MEXICO CITY — The New England Patriots trained all week in the high altitude at the Air Force Academy, which was an experience they said wouldn’t mean as much if they didn’t finish with a victory over the Oakland Raiders.

They took care of that rather quickly Sunday with a 33-8 win at Estadio Azteca, where chants of “Brady! Brady! Brady!” filled the smoggy air.

The Patriots thumped the Raiders in a complete three-phase effort that reflects their place as one of the league’s best, while positioning themselves for a deep playoff run by playing their best football in the second half of the season. Meanwhile, at 40 years old, quarterback Tom Brady continues to make a strong case for MVP honors.

Brady wowed the Mexico crowd, which began chanting his name after the Raiders were stopped on third down on their initial drive. The anticipation of seeing Brady, who has now won an NFL game in three different countries (U.S., England, Mexico), created a rare environment that had a Super Bowl-type feel.

Brady rang up his 82nd career game with 300 yards passing, but if there was one moment that best captured how the Patriots are rolling as a complete team, it came late in the second quarter as the Raiders were threatening to score a touchdown.

Bill Belichick’s best teams have always had a knack for taking advantage of opponents’ miscues, and that’s what happened when Raiders receiver Seth Roberts inexplicably held the ball out in front of him after making a catch at the 3-yard line. Linebacker Marquis Flowers, a core special-teams player who has a niche role on defense by playing in passing situations, took off like a jet on the Air Force Academy runway and blasted it free.

The good thing for Juventus is that Gonzalo Higuain is back to his best.

The bad thing is the rest of the team is at some of its worst.

The Bianconeri have yet to find their rhythm this season. When Paulo Dybala rediscovered his scoring touch at the beginning of the campaign, Higuain fell silent. The opposite was true Tuesday night against Sporting CP, as Higuain salvaged a crucial 1-1 draw in Lisbon despite a relatively anonymous performance by his countryman.

While Higuain’s return to form is something to celebrate – he has four goals in his past three matches after scoring just two in nine – the team’s overall attitude isn’t. Juventus’ once-vaunted defence is shaky, its midfielders encumbered, and its manager inconsistent. The six-time defending Serie A champion has never been more vulnerable to a coup d’etat in league play, and in the Champions League, the pace of continental foes has been overwhelming.

It was certainly important to take something from Tuesday’s match. Juventus is now second in Group D on seven points, three better than Sporting, who could’ve pulled level with the Italian side had it maintained its first-half lead.

But the problem is a lack of continuity. Juventus has depended heavily on pure individual brilliance to escape calamity, and because of the quality in the squad, the likes of Dybala and Higuain have become a crutch.

Neither of them is immune to a slump, and manager Massimiliano Allegri admitted after last week’s scrappy win over SPAL that his club risks turning matches into a “game of roulette.”

He added, “We cannot afford to have these ups and downs.”

Allegri himself is partly to blame. Flip-flopping between last year’s trusted starters and this summer’s recruits, the Italian has yet to use the same 11 players in consecutive matches this season. He’s insisted on playing Mario Mandzukic out of position despite the signing of excitable winger Douglas Costa, and kept on starting Juan Cuadrado despite the €40-million arrival of Federico Bernardeschi. In other words, he’s held back the evolution of this squad.

Allegri’s decision to drop Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus’ Champions League squad was arguably his biggest mistake. With Mattia De Sciglio either injured or underperforming, either Stefano Sturaro or Cuadrado have had to deputise as right-backs. Their limitations are obvious. Sturaro isn’t reliable in midfield, let alone in a defensive position, and Cuadrado is too attack-minded to anchor that role. Juventus has become much more predictable without overlapping runs on the right flank, and even Alex Sandro – one of the game’s best left-backs – has struggled to dominate on his side of the pitch.

The biggest worry, however, is in midfield. When Juventus have the ball, there’s little movement. It’s almost as if the players hit a wall. Teams have dealt with their hopeful crosses into the box. The overall build-up play is far too slow, allowing opposing defenders to collect themselves and find their shape.

Juventus’ lack of pace has also created an opening for rivals to exploit. Sporting’s counter-attack troubled Giorgio Chiellini and Co., with Gelson Martins offering a scintillating outlet in both matches against Juventus. Earlier this month, Lazio showed in Turin that speed can kill, swarming the host in a spell of second-half chaos to end a 57-match home unbeaten streak.

“Evidently this team needs to feel fear in order to perform,” Allegri said Tuesday, courtesy of Football Italia.

Juventus’ only saving grace is its scoring power. Only Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have ruffled the back of the net more than Juventus in league play – and goals ultimately decide matches. The fear is that Allegri’s side is converting at an unsustainable rate.

Scoring six past Udinese while down to 10 men, for example, is a clear anomaly.

Unless Juventus finds some consistency, it cannot expect to have the same success it enjoyed in previous years. And maybe it’s time to embrace the fact that a transition is coming.

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman has been ruled out for Monday night’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks due to a concussion, meaning Tevin Coleman will start.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he would take it through the week before making a final call on Freeman, who was knocked out in the first quarter of last week’s 27-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys. It was Freeman’s second concussion since August and his third since November 2015.

Coleman will get his fourth career start and his first since the 2015 season, when he was named the starter over Freeman to begin the year. Last week, Coleman tied a career high with 20 rushing attempts and ran for a season-high 83 yards. His 21 total touches, including one reception, marked a career high.

Although Coleman doesn’t have the same vision and elusive ability as Freeman, he is a better big-play threat with his breakaway speed in the open field. Coleman’s current average of 4.8 yards per carry is a career best and ranks among the league leaders.

Terron Ward moves into the backup role behind Coleman. The Falcons signed Terrence Magee off Cleveland’s practice squad this week as added insurance at the position.

No Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, and Franck Ribery, no problem.

Bayern Munich booked its 15th consecutive Champions League knockout stage spot Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Celtic in Glasgow despite missing a slew of celebrated regulars, and it was those on the fringes of Jupp Heynckes’ first-team who cemented the Bavarian behemoth’s progression.

It was hardly a trademark Bayern performance, but an emboldening one, and after a rocky start to the campaign under Carlo Ancelotti resulted in the Italian gaffer’s sacking, the five-time Bundesliga champ hasn’t lost, pairing five victories with a draw in all competitions while outscoring opponents 14-2 over that stretch.

The last manager to guide Bayern to continental glory, Heynckes’ return to the Allianz Arena has sparked a side that appeared mired in an uncharacteristic placidity, and, perhaps more importantly, inspired the efforts of those whose roles were uncertain under his predecessor.

With Tuesday’s visit to Celtic Park barely 20 minutes old, Rafinha considered turning Bhoys prodigy Kieran Tierney toward the touchline before opting instead to play the ball back to Sven Ulreich. As the ball travelled towards Neuer’s shot-stopping deputy, it was hard not to revisit the various gaffes the 29-year-old has made this season. His error in September against Wolfsburg saw Bayern concede a two-goal lead and squander an opportunity to go top of the Bundesliga standings, and, like Ancelotti, Ulreich became a symbol of Bayern’s putative decline. Neuer’s boots were never going to be easy to fill.

In this instance, Ulreich booted a laser of a long-ball that eluded a lethargic Dedryck Boyata, falling to the feet of Kingsley Coman. It was far from a simple task for the 21-year-old French attacker, who shuffled and sidestepped before firing a left-footed effort into an unoccupied net.

Rafinha to Ulreich to Coman and goal. Not quite the trio of players synonymous with the exploits of a continental heavyweight, but members of a squad that benefits from depth.

Heynckes could have started Joshua Kimmich at right-back instead of Rafinha, but with appearances in all 10 of Bayern’s league matches, the German international was spared before coming on in the 83rd minute to preserve the lead. The 72-year-old gaffer also could have started Lewandowski up top instead of false No. 9 James Rodriguez, especially after Poland’s all-time leading scorer was omitted from the squad for precautionary reasons. Earlier Tuesday, Lewandowski said Bayern needs to find alternatives when he’s injured.

Instead, Heynckes put his faith in two players – Rodriguez and Coman – that have become emblematic of the mercurial nature of form and fortune. Same with Rafinha, who at 32 years old has become a mainstay without ever staying in the first-team, making more than 30 appearances in all competitions just once in his seven-year Bavarian tenure.

Even Javi Martinez – whose match-winning header resulted in a stream of Bayern kit-matching blood cascading down the Spaniard’s jowls – is a motif for Munich’s depth. On Tuesday at Celtic Park, Martinez played in a central midfield role bookended by Arturo Vidal and Corentin Tolisso. On Saturday at rival Borussia Dortmund, he may very well line-up as centre-half.

In football, versatility and depth are bedfellows, and under Heynckes, Bayern is again approaching its best because the manager is putting faith in all his players that reportedly was absent during his predecessor’s tenure. So far, it’s paying dividends.