ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- For all the talk Sunday about the Buffalo Bills shutting out the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots, the 16-0 victory had just as much to do with the performance of the Bills' offense as it did Rex Ryan's defense shutting down rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

For the Bills' offense, it wouldn't have mattered if Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo or Babe Parilli was starting at quarterback for New England. Against a Patriots defense that was only missing one starter (defensive end Rob Ninkovich because of a suspension), Buffalo moved the ball with ease out of the gate. The Bills' first three offensive possessions each lasted 10 plays or longer, gained at least 66 yards and all resulted in scores -- one touchdown and two field goals.

Who expected that showing from Anthony Lynn in only his second game as offensive coordinator?

The Bills are "confident in what the plan is" under offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, head coach Rex Ryan said. AP Photo/Mike Groll

Lynn, thrust into his current role after the sudden firing Sept. 16 of Greg Roman, continues to effectively work around the loss of wide receiver Sammy Watkins by establishing a more effective running game led by LeSean McCoy. In two games with Lynn calling plays, the Bills have tripled their first-half rushing output, from 82 yards over their first two contests to an NFL-best 252 yards over the past two weeks.

Credit McCoy's elusiveness and the Bills' offensive line for clearing space. Of those 252 first-half rushing yards in Weeks 3 and 4, 207 yards came before first contact by a defender, according to ESPN Stats & Information. On 31 total first-half carries, that amounts to an astonishing 6.68 yards per rush before first contact.

"We beat their ass," guard Richie Incognito said Sunday of Buffalo's offensive line against New England's defensive front. "We were physical. We out-physicaled them."

Extending drives, Incognito added, was important. The Bills gained 16 first-half first downs in Sunday's win, the most they've gained in the first half of any game since their 2011 regular-season finale. Even without Watkins, the Bills have been able to move the chains through the air. Buffalo converted an NFL-low five passing first downs over the first two weeks of the season; over the past two weeks, they nearly tripled that number to 14 first-half passing first downs.

Leading the charge on third downs Sunday in the absence of Watkins was fourth-year receiver Robert Woods, who can continue to benefit from a larger role during his contract year. Four of Woods' first-half catches against New England went for first downs, the second-highest total of his career after his Nov. 2014 performance against the New York Jets.

For quarterback Tyrod Taylor, the Bills' win Sunday wasn't spectacular, but his ability to find Woods and tight end Charles Clay early in the game helped propel the Bills' offense when McCoy wasn't running the ball. Taylor's 94.6 quarterback rating was a considerable improvement over his career-low 51.9 rating in the win over Arizona, while his 15 passing first downs were a career high.

Taylor remains a project for Lynn, who explained last week that he wants his quarterback to stay in the pocket more often and keep defenses honest as a passer. That happened to extent Sunday, which was Taylor's first win with Buffalo having thrown 30 or more passes. He previously was 0-6 in such games.

As Taylor makes small strides in his development, the offense as a whole has taken a step forward under Lynn. Players have credited a faster and more aggressive pace as one reason, along with a more compact game plan than what Roman prepared.

"Things are a lot tighter," Ryan said Monday. "We don't quite have the volume [of plays], but we have plenty. It's not like we’re going in there with just three running plays and 12 passes or something. We have plenty. We’re practicing it, we’re doing a good job. I think we’re confident in what the plan is."