Patriots 42, Texans 14: Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and New England rolled to its seventh consecutive victory while snapping visiting Houston's six-game winning streak.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez caught a pair of scoring passes and Brandon Lloyd and Donte Stallworth each had touchdown receptions as the Patriots (10-3) remained tied with Denver and moved within a game of the Texans (11-2) for the top seed in the AFC postseason chase.

Brady threw for 296 yards and led New England to touchdowns on its first three possessions for a 21-0 lead four minutes into the second quarter. The league's two-time MVP had his 18th career four TD-game and extended his streak with a scoring pass to 45 consecutive games - third-longest in history.

Matt Schaub finished 19-for-32 for 232 yards and Arian Foster scored his league-leading 16th touchdown for Houston, which suffered its first road loss but remained two games ahead of Indianapolis atop the AFC South Division.

The momentum turned abruptly in the opening quarter when Devin McCourty intercepted Schaub's pass at the goal line. Brady needed only six plays to move the Patriots 82 yards, capping it when he found Lloyd with a 37-yard scoring strike for a 14-0 edge. Stallworth reeled in a 63-yard bomb five minutes into the third quarter to make it 28-0.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lloyd scored a second touchdown when he pounced on a fourth-quarter fumble in the end zone for New England, which has won 13 consecutive games in December, tying the Dallas Cowboys (1968-72) for the second-longest streak of all time. ... The Texans surrendered more than 30 points for the third time in four games and have allowed 42 points in each of their losses. They fell to Green Bay 42-24 at home on Oct. 14. ... Patriots CB Aqib Talib injured his hip in the second quarter and did not return. ... Stallworth, who was released by the Patriots in the preseason and signed this week, scored his first touchdown since Dec. 24, 2011.