FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots obviously did a lot of things right in their 45-7 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, but it wasn't any specific play that was the signature moment of the day.

It was what happened after a play -- receiver Jakobi Meyers' long-awaited first career touchdown catch in the fourth quarter -- that stood out more than anything.

Every player on the team raced to the end zone to be with Meyers. The bench area was literally empty.

"Honestly, the fact that everybody celebrated with me means more than the touchdown," Meyers said after ending the longest scoring drought by a receiver in the past 40 years. "I feel like that says a lot about your teammates and what they think of you, and just the fact they were all there."

While the Patriots were overjoyed in celebration, the play included a serious injury for the Browns, with cornerback Troy Hill appearing to bang his head on the turf in an attempt to tackle Meyers and remaining down for an extended period. Belichick expressed his concern after the game and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Hill was being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. Hill was diagnosed with a neck sprain, released from the hospital and cleared to travel back to Cleveland on Monday.

The reaction to Meyers' score says a lot about the 2021 Patriots as a team, as it's the type of tight-knit chemistry that has contributed to past Bill Belichick-coached teams achieving things others didn't think were possible.

How far it might take them this year remains to be seen, considering the topsy-turvy nature of the NFL is on display weekly. For example, who predicted the Washington Football Team beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday?

Whole team wanted that @jkbmyrs5 TD. #BudLightCelly | @budlight pic.twitter.com/IJEk280PHb

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 14, 2021

But the present picture is as promising as it has been for Belichick's Patriots this season. They are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winners of four in a row to improve to 6-4.

Now they prepare for a quick turnaround to face the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium on Thursday (8:20 p.m., NFL Network/Fox). After that comes a home game against the AFC-leading Tennessee Titans (8-2) that might soon be flexed out of its 1 p.m. ET time slot, and then a Monday night date with the AFC-East leading Buffalo Bills (6-3) in Orchard Park, N.Y.

They are the type of showdowns that were commonplace around these parts for decades, and in that sense, maybe that's what veteran offensive tackle Trent Brown meant when he tweeted that it felt like old times.

The tweet might have simply been Brown's reference to returning to action Sunday after missing eight games with a calf injury, but there surely was a nostalgic feeling inside Gillette Stadium. This is the time of year when the weather turns cold in New England, Belichick's teams have traditionally kicked it into a higher gear, and the home crowd erupts in joyous celebration in the fourth quarter.

Belichick called it a "great day", and later, it was mentioned by a reporter that six wins doesn't get a team into the playoffs. Belichick agreed before the thought was finished, which seems to be part of what he is preaching to his team -- keep pushing ahead.

"What happened today, or what happened in September or some other game, I don't think it really matters at this point," Belichick said. "It's really what we do from here."

All of their goals are still in front of them, and now that Meyers has finally caught a touchdown pass, it checks off one notable individual milestone.

Quarterback Mac Jones was frantically searching for the football during the celebration, because he wanted to make sure Meyers would be able to keep it. Meyers chuckled at that because it was Jones who wanted no part of keeping his first career touchdown pass earlier in the season.

A lot has changed since then. The Patriots are surging, and everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction -- and having fun.

Just look at the reaction to Meyers' touchdown, it says it all.