SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 18, 2012
Patriots 59, Colts 24: Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and the New England defense victimized rookie Andrew Luck in a one-sided win over visiting Indianapolis.
Brady threw a pair of scoring passes to tight end Rob Gronkowski as New England (7-3) won its fourth straight contest and equaled the franchise record for points in a game. Brady also connected with Julian Edelman on a 2-yard slant at the goal line to give the Patriots a 31-17 lead early in the third quarter.
Luck threw three interceptions - two of which were returned for scores - and lost a fumble which also led to a Patriots touchdown. He finished 27-for-50 for 334 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to T.Y. Hilton.
Trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Patriots turned the game around by scoring two touchdowns in the span of a minute. Edelman returned a punt 68 yards for a score and newly acquired defensive back Aqib Talib returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown.
Brady finished 24-for-35 for 331 yards as the Patriots scored more than 50 points for the second time this season. Indianapolis (6-4) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
Game notebook: Reggie Wayne reeled in seven passes. He has caught at least three passes for an NFL-leading 58 straight games. ... Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez missed the game with a nagging ankle injury. ... Brady threw a touchdown pass for the 42nd straight game. ... The game time was switched to 4:25 p.m. as part of television-flex scheduling. ... Gronkowski is the first tight end in NFL history with three straight seasons of 10 or more touchdowns.