Rob Gronkowski broke the single-season record for touchdown catches by a tight end as New England beat Washington 34-27.
Patriots star breaks mark for most TD catches by a tight end
Rob Gronkowski broke the single-season record for touchdown catches by a tight end as the New England Patriots beat the Washington Redskins 34-27.
Quarterback Tom Brady completed 22 of 37 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns -- two to Gronkowski - and Jerod Mayo iced the game by picking off a tipped pass with 22 seconds to play.
The Patriots (10-3) won at Washington (4-9) for the first time in franchise history - the Redskins were the only current NFL franchise New England had never beaten on the road.
Brady (294) also moved ahead of Warren Moon into sole possession of sixth place for most touchdown passes in NFL history and reached the 4,000-yard mark for the fourth time in his career.
Washington quarterback Rex Grossman was 19 of 32 for 252 yards, and Roy Helu (126 yards) became the first Washington rookie to run for 100 yards in three straight games, but it was not enough to pull off the upset.
The Patriots took the lead with less than three minutes gone when Grossman was sacked in the end zone by Andre Carter and Vince Wilfork recovered the fumbled ball for a touchdown.
Gronkowski, who caught six passes for 160 yards, then made a diving reception before charging forward for a 49-yard gain, before catching an 11-yard touchdown pass on the very next play to break the record.
Touchdowns
Washington's Jabar Gaffney reduced the deficit when he caught a nine-yard touchdown but was a little overenthusiastic with his celebration, leaping into the first row of the stands but no-one caught him and he sank behind the barrier.
The next score came on the first offensive play of the year for Redskins kick returner Brandon Banks, who took a pitch on a double reverse and flung his first career pass -- 49-yards to Santana Moss - give Washington a 17-14 lead.
Three field goals - one from Graham Gano and two from Stephen Gostkowski - left the score tied at 20-20 at half-time.
The second half continued at the same frenetic speed, with three third-quarter drives going for touchdowns.
Gronkowski broke rookie Ryan Kerrigan's attempt at a tackle and padded his record with a 37-yard scoring reception, and David Anderson's first touchdown catch since 2008 tied the game at 27 on the next.
Then it was Brady to Wes Welker for 24 yards to restore New England's lead, but the Patriots quarterback was involved in a flashpoint in the fourth quarter when he was seen arguing with an assistant coach after being picked off in the end zone.
The Redskins took advantage of the miscue to drive with purpose from their own 20. However, a Moss catch at the goal line was negated by a pass interference call on the receiver, and then the wideout tipped a pass into the hands of Mayo to save the day for New England.
