Patriots vs. Browns: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

After a month away from his team in his age-39 season, some wondered whether Tom Brady would show rust in his return to the field Sunday.

In a word: Nope.

Brady threw for three touchdowns, while Chris Hogan had a breakout performance, and the New England Patriots never trailed on their way to a 33-13 win against the Cleveland Browns.

Playing in his first game since serving a four-game suspension over the Deflategate scandal, Brady was nothing short of brilliant. He completed 28 of his 40 passes for 406 yards, 271 of which came during the first half. It was the eighth time in his career that Brady has passed the 400-yard mark, per NFL on CBS. 

Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report noted it was the same old Brady:

Brady may have found a downfield threat in Hogan. The pair connected on two passes of 40-plus yards, including a 63-yarder in the second quarter. Having been held to one catch for three yards over the last two weeks—thanks in large part to conservative play-calling with Jacoby Brissett under center—Hogan now looks like a fantasy must-add.

Mike Clay of ESPN.com is already regretting not buying low:

Brady's return also produced a season-best performance for Rob Gronkowski, who had five catches for 109 yards. Gronkowski, who spent the first quarter of the campaign battling a hamstring injury, had just one reception coming into Week 5. Brady and Gronkowski more than tripled the latter's yardage total on the first drive of the game and continued from there with no sign of slowing down.

The only spot where they didn't connect was the end zone, with Martellus Bennett reeling in all three of Brady's touchdown passes.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com highlighted New England's good fortune at tight end:

Meanwhile, it was more of the same despair in Cleveland.

The Browns started out with a touchdown on their second drive before things fell apart. They were forced to bring in recent signee Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback after Cody Kessler left in the first half with a rib injury.

Whitehurst, the Browns' fourth primary quarterback of the 2016 season (not including do-everything receiver Terrelle Pryor), looked understandably shaky. He finished the game completing 14-of-24 passes for 182 yards. The three subsequent drives he led ended in six or fewer plays, and the Browns struggled to get into Patriots territory.

At least it was a celebration for all long-hair enthusiasts, including James Hell Brooks and Mike Tunison:

Whitehurst wound up leaving in the fourth quarter as well, with Pryor finishing the game at quarterback. Depending on the severity of the injuries Whitehurst and Kessler suffered, Pryor could be called upon as next week's signal-caller versus Tennessee.

The game didn't go any better for Isaiah Crowell, who had his worst outing of the season, with 13 carries for 22 yards. Crowell and Pryor had been two of the lone bright spots for Cleveland, but neither made much of an impact Sunday. After posting five-plus yards per carry in his first four games, Crowell didn't even have a five-yard run until the third quarter. The Patriots bottled him up and kept him out of the end zone for just the second time in 2016.

Pryor recorded 48 yards as a pass-catcher, but he did not produce a play longer than 15 yards. He carried the ball two times for three yards while adding five receptions. He was 1-of-3 passing for five yards. 

Andrew Hawkins was responsible for the Browns' first touchdown, celebrating with an NFL-approved robotic display:

The loss brought the Browns to 0-5 on the season for the first time since 2012. They're the only team in the NFL without a win, and there is no easy triumph on the schedule. Road trips to face the Titans and Cincinnati Bengals cover the next two weeks before a home game against the 1-4 New York Jets.

Having purged their roster of a ton of veteran talent, the Browns knew 2016 would be lean. But the team's outlook has deteriorated to the point where Cleveland's desperately awaiting the NBA season's tipoff.

Having survived Brady's absence at 3-1, there's likely no stopping the Patriots. Their schedule quickly ratchets up in difficulty over the next four games, though, with the Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks upcoming. Those games will provide a better picture of New England's Super Bowl chances.

But one week in, it appears the Brady era is still in full effect.

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Postgame Reaction

Brady dared to criticize his performance level after the game, per Phil Perry of CSN New England: "I think there was plenty of rust out there. I could do better in a lot of areas. I think it was a good win today, but it was one game...4-1 is a good place to be for us. But we got a long road ahead so we gotta keep rolling."

Brady continued, complimenting his teammates: "I thought the team played really well. It was fun to be a part of it. It's been a fun week to get ready to play and kind of be back doing what I love to do. Just proud of the way our guys played...I was just trying to focus on what my job is and what I have to do. It felt very much like a normal week for me once I got into it. It was fun to come out and play, and fun to win. That's the most important thing."

Bennett offered a creative reason why he was able to play through an ankle injury, per Zack Cox of NESN: "They asked me if I needed a cart. And I’m just like, '(Expletive), I’m going to look so weak.' And I’ve been watching (the new Netflix show) Luke Cage—he’s the bulletproof brother from Marvel—and I’m like, 'What would Luke Cage do right now?' He’d get up and keep bouncing around."

Bennett was also excited about pairing with Gronkowski: "I love playing with Gronk. I’m very excited for him. We were pretty dynamic with both of us out there (Sunday). He played very well, and I expect him to continue to play like that. That’s what Gronk is, that’s what Gronk does, and that’s why he’s the Gronkinator."            

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.