Brady, Pats Dominate Browns in Cleveland

Tom Brady's first game back from suspension could have gone much better for both he and the New England Patriots, as they dominated the action from start to finish in their 33-13 Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns Sunday. 

Here are some key thoughts right after the game:

Back & Better Than Ever- No one really expected any different, but Tom Brady was as good as he's ever been Sunday. From the first offensive series throughout the end of the game, Brady seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted to, with his full assortment of weapons at his disposal. For the game, Brady completed 28 of 40 pass attempts for 406 yards and three scores. He also showed some Clydesdale-like speed, carrying the ball two times for 14 yards. The rest of the league better get ready for when TB12 and the Pats come to town because with the veteran back under center this offense is explosive and tough to stop once again.

Stifling The Run- The Pats always seem to find a way to take away what their opponent does best offensively, and Sunday was no exception. While the Cleveland passing attack is nothing special, the Browns came into the game with the top rushing offense in the league, averaging 149.3 yards per game over the first quarter of the season. Through the first three quarters of play Sunday, the Patriots defense allowed just 19 yards on 18 carries, taking top back Isaiah Crowell and company out of the game plan. Combine that with Cleveland's quarterback Cody Kessler leaving in the second quarter because of an injury and it's easy to see why the New England defense had one of it's better days of the season. When things were all said and done, the Pats defense limited the Crowell to just 22 yards on 13 carries and held the Browns to just 28 rushing yards as a team.

Sharing The Wealth- As per usual with Brady at quarterback, a bevy of New England receivers caught the ball on offense. Brady hit seven different receivers on the day, including a team high six completions to Martellus Bennett. The New England passing game, which had been somewhat nonexistent the past couple of weeks, is back in full force now. Once again, New England opponents will have to game plan for a multifaceted passing attack that can strike in all three levels of the field week in and week out. On the day, the Patriots racked up 501 total yards, and 24 first downs on 77 total plays.

Tight End Tandem- While Sunday was the return of Brady, it was also presented a first look of what the tight end tandem of Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett can really be for the New England Offense. After watching the game, one word comes to mind when thinking of how to describe the duo; Dominant. With Gronkowski seemingly healthy and back in a full capacity for the first time all season, the pair tore up the suspect Cleveland defense by combining for 11 catches for 176 yards and three scores. Gronkowski had his breakout game of the season with five receptions for 109 yards, while Bennett really seemed to rise to another level with Gronk commanding more coverage from the defense. Bennett tallied three touchdowns on six catches for 67 yards overall.

White Sighting- After playing productively in the team's Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, third down back James White had been largely nonexistent in the Patriots offensive game plan the past three weeks. With Brady back, White saw his number of opportunities to make plays go up and he made the most of his chances. White rushed for 26 yards on five carries for an average 5.2 yards per carry. Where he truly shined, however, was catching the ball out of the backfield. The shifty back hauled in four passes for 63 yards on six targets, along with drawing a defensive holding. If he can become a consistent part of the game plan out of the backfield, it will give Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels just another target to make available to Brady, as part of this dominating offense.

Strong Up Front- The New England offensive line, right tackle Cameron Fleming in particular, deserves some credit today, as well. They kept brady clean for most of the game, only allowing one sack for just three yards and allowed the superstar quarterback enough time to unleash and aerial assault on the Cleveland defense. Fleming, who started in place of injured right tackle Marcus Cannon, didn't have his name called once today, which for a lineman is a good sign. Coming in, in a pinch, the backup tackle did a solid job with his front line mates.

All in all, the game went just as many expected it to. With Brady back under center, the Patriots offense is once again the chameleon-like multidimensional juggernaut it has been for years now. Brady and company simply got whatever they wanted early on and were able to take the Browns out of contention by the start of the second quarter. While the defense didn't look great at times on third down, they did dominate the top flight Browns running game and did enough to slow a hobbled Cleveland passing attack that saw three different players take snaps at quarterback thanks to injuries. If this defense can continue to get better, it is going to be hard for any opponent to stop the Pats.

All Stats Here, via ESPN.