FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady had a smooth regular-season home debut.
Playing his first game in Foxborough since the end of his "Deflategate" suspension, Brady had three touchdown passes and went over 5,000 completions for his career , and the Patriots beat the Cincinnati Bengals 35-17 on Sunday.
Brady finished 29 for 35 for 376 yards. Tight end Rob Gronkowski had seven receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown.
"I think I know how to get to that place where I need to be," Brady said. "You only have so much energy, and at some point you gotta cut it loose when the moment's right."
Cincinnati dropped to 2-4 for the first time since 2010, when it finished 4-12 - its worst season under coach Marvin Lewis.
The Bengals had their moments offensively, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run by Andy Dalton and 5-yard pass from Dalton to Brandon LaFell. Dalton finished 21 of 31 for 254 yards.
But New England (5-1) bounced back from some sluggish drives early with several big plays in the third quarter.
The Bengals scored on their first drive after halftime to briefly take a 14-10 lead. The Patriots swiftly responded with a safety and a pair of touchdown passes by Brady -first to Gronkowski, then to James White - to put the Patriots back in front.
Cincinnati has lost in its past six trips to New England. It hasn't won in Foxborough since 1986.
Copyright 2016 by The Associated Press