By Mike Shalin
FOXBOROUGH—Tom Brady took his team 80 yards in the final 2:31, hitting Aaron Hernandez with an eight-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to give the New England Patriots a 20-16 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.
Brady, intercepted twice in what had been a mediocre performance, was 8-for-9 on the drive, the only three yards he didn't gain through the air gained on a quarterback sneak on a third-and-2 at the Dallas 27.
The Patriots hadn't scored since midway through the second quarter.
David Bailey's 26-yard field goal with 5:13 left gave the Cowboys (2-3) their first lead of the game, setting the stage for Brady's heroics, which produced his 31st straight regular season home win. It was also the Patriots' 20th straight regular season win at home and their 18th straight home win against NFC teams.
The Patriots (5-1) failed to score 30 points for the first time in their last 14 regular season games, leaving them one shy of the NFL record. The last time they didn't do it in the regular season was last Nov. 7 when the Browns held them to 14 points. Rob Ryan was the Cleveland defensive coordinator in that game and now has the same job with the Cowboys.
Extending the Ryan angle a bit further, the Jets held the Patriots to 21 points in beating them in the playoffs, with Rob's brother Rex the head coach of that team.
Brady finished 27-for-41 for 289 yards and two scores. For Dallas, Tony Romo was also 27-for-41, but for 317 yards a touchdown and an interception.
Both teams had two turnovers and three points in Sunday's sloppy first quarter, as Stephen Gustkowski kicked a 31-yard field goal for the Patriots and Bailey answered with a 48-yarder for the Cowboys.
New England then scored the game's next 10 points, as Gustkowski kicked a 26-yard field goal after a Pats drive following a Tashard Choice fumble, and Brady hitting Wes Welker with a five-yard touchdown pass that was originally called down inside the 1. The Patriots challenged, won and had a 13-3 lead.
The TD pass was the 276th of Brady's career, moving him into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time list.
The score came midway through the third quarter, but the Dallas offense then took control to score the game's next 10 points.
A return penalty started Dallas on its own 7, but Romo took the Cowboys 93 yards on 11 plays, with 7:01 coming off the clock. A 33-yard catch and run and 16-yard catch by Dez Bryant leading the way to a one-yard touchdown pass from Romo to tight end Jason Witten.
New England then punted the ball back to Dallas, which took over at its 19 and Romo had completions of 19, 12, 20 and 14 yards mixed into the drive that ended with Bailey kicking a 22-yard field goal to tie the game.
The Patriots then marched down the field before tight end Aaron Hernandez fumbled at the Dallas 17. The strip was recorded by linebacker Bradie James and cornerback Terence Newman, who had a first-quarter interception, recovered.
Game Notes:
Dallas running back Felix Jones, who had just 14 yards on eight carries, suffered an ankle injury in the first half and didn't return. … The Patriots were without linebacker Jerod Mayo for the second straight week. He returned to practice Friday. … This was the first visit to New England since 2003. The last time the teams played, 2007 in Texas, Brady threw five touchdown passes in a 48-27 Patriots win that was included in their 16-0 regular season. … New England visits Pittsburgh and Dallas hosts St. Louis next week. … Among the Dallas mistakes early was the unusual offsides on a kickoff, and the Cowboys were the receiving team.
