Well, that was a breeze.
Drew Brees returned under center for the Saints in his first game since suffering a thumb injury and having subsequent surgery and showed no signs of rust.
The veteran quarterback hadn’t played since Sept. 15, but in that span, New Orleans won all five games with backup Teddy Bridgewater as the starter. The Saints, as well as Brees, are showing no signs of slowing down as they steamrolled the Cardinals 31-9 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome to break Arizona’s three-game winning streak — and move their own to six straight wins.
Brees finished 34-of-43 passing for 373 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Meanwhile, Tom Brady and the Patriots overcame a hungry Browns team. After leading by just a touchdown at the start of the third quarter, the Patriots broke away with the game. Their 27-13 win moved them to 8-0 as one of the NFL’s two undefeated teams.
Elsewhere around the league, the 49ers kept their record perfect and exposed the Panthers in a 51-13 win at Levi’s Stadium. The Eagles thumped the Bills, 31-13, while the Rams came away with a big win of their own — a 24-10 victory over the Bengals — across the pond.
Injuries
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt left Sunday’s game against the Raiders in the second quarter, and NFL Media reports the team fears he has a torn pec, which would sideline him the rest of the season. Cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. left the game with a concussion.
Jets quarterback Sam Darnold sprained his thumb during Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, coach Adam Gase told reporters after the game.
Two Cardinals left the game versus the Saints. Running back Chase Edmonds (hamstring) and linebacker Cassius Marsh (concussion) both sustained injuries.
Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks sustained a concussion against the Bengals.
Seahawks center Justin Britt suffered a knee injury and coach Pete Carroll later told reporters, it “looks like an ACL” injury.
Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James injured his knee against the Colts.
Falcons defensive end John Cominsky did not return after injuring his ankle.
Chargers tackle Russell Okung suffered a calf injury against the Bears.
Dede Westbrook exited the game versus the Jets. The Jaguars receiver sustained a neck/shoulder injury.
Eagles running back Miles Sanders did not return after hurting his shoulder against the Bills.
Highlights
We are tired just watching this.
Cooper Kupp is a walking highlight.
Deep balls know no age.
This connection is truly special.
There was no doubt here.
This is an impressive first career rushing touchdown from Miles Sanders.
AJ Bouye has a lot of celebrating to do.
Christian McCaffrey continues to make his case for MVP contender.
This is some yardage.
Tyrell Williams to the house.
How?
Stats
Russell Wilson joined Drew Brees (2018) as the only players since the 1970 merger to throw 17-plus touchdowns and one or fewer interceptions over their first eight games of a season.
The Gardner Minshew era continues. He became the first Jaguars quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game in his rookie season. It is the first three-plus touchdown game for Jacksonville since Blake Bortles’ outing against the Patriots in Week 2 of 2018.
Cooper Kupp had 220 total yards in the Rams’ 24-10 win over the Bengals in London, which is the most ever in an international NFL game.
Quotables
Joe Flacco was understandably frustrated after the Broncos’ 15-13 loss to the Colts. It pushed Denver to 2-6 on the season. The quarterback voiced his opinion on the lowly start: “We’re now a 2-6 football team and we’re afraid to go for it in a two-minute drill. … I just felt like, what do we have to lose? Why can’t we be aggressive in some of these situations.”
It was another rough week for the Falcons, who dropped to 1-7 with the 27-20 loss to the Seahawks. Owner Arthur Blank addressed the grim situation: “I’m extraordinarily disappointed in the season. Nobody would have anticipated 1-7 and the lack of consistency. Today was a prime example of that, down 24-0. If we could just play the second half, we would have won the game; but it doesn’t work that way. We’ll take the next couple of weeks during this bye period of time and evaluate where we are.”
Matthew Stafford doesn’t know if his 3-3-1 Lions are a good team, an average team or a bad team: “I’ll let you know at the end of the year. Right now we’re a tough football team. I know that. We’ve got guys banged up all sorts of places. .. We’re mentally tough.”
Scoreboard
Teams on bye week
Cowboys, Ravens
Thursday’s game
Vikings 19, Redskins 9
Sunday’s games
Seahawks 27, Falcons 20Eagles 31, Bills 13Chargers 17, Bears 16Lions 31, Giants 26Titans 27, Buccaneers 23Colts 15, Broncos 13Rams 24, Bengals 10Saints 31, Cardinals 9Jaguars 29, Jets 1549ers 51, Panther 13Patriots 27, Browns 13Texans 27, Raiders 24
Still to come
Sunday’s game
Packers at Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday’s game
Dolphins at Steelers, 8:15 p.m. ETClick Here: Cheap Golf Drivers