New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, left, hands off to cornerback J.C. Jackson during the first half of Monday night's game in Orchad Park, N.Y. (AP photo)

Here’s the truth with how the New England Patriots operate, and it’s always amazing on how fans and media try to turn and twist it.

Drama? Sure, there’s drama. Brady vs. Belichick? Let’s take that for now and toss it out the window.

Why? Because there is one thing that Bill Belichick cares about whenever he goes into a football game:

Winning it.

And that’s the way he wants this Patriot team to think. Why did he have his team run the ball 32 straight times? Because it gave him the best chance to win.

The Patriots approach things one way: What do they need to do to win against that particular team. Game plans in the NFL change every week, but a lot of teams try to cater to their stars, making sure their top offensive players get to strut their stuff.

The Patriots don’t seem to strut. They block. They run. They tackle. Through all the machinations and different rule loopholes Belichick may take advantage of, he makes sure the basics are the things that matter with his team.

“The way the game played out, playing from ahead, and with the conditions being what they were, and the game unfolding the way it did, I thought we played a pretty good complementary game,” Belichick said on Tuesday. “All three units made plays that significantly impacted the game.”

Belichick knew going into the season that this team wouldn’t be a prolific passing team. If he had to go with Cam Newton, he knew Newton couldn’t really throw anymore. Whoever he drafted, if he was going to get a QB, he wasn’t going to put too much in his lap. He signed two tight ends and two fast,shifty, but basically possession wide receivers.

And now he has two running backs that simply keep the chains moving, and sometimes, like Damien Harris did, get a burst. The Buffalo Bills knew the Patriots were going to run the ball with the Wizard of Oz – like winds swirling.

And they couldn’t stop it. So Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels kept going to it.

Dorothy, Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West could fly through the air, but no footballs out of Mac Jones’ hand were going to. Ground control with that offensive line, Harris and rookie back Rhamondre Stevenson. And in a pinch, Brandon Bolden.

“Those guys were productive,” Belichick said. “They ran hard. They ran with good pad level. They got some extra yards after contact. That’s important, too. That’s what a back needs to do. We need to block the play for however many yards we block it for and, hopefully, the player with the ball can add onto that.”

Oh they added all right. The Bills didn’t build their team the right way for a place that has conditions like the ones that were present Monday night. They built a finesse team, and a team that can’t run or stop the run isn’t going to go very far. They didn’t like the media questions and reaction after the game, but the fact of the matter is, the Patriots are a bad matchup for the Bills.

That’s because of the way Belichick remade the team. Soft in 2020, hard as a rock in 2021.

And more cohesive. Mac Jones laughing and smiling after throwing only three passes. Matt Judon jabbing the rookie by saying afterward “All he did was hand off.”

They genuinely like each other, which of course is easy to do after winning seven straight. Are there any bumps in the road ahead? Perhaps,but you have to figure the extra time to prepare for Indy on Dec. 18 will be another positive.

The Patriots will follow the game plan, because they know one thing: It’s designed to produce a victory.

Under Belichick, you play to win the game. Period.

POWER RANKINGS

AFC

1.New England (9-4). 2. Kansas City (8-4). 3.Tennessee (8-4). 4. Baltimore (8-4). 5. L.A. Chargers (7-5).

NFC

1. Arizona (10-2). 2. Tampa Bay (9-3). 3.Green Bay (9-3). 4.L.A. Rams (8-4). 5. Dallas (8-4).