But Brady, who yesterday was named the AFC offensive player of the week for the second straight time, isn’t satisfied.

“Regardless of how I play, it’s how our offense plays. That’s what I’m concerned most about,’’ he said yesterday. “I think we’ve been playing better as of late, and we’re going to need to continue to play better. The weather is getting colder. The conditions are getting tougher. Everyone has to be able to execute at a high level, and I think that the guys that are on the field that are playing play in, play out, we’re doing a good job of that. We’re still searching for more consistency for all us.’’

New England is averaging an NFL-best 31.6 points per game and is on pace for 506 points this season, which would be the second-highest total in team history, behind the league-record 589 in 2007. But Brady doesn’t feel he’s living ’07 all over again.

“We’re not even close to that. I think it’s an entirely different team and style than what we’re trying to accomplish here. We’re just trying to get the ball in the end zone,’’ he said. “We don’t go out there to punt. I think we’ve been the beneficiaries of a lot of turnovers by our defense, which has really helped us.’’

The player of the week honor was the 17th of Brady’s career. Since the NFL instituted weekly awards 1984, the Colts’ Peyton Manning has gotten the nod 20 times, more than any player.

Interested observer Running back Kevin Faulk couldn’t resist standing on the sideline Monday night. The last time he saw the Jets was in Week 2, when he suffered his season-ending knee injury.

“It might be selfish a little bit in saying this, but last week meant a lot to me in the sense that that’s the game I got hurt,’’ Faulk said. Coach Bill Belichick credited Faulk for being a positive influence leading up to the Jets game. Faulk said he was just doing what he could to keep everyone focused.

“It’s hard sometimes when you wake up in the morning knowing that you’re not going to work to prepare for the game, you’re going to rehab and you’ll be done,’’ said Faulk. “You understand that after a while, but it’s still hard sometimes.’’

Points well taken Jets receiver Braylon Edwards told reporters yesterday that the Patriots didn’t let up on Monday night.

“I don’t want to say they ran it up, but at the end of the day, they ran it up,’’ he said. “If you look at what happened, yeah, they ran it up. But that’s football.’’

Edwards admitted that his team likely would have done the same thing.

“It’s a rivalry and it’s two guys that probably don’t like each other, through the rivalry at least,’’ he said. “So we probably would’ve done the same thing.’’

Ground control The sod at Soldier Field in Chicago was replaced last week, which is something the Patriots and Bears will have to be aware of come Sunday.

“I think one of the things that players think the most about is their footing,’’ Belichick said. “We’ve been through that before. We know what it’s like to sod a field in December. You can imagine how well that’s going to take. But both teams are playing on the same field.’’

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler yesterday called the Soldier Field playing surface “one of the worst in the league at this point.’’

Inside job The Patriots held a walkthrough practice inside the Dana-Farber Field House, a sign that Belichick is pulling back in terms of the physical strain on his players with the short weekThree players were not spotted during the media-access window: Dan Koppen, Mike Wright (concussion), and Jonathan Wilhite (hip). Koppen, however, was not on the injury report, and a team official said he did practice. Brady (foot/right shoulder) and Myron Pryor (back) were limited . . . Linebackers Nick Roach (back) and Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee), and running back Chester Taylor (knee) did not practice for the Bears.