Randy Moss provides downfield blocking for running back Laurence Maroney at the end of the first quarter yesterday on the first of Maroney’s two long runs.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

FOXBORO — Do you get the feeling that Tom Brady is throwing to Randy Moss a little too much in double and sometimes triple coverage?

Get the feeling that Brady might be throwing to Moss a lot so that Moss, who caught five passes for 50 yards and his 20th, and 21st touchdowns of the seasons, is forcing some throws to Moss so that Moss will break Jerry Rice’s NFL record for receiving touchdowns in a season, 22, set in 1987?

There’s no question that Moss is one of, if not the most talented receiver in the league. His stats say it all — 1,393 yards and 21 touchdowns.

But sometimes, like last night on several occasions, Brady throws it up to Moss in double and triple coverage, hoping that he can make a play.

Why?

“I mean hell, I’m Randy Moss,” Moss joked.

Brady threw to Moss deep on six different occasions — two were intercepted and the other four were incomplete.

“Part of the plan was to try to get him up running through the middle of the field,” Brady said. “He’s pretty dangerous when he does it. We’ll just have to see the film, maybe there were other guys [open] but sometimes you see him run there and just want to lay it up there for him.”

Moss had a big day against Miami in their first meeting of the season — four catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 50-yard bomb he caught in double coverage.

The other? You guessed it — a 35-yard touchdown strike.

So Brady figured that Moss could make those plays again no matter how many Dolphin defenders were on him.

“We talked all week about trying to get up on those safeties and trying to give Randy an opportunity down the middle,” Brady said. “Those guys were pretty deep and you try to lay it up there to give him an opportunity to make the play. It works out pretty well when he catches them; when he doesn’t, it doesn’t look so good. [We] just try to make them defend the deep part of the field and open things up underneath.”

Brady’s other receivers don’t blame him for throwing to Moss in double coverage. “If I was the quarterback I would throw it up to him too, especially [because] the last time we played them he had a couple of great grabs with a couple of guys around him,” Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney said. “We know that he can do that. He does that in practice. It’s not something that we’re forcing. It’s giving him a shot.”

The plan was to go to Moss early and often. Moss made plays early in the game. Brady threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Moss with 8:47 remaining in the first quarter to give the Patriots the early 7-0 lead.

To everyone’s surprise at Gillette Stadium, Miami had linebacker Derrick Pope guarding Moss on the touchdown and he blew by him. Pope was called for an illegal conduct penalty on the touchdown for bumping Moss in the end zone but Moss shook off the contact and caught the ball in the center of the end zone.

On first-and-10 at the Miami 14, Brady went to Moss again and cornerback Travis Daniels was called for pass interference in the end zone for holding Moss, giving the Patriots a first-and-goal at the one-yard line.

The Patriots lined up in a running formation but then Brady threw to Moss for a one-yard touchdown, extending their NFL record for touchdown passes between a passer and a receiver to 21.

The Dolphins were able to contain Moss in the second half.

“I think about the second half and we just didn’t execute really the way I though we were capable but they know Randy [was] going deep...” Brady said.

Moss hopes to break Rice’s touchdown record next week against the Giants, but he won’t be too disappointed if he doesn’t.

“That record has been there [for 20 years] and you know records are meant to be broken,” Moss said. “If I break the record I’m cool. If I don’t, I’m cool, as long as that zero stays in that right column I’m fine. Basically what I’m saying is I want to keep winning, to hell with the records.”

When Moss was with the Minnesota Vikings in 1998, he was on a team that not only became the third team in NFL history to win 15 games in the regular season, but he was on a team that set a new NFL record for most points in a season 556, which they still hold.

But the Vikings were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game that year.

“That one hurt,” Moss said. “It really did hurt.”

Moss said that he wants a Super Bowl ring more than Rice’s touchdown record.

roblee@projo.com