National Football League
New England 23, Miami 16
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 2, 2012
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Temperature: 77°
Head Official: Ron Winter
Attendance: 72114


New England 23, Miami 16:
Wes Welker caught 12 passes, including a 7-yard touchdown toss from Tom Brady, and visiting New England won its sixth straight game to clinch the AFC East title for the fourth straight season.

The NFL’s highest-scoring team never really got its high-octane offense in gear, but it also never trailed in the game. Stevan Ridley (19 carries, 71 yards) opened the scoring on a 2-yard run on the Patriots’ first possession, and New England used a seven-minute, 16-play drive in the fourth quarter that was capped by Stephen Gostkowski’s third field goal to put the game out of reach.

Brady was 24-of-40 for 238 yards, most of which went to Welker. The wideout finished with 103 yards receiving and tied Jerry Rice’s NFL record of 17 games with double-digit catches. Brady surpassed Joe Montana for the most division titles (10) by a quarterback.

Welker dropped a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and the Patriots had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Gostkowski to take a 20-10 lead. Miami answered on its next drive with a 33-yard kick by Dan Carpenter with 8:50 to play, cutting the deficit to 20-13 before the Patriots’ ensuing time-consuming drive sealed things.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill scored on a 2-yard run to get Miami within 17-10 before halftime. He finished 13-of-29 for 186 yards.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Brady now has the longest active streak of passing for at least one touchdown in a game. He has thrown a scoring pass in 44 consecutive games. Drew Brees’ record streak of 54 games came to an end on Thursday. … Brady threw an interception in the first half, his first since Week 6. … Miami LT Jake Long suffered a torn triceps in the first half and is done for the season. …Reggie Bush carried 15 times for 64 yards for the Dolphins.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
New England   Miami
Stevan Ridley Player Reggie Bush
19 Attempts 15
71 Yards 64
3.7 Avg Yards 4.3
1 Touchdowns 0
11 Long 16
Receiving
New England   Miami
Wes Welker Player Brian Hartline
12 Receptions 5
103 Yards 84
8.6 Avg Yards 16.8
1 Touchdowns 0
14 Long 28
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
New England 321 108 213 2 3 0 3.0 4
Miami 277 101 176 1 3 1 4.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game on the road against San Francisco. The Dolphins have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • New England will play their next game at home against Houston. The Patriots have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.