AFP/Foxborough


Tom Brady threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and notched a career rushing first, leading New England to a 30-23 win over the New York Jets on Sunday that kept the Patriots unbeaten this NFL season.
The 48th fourth-quarter game-winning drive of Brady’s storied career took the Patriots 80 yards and saw the Pats improve to 6-0.
The Patriots had trailed 20-16 after the Jets opened the fourth with a field goal.
But Brady, who had more than 300 passing yards for the 68th time in his career, hit wide receiver Danny Amendola for an eight-yard touchdown pass with 7:16 remaining, and got the ball back after the Jets had to punt.
He sealed the win with a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski that put the Patriots up 30-20 with 1:13 to play, and the Jets’ final field goal wasn’t enough in the battle for first place in the AFC East division.
“We made the plays when we needed to make them and that was the important thing,” Brady said.
Brady was the team’s leading rusher for the first time in his career, with 15 yards -- 11 of them on one scramble and one on a touchdown leap from the one-yard-line.
“I should enjoy this because it will probably never happen again,” Brady said.
The Carolina Panthers also improved to 6-0, downing the Philadelphia Eagles 27-16 to improve on their previous best start to a season of 5-0 in 2003.
Mike Tolbert scored two touchdowns for the Panthers, opening the scoring with a two-yard plunge and adding a two-yard TD reception on the first possession of the second half.
“We’re not done yet. We’re not satisfied yet,” said quarterback Cam Newton, who ran two yards for a touchdown but was intercepted three times.
“It’s great to be 6-0,” Newton said, “but there’s a lot more teams at 6-0, too.”
Three other 6-0 teams, Cincinnati, Denver and Green Bay, had the week off.
The Atlanta Falcons rebounded from their first defeat of the season last week against New Orleans with a 10-7 win over the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons, who improved to 6-1, were helped by two key interceptions—linebacker Paul Worrilow’s with seconds left in the second quarter and one by safety Robenson Therezie late in the fourth.
“I loved the way we finished at the halves,” said coach Dan Quinn, whose Falcons are second in the NFC South behind the Panthers.
The struggling Indianapolis Colts remained atop the weak AFC South—despite a 27-21 loss to the New Orleans Saints that dropped them to 3-4 for the season.
Quarterback Drew Brees threw for 255 yards and a touchdown and Khiry Robinson rushed for two touchdowns for the Saints, who are turning things around after losing their first three games.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw two first-half interceptions but bounced back with two scoring passes in the third quarter, and an eight-yard scoring pass to Donte Moncrief with 3:46 left made it 27-21.
By then, however, it was too late and Colts coach Chuck Pagano said the first-half errors that put his team in the hole were “completely unacceptable”.
“You are not going to win games in the National Football League when you turn the ball over, have (seven) penalties and have all kinds of miscues,” he said.