FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Wide receiver Josh Gordon played 18 snaps in his debut and made a notable contribution, Julian Edelman returns to the team Monday after serving a four-game suspension and a 38-7 blowout of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday has decisively altered the New England Patriots' outlook.

A changing of the guard in the AFC East, as some predicted entering Sunday?

Not so fast.

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The Patriots, who were looking to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since 2002, whacked the previously undefeated Dolphins to reassert their dominance and serve a reminder that the division still runs through New England.

The Patriots are now 82-23 against AFC East teams in the regular season since 2001, which is the best intradivision record of any team in the NFL. And since the NFL realigned divisions in 2002, the Patriots have won 14 division titles, most in the league over that span.

Sunday was a chance for the Dolphins to show they were ready to knock the Patriots from that perch, but instead, the Patriots (2-2) were inspired by a revived defense that never relented. That unit was the story of the game -- completely flipping the script from back-to-back losses against Jacksonville and Detroit -- and it gave the still-evolving offense more margin for error early.

Meanwhile, the Tom Brady-led offense seemed to get a spark from the inclusion of Gordon (2 catches, 32 yards), with receiver Phillip Dorsett’s second-quarter flip touchdown a highlight, running back James White (2 TDs) delivering his usual steady game and rookie running back Sony Michel (25 carries, 112 yards, TD) finding his groove behind an offensive line that recommitted itself as run-blockers.

Gordon’s inclusion into the attack is a major storyline, and he addressed reporters for the first time Sunday since the Patriots acquired him in a trade from the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 17.

“I have no doubt I can take advantage of this opportunity,” said Gordon, who fielded three questions from reporters. “I’m extremely grateful to be put in this scenario, and I think the only thing that’s right for me to do is take full advantage of it.

“I’m loving it. I’m enjoying it. The guys here are great. It’s a real home environment, and I feel as comfortable as ever here.”

Brady noted the spark that Gordon provided the Patriots.

“He's putting a lot of work a lot of time trying to understand where to line up and what to do. He came up with some big plays today, kind of got us going in certain areas,” he said. “So it was great to have him out there.”

Meanwhile, Edelman’s return leading into Thursday night’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts should be another big boost, helping to create an added comfort level for Brady, who has made some uncharacteristic mistakes (3 interceptions) through the first quarter of the season. In the locker room after the game, Dorsett wore one of Edelman’s signature T-shirts, saying it wasn’t a coincidence as teammates are excited to welcome him back.

Phillip Dorsett with the fitting T-shirt - @Edelman11 "Gotta Believe" as Edelman returns to the Patriots on Monday. pic.twitter.com/UfPYrkPJQW — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 30, 2018

Added Brady: “It'll be great to have him. We haven't seen him in four weeks but I know he'll be ready. And it's a short week [with a Thursday game], so I'm sure he'll be in here ready to go. Everyone loves Jules and loves having him back.”

There is one big potential concern for the Patriots, however.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski left Sunday’s game in the third quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return, spending the remainder of the contest in the locker room. It’s possible that Gronkowski wouldn’t have returned anyway, given the Patriots had full control of the game, but the fact that he wasn’t on the sideline – and didn’t hold his usual post-game news conference -- was notable.

For the past two weeks, Gronkowski has faced consistent double coverage, forcing others to step up and make plays. The offense struggled.

Things started to click against the Dolphins, so now the question is whether the Patriots have to reboot once again should Gronkowski’s ankle injury affect his availability.

It was the only downer to an otherwise dominant day that re-established the Patriots’ position as kings of the AFC East.