It was a strong Brees that finally felled the Rams on Sunday.

Up three points with less than four minutes to play at the Superdome, Saints quarterback Drew Brees found wideout Michael Thomas for the final blow, a 72-yard touchdown reception down the left side.

“We knew it was going to be an all-day battle,” Brees said.

Unbeaten through eight games, the Rams had rallied from a 21-point deficit only to watch Thomas and Brees — the best battery in the NFL — connect once more for a game-winning whirl. The Saints won, 45-35, and Brees praised his receiver for a game of 12 catches for 211 yards.

“He can do everything,” Brees said. “A lot of times corners can get frustrated with him, just as physical as he is with the intermediate things. When they start playing underneath him, that’s when we have opportunities to push the ball to him down the field, which is what happened to him at the end of the game.”

Brees did plenty, too. He completed 25-of-36 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns. His counterpart — Jared Goff — threw for 391 yards and three touchdowns, but could not advance the ball when necessary in the final minutes.

The Rams now have a blemish at 8-1. The Saints passed another mettle test to become 7-1. It could be a preview of the NFC Championship game if both teams continue to carve up the rest of the league. The Rams proved they can play with anyone, but the Saints showed their ability to finish at home.

“We’re good. We love it,” coach Sean McVay said. “You find out about yourself when you have a little bit of adversity. I know that everybody in that locker room is going to respond the right way.”

Early on, the heavyweights traded jabs. New Orleans started the scoring, but the Rams responded, and the sequence repeated itself until the Saints marched out to a 35-17 lead at the half. Los Angeles responded with 10 unanswered points in the third quarter, and tied it up in the fourth with just under 10 minutes left.

Brees and his unit regrouped. It was another shootout in New Orleans. It ended with Brees taking a knee, knowing victory was secure for the Saints.

Brees-Goff I was good. A sequel in Hollywood or back in the Crescent City would make for a January blockbuster.

Stop the presses: Julio Jones caught a touchdown pass.

It took eight games, but quarterback Matt Ryan final connected with his top target for a scoring play in the fourth quarter of the 38-14 rout of Washington.

It came on a throw left to Jones, who was covered by cornerback Josh Norman. Jones made a quick move just off the line, caught the ball and received a block from an offensive lineman, who eliminated Norman from the play. Jones sprinted forward, split two defenders, outlasted a tackle attempt by Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix and recorded a 35-yard catch and run for the touchdown.

“We support one another,” Jones said. “If anybody scores, I’m trying to be the first one over there. Nobody hates on each other on this team. Everybody loves when other people go out here and excel and make plays.”

The Falcons have rebounded from a 1-4 start to be 4-4 at the halfway point of the season.

“The good football teams that I’ve been a part of in my career are the ones that have gotten better as the year’s gone along,” Ryan said. “Halfway through, I think we’re a better football team than we were at the start and we’ve got to keep it trending in that direction.”

Patrick Mahomes is the headliner, but he has plenty of help around him.

Consider Kareem Hunt’s hat trick against the Browns.

On first-and-10 from the 50-yard line, Hunt took a screen to the house, first eluding a tackler before stiff-arming another and finishing with a burst to beat all others for a touchdown.

“He just continues to pound,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I have a hard time believing that anyone is playing better at that position than he is right now.”

Hunt finished the day with 91 rushing yards and the 50 receiving yards. In all, he crossed the goal line with the ball three times. He plowed in behind his offensive linemen from the 2-yard line on another and finished the day going out wide, speeding ahead and watching Cleveland defenders collide as he eased his way in for his third score.

Greg Olsen is 33 years old and in his 12th season as a professional, but the tight end showed he can still beat the kids with one hand in Carolina’s 42-28 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday.

It was third-and-goal from Tampa’s 17-yard line when quarterback Cam Newton received the snap with 4:07 left in the second quarter. The Panthers were already up 28-7 when Olsen ran a seam route up the left side. He turned for the ball when he was at the 2, and Tampa Bay middle linebacker Adarius Taylor had his back to Newton, covering Olsen. Newton fired over Olsen’s left shoulder, causing him to turn around, but Olsen got a paw on it, secured the ball and caught it in between two defenders in the end zone.

The Rams aren’t the only California kids shaping up to be title contenders.

Melvin Gordon rushed for 113 yards and Keenan Allen hauled in 124 receiving yards in a 25-17 San Diego win over Seattle. That was the fifth consecutive win for the Chargers, who are now 6-2. Even with Phil Rivers completing 50 percent of his passes, the Chargers looked like a team that can hang with anyone this season as a power with multiple threats. … The Redskins may be in first in the NFC East, but there is plenty of work to be done if they want anyone to believe they can do anything but win a division title. Alex Smith threw for 306 yards — a season high — and added a 22-yard scamper, but Adrian Peterson was held to 17 yards on nine carries “We’ve been in big moments. I think those are learning experiences for this football team,” Smith said. “It’s tough to play against a good football team when you go down multiple scores, period.”

Patrick Mahomes
The Golden Child threw a pick, but the rest was consistent with his historic start to the season: 23-of-32 passing for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns.

James Conner
Le’Veon Bell continued to stay away, and Conner continued to be the steadiest Steeler as he carried the ball 24 times for 107 yards. He added 56 receiving yards, as well.

Matt Ryan
The Ice Man put up a cool 350 yards and four touchdowns as he completed 26-of-38 passes in the win.

“When I was laying there, all you can feel is your chest. You can’t breathe for a second; you’re laying there. Once you get your breath, you start doing an evaluation. I knew right away it wasn’t my head. Then you start talking shoulders, elbows, stuff like that. Once I was able to get up I knew I was going to be OK.”

— Ben Roethlisberger after he was chased down and tackled by Baltimore linebacker Za’Darius Smith. The Steelers quarterback went to the sideline to recover early in the fourth quarter.

— Drew Loftis