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Patriots take aim at 15-0 mark

Dec 23, 2007 - 11:23 AM Miami (1-13) at New England (14-0) 4:15 pm EST

FOXBORO, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- The Miami Dolphins stopped their own run toward the history books. Doing the same to the New England Patriots will be a bit more difficult.

The Patriots can become the first team in NFL history to win their first 15 regular-season games when they host the Dolphins on Sunday.

New England is two wins away from becoming the second team in league history to complete an undefeated regular season, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

That Miami squad went on to win the Super Bowl and complete a 17-0 season - the only undefeated campaign in league annals.

The Patriots also can tie their own NFL record of 18 consecutive regular-season victories. Their last loss, ironically, was in Miami (21-0) on December 10, 2006.

"Every win feels great. We've strung some together and it's at 14 now," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "It feels good to be 14-0, I can't lie to you, but I'm going to feel good about it tonight and then tomorrow we're going to move on. We have to get ready for the Dolphins and that's just how it's been the whole year."

A tougher-than-expected 20-10 victory over the New York Jets last weekend got the Patriots to the 14-0 mark.

Quarterback Tom Brady had his worst game of the season, failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since the loss to the Dolphins in 2006.

That left Brady still four shy of tying Peyton Manning's season-touchdown record of 49 set in 2004.

Wide receiver Randy Moss also remains stuck on 19 TD receptions for the season, leaving him three short of tying Jerry Rice's all-time record for a wide receiver.

But with the passing game grounded, running back Laurence Maroney posted his second 100-yard game of the season, rushing for a season-high 104 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

Last weekend, Miami avoided the dubious distinction of joining the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams in league history to start a season with 14 straight losses.

Cleo Lemon's 64-yard TD strike to Greg Camarillo in overtime gave the Dolphins a 22-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, ending the season-long skid and setting off a joyous celebration.

"It feels like we won the Super Bowl," defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday said.

Miami will need a substantially better performance to hope for a repeat against the Patriots.

When the teams met on October 21, Brady threw a team-record six touchdown passes in a 49-28 rout. New England led, 42-7, at halftime.