Tom Brady threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns and the New England Patriots re-established control of the AFC East with a 37-16 victory over the host New York Jets on Sunday night.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught eight passes for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Rob Ninkovich returned an interception for a score for the Patriots (6-3), who swept the season series from the Jets and took over sole possession of first place in the division.

New York (5-4) had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell into a tie with the Buffalo Bills for second place.

Brady and coach Bill Belichick passed Miami’s Dan Marino and Don Shula with their record 117th win as a quarterback-coach combination as New England avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2002.

The Patriots sacked Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez five times, including a franchise-record 4.5 by Andre Carter.

Ninkovich’s first pick came with New England clinging to a 16-9 edge. Brady took advantage of the mistake and fired a strike to Gronkowski for a 5-yard touchdown.

New York responded with a score, but Brady drove the Patriots right back. The reigning MVP headlined a 13-play drive over 84 yards, capping it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch – the 11th straight pass Brady had completed at that point.

The defense put it away on the ensuing drive when Ninkovich made his second interception and ran it back 12 yards for a touchdown for a 37-16 lead.

Last in the league entering the game, New England’s defense forced three turnovers despite losing Devin McCourty to injury during the game and not dressing starting safety Patrick Chung.