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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a milestone Sunday for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Tom Brady, tying the franchise record by appearing in his 212th game, became the fourth quarterback to throw 400 touchdown passes and kicker Stephen Gostkowski set the NFL record for consecutive extra points as the unbeaten Patriots cruised to a 51-17 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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"I've been a part of so many great teams and played with so many great players," said Brady, who also added touchdown pass No. 401 in his team's third straight win. "I've always said I don't care whether we run it in or throw it in as long as we score points, and we're and winning it makes it fun for me."
Gostkowski, who kicked three field goals, broke Matt Stover's league record when he nailed his 423rd consecutive PAT for New England's 37th point.
"Durability, longevity and obviously consistent production that both of them have had," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I feel very fortunate to have coached, had guys like that on our team, and those two guys in particular ... they had a good day, as they've had for many, many, many days in their career. Really fortunate to have those guys on our team."
The Patriots (3-0) tied a franchise record with 35 first downs, scored all nine times they had the ball (before running out the clock late) and registered the most points ever scored against the Jaguars while piling up 471 yards of offense.
Brady connected with wide receiver Danny Amendola for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the first half to join Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the only players to pass for 400 regular-season touchdowns.
Amendola gave the ball to a fan and then realized he needed it back. After the game, Brady said, "I don't care" about the ball.
The performance was also Brady's NFL-record 31st start in which his team scored 40-plus points.
Running back LeGarrette Blount scored a career-high three touchdowns, all on 1-yard runs, and running back Dion Lewis and wide receiver Keshawn Martin also scored as the Patriots converted 11 of 14 third downs in the game.
Brady, with his 66th 300-yard passing game, finished 33 of 42 for 358 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. In three games since having his four-game NFL suspension overturned, he is 96 of 133 for 1,112 yards, nine touchdowns and no picks.
Lewis, playing on his 25th birthday, gained 37 yards on eight carries and caught five passes for 30 yards. Blount ran for 78 yards in his first extended action of the season (he was suspended for the opener).
A milestone missing in this game was tight end Rob Gronkowski failing to become the sixth tight end in history with 60 touchdown catches. Gronkowski caught four passes for 101 yards, his 17th 100-yard game, extending his NFL record for 100-yard games by a tight end.
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman had eight catches for 85 yards and has caught 30 in three games.
The banged-up Jaguars (1-2) were as close as 10-3 in the second quarter but then got blown away in every department. Quarterback Blake Bortles connected with wide receiver Allen Hurns on a 59-yard catch and run for a third-quarter touchdown that made it 37-10 -- and hit tight end Clay Harbor with a 6-yard score with 1:22 remaining.
Bortles finished 17 of 33 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
A loss to forget?
"You don't bury the tape because it is out there," Jaguars linebacker Dan Skuta said. "It is out there for life so you take a look and see what you did. Other teams are going to come back to those sort of things."
NOTES: Jacksonville TE Julius Thomas missed his third straight game with his new team because of a finger injury. ... WR Marqise Lee and G Brandon Linder, both questionable for the Jaguars, played, but Lee (hamstring) left in the second quarter, as did safety Josh Evans (knee) -- and CB Sergio Brown was lost in the third. ... TE Michael Hoomanawanui was a surprise inactive for New England, which also sat veteran CB Bradley Fletcher (poor game in Buffalo last week) in favor of rookie Justin Coleman. ... Patriots DT Dominique Easley, who left the opener and missed last week with a hip injury, was expected to be out but played, and OL Ryan Wendell missed his third straight game with an illness. ... The Jags host the Indianapolis Colts next week and the Patriots have an early bye before visiting Dallas and Indianapolis.
