Washington: Tom Brady sparked the New England Patriots to their seventh consecutive victory on Sunday in a 34-9 rout of Detroit, while Indianapolis receiver T.Y. Hilton scored a touchdown for his newborn daughter.
Brady completed 38-of-53 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns against what had been the NFL’s top-ranked defensive unit as the Patriots improved to 9-2, level for the league’s best record after Arizona lost 19-3 at Seattle.
“Any time you can keep a team like Detroit out of the end zone, you have got to feel good about that,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
LeGarrette Blount ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns in his first game with the Patriots after being dropped last Tuesday by Pittsburgh for leaving the field before the end of a game, unhappy at his lack of playing time.
New England rusher Jonas Gray, who ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns last week, did not play after a late arrival at practice Friday.
At Indianapolis, Hilton enjoyed a magical moment in the Colts’ 23-3 win over Jacksonville.
Hilton, who made four catches for 122 yards, caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck in the third quarter and cradled the ball in his arms after reaching the end zone in a tribute to his infant daughter.
Hilton’s wife, Shantrell, gave birth early Sunday morning, and he departed the hospital barely two hours before kickoff.
“I said, ‘Baby, do you want the touchdown ball or the game ball?’” Hilton said. “I went ahead and got her both.”
Seattle’s Russell Wilson completed 17-of-22 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown to spark the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks over visiting Arizona 19-3, snapping the Cardinals’ six-game win streak.
At 9-2, Arizona still owns a two-game lead on Seattle in the NFC West division, the champs fighting for a wild-card playoff berth.
“We like our backs against the wall. We’re used to it,” Wilson said. “Every game is a must win in our mindset. We’re going for a championship.”
Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Demaryius Thomas, and Denver rallied with 22 points in the fourth quarter to beat visiting Miami 39-36.
Manning completed 28-of-35 passes for 257 yards as the Broncos, who lost the Super Bowl to Seattle last February, improved to 8-3 and reclaimed sole possession of the AFC West lead.
Aaron Rodgers completed 19-of-29 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns, while Eddie Lacy ran for 125 yards and a touchdown as Green Bay edged host Minnesota 24-21, the Packers’ third win in a row giving them the NFC North lead at 8-3.
Cleveland’s Billy Cundiff kicked a 37-yard field goal on the final play to give the Browns a 26-24 triumph at Atlanta. Josh Gordon, returning from a 10-game substance-abuse suspension, made eight catches for a game-high 120 yards for the Browns.
Mark Sanchez completed 30-of-43 passes for 307 yards and a touchdown while LeSean McCoy ran for 130 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 43-24 win over Tennessee, keeping the Eagles level with Dallas atop the NFC East at 8-3.
Tony Romo threw four touchdown passes, two of them to Dez Bryant, and the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants 31-28. Romo completed his 27th game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or later with a 13-yard touchdown toss to Bryant with 61 seconds remaining.
Giants rookie receiver Odell Beckham caught two touchdown passes, one of them a spectacular one-handed leaping grab of a 43-yard toss from Eli Manning to the front corner of the end zone.
Matt Forte ran 23 times for 89 yards and scored two third-quarter touchdowns to lift the Chicago Bears over Tampa Bay 21-13.
Andy Dalton completed 24-of-35 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown for AFC-North leading Cincinnati in a 22-13 victory at Houston.
Carlos Hyde’s 4-yard touchdown run with 2:59 remaining gave San Francisco a 17-13 victory over Washington.
San Diego’s Marcus Gilchrist intercepted a Shaun Hill pass in the final seconds as the Chargers held off a St. Louis rally to beat the visiting Rams 27-24.
