Landover, MD

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and tight end Rob Gronkowski set an NFL record to lead the New England Patriots to a 34-27 victory over the Washington Redskins Sunday afternoon.

Brady threw his final TD pass of the game, a 24-yarder to Wes Welker with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter to give the Patriots a 34-27 lead.

Welker had seven catches for 86 yards or AFC East-leading New England (10-3), which won its fifth straight and remains in the running for the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

It was Gronkowski that was the receiving star for the Patriots, catching two TD passes to up his season total to 15, a new NFL single-season record for touchdown catches by a tight end.

Gronkowski entered the game tied with San Francisco's Vernon Davis (2009) and San Diego's Antonio Gates (2004) with 13 touchdowns.

The Redskins had a chance to tie the game late after cornerback Josh Wilson intercepted Brady in the end zone. Washington drove deep into New England territory and appeared to tie the game on a TD catch by Santana Moss but he was called for offensive pass interference.

Two plays later, Moss bobbled a ball and it was intercepted by Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo with 22 seconds to play.

Washington (4-9) has dropped eight of its last nine games.

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