FOXBORO, United States (AFP) - Tom Brady passed for two first-half touchdowns and Corey Dillon rushed for 94 yards to lead the New England Patriots to their NFL record 19th consecutive win.
Brady threw for just 76 yards but it was enough to give New England a 24-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins in a battle of AFC East Division rivals on Sunday.
The Patriots (4-0) won their last 12 regular-season games in 2003, three playoff contests and their first four games this season to surpass the record of 18 shared by the 1997-98 Denver Broncos, the 1989-90 San Francisco 49ers, the 1972-73 Dolphins, and the 1933-34 and 1941-42 Chicago Bears.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick spent the week downplaying the streak in public but hugged his co-ordinators on the sidelines after the game and was doused with a bucket of Gatorade by defensive end Richard Seymour and safety Rodney Harrison.
"I did tell the team that they should be proud of what they accomplished," Belichick finally admitted.
"It's something that no other team in pro football has done."
Veteran cornerback Ty Law took a more honest approach, "I saw it coming. Everybody has a little bit of want in them and a little bit of selfishness to see that we can have a piece of history."
Miami coach Dave Wannstedt would like to know what it feels like to win another game. At 0-5, the Dolphins are off to their worst start since their inaugural 1966 season.
Meanwhile, everything Belichick touches turns to gold. The free agency/salary cap era was supposed to render the dynasty as a dinosaur in the NFL, but the Patriots continue to roll along in their quest for a third Super Bowl title in four years.
Marc Bulger threw two touchdowns and engineered three scoring drives in the final 5:34 of the fourth quarter to erase a 17-point deficit and then lofted a 52-yard scoring pass to Shaun McDonald in overtime to lead St. Louis to a 33-27 victory over the Seattle in a battle of NFC West rivals.
Seattle (3-1) appeared on the verge of starting a season 4-0 for the first time in club history, building a 27-10 lead.
The Rams won the coin toss in overtime and needed just six plays to win it.
Bulger hit Torry Holt with a 13-yard pass on a 3rd-and-6 play to keep the drive alive.
Three plays later, Bulger lofted a pass to McDonald, who ran past safety Terreal Bierria, caught the ball at the Seattle 20 and raced untouched into the end zone.
Tiki Barber recorded 198 total yards and scored a touchdown and Steve Christie made all four of his field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder, to lift the New York Giants to a 26-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a battle of NFC East rivals.
"I knew I had to prove myself coming into this season," said Barber, who leads the NFL with 577 rushing yards.
Michael Vick looked like a very ordinary quarterback on Sunday, and the result was the Atlanta Falcons' first defeat of the season, 17-10 to Detroit.
In other games, the Giants beat the Cowboys 26-10, Vikings defeated Texas 34-28, the Colts trampled the Raiders 35-14, the Buccaneers edged the Saints 20-17, Pittsburgh stopped Cleveland 34-23, the Jets tripped Buffalo 16-13, San Diego beat the Jaguars 34-21, Denver defeated the Panters 20-17, San Francisco stopped the Cardinals 31-28 and Baltimore beat Washington 17-10.