Laurence Maroney ran for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns Sunday, restoring balance to the Patriots' offence and setting up a 38-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

New England (3-1) savoured the big day by its offence, so balky a week earlier that Tom Brady uncharacteristically waved his arms in frustration during a loss to Denver. The only time he lifted his arms on Sunday was to signal another Patriots touchdown.

Maroney got the biggest ones.

Playing on the field where teammate Corey Dillon broke the single-game rushing record for Cincinnati in 2000, Maroney stiff-armed his way through the Bengals (3-1) on touchdown runs of 11 and 25 yards that set the tone.

He made three tacklers miss on his second scoring run, which put New England up 21-13 and allowed Brady to get beyond his frustrations and do what he does best _ efficiently take a defence apart. He was 15-of-26 for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns, setting up the Patriots' highest-scoring game in two seasons.

Dillon, who was tormented by losing during his seven seasons in Cincinnati, provided the final touch. His one-yard touchdown run with 13:53 to go put New England up 31-13 and drew another round of boos and catcalls.

Dillon then reared back and threw the ball high into the same stands where he tossed his helmet, cleats and jersey after his final game for the Bengals in 2003, bidding the city farewell.

Brady, Maroney and Dillon weren't the only ones who had a throwback day against the previously unbeaten Bengals, who couldn't sustain their momentum from a 28-20 win in Pittsburgh a week earlier. New England's patchwork defence also did a number on Carson Palmer.

Palmer was hit repeatedly, sacked four times and lost a pair of second-half fumbles that set up touchdowns and turned it into a blowout. Palmer was 20-of-35 for 245 yards in his least-productive showing since he returned from a major knee injury.

With starting cornerback Ellis Hobbs and safety Eugene Wilson sidelined by injuries, the Patriots had to improvise. Receiver Troy Brown reprised his role as nickel back, lining up on passing downs the way he did each of the last two seasons when New England was beat up.

That knack for improvisation helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls this decade. It worked again on Sunday against an offence missing one of its top receivers.

Chris Henry was inactive for the game, punishment for his latest off-field incident. Henry, one of six Bengals arrested in the last nine months, was a passenger in a sports utility vehicle stopped early Monday morning. Linebacker Odell Thurman, who was behind the wheel, was charged with drunken driving.