Tom Brady and the New England Patriots picked up where they left off in the regular season last year, and put together a masterful opener against the division rival Miami Dolphins. Not to be outdone by Cam Newton’s 422 yard season opener, Brady threw for over 500 yards, becoming only the 11th quarterback in the history of the league to reach that level in one game.
Miami’s Chad Henne also had a lot of success, throwing for over 400 yards. The teams set an NFL record as they combined for over half a mile of passing, with 906 net passing yards.
Brady finished the night completing 32 of 48 passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99 and a half yard touchdown to Wes Welker when the team set up on their own 1-foot line.
Brady gave all the credit to Welker on that touchdown, saying, “I only threw it 25 yards. Wes did all the work. When I saw him break away, that was awesome. Coach never lets us run that route in practice.”
“When I saw the coverage as we lined up, I knew there was a strong possibility I could be getting the ball,” Welker said. “I just wanted to make the most of the opportunity.”
Brady set a franchise record for passing yards, and the team set a record with 622 yards from scrimmage.
The sole blemish on Brady’s night was one interception by defensive end Jared Odrick on a deflected pass, which ended his NFL record streak of 358 passes without an interception.
Chad Henne finished the night with 416 yards passing, going 30 of 49, for 2 touchdowns and 1 INT. Brandon Marshall had 7 receptions for 139 yards.
Reggie Bush looked rejuvenated with the Dolphins, and started the game looking like he did in his USC days. Bush ended the game with 11 carries for 38 yards and 9 receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.
While the Dolphins racked up a lot of offensive numbers, they were unable to stop the Patriots offense. Miami coach Tony Sparano said, “Some of their scores ended up looking like it was kind of easy.”
“Not the defensive performance we were hoping for,” Sparano added. “That’s an understatement.”
Injury Notes
Patriots center Dan Koppen was taken off in a cart late in the first half with a leg injury and appeared on crutches after the game.
Dolphins defensive end Tony McDaniel was out most of the second half with a hand injury.
