New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers Match Player Stats On Dec 07, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 7, 2014

Patriots 23, Chargers 14: Tom Brady threw for 317 yards and a pair of touchdowns as visiting New England took control in the fourth quarter to post its eighth win in nine games.

Julian Edelman made eight catches for 141 yards, including a career-best 69-yard TD, and tight end Rob Gronkowski added eight receptions for 87 yards and a score as the Patriots (10-3) rebounded from last week's loss at Green Bay. Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals and Brady shook off a dismal third quarter to finish 28-of-44 with an interception as New England remained in control of the top seed in the AFC.

Philip Rivers completed 20-of-33 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and one interception for San Diego (8-5), which had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell two games behind first-place Denver in the AFC West. Malcom Floyd had three receptions for 54 yards and a score for the Chargers, who were blanked in the second half and limited to 216 yards of total offense.

San Diego scored twice in just over two minutes early in the second quarter on Rivers' 15-yard scoring pass to Floyd and Darrell Stuckey's 53-yard fumble return, but Gronkowski's 14-yard touchdown catch following a blocked punt by Branden Bolden cut the deficit to 14-13. The Patriots had a chance to take the lead, but Brady was picked off by Manti Te'o at the 4-yard line with 10 seconds left in the half.

New England went three-and-out four straight times in a scoreless third quarter but went ahead on Gostkowski's 38-yard field goal early in the fourth before Brady's 69-yard strike to Edelman, who broke a pair of tackles along the way to make it 23-14 with 8:41 to play. The Patriots' defense made it stand up, holding the Chargers to five punts and an interception on their first six second-half possessions.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Patriots S Devin McCourty had a 56-yard interception return for a TD negated when CB Brandon Browner was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Chargers TE Ladarius Green. It appeared Browner made contact with his shoulder to the upper chest of Green, who suffered a concussion on the play. ... Gronkowski became the first TE in league history with four seasons of at least 10 TDs, surpassing the previous mark held by San Diego's Antonio Gates and the retired Tony Gonzalez. ... Chargers P Mike Scifres was carted off the field late in the first half with a shoulder injury sustained on the blocked punt, forcing K Nick Novak to punt for the first time since high school. ... Brady had his 64th 300-yard performance, passing Dan Marino for third place on the all-time list.