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WEEI » This Just In » Fight to finish: Pats barely hold off Skins
Sun, 12/11/2011 - 5:07pm  

Fight to finish: Pats barely hold off Skins

By: Mike Petraglia

LANDOVER, Md. -- Rob Gronkowski set a new NFL record with two more touchdown receptions while nearly matching a franchise tight end record with 160 receiving yards as the Patriots survived a pourous day on defense to beat the Redskins, 34-27, Sunday at FedExField. Wes Welker set a career record with his ninth touchdown of the season for the Patriots, who improve to 10-3 on the season. The Patriots held off the Redskins on a first-and-goal when Santana Moss' TD was called back on offensive pass interference. On the next play, Jerod Mayo intercepted Grossman's pass at the Washington 7 when Moss bobbled it. 

Welker also caught seven passes for 86 yards, and has 100 catches for the season, joining Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history with at least four seasons of at least 100 receptions. 

The win was still a frustrating one for the Patriots, as Brady and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien got into a heated argument in the fourth quarter. The two had to be separated after Brady threw a red zone interception on a pass intended for Tiquan Underwood. 

In the first half, the Patriots raced out to a 14-3 lead as Vince Wilfork recovered a strip-sack fumble by Rex Grossman in the end zone. Following his first career TD, Wilfork went over and handed the ball to his wife, in attendance in the end zone. Meanwhile, the sack went to Andre Carter, his 10th of the season. 

The second TD was registered by Rob Gronkowski, who caught an 11-yard pass from Brady on a seam route to give him a new NFL touchdown record for tight ends with 14. 

But, as has been the case all the season, the Patriots secondary was burned for several big plays, including a 51-yarder to Donte Stallworth that burned Devin McCourty. The Redskins scored on TD passes of nine yards from Rex Grossman to Jabar Gaffney and 49 yards from Brandon Banks to Santana Moss, putting Washington up, 17-14. The two teams went to the locker room tied, 20-20, the second-highest halftime tie in Patriots history. 

Brady fired two more TD passes in the third, one of 37 yards to Gronkowski and another of 24 yards to Welker. The Patriots defense allowed the Redskins to tie the game, 27-27, before Brady hit Welker on a crossing pattern over the middle for the go-ahead score. Gronkowski's 160 yards receiving was just a yard shy of the Ben Coates' record in Sept. 1994.

The Patriots will be on the road again next Sunday when they battle Tim Tebow and the Broncos in Denver. For complete coverage from FedExField, visit the Patriots team page at weei.com/patriots and the blog It Is What It Is.




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