Tom Brady threw a career and franchise record 517 yards as the New England Patriots won 38-24 at AFC East rivals the Miami Dolphins in the NFL on Monday.
The outstanding Brady completed 32 of 48 passes, throwing four touchdowns, crowning his display with a breathtaking 99 yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker — only the 12th time such a play has been made in the league.
The two-time league MVP eclipsed his previous best passing yardage of 410 set against Kansas City in 2002 and ended with the fifth best total in NFL history — Norm Van Brocklin holds the record set at 554 in 1951.
Photo: AFP
It was a performance which underlined Brady’s remarkable vision and arm, and will have put the rest of the AFC on notice that the Patriots are once again a force to be seriously reckoned with.
Any doubts about the outlets available to the quarterback will have been cast aside as Brady peppered his receivers and tight-ends with precise passes throughout the four quarters.
Receiver Welker put up 160 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns, while tight-end Aaron Hernandez also scored and enjoyed 103 yards.
“It is a team sport and those guys were catching the ball and making some great plays. Guys really stayed aware of the situation and we made enough plays to win — and that’s the goal,” Brady said.
The Dolphins had begun brightly with a touchdown on the opening drive, quarterback Chad Henne running over from nine yards, before Brady, helped by some poor Miami defense, caught fire.
Miami, though well beaten, will take heart from an offensive display which showed a great improvement from last season.
The Dolphins fought back to 14-14 early in the third quarter, taking advantage of a rare interception from Brady — with Jared Odrick taking the ball 39 yards before Henne found Brian Hartline with a 10 yard touchdown pass, but then Brady marched downfield and, with a no-huddle offense, ended a 10 play, 73 yard drive with a two yard pass to Welker.
Miami got to the one yard line, but had to settle for a field goal and that was the cue for Brady to put the game firmly in the Patriots’ hands.
The game was decisively put beyond Miami in emphatic and spectacular fashion when the Dolphins failed to convert a fourth down on the half-yard line and Brady lined up in the shotgun and threw from his end zone wide to Welker.
The receiver had escaped from the attention of Benny Sapp and grabbed the perfectly delivered pass before sprinting alone to complete an extraordinary score.
“That was pretty awesome. When I saw him break away, it was awesome,” Brady said. “I only threw it 25 yards, it’s not like I threw it 99 yards. Wes did all the work, I just had to put it there for him.”
With Henne throwing a career best 416 yards, the two teams combined for the most passing yards (906) of any NFL game.
RAIDERS 23, BRONCOS 20
In Denver, Colorado, Sebastian Janikowski tied an NFL record with a 63 yard field goal as Oakland beat Denver in an ill-tempered and clumsy game between the AFC West rivals.
The Raiders claimed victory in Denver for the fourth straight season and gave coach Hue Jackson his first win as an NFL head coach. It was the Broncos first loss in a home opener since 2000.
John Fox lost his debut as Denver’s coach and he lost at least two playmakers in the process.
Pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil hurt his shoulder early on and perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey injured his left knee making a touchdown-saving tackle on Darren McFadden, who ran 22 times for 150 yards.
The Broncos cut the deficit to 23-20 on Kyle Orton’s nine yard touchdown pass to Lance Ball with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left.
Other than that, Orton had a tough night. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 304 yards with an interception. As he left the field, fans were chanting: “Tebow, Tebow,” for second-year quarterback Tim Tebow, a former college star who has been contentiously overlooked for the starting quarterback role.
The Raiders salted away the win by controlling the clock and were able to line up in victory formation after Michael Bush’s 12 yard run to midfield for the first down at the two minute warning.
After a first half filled with fouls, fists and frustration, the Raiders took a 16-3 lead into the locker room in wild celebration as Janikowski’s 63 yard field goal fluttered over the crossbar as time expired.
That tied the mark set by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and matched by Denver’s Jason Elam in 1998 at the old Mile High Stadium.
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