Browns move to 0-5 as Brady returns and Patriots pounce 33-13
BY JEREMY SOMERVILLE
BROWNS BEAT WRITER
(CLEVELAND, OH) - Tom Brady returned from his four-game “Deflategate” suspension to throw for 406 yards and three touchdowns, in just over three quarters, as he led his New England Patriots (4-1) to a 33-13 drubbing of the winless Cleveland Browns in front of more than 67,000 fans at First Energy Stadium on Sunday.
Brady came out firing from the start, completing four of five passes on New England’s opening drive. The drive was capped off with a one-yard LeGarrette Blount touchdown run that put the Patriots ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Cleveland answered back on their ensuing drive when rookie quarterback Cody Kessler found Andrew Hawkins in the endzone for an 11-yard Browns touchdown that tied the game at seven apiece.
From then on, it was all Brady and the Patriots.
Brady would find Martellus Bennett for the first of their three touchdown connections with 2:06 left in the first quarter to give the Patriots the lead for good at 14-7. Things didn’t get much better for Cleveland when Kessler was injured on an attempted screen pass on the Browns next drive that saw the ball flutter out of the endzone for a safety that extended the New England lead to 16-7. One more Brady to Bennett connection gave the Pats a 23-7 lead at half.
Behind Charlie Whitehurst, who was later injured himself leaving Terrelle Pryor as the only option behind center, the Browns offense struggled mightily. Meanwhile, Brady continued on in midseason form, picking apart the overmatched and overwhelmed Browns defense, adding one more touchdown hookup with Bennett before basically putting it on cruise control for the rest of the game before he was pulled for Jimmy Garoppollo in the fourth quarter.
Bennett finished with six catches for 67 yards and three scores, while fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski busted out of his slump for 109 yards on five catches. Chris Hogan led Pats in receiving yards with 114 on four catches.
For the Browns, Kessler was an effiecient 5/8 with 62 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. Whitehurst, his replacement, went 14 of 24 for 184 yards with one score and one interception.
The Patriots will look to continue their dominance next week against the Bengals in Foxboro, while the Browns will look to get on the winning side of things when they travel to Tennessee to face the Titans.
Dawg Biscuits:
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TE Connor Hamlet caught a 17-yard pass from Whitehurst for his first NFL touchdown.
TE Connor Hamlet caught a 17-yard pass from Whitehurst for his first NFL touchdown.•Rookie DE Carl Nassib returned from a broken hand injury, but only garnered one hit on the QB
Rookie DE Carl Nassib returned from a broken hand injury, but only garnered one hit on the QB•Whitehurst was the fifth Browns QB to throw a pass in the teams first five games, a new NFL record.
Whitehurst was the fifth Browns QB to throw a pass in the teams first five games, a new NFL record.•Christian Kirksey, who struggled against the New England monsters tight end, finished with 16 tackles to lead the Browns.
Christian Kirksey, who struggled against the New England monsters tight end, finished with 16 tackles to lead the Browns.•Kessler is listed as day-to-day with chest and rib injuries and Josh McCown will have x-rays done to update his injury status.
Kessler is listed as day-to-day with chest and rib injuries and Josh McCown will have x-rays done to update his injury status.•Isiah Crowell, who was second in the league in rushing entering Sunday, had just 22 yards on 13 carries.
Isiah Crowell, who was second in the league in rushing entering Sunday, had just 22 yards on 13 carries.POSTED 10/09/2016 at 17:40
Lake County Sentinel
