Tom Brady tossed four touchdown passes in the second half as the New England Patriots routed the Detroit Lions 45-24 on Thursday at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Deion Branch and Wes Welker each caught a pair of touchdown passes for the Patriots, who broke the game open with a dominating second half.
“As far as today goes, it was a real good effort in the second half,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “In the end it was a lot of guys stepping up and making plays.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
The game was one of three NFL contests being held on the US Thanksgiving holiday.
At Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Drew Brees’ 12-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore following a Dallas fumble late in the fourth quarter lifted the New Orleans Saints, playing on Thanksgiving for the first time, to a 30-27 triumph over the Cowboys.
Dallas (3-8) lost for the first time in three games since Jason Garrett became interim coach following the highly publicized firing of Wad Phillips on Nov. 8.
In the late game, Mark Sanchez completed 16 of 28 passes for 166 yards as the New York Jets defeated Cincinnati 26-10 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
touchdown catch
Welker’s second touchdown catch from Brady with just under seven minutes left clinched the win for New England (9-2). Branch and Brady also connected on a 79-yard pass in the fourth to tie the game.
New England remained equal with AFC East rival the Jets for the NFL’s best record, setting up a showdown between the teams at the Gillette Stadium on Dec. 6.
Detroit, who have just two wins in 11 games this season, suffered their seventh consecutive loss on Thanksgiving. The Lions led by 11 points in the first half before their second-half meltdown.
“We played poor on defense to give up all those long plays,” Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said. “Dropping coverage and man-to-man is not the way to play against a team that has a lot of firepower.”
Brady completed 21 of 27 passes for 341 yards for the Patriots, who have won three straight since a Nov. 7 loss to Cleveland.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed a dozen times for 59 yards and two touchdowns for New England.
There are some intriguing matchups on tap for tomorrow’s games, including the Atlanta Falcons against the Green Bay Packers, who are both seeking to extend their win streaks to five games.
Green Bay, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, is tied on top of the NFC’s North Division with Chicago with a 7-3 record.
The NFC encounter between two top Super Bowl contenders also features Matt Ryan’s Falcons, who have eight wins and two losses and own the NFC’s best record.
‘BIG-TIME CHALLENGE’
“It’s a game we are looking forward to and it’s a big-time challenge,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Atlanta is playing very well.”
Ryan has the Falcons averaging 31 points during their four-game winning streak. During that stretch, Ryan is averaging 275.8 yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception in the last four games.
“We’ve been efficient offensively the past four or five weeks,” Ryan said. “Going forward, that’s kind of a recipe for success. You become difficult to beat.”
Rodgers is leading Green Bay with his superb passing attack over their last four games.
The Packers are also averaging 28 points per game despite losing star running back Ryan Grant to injury in the first week of the season.
CAREER HIGH
Rodgers tossed for 301 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 31-3 win at Minnesota on Sunday.
The San Diego Chargers can win their fifth game in the last six with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.
This is San Diego’s third trip to Indianapolis in just over five years.
“They are a team that creates problems for you just in terms of matchups,” Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell said. “It’s been a real battle with them throughout the years as well.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to hand the Baltimore Ravens their first home loss in more than a year tomorrow.
Baltimore (7-3) and Pittsburgh are tied for the AFC North lead in a race that could leave the winner with a first-round bye in the post-season.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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