Half-Time Report: Tom Brady inspires New England Patriots to comfortable lead over Miami Dolphins

Tom Brady threw two first-half touchdowns as New England Patriots moved halfway toward a seventh straight win by earning a 19-0 half-time lead over Miami Dolphins at the Gillette Stadium.

With a six-match winning streak to protect, New England started the better of both sides and moved ahead with a little under five minutes on the clock.

It was a familiar combination of Rob Gronkowski and Brady which helped Bill Belichick's side to open the scoring, with a 47-yard pass from the latter opening up a seven-point lead.

The Patriots extended their advantage to nine points in the second quarter when Mike Pouncey was carried into his own endzone for the hosts' first safety in just over three years.

The Dolphins had managed 58 first-half points over the last two weeks, but the visitors did not get a sniff of the endzone, with Chandler Jones - who picked up two sacks - helping keep Miami at bay.

Stephen Gostkowski added a field goal to establish a 12-point gap, before New England extended that further when Dion Lewis latched on to another Brady pass with 24 seconds to go to fatten their advantage.