronkowski was doubled everywhere he went. Receivers had trouble separating. Edelman was working out with a retired Patriot, Rob Ninkovich, instead of active ones.

In the last two weeks, the Patriots have added one of the game's most capable deep threats and one of its most accomplished short-area receivers. Edelman's quick emergence comes as little surprise, but what the impact Gordon has made is a harbinger of this group's ceiling.

When Thursday's starting unit of Gronkowski, White, Edelman and Hogan are all right they can be very good. But when Gordon is added to the mix, as he was Thursday in New England's first 11-personnel grouping, it gives them another dimension.

Matthew Slater said the Patriots sideline was in awe of Gordon's first score, which was Brady's 500th, and which made Gordon the 71st receiver to whom Brady's thrown a touchdown -- an NFL record.

"Man, that guy's good," Slater said. "We've seen what Josh can do in this league. He has a lot of God-given ability. We're lucky to have him now. Hopefully we can see more of that . . . You can't coach that. It's God-given."

Brady said after the game he felt as though he and his teammates are only scratching the surface of what they can do offensively, even after scoring 38 points in consecutive weeks.

"We had more in us this week," Brady said. "Last week . . . I think we had more in us. I think that's what we're looking at. We've got a lot of room to grow."

To get to this point, where Brady would say something like that, knowing where they were two weeks ago? Baffling.