ShareThisORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Tom Brady has battled some of the top defenses in the league, and Mother Nature herself, during New England's seven-game winning streak, but it seems nothing can slow him down.
The Buffalo Bills certainly didn't Sunday afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Neither did the snow, wind and freezing temperatures.
Brady completed 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns, compiling a 107.0 quarterback rating. He also surpassed Bernie Kosar's record for most consecutive passes thrown without an interception in the process. Kosar threw 308 pick-free passes while playing for the Cleveland Browns in 1990 and 1991. Brady now has thrown 319, a mark that dates back to Oct. 17 against Baltimore.
"I'm glad I'm not throwing interceptions," Brady said. "I think our team has done a really good job this year of not turning the ball over in general. All the guys who have handled it this year are doing a good job taking care of it. I'm very fortunate, believe me. I've had plenty of plays that definitely could have gone to (the opposing defenses). It's a good trend for us to be on and hopefully it continues."
While Brady gave a team-first answer about his streak, his teammates praised him for it.
"He works hard," said rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, who caught two touchdown passes from Brady on Sunday. "He works hard on and off the field. He studies a lot of film, so he knows defenses. He practices hard too, so you've got to give him a lot of credit. He's having good reads so he's doing well."
"It speaks volumes of what he does in the classroom," said wide receiver Deion Branch. "He's a perfectionist. Things that we do in the classroom, I think that is how we play."
Even head coach Bill Belichick got into the Brady-praising act.
"Tom does a great job of managing the game and taking care of the ball - I think he deserves that," Belichick said of the record. "He's pretty careful with the ball."
The interception-free record is really only the tip of the iceberg for Brady this season.
On Sunday, he extended his NFL record by throwing at least two touchdowns without an interception for the eighth consecutive game.
"I want to help (Brady) set every record he can," said Branch. "If I can be a part of it, I would love to. I don't think we go into games focused on that. I didn't know what record it was, he's set so many records, so it's like, 'What record was this one.' Like I said, I'm just glad to be a part of it. These guys just want to go out and win games and make sure we execute our offense."
E-mail Robert Lee at roblee(at)projo.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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