FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots put up record numbers on Sunday, both on the field and in living rooms and man caves across New England.

In a game that began with a celebration of the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, Tom Brady and the Patriots offense put on a show by scoring a season-high 55 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers en route to a 55-31 win at Gillette Stadium. New England's 55 points were the most allowed by the Steelers in a single game in the 81-year history of the franchise.

CBS' telecast of the game enjoyed an average household rating of 40.3 in the Boston market, the highest rating of the 2013 season to date. Since the regular season began in September, the only sporting event to receive higher ratings in the Boston market was Game 6 of the World Series. Sunday's rating marks a 15 percent increase from this season's previous high, a 35.1 average household rating in the team's dramatic comeback win against the Saints in Week 6. It also marks the first time this season that a Patriots game has drawn ratings of 40 or higher in the Boston market.

Sunday's 40.3 average household rating stands as the highest-rated regular season game against the Steelers in franchise history, as well as the tenth-highest rated regular season game in Patriots history.

The previous regular season ratings high against Pittsburgh was a Week 13 contest at home against the Steelers in 2007, which drew a 38.2 average household rating. This statistic excludes the team's last contest against the Steelers in Week 10 of the 2011 season, when ratings were unavailable due to the power outages caused by inclement weather.

The Patriots stand at 7-2 with a two-game lead in the AFC East as they enter their bye week. They will return to action two weeks from now on Nov. 18, when they travel to Charlotte, N.C. to take on the Carolina Panthers on ESPN's nationally televised Monday Night Football.

HIGHEST PATRIOTS VS. STEELERS RATINGS IN BOSTON MARKET, TEAM HISTORY