FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The toughest part of New England’s trip to Old England might have been getting home, and even that journey wasn’t as rough as feared.

The Patriots beat the brunt of Hurricane Sandy into Boston on Monday one day after routing the St. Louis Rams 45-7 in London. They landed at Logan Airport at about noon, having moved up their departure before the heaviest rain and wind struck the area.

They did and returned safely, and in first place in the AFC East, with the best offense in the NFL.

The Patriots had a good time in London, some of it centered around Rob Gronkowski.

At a fan event in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, the fun-loving tight end spiked a microphone at the urging of a voice in the crowd. On Sunday, he imitated the stiff-legged walk to mimic a local tourist attraction — “a British palace guard,” he said — after one of his two touchdowns, then spiked the ball on the Wembley Stadium grass.

All nice memories for the Patriots as they head into their bye week.

Then they’ll prepare to play another team they crushed away from home, the Buffalo Bills. That was a 52-28 win in the fourth game of the season in which they scored touchdowns on six straight second-half drives.

On Sunday, the Patriots scored on their first six drives — five touchdowns followed by a field goal.

They also dealt another blow to St. Louis, breaking its NFL record with their 17th consecutive game with at least 350 yards on offense.