Oct 9, 2016 5 min read

Tom Brady claimed there was no extra motivation when he took the field Sunday.

His actions spoke otherwise.

The arm pump toward the Patriots fans in the Cleveland stands as he began warmups. The mini-Usain Bolt celebration on the sideline after running for a first down. Oh yeah, the 406 yards passing and three touchdowns, all to Martellus Bennett, a tight end he’d never thrown to in a real game.

It might not have been vintage Brady after four weeks suspended for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal, but it was plenty good in a 33-13 victory over Cleveland.

In Rob Gronkowski’s estimation, “Tom always brings the ampness to the table.”

Maybe he was bringing a warning to the rest of the NFL, too. From the beginning, it was pretty much the same Brady who has terrorized the league for 17 seasons and won four Super Bowls. Yet, he recognized how much better it can be.

“I try to go out and do my best. I know my teammates expect that out of me and I expect that out of them,” he said before admitting there were mistakes. “Absolutely, there definitely were a few of those and they are the ones you learn from. I can do better in a lot of areas.”

Washington 16, Baltimore 10: The Redskins used an 85-yard punt return by Jamison Crowder and an uncharacteristically strong performance by their defense to beat the Ravens, 16-10.

It was the third straight win for the Redskins (3-2), who came in with the league’s 29th-ranked defense. Washington allowed a touchdown on the game’s opening drive and smothered the Ravens (3-2) the rest of the way.

Dallas 28, Cincinnati 14: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, fellow rookie Dak Prescott threw for a score and ran for another TD, and the Cowboys beat the Bengals.

Prescott had his first turnover in five games starting in place of injured Tony Romo, a fumble when being sacked late in the third quarter. But Prescott extended his NFL rookie record to 155 passes without an interception to start his career. He completed 18 of 24 passes for 227 yards.

Detroit 24, Philadelphia 23: Matt Prater kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:28 left and Darius Slay made an over-the-shoulder interception on the next snap, helping the Lions hand Carson Wentz his first loss with a 24-23 victory over the Eagles.

The Lions (2-3) had lost three straight. The Eagles (3-1) turned the ball over for the first time this season with 2:34 remaining when Ryan Mathews fumbled on a hit by Slay.

Atlanta 23, Denver 16: Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons didn’t need another 300-yard performance from Julio Jones to decipher Denver’s dazzling defense and wreck Paxton Lynch’s first NFL start.

Using a steady dose of I-formation runs and short passes that put Denver’s linebackers in coverage, the Falcons (4-1) handed the Super Bowl champs their first loss since Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh and left the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) as the NFL’s last unbeaten team.

Buffalo 30, Los Angeles 19: Nickell Robey-Coleman returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown, LeSean McCoy rushed for 150 yards, and the Bills won their third consecutive game by defeating the Rams, 30-19.

Robey-Coleman stepped in front of rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper and strolled down the sideline to put the Bills (3-2) ahead 23-16 with 3:54 left in the third quarter.

Oakland 34, San Diego 31: Derek Carr threw a go-ahead 21-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on a fourth-and-2 gamble and added another TD pass to Amari Cooper to lead the Raiders to a 34-31 victory over the mistake-prone Chargers.

Tennessee 30, Miami 17: Marcus Mariota threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score, helping the Titans overcome a handful of big plays by the Dolphins in a 30-17 win.

Minnesota 31, Houston 13: Adam Thielen caught a touchdown pass to cap Minnesota’s opening drive and finished with a career-high 127 yards, and the Vikings defense flustered Brock Osweiler and the Texans in a 31-13 win.

Indianapolis 29, Chicago 23: Andrew Luck threw a 35-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton with 3:43 left to lead the Colts past the Bears, 29-23. It’s the first time the Colts (2-3) defeated the Bears in Indianapolis.

After hearing a clamoring for changes all week, Indy went to the hurry-up offense and Luck made the alterations look good early and late.