SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 28, 2012
Patriots 45, Rams 7: Tom Brady threw four touchdowns passes as New England hammered St. Louis in the rain at London's Wembley Stadium.
Brady threw a pair of scoring passes to Brandon Lloyd and two more to tight end Rob Gronkowski, the 50th time that Brady has thrown for at least three TD passes in a game. Brady finished 23-for-35 for 304 yards, helping New England (5-3) remain on top of the AFC East.
St. Louis (3-5) actually led 7-0 after Sam Bradford fired a 50-yard touchdown pass to Chris Givens to cap the game's opening possession, but the Rams managed little else in losing its third straight game. New England had allowed at least 20 points in six straight games.
Stevan Ridley led all rushers with 127 yards on 15 carries as New England set an NFL record with at least 350 total yards in each of its last 17 games.
New England put the game away by halftime, leading 28-0 on touchdown receptions from Lloyd and Gronkowski and 1-yard TD runs by Ridley and Shane Vereen. Gronkowski led all receivers with eight catches for 146 yards.
Game notebook: Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez missed the game with an ankle injury. ... Givens left the game after suffering a toe injury in the first quarter but returned later. ... The Patriots have won four straight over the Rams, including a 20-17 victory in Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002. ... Rams leading receiver Danny Amendola did not play. He was questionable still recovering from the effects of a broken clavicle injury. ... It was the Rams' first game in London. The Patriots defeated Tampa Bay 35-7 at Wembley Stadium in 2009.