FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There was a time, during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, when the New England Patriots were known for their mastery of the no-huddle offense.

They’d push the tempo at pivotal points in a game or whenever Tom Brady felt like stepping on the gas. They’d just turn the switch on and off as they pleased. And when that switch was on, they were relentless. The speed of the operation would ultimately wear out the opposition.

It was death by the hurry up.

Might the Patriots use it more often going forward, especially after the success they had at points during Sunday night’s 37-20 loss in Baltimore?

With games against the Eagles and Cowboys following the bye, teams with strong defensive fronts, it does make sense to continue hitting the hurry-up switch.

It was the wrinkle offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels employed for much of the game to get after the Ravens. During the third quarter, the up-tempo pace with 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) was the best the Patriots’ offense has looked this season.

Brady, who is essentially making the calls at the line, was able to exploit matchups the longer they kept with it.

While there are many reasons for McDaniels to pull that offense out of his bag of tricks, the biggest reason for going to the no-huddle is to tire an opposing defense. The Patriots’ offensive line, a problem all season, wasn’t offering much in the way of protection. So one way to help was to get the Ravens gassed and get the ball out of Brady’s hands even quicker. It eventually worked.

Even Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey acknowledged the no-huddle was “killing us” after the win.

With the bye week to self-scout, and see what’s working and what isn’t, it’s quite possible McDaniels will revisit the no-huddle after the break.

Wearing out an opposing front will help preserve Brady. He was knocked around pretty good by the Ravens, who got to him for 10 quarterback hits, the most of any team this season.

The Eagles and Cowboys will look to top that number. The Eagles, with Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Derek Barnett, and the Cowboys, with DeMarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn and old friend Michael Bennett, are going to be a handful for the offensive line.

The hurry-up might be the best way to work around these fronts. The running game actually got going a bit with Rex Burkhead busting a few runs, and the offense as a whole looked better.

The downside?

Three-and-outs mean there’s no rest for the defense or time to make adjustments. So there’s the risk of gassing your own defense if you don’t stay on the field.

The other element involves rookie wide receivers Jacobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry. Meyers didn’t see the field in Baltimore, save for one snap.

This type of offense, with Brady making the calls at the line as he reads the defense at a rapid pace, requires everyone to be on the same page. It’s hard for Brady to trust rookies in a full-time no-huddle. And even if he did, there’s no time for substitution. Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett are the three primary receivers in the 11 personnel grouping that’s favored at the moment. Will Harry crack that lineup when he plays?

That’s all to be determined. There are some limitations with play calls, too, in a no-huddle. But the point here is that with the offensive line struggling, and Isaiah Wynn not due to return at least until Week 12 against Dallas, the pros outweigh the cons. No-huddle is the way to go.

During his weekly appearance on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI, Brady said the Patriots would be figuring out the best option for the offense during the week.

“We have to take all these matchups like they are. They are all different. They are all going to present their different challenges and we’re going to have to really get cued in on what we’re doing and figure out how to best attack these opponents starting with the Eagles,” said Brady. “It is a good team and we play a lot of good teams, and we’re going to have to play our best football. It’s going to bring the best out of us.

“We’ve had a lot of time to figure out the things we haven’t done a good job at and the things we need to do a better job at. Do more of the good and less of the bad.”

On Sunday, the no-huddle checked in on the positive side. Going forward, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them stay with it.

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