Turns out this Tom Brady guy isn't bad, huh? Leading off with a thought on the Patriots quarterback's return from his four-game suspension, here are five quick takeaways from New England's 33-13 win over Cleveland.
PATRIOTS 33, BROWNS 13: Curran's Best and Worst | Brady: 'Plenty of rust' despite 400-yard game | Gronk: I'm getting back to my old self
-- Rust? What rust? Brady was 18-of-25 for 271 yards and two touchdowns at halftime, and he came out of the game with a 20-point lead and six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter having completed 28-of-40 for 406 yards and three touchdowns. All the TDs were to tight end Martellus Bennett.
-- Anyone who watched the film of last week's game between the Patriots and Bills coudl see that that tight end Rob Gronkowski's lack of production in the passing game wasn't due to any apparent physical limitations. He wasn't even considered by rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett during some of the routes he ran. Any other points in the game, Gronkowski used his size and speed to get open but wasn't spotted by Brissett. He blocked well, and executed certain movements that would have stressed his injured hamstring. Yet, he played more than twice the number of snaps he saw in Week 3. On Sunday, it became even more clear that Gronkowski was feeling just fine. He was the best player on the field -- maybe outside of Brady -- for New England's opening drive, catching two passes for 53 yards, and sealing the edge for LeGarrette Blount's touchdown run. He finished the game with five catches for 109 yards.
-- Bennett said recently that his mom has enjoyed watching him play with the Patriots because they make the most of his versatile skill set. He blocks. He catches. He even has a run out of the backfield under his belt. On Sunday, he was one of Brady's most trusted targets, particularly in the red zone. Two of his scores came from plays that began deep in Cleveland territory, and the third was an athletic maneuver where he launched himself at the pylon for a 37-yard catch-and-run play. Matched with Gronkowski, especially when on the same side of the field, the Browns had no answer.
-- Some injury notes to keep an eye on: Chris Hogan went through the NFL's concussion protocol. He banged his head on the turf after a 63-yard catch in the second quarter. He later hit his head again on an end-around play and had to leave the field to be tested. He eventually returned to the game. Hogan ended up with a career-high 114 yards receiving on four grabs . . . With Vincent Valentine (back) sidelined, the Patriots got strong play from Malcom Brown and Alan Branch. Undrafted rookie Woodrow Hamilton also showed up with two run stuffs and a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage . . . Bennett went down with an ankle injury early in the game, was re-taped on the bench, then re-entered to put together his big day . . . With Shea McClellin (concussion) out, rookie linebacker Elandon Roberts had a nice day for himself, coming downhill hard and recording three run stuffs. He also had a hand in a pass breakup.
-- Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was 1-for-2 on field goals, missing a 50-yarder wide to the right. The ball started on-line and then faded from the left to right and outside the right upright. Gostkowski is 7-for-10 on his attempts this season. He missed his only attempt last week, a 48-yarder, against the Bills.