Despite some new faces and a switch back from the 3-4 to the 4-3, it picked up right where it left off with stellar play in the Patriots’ 34-13 victory against the Titans Sunday.

The Patriots had much to worry about with a mobile quarterback in Jake Locker looking for any opportunity to run, and the fastest running back in the league, Chris Johnson, able to break a huge run given the smallest crease.

But the Patriots never cracked in their two-gap 4-3 scheme as the Titans rushed for just 20 yards on 16 carries. Sure, the linebackers mostly played well and have to fit properly for the run defense to work, but everything is predicated on the line doing its job.

Some teams want their linemen to shoot gaps to cause disruption in the backfield, especially those in 4-3 schemes. Even though the Patriots have moved from the 3-4 to the 4-3, they have carried over the two-gap responsibilities for the linemen.

The “A” gaps are between the centers and guards. The “B” gaps are between the guards and tackles. The “C” gaps are between the tackles and tight ends, and the “D” gaps are on the outside shoulder of a tight end, should he be there.

The Patriots want the defensive tackles, Vince Wilfork and Kyle Love, to patrol both the A and B gaps, on either sides of the guards. The ends are responsible for the C and D gaps.

That might seem impossible, and it almost is. But that’s how good the Patriots are. When they are single blocked, the Patriots are to stand the lineman up, read the running back, and then shed the block one way for the other to make or force a play.

Even if the tackles have two blockers pushing against them, they are supposed to anchor and not be moved. The strength it takes is incredible. Yet they do it time and time again.

A perfect example came with 59 seconds left in the third quarter. The Titans spread the field with four receivers, and Johnson next to Locker in the shotgun. The play, an inside zone run behind a pulling guard, should have hit big against a defense with five defensive backs and just two linebackers.

But instead of flowing with the run blockers, the entire line — from right end Chandler Jones, tackles Love and Wilfork, and left end Jermaine Cunningham — stayed perfectly in their gaps.

Johnson found no room to run as Love and Wilfork closed off the middle, Cunningham correctly forced Johnson more to the outside, and cornerback Devin McCourty finished off the play for no gain.

The other part of proper run discipline is for the linebackers to fit the run properly.

The outside linebackers will fill between the ends and the tackles. The middle linebacker is responsible for the area between the two defensive tackles.

When it works perfectly, the running back should see a wall with no breaks and be forced to spill the run outside. That’s what Johnson and the Titans saw all day.

Here are the positional ratings against the Titans:

Quarterback (rating: 3 out of 5)

Not one of Tom Brady’s better games, mostly because the game plan seemed more keen on him not holding the ball behind a new offensive line, instead of pushing it down the field. Brady missed some throws he usually makes, even though he was blitzed just twice and was pressured eight times. It still seems as though this new offense is a little uncomfortable and he’s still adjusting to it. That will change. Brady needs to make a better pass on the play-action fake reverse to Brandon Lloyd. He should have led Lloyd a little bit. In many ways it wasn’t all that different than the throw to Wes Welker in the Super Bowl. Each time Brady saw a safety threat that wasn’t there.

Running backs (rating: 4.5 out of 5)

Stevan Ridley was outstanding, with six broken tackles. Danny Woodhead was solid in just 14 snaps, but Lex Hilliard, understandably, looked lost.

Receivers (rating: 4 out of 5)