FOXBOROUGH - It was almost as if every knife in Bill Belichick’s drawer was a Swiss Army.
With a struggling Joey Galloway scratched despite not being listed on the injury report, the Patriots again had four receivers active, but Belichick showed the Ravens so many different looks in the passing game yesterday it seemed as if they had an army of them.
One play, everything was reasonably normal. Randy Moss would be lined up wide right, Sam Aiken would be on the other end, and Wes Welker would be in the slot.
But on another, Moss would be wide on one side, only he’d have running back Fred Taylor beside him and instead of Aiken on the other end, it would be tight end Chris Baker. Aiken would move to the slot with Welker beside him.
Then, a possession later, the Patriots would give the Ravens a different look, with a running back - either Sammy Morris or Kevin Faulk - out wide or with Moss in the slot.
Keeping track of all the alignments was difficult, even for a defense as instinctive as Baltimore’s.
“We can create a lot of confusion,’’ said Welker. “We’ve just got to make sure we don’t confuse ourselves.’’
In the season opener against Buffalo - a game in which Tom Brady threw 53 passes - six players were on the receiving end. Seven receivers got in on the action against the Jets. Last week against Atlanta, the Patriots divided up the passing game eight ways. And in yesterday’s 27-21 win over Baltimore, Brady sprayed it around to nine receivers, who combined for 21 catches and 258 yards.
Having so many options was an advantage not only because it kept a rabid Ravens defense off balance, but also because versatility has been a staple of the Patriots’ offense.
“You definitely want to get back to using a lot of different personnel groups, spreading the ball, getting a lot of people involved,’’ said tight end Benjamin Watson, who caught two passes, including a 34-yarder, his longest of the season. “I think that’s when we’re at our best, when there’s a lot of people involved in the game plan.’’
For Belichick, reaching into the tool box was an easy decision once he realized how much attention the Ravens were paying to Moss.
“They played a lot of coverage over Randy like we expected with [safety Ed] Reed over the top,’’ Belichick said. “They took a lot of those plays away. So we had to go to other options, and we got a lot of good production from our backs, our tight ends, and certainly some of the other receivers, Sam, Wes, and those guys.’’
Moss was only targeted five times, but he caught three passes, including his first touchdown of the season. With the Patriots on the Baltimore 14 and Aiken, Welker, and Watson lined up on the right side of the field, Moss was all by himself on the left with Domonique Foxworth covering. The Ravens brought the blitz, and Brady essentially tossed an alley-oop to Moss, who got inside Foxworth with relative ease. It was Moss’s 137th career touchdown, but his first since December. It was also the first time he and Brady have hooked up since Super Bowl XLII.
“It’s about time,’’ said Brady. “You know we’re finding our way out there and he’s a huge part of this offense, and we’ve got to keep finding ways to get him the ball down there. He’s able to make those plays, so we’ve got to keep at it.’’
Brady also had another one of his favorite targets, Welker, at his disposal for the first time since the opener. Knee troubles kept Welker out of the last two games, but yesterday, as he lined up all over the field, but mostly in his signature slot position, Brady threw his way 10 times, and Welker led the team with six catches (for 48 yards).
“It felt good,’’ Welker said. “It’s been a pretty depressing two weeks, so being able to get out there, it was a good deal for me. It’s been really hard not being able to get out there and play - and not only play, but practice and things like that - it’s been tough. So it’s very encouraging to get back out there.’’
As far as comfort and timing, Welker said some things come naturally. Even though he said the receivers are still trying to “make sure that everybody’s in the right spots and understand how we want to run the play,’’ he paused to think about what the options meant for opposing defenses.
“Once we get all that down, it’s going to cause a lot of confusion for them,’’ said Welker.
Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com. 
