FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Stephen Gostkowski kicked a career-high five field goals and Tom Brady passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns as the New England Patriots regained their edge Sunday night, throttling the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals 43-17 before a loud, packed house at Gillette Stadium.
Brady, who became the sixth quarterback in NFL history to pass for 50,000 yards, completed 23 of 35 passes and threw touchdown passes to Tim Wright (17 yards) and Rob Gronkowski (16 yards). He was not intercepted.
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Stevan Ridley also rushed for 113 yards as the Patriots rebounded from a 41-14 loss at Kansas City on Monday night to improve to 3-2. Cincinnati dropped to 3-1.
Gostkowski kicked field goals of 48, 19, 23, 47 and 35 yards.
Brady passed the 50,000 yard milestone with a 27-yard completion to Gronkowski in the first quarter.
New England held a 20-3 lead at the half and never trailed in the game. In fact, when the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game, it was the first time they had scored first all season.
The Bengals tried to make it a game in the third quarter with a quick-strike 37-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to Mohammed Sanu that cut the margin to 20-10.
But Brady and the Patriots responded with a 10-play, 86-yard drive that culminated by a 16-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski. Six seconds later the Patriots had another touchdown.
Brandon Bolden hit returner Brandon Tate to force a fumble that was picked up at the 9 and carried into the end zone by Kyle Arrington, who dove in. Stephen Gostkowski’s kick made it 34-10 with 6:00 left in the third.
The offense that everyone has expected from the Patriots was on full display in the first half, which ended with New England ahead 20-3 over the favored Bengals.
Brady, off to the slowest start of his career, ran the offense to near perfection, completing passes to five different receivers for 153 yards in the first two quarters.
He connected on his first two throws – a 20-yarder to Brandon LaFell and a 30-yard pass to Tim Wright – on the opening drive that ended with Ridley bulling in from the 1. Gostkowski made it 7-0 with the PAT kick.
The defense held, forcing the Bengals to try a 52-yard field goal by Mike Nugent which was short.
Brady then drove the Patriots 58 yards in six plays, culminated by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Wright.
A 23-yard field goal by Nugent cut it to 14-3, but the Patriots responded with a 48-yard field goal by Gostkowski.
Then Darrelle Revis stripped A.J. Green of the ball after a 19-yard pass, with New England’s Jamie Collins recovering. Collins fumbled and the Patriots Alfonzo Dennard recovered.
That led to a 19-yard field goal by Gostkowski to close the first-half scoring and make it 20-3.
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