NFL-Highlights of Sunday's National Football League games

Sept 17 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's National Football League games: - - - Patriots 36, Saints 20 Tom Brady threw for 302 of his 447 passing yards in a 30-point first-half explosion and New England rebounded from a season-opening loss to Kansas City with a rout of New Orleans. Brady completed only 16 of 36 passes in a 42-27 opening loss to the Chiefs, but he connected on 19 of 25 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as New England (1-1) raced to a 30-13 lead and coasted to the win over the Saints, who fell to 0-2. Brady finished 30 of 39 for 447 yards. It was the first time in Brady's career -- spanning 273 games -- that he threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter. He hit three different players: running back Rex Burkhead for 19 yards, tight end Rob Gronkowski for 53 and wide receiver Chris Hogan for 13. The Patriots finished with 555 yards in total offense with Gronkowski catching six passes for 116 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter with a reported groin injury. Drew Brees (27 of 44 for 356 yards and two touchdowns) tried to keep the Saints close, connecting with Brandon Coleman on a five-yard fade that began a 10-point comeback in the second quarter and cut New England's lead to 20-13. - - - Chiefs 27, Eagles 20 Two second-half touchdowns from running back Kareem Hunt helped Kansas City pull away from Philadelphia at Arrowhead Stadium. Hunt broke free for a 53-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. The Eagles tied the score with 11:57 seconds left in the fourth quarter thanks to a 40-yard field goal from rookie Jake Elliott. Kansas City took the lead for good with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to tight end Travis Kelce. That put the Chiefs up 20-13. Later Hunt struck again by punching the ball in with a tw0-yard score. - - - Panthers 9, Bills 3 The Carolina Panthers relied on relentless defense and three Graham Gano field goals for a victory over the Buffalo. The Bills (1-1) put together a potential winning drive, moving to the Carolina 32 in the final minute before an offensive pass interference penalty contributed to derailing the threat. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw incomplete to rookie receiver Zay Jones at the Carolina 2 on fourth down with nine seconds left. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton completed 20 of 32 passes for 228 yards. The Panthers (2-0) lost tight end Greg Olsen to a first-half injured right foot. - - - Steelers 26, Vikings 9 Pittsburgh consistently pressured Minnesota reserve quarterback Case Keenum in an easy win at Heinz Field. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half. Roethlisberger threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant to cap the Steelers' second possession and found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a four-yard shovel pass early in the second quarter. Dalvin Cook, who had been held to three yards on six first-half carries, put the Vikings back in the game with a 25-yard run to the Pittsburgh 1, where fullback C.J. Ham scored. - - - Cardinals 16, Colts 13 (overtime) Phil Dawson's 30-yard field goal with 8:02 remaining in overtime rallied Arizona Cardinals from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit at Indianapolis. Dawson kicked the winner after free safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett at the Colts 22 on the first play of overtime. The Cardinals improved to 1-1. The Colts are 0-2. - - - Buccaneers 29, Bears 7 Tampa Bay struck early and often to defeat the mistake-prone Chicago. The Bucs (1-0) led 26-0 at halftime as the Bears, who had four first-half turnovers, slipped to 0-2. Tampa Bay's offense did its part by turning two of the takeaways into touchdowns -- a 13-yard pass from quarterback Jameis Winston to wide receiver Mike Evans and a 1-yard run by Jacquizz Rodgers. Bears quarterback Mike Glennon completed 31 of 45 passes for 301 yards, but was haunted by a pair of critical second-quarter errors. - - - Ravens 24, Browns 10 Joe Flacco threw a pair of touchdown passes and Baltimore (2-0) forced five turnovers in the victory over Cleveland (0-2). Flacco completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 217 yards and an interception. Cleveland rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer was sidelined with a migraine midway through the second quarter. He returned in the third quarter, but could not lead a comeback. - - - Titans 37, Jaguars 16 Using a powerful running game and opportunistic defense, Tennessee overpowered Jacksonville (1-1) The Titans (1-1) forced three turnovers and scored on their first five drives of the second half, including four straight touchdowns by running back Derrick Henry, tight ends Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith and fullback Jalston Fowler. (Editing by Gene Cherry)