Brady throws 2 TDs in 2nd quarter; Patriots lead Colts 24-14 at half

Patriots lead Colts 24-14 at halftime

INDIANAPOLIS — Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, and the New England Patriots lead the Indianapolis Colts 24-14 at halftime on Sunday night.

Brady’s scoring tosses of 63 yards to Randy Moss and 9 yards to Julian Edelman put the Patriots up 24-7. The Colts responded when Peyton Manning completed a 20-yard scoring pass to Reggie Wayne to cut New England’s lead to 24-14.

Much of the hype heading into the matchup was about Brady and Manning, who have four Super Bowl titles and four MVP awards between them. They combined to pass for 413 yards and four touchdowns in the first half.

Moss caught four passes for 144 yards in the first half and Wayne caught seven for 90 yards.

Both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions, then scored on their second.

Manning’s 15-yard TD pass on a dump-off to Joseph Addai finished an 8-play, 90-yard drive to put the Colts (8-0) ahead 7-0. A key play was a 23-yard catch by Wayne on the sideline against double coverage. The Patriots challenged the ruling that the pass was complete, but the original call was upheld, costing New England a challenge and a timeout.

The Patriots (6-2) responded with a 73-yard drive. Brady found Moss deep down the middle for 55 yards to put New England at the Indianapolis 6-yard line. Laurence Maroney scored on a 1-yard run two plays later, and New England tied the score at 7-all.

Addai left the game with an injured finger on his right hand, and the Colts said his return was questionable.

Stephen Gostkowski’s 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter put the Patriots up 10-7.

After the Patriots’ defense stopped the Colts again, Brady connected with Moss for the 63-yard touchdown, to increase New England’s lead to 17-7.

Brady struck again minutes later. He shrugged off Robert Mathis before delivering the touchdown pass to Edelman that gave the Patriots a 24-7 lead.

Manning responded this time, finding Wayne in the middle of the end zone with 4:17 left in the second quarter to cut New England’s lead to 24-14.

The matchups between the teams in recent years often have had long-term implications. Four times since 2003, the winner of this regular-season game also became the AFC champion. Three times, the winner won the Super Bowl.

The Patriots were without four starters: defensive ends Ty Warren and Jarvis Green, left tackle Matt Light and cornerback Shawn Springs.