Here’s a look at the first half of the season for the New England Patriots (7-1) and a preview of what to expect in the second half:

Grade A-minus: It’s hard to argue with the bottom-line results, even if it hasn’t always come with the desired style points (e.g., the defense has struggled at times, kicker Stephen Gostkowski has endured one of the toughest stretches of his 11-year career). The most impressive aspect has been how the Patriots navigated through a four-game suspension served by quarterback Tom Brady, tapping both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett to open 3-1.

Midseason MVP: Brady. Yes, he has been limited to just four games, but he’s already in the discussion for the NFL MVP so he’s an obvious choice here. Brady is 98-of-134 for 1,319 yards, with 12 touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 44 yards on 10 carries which have included some backbreaking scrambles to produce first downs. At 39 years old, he recently said he feels better than when he was at 29, and the results have shown. Runner-up: Rob Gronkowski scoring his franchise-record 69th touchdown Oct. 30 against the host Buffalo Bills.

Best moment: When Brady returned Oct. 9 at Cleveland, it was a regular-season game that had a playoff-like buzz to it. Brady’s every move was chronicled closely, from his arrival at the stadium, through pregame warmups when his emotions were apparent, and then during an impressive performance in 33-13 victory before a sizable Patriots crowd that traveled to see his return and made it feel like a bit of a home game. While it wasn’t against top competition, Brady showed he hadn’t missed a beat.

Worst moment: The Patriots had never been shut out at Gillette Stadium since it opened in 2002 until the Bills blanked them 16-0 on Oct. 2. Some of the biggest news came before the game when Bills safety Robert Blanton took exception to what he felt was Brissett and rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell running through their warmup, so he started a scuffle that had coaches attempting to play the role of peacemaker as they were caught in the crossfire. Then the Bills played inspired football as the Patriots -- who started Brissett for a second straight week despite pregame reports that Garoppolo might be available -- were lackluster.

Player to watch: The obvious suspects apply here -- Brady, Gronkowski, etc. -- but let’s go with running back Dion Lewis. He was impressive in 2015 before tearing his ACL in early November, and he opened this season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list after requiring a follow-up surgery on the knee (but not specifically on the ACL). Lewis began practicing Oct. 27, which means the Patriots will have to activate him to the roster or place him on injured reserve by Nov. 17. The plan seems to be to take it slowly with Lewis so he can be at his best when it counts. His return will be similar to acquiring a high-impact player at the trade deadline.

Second-half outlook: The Patriots often say that the first goal each season is to win the AFC East, because that ensures at least one home playoff game. They are well on their way at 7-1, with Buffalo in second place at 4-4. The toughest games on the schedule look to be Nov. 13 at home against the Seattle Seahawks, Nov. 27 at the New York Jets, Dec. 12 at home against the Baltimore Ravens and Dec. 18 at the Denver Broncos. “I’m just happy that our team is at the place we’re at,” Brady said. “It doesn’t mean anything because we’re only eight games in. We have a long way to go. I look forward to the second half of the season [and] we’re going to have a tough test coming right off the bat against Seattle on Sunday night. We know how good of a team they are.”