We Start with the NFL…

The long-awaited DeflateGate showdown between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots was won decisively by Tom Brady and Co. 34-27 on Sunday night.

The Patriots improved to 5-0 as Brady passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns. The last time the Patriots started 5-0 was 2007, when they went 16-0 in the regular season but lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

Three other teams remained unbeaten: The Carolina Panthers moved to 5-0 with a come-from-behind 27-23 road win against the struggling Seattle Seahawks; the Green Bay Packers are 6-0 after topping the San Diego Chargers 27-20; and the Cincinnati Bengals tied their best start in franchise history by going to 6-0 with a 34-21 road win over the Buffalo Bills.

The Miami Dolphins, in the first game under interim head coach Dan Campbell, routed the Tennessee Titans 38-10. The Dolphins came into the game with one sack on the season but collected six against the Titans, four by Cameron Wake. The Dolphins also had not scored a rushing touchdown all season, but got a pair against the Titans.

BASEBALL

The New York Mets took a 2-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 victory on Sunday night at Citi Field. In the American League, the Kansas City Royals are up 2-0 on the Toronto Blue Jays, with the series continuing Monday night.

NASCAR

Joey Logano won his second straight race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, triumphing at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Matt Kenseth led for 153 laps but was forced into a spin out by Logano and finished 14^th – angrily. He accused Logano of aggressive and unnecessary tactics.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Michigan State scored on a botched punt on the last play of the game to beat Michigan 27-23. Ohio State remained No. 1 in the AP poll, with Baylor, Utah, TCU and LSU rounding out the top five. Unbeaten Temple (6-0) jumped into the poll at No. 22; it hadn’t been ranked since finishing 25^th in 1979.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .