LDN - Sports

NFL roundup: Brady passes for 3 TDs, 406 yards in return

[October 10, 2016] CLEVELAND -- Tom Brady made his return to the NFL in impressive fashion on Sunday, passing for three touchdowns and 406 yards as the New England Patriots trounced the Cleveland Browns 33-13.

Brady returned from a four-game suspension for his involvement in Deflategate to throw three touchdown passes to tight end Martellus Bennett. The 39-year-old Brady finished 28-of-40 passing.

The Browns (0-5) are the only winless team in the NFL and for the third time in five weeks they lost more than a game. The Patriots are 4-1.

Cody Kessler, already the third quarterback to start for the Browns this season, was knocked out of the game with chest and rib injuries late in the first quarter when he was drilled by Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower attempting a pass near the Cleveland goal line. The ball rolled out of the back of the end zone and was ruled a safety.

Lions 24, Eagles 23

DETROIT -- Matt Prater kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:28 remaining and Detroit rallied back after giving away a 14-point lead to edge previously unbeaten Philadelphia.

Prater's game-winner came after the Eagles' first turnover of the game. Matthew Stafford tossed three touchdown passes, two to Theo Riddick. Staffford was 19 of 25 for 180 yards.

Riddick rushed for 49 yards on 11 carries and caught six passes for 33 yards as the Lions (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak. Cornerback Darius Slay forced the fumble that led to Detroit's go-ahead score and intercepted a Carson Wentz pass with 1:17 to clinch the victory.

Wentz's interception was the first of his career. He threw two touchdown passes and completed 25 of 33 for 238 yards. Caleb Sturgis kicked three field goals for the Eagles (3-1).

Vikings 31, Texans 13

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota sprinted to a big early lead and played its evolving brand of smothering defense to remain unbeaten with a win over Houston.

The Vikings (5-0) led 24-0 in the second quarter, putting up points on three of their first four drives, and held the Texans to just a pair of field goals until late in the game.

Sam Bradford thrived even without his top receiver, completing 22 of 30 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has no turnovers in four games with the Vikings.

The Texans (3-2) failed to find a rhythm with quarterback Brock Osweiler under siege. He was sacked a season-high four times and went 19-of-42 passing with a touchdown and an interception.

Steelers 31, Jets 13

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes, giving him 15 through five games, and Pittsburgh shut out New York in the second half.

Roethlisberger, nearly error-free until losing a fumble in the fourth quarter, threw scoring passes of 72 yards and 5 yards to Sammie Coates, 1 yard to Jesse James and 5 yards to Antonio Brown, who was forced by the NFL to change his shoes during the first half but still made nine catches.

Roethlisberger, in his 13th season, went 34 of 47 for 380 yards and no interceptions -- hitting 14 consecutive passes at one point during the second half -- as the Steelers (4-1) came back from an early 13-7 deficit.

Ryan Fitzpatrick ended 25 of 38 for 255 yards as the Jets fell to 1-4.

Redskins 16, Ravens 10

BALTIMORE -- Washington's defense put together its best game of the season, holding Baltimore scoreless in the second half.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco appeared to throw a go-ahead 23-yard touchdown to Breshad Perriman with 30 seconds left, but the play was overturned after a review. The Redskins (3-2) then forced an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-8 to pick up their third straight win and the Ravens fell to 3-2.

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins was 29 for 41 for 260 yards. He gave the Redskins their first lead, 13-10, on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with 8:28 left in the third quarter.

Titans 30, Dolphins 17

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as Tennessee defeated Miami.

The Titans improved to 2-3 and Miami, playing without seven starters, fell to 1-4.

Mariota completed 20 of 29 for 163 yards with no interceptions and also ran seven times for 60 yards. DeMarco Murray ran 27 times for 121 yards and his backup, rookie Derrick Henry, ran seven times for 54 yards.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed just 12 of 18 for 191 yards and no touchdowns. He was intercepted twice and sacked six times.

Colts 29, Bears 23

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Luck's 35-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with 3:43 remaining proved to be the game-winner in Indianapolis' come-from-behind victory against Chicago.

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Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri's fifth field goal of the game, a 46-yarder with 2:28 to play, extended the lead to 29-23. The Colts (2-3) then held off one final Bears drive when quarterback Brian Hoyer failed to convert on fourth-and-8 from the Indianapolis 28 with less than a minute to play.

Luck finished 28 of 39 for 322 yards and two touchdowns, while Hoyer was 33 of 43 for 397 yards and two TDs. The Bears fall to 1-4 despite putting up more than 500 yards total offense.

Falcons 23, Broncos 16

DENVER -- Quarterback Matt Ryan passed for 267 yards and led five scoring drives against Denver's vaunted defense as Atlanta (4-1) won its fourth straight game to continue its strong start.

Denver's offense struggled in the absence of injured quarterback Trevor Siemian (shoulder). Rookie Paxton Lynch, making his first career start, completed 23 of 35 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (4-1). He threw one interception and was constantly harried by linebacker Vic Beasley Jr., who had 3 1/2 sacks.

Atlanta's defense, which allowed an average of 31 points in four previous games, kept the Broncos out of the end zone until Demaryius Thomas caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Lynch with 2:38 remaining.

Cowboys 28, Bengals 14

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The rookie combo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott accounted for four touchdowns as Dallas defeated Cincinnati.

Prescott was equally effective staying in the pocket and on the move. The fourth-round pick found six different receivers, completing 18 of 24 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He also ran for a 5-yard score early in the second quarter as the Cowboys (4-1) won their fourth game in the row.

Elliott regained the NFL rushing lead after racking up 134 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns, including a season-long 60-yard scoring burst through the middle early in the third quarter to make it 28-0.

Andy Dalton was 29 for 41 for 269 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon LaFell for Cincinnati (2-3).

Bills 30, Rams 19

LOS ANGELES -- A go-ahead interception by cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman and a late Tyrod Taylor touchdown pass lifted Buffalo to the victory over Los Angeles.

Running back LeSean McCoy gained a game-high 150 yards on 18 carries as the Bills (3-2) captured their third consecutive decision. The Rams (3-2) had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Robey-Coleman, who played at USC, put Buffalo up for good by picking off Rams quarterback Case Keenum and returning it 41 yards for a touchdown and a 23-16 Bills' lead with 3:54 left in the third quarter.

Raiders 34, Chargers 31

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Derek Carr threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, Amari Cooper caught six passes for 138 yards and a score and Oakland defeated struggling San Diego.

The Raiders (4-1) moved into a first-place tie in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos, who lost 26-13 to Atlanta. Philip Rivers completed 21 of 30 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions for San Diego (1-4), which lost its third straight game and fell for the 10th consecutive time against teams from the West.

With just over two minutes left to play and the Raiders leading 34-31, San Diego's Josh Lambo lined up to kick a 36-yard field goal. But holder Drew Kaser -- San Diego's punter -- fumbled the ball when he tried to place it for Lambo, and the Raiders took over at the Chargers 35 with two minutes remaining.

Packers 23, Giants 16

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With starting cornerbacks Sam Shields and Damarious Randall inactive, Green Bay and its 29th-ranked pass defense held New York's offense in check most of the way en route to the win.

The Giants (2-3) had possessions starting at their 45-yard line, their 41, the Packers 40, their 39, their 47 and their 49 in the first three quarters. New York managed three field goals, including a 30-yarder by Josh Brown on the sixth of those possessions that cut Green Bay's lead to 17-9 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

New York's Eli Manning completed 18 of 35 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers was 23 of 45 for 259 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Randall Cobb gained 108 yards on nine receptions for Green Bay (3-1).

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