FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Bill Belichick didn't detail why starting defensive tackle Malcom Brown was demoted in Saturday's 41-3 victory over the New York Jets, but I'm told it was because Brown was late for a meeting this week. Belichick's stance on tardiness is well documented, with one notable example coming in 2014 with cornerback Darrelle Revis. Brown didn't want to discuss the issue when approached after the game, but the team's 2015 first-round draft choice is viewed by many in the organization as mature beyond his years, and this appears to be a case where he made an honest mistake. But from Belichick's view, the rules are in place for a reason, and that's why Brown didn't play on defense until late in the game as rookie Vincent Valentine took all his reps.

2. In his pregame interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Belichick said the Patriots have been "remarkably fortunate" when it comes to stability and improvement on the offensive line with the top unit of left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Joe Thuney, center David Andrews, right guard Shaq Mason and right tackle Marcus Cannon. Consider this difference: Last year, the Patriots utilized a NFL-high 39 different offensive line combinations and no unit played more than 135 snaps together. This year, the Patriots have tapped nine different combinations, with the top unit playing just shy of 800 snaps together. This is exactly what returning offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia said he hoped to accomplish before the season began.

3. Since missing a 39-yard field goal against the Jets on Nov. 27, which came one week after missing his third extra point of the season (vs. the 49ers), Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski hasn't had a miscue: In four games, he's made 9 of 9 field goals -- with five of them coming from 40 yards or longer -- and 12 of 12 extra points. That's a big turnaround after his inconsistency earlier in the season when at one point he said, "I just stink." When recently approached about it, Gostkowski said he wasn't getting into a weekly play-by-play on his performance, which highlights how he's attempting to avoid riding the roller coaster of ups and downs.

4a. If it seems like Belichick hasn't been reaching into his sock as much for his challenge flag this year, it's because he isn't. Belichick has challenged a league-low one call this season. Jacob Nitzberg of ESPN's Stats & Information relays that since the challenge system was implemented at the start of the 1999 season, there has been only one time a team hasn't challenged a single play all season -- the 2003 Indianapolis Colts under Tony Dungy. Meanwhile, if Belichick doesn't challenge a call in the season finale at Miami, the 2016 Patriots will become only the fifth team in the last decade to go a full season challenging just one play (2011 Dolphins, 2013 Vikings, 2013 Patriots, 2014 Falcons).

4b. Belichick's one challenge this season: In Week 3, he successfully challenged that Houston Texans kickoff returner Charles James was not down by contact and the Patriots had a clear recovery of his fumble.

4c. Entering Week 16 games, the league average for challenges per team was 4.68.

5. One theme that was echoed by Belichick and team president Jonathan Kraft during pregame interviews on 98.5 The Sports Hub was how safety Devin McCourty's bone-jarring hit on Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to essentially close out last Sunday's 16-3 victory represented something important. Belichick called it a "signature play" for the evolving and improving defense, while Kraft called it a "statement that doesn't happen everywhere around the NFL each Sunday." Along those lines, if the Patriots ultimately win the Super Bowl, McCourty's hit could be viewed similarly to linebacker Bryan Cox's season-altering stick on Colts receiver Jerome Pathon in the team's 2001 Super Bowl campaign.

6. As part of the trade that landed cornerback Eric Rowe from the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6, the Patriots will ship a 2018 third-round pick if Rowe plays in 50 percent of the defensive snaps in either the 2016 or 2017 season, and a 2018 fourth-rounder if he doesn't. With one game remaining in the regular season, it's timely to revisit the trade and note that Rowe -- a starting-caliber player in New England -- won't hit the 50 percent mark this year; he's currently at 40.5 percent of the defensive snaps as a result of being inactive for seven games.

7. Six games ago, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was facing some public scrutiny for the unit's struggles, and now it's come full circle as the surging D leads the NFL for fewest points allowed (15.7 avg.) and is in position to finish the year No. 1 in that category for the first time since their 2003 Super Bowl season (14.9 avg.). Considering what the Patriots did Saturday against the Jets -- winning big without captain Dont'a Hightower (resting a knee injury) as trade acquisition Kyle Van Noy and rookie Elandon Roberts led the huddle in his place -- Patricia should now receive the same level of praise as he did criticism.

8. With the Texans holding on to beat the Bengals on Saturday night, they win the AFC South and now book a trip to New England during the 2017 regular season. Meanwhile, if the Steelers beat the Ravens on Sunday afternoon, they'd win the AFC North and the Patriots will visit them next season.

9. A picked-up piece from the locker room last week: Rookie guard/center Ted Karras, the sixth-round draft choice from Illinois, grew up in Indianapolis four houses away from the residence of Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird.

10. The Patriots' on-field emotion, and how generally happy teammates seem to be for others when they make plays, stands out. Two plays come to mind from Saturday in this area -- tight end Matt Lengel's 18-yard touchdown catch, and cornerback Eric Rowe's interception. Watching how players reacted to those plays made the storylines of potential dissension within the ranks following the Oct. 31 Jamie Collins trade and Nov. 20 deactivation of Jabaal Sheard seem like a long, long time ago.