Tom Brady beat Peyton Manning as the New England Patriots overcame the Denver Broncos

Tom Brady: Threw for 223 yards with a touchdown in New England's 31-21 win over Denver

Tom Brady got the better of Payton Manning as the New England Patriots recorded a 31-21 victory over the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.

Manning threw for 345 yards with three touchdown passes, but could not keep up with the opposing ground attack as Stevan Ridley rushing for 151 yards with a TD.

The Patriots opened the scoring when Brady connected with Wes Welker from eight yards out. The Broncos responded when Manning found Joel Dreessen from close range.

However, New England turned the screw with 24 unanswered points. Shane Vereen's 1-yard run and Stephen Gostkowski's 23-yard field goal gave the home side a 17-7 half-time lead.

Brady then made it into the end zone himself in the third quarter to extend their advantage with Ridley's 8-yard run effectively sealing the game as a contest.

The Broncos (2-3) finished the game on a high with Manning connecting with Eric Decker and Brandon Stokley, but their comeback fell short of forcing overtime.