The New England Patriots hold a 17-7 halftime lead over the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. The Patriots outgained the Broncos by nearly 100 yards in the half, with Tom Brady's stellar effort leading the way.
Brady completed 17 of 20 passes for 165 yards and a score against Denver's defense, while running back Stevan Ridley gained 70 yards on 13 carries. Brady's 8-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker nearly 12 minutes into the first quarter opened the scoring. The Broncos answered back in the second quarter, as Peyton Manning found tight end Joel Dreessen for a 1-yard score to knot the game at seven apiece.
New England put together a 14-play, 80-yard drive following Denver's touchdown, and running back Shane Vereen capped it off with a 1-yard run to put the Patriots back in the driver's seat. The Pats then embarked on another long drive, getting a field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to make it a two score game right before halftime.
Denver had a golden opportunity to get on the board first, as Manning hit Demaryius Thomas for a 43-yard gain to the New England 10-yard line. However, Thomas fumbled on the play, and it was recovered by the Patriots' Sterling Moore.
Manning completed 13 of 18 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in the opening half.