Patriots 31, Broncos 21: Tom Brady passed for one touchdown and ran for another and host New England defeated Peyton Manning and Denver in a game featuring two of the most iconic quarterbacks in NFL history.

Stevan Ridley rushed for a career-high 151 yards and a touchdown while Wes Welker caught 13 passes for 104 yards and a score for the Patriots (3-2), who set a team record with 35 first downs. Brady finished 23-of-31 for 223 yards and orchestrated the hurry-up offense to near perfection as New England enjoyed a 31-7 lead late in the third quarter.

Denver (2-3) nearly rallied from the huge deficit, but Willis McGahee fumbled at the New England 14-yard line with just under four minutes remaining, ending any hopes of a comeback.

Manning was 31-of-44 for 345 yards and three touchdowns, including one to tight end Joel Dreessen for the third straight game, and Demaryius Thomas made nine catches for 188 yards for the Broncos. Linebacker Von Miller had two sacks, forced a fumble and recorded five tackles for a loss.

The Patriots took a 24-7 lead with a 16-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Brady sticking the ball over the goal line with five minutes left in the third quarter. The drive was kept alive by Danny Woodhead's 19-yard run to the Denver 38 on 3rd-and-17.

New England scored first with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter on Brady's 8-yard touchdown pass to Welker, who had four catches for 40 yards on the drive. Welker set a career high for receptions in a first half with nine.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning is fourth all-time with 143 wins while Brady is fifth (127). Manning is third all-time with 410 touchdown passes and Brady is fifth (308), marking the the first time two QBs with 300 or more touchdown passes squared off. ... Manning fell to 7-13 all-time versus New England; Brady improved to 4-6 all-time against Denver - the only team against which he has a losing record - and 9-4 head-to-head against Manning. ... The Patriots have won three straight over the Broncos by a combined score of 117-54, including 45-10 in the 2011 Divisional Playoffs. ... Brady has thrown a touchdown pass in 37 straight games, breaking a tie with Brett Favre for the third-longest streak in NFL history.