Game Notes: Patriots Pass Steelers in Banner Evening

On a night where the fourth Super Bowl banner was unveiled, the Dropkick Murphys announced that the boys were back (and looking for trouble), and T-Pain sang All I Do Is Win, the Patriots continue to simply win on the opening night of the 2015 NFL Regular Season.

Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and the rest of the Patriots offense picked up where they left off last season as a four-touchdown performance led the defending Super Bowl Champions past the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-21.

“I thought it was a good win for us tonight. I thought our players really competed well. Obviously Pittsburgh is a very good football team, very explosive offensively and I thought we hung in there. We made enough plays that we needed to make. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough and we’ll take that. Certainly a lot we can learn from this game situationally and just the overall execution,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said.

For Brady, it was the usual suspects on the receiving end of his passes with Julian Edelman making 11 receptions on 12 targets for 97 yards and tight end Rob Gronkowski earning five receptions on eight targets for 94 yards and three touchdowns.

A consistent threat near the goal line, the Steelers were unable to find a solution for Gronkowski, along with fellow tight end Scott Chandler whose one reception was a one-yard touchdown catch at the one with 10:32 to play in the third quarter.

The performance was the third three-plus touchdown game for Gronkowski, which was not made more difficult by the lack of defense by the Steelers. Early in the second quarter, Gronkowski followed a 19-yard catch with a 16-yard touchdown reception down the right sideline. Open at the Pittsburgh 10, Gronkowski found himself wide open and free to pick up the game’s opening score.

“Our offense was doing a great job getting to the line. We were hustling and getting set throughout the whole offense. Tom [Brady] just saw it, made the quick throw and I just had to make the play. It was good execution overall by the offense,” Gronkowski said.

Staying open and uncovered seemed to become a theme for the New England tight end. On a second and goal at the Pittsburgh six, the Steelers seem to bite on a playaction that allowed Gronkowski to shoot up the seam between two defenders and catch his second touchdown of the game in the back of the end zone to put the Patirots up 14-0 with 4:06 remaining in the second half.

Later in the fourth quarter, Gronkowski produced a 52-yard catch that started at the Patriots 40 with no Steeler defenders around him allowed him to get New England down to the Steelers 27. Two plays later first-year Patriot running back Dion Lewis took the Patriots to the one before fumbling, with Gronkowski jumping on the what was initially ruled as a touchdown. Despite the ball being placed on the one upon review, a fade route to the left of the end zone by the tight end put New England up 14-28.

Down 21-3 at the half, Pittsburgh was able to cut the lead to seven on a field goal from Scobee and goalline run from Josh Williams during the third quarter. The Steelers’ only other score would be an 11-yard touchdown reception by Antonio Brown in the end zone with two seconds to play.

As good of a night it was for some of the Patriots it was just as bad for the Pittsburgh kicker. The acquired specialist from Jacksonville missed a 44-yard field goal on the team’s opening drive and failed to convert on a 46-yard kick in the second quarter.

The Patriots will enjoy a long week before heading to Buffalo for their Week 2 matchup with the Bills.

Below are game notes provided by Patriots Media Relations:

PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 3-0 IN THURSDAY NIGHT KICKOFF GAMES

The NFL’s Thursday Night Kickoff tradition began in 2002 and the defending Super Bowl Champion has hosted every year since 2004. New England is 3-0 when playing in the Thursday kickoff game as the defending Super Bowl Champion. New England defeated Indianapolis, 27-24, on Sept. 9, 2004 and Oakland, 30-20, on Sept. 8, 2005 in Thursday games at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are 4-0 all-time in season openers in the season after winning the Super Bowl.

PATRIOTS JUMP AHEAD OF PITTSBURGH IN SEASON OPENERS.

The Patriots improved to 2-1 in season openers against the Steelers. The last time the Patriots played Pittsburgh in the season-opener was in 2002 in the grand-opening of Gillette Stadium, a 30-14 win on Monday Night Football when the Patriots were coming off their first Super Bowl win.

Patriots vs. Pittsburgh in Season Openers (2-1)

• Sept. 3, 1979: vs. Pittsburgh 13-16 (L) (OT)
• Sept. 9, 2002: vs. Pittsburgh 30-14 (w)
• Sept. 10, 2015: vs. Pittsburgh 28-21 (w)

PATRIOTS, BILL BELICHICK AND TOM BRADY IMPROVE OPENING DAY RECORDS

Tom Brady has the best opening day record of any Super Bowl era quarterback. New England won its eighth consecutive time when opening the season at home.

OPENING DAY RECORDS FOR THE PATRIOTS

W L T Pct.

New England Patriots 31 25 0 .554

Bill Belichick 14 7 0 .667

Tom Brady 12 2 0 .857

PATRIOTS SELL OUT 231st CONSECUTIVE HOME GAME

The Patriots had a sellout crowd for the 231st consecutive home game. The sellout streak is now in its 22nd season, and includes every preseason, regular season and playoff game since the 1994 regular season home opener.

PATRIOTS HAVE BEST RECORD IN PAST TEN YEARS

The Patriots’ record of 123-38 (.763) over the past 10-plus seasons (since 2005) is the best in the NFL. Over the past 10 years, only six NFL teams have posted a winning percentage of .600 or better.

BEST RECORDS SINCE 2005

Team W L T Pct.

1. New England 123 38 0 .764
2. Indianapolis 110 50 0 .688
3. Pittsburgh 101 60 0 .627
4. Green Bay 98 61 1 .616
5. San Diego 97 63 0 .606
6. Baltimore 96 64 0 .600

PATRIOTS HAVE BEST SEPTEMBER RECORD OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS

No team in the NFL has started off seasons stronger than the Patriots over the past 10 years, as New England has amassed a league-best 24-10 September record since 2005.

BEST SEPTEMBER RECORDS SINCE 2005

Team Wins Losses Pct.

1. New England 24 10 .706
2. Baltimore 22 11 .667
3. Dallas 22 11 .667
4. Indianapolis 22 11 .667
5. Denver 22 12 .647
6. Seattle 21 12 .636

PATRIOTS IMPROVE BEST HOME RECORD SINCE 2001

The Patriots have the best home record in the NFL since 2001 with a 95-18 record, including a .841 winning percentage.

BEST HOME RECORDS SINCE 2001 (regular season)

Team Wins Losses Ties Pct.

• New England 95 18 0 .841
• Baltimore 85 27 0 .759
• Green Bay 81 30 1 .728
• Indianapolis 81 31 0 .723
• Pittsburgh 81 30 1 .728

PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 19 STRAIGHT HOME WINS AGAINST NON-DIVISION AFC FOES

The Patriots have now won 19 straight home games against non-division AFC opponents. Their last loss at Gillette Stadium to a non-division AFC team was a 33-10 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2008.

PATRIOTS EXTEND WIN STREAK WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF

The Patriots led the Steelers 14-3 at halftime and won the game 28-21. It marked the Patriots’ 75th straight victory when holding a halftime lead at home, dating back to 2000. New England is now 67-0 when leading at halftime in games at Gillette Stadium.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

TOM BRADY HAS MOST WINS BY A STARTING QB WITH ONE TEAM

Tom Brady has 161 career regular-season wins with the Patriots, surpassing Brett Favre (160 wins with Green Bay) for the most wins by a starting quarterback with one team. Brady made his 208th career start against Pittsburgh. It took Favre 253 starts to reach 160 wins.

MOST WINS AS A STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR ONE TEAM

Player Wins Team

1. Tom Brady 161 New England
2. Brett Favre 160 Green Bay
3. John Elway 148 Denver
4. Dan Marino 147 Miami
5. Peyton Manning 141 Indianapolis

BRADY MAKES HIS 14th STRAIGHT OPENING DAY START WITH ONE TEAM; LONGEST CURRENT STREAK AND FOURTH LONGEST STREAK IN NFL HISTORY

Tom Brady made his 14th opening day start with the Patriots. The only NFL quarterbacks with more opening day starts with one team are John Elway (16 with Denver), Dan Marino (16 with Miami) and Brett Favre (15 with Green Bay). Eli Manning is expected to make his 11th straight opening day start for the New York Giants, which will be the second longest active streak.

BRADY MATCHES STEVE GROGAN WITH HIS 16th SEASON WITH THE TEAM

The 2015 season is Brady’s 16th season with the Patriots, matching Steve Grogan (1975-90) for the most seasons with the team.

TOM BRADY MAKES 109th CONSECUTIVE START

Tom Brady made his 109th straight start, including postseason games and is the only quarterback in NFL history with two separate streaks of 100-plus starts.

Most Consecutive Starts by an NFL QB (including playoffs)

Games Quarterbacks

• 321 Brett Favre (1992-2010)
• 227 Peyton Manning (1998-2011)
• 178 Eli Manning (2004-present)
• 153 Philip Rivers (2006-present)
• 128 Tom Brady (2001-2008)
• 127 Joe Flacco (2008-present)
• 123 Ron Jaworski (1977-1984)
• 110 Joe Ferguson (1977-1984)
• 109 Tom Brady (2009-present)

TOM BRADY HAS BEST OPENING DAY RECORD IN SUPER BOWL ERA

Tom Brady is 12-2 as a starting quarterback on opening day, the best record among any quarterback on opening day in the Super Bowl era.

NFL QUARTERBACKS WITH THE BEST RECORD IN SEASON-OPENING GAMES

Player Season Opening Record WIN PCT

1. Tom Brady 12-2 .857
2. John Elway 12-4 .750
3. Dan Fouts 9-3 .750
4. Peyton Manning 12-4 .750

BRADY NEARING 400 TOUCHDOWNS

Brady tied Drew Brees for fifth place for most career touchdowns passes with 396 and needs four more touchdown passes to become the fourth NFL player to ever reach 400 career touchdown passes – Peyton Manning (530), Brett Favre (508) and Dan Marino 420).

BRADY IMPROVES TO 24 STRAIGHT HOME WINS AGAINST NON-DVISION AFC TEAMS

Tom Brady improved to 24 straight wins at home as a starting quarterback against non-division AFC opponents. His last home loss to a non-division AFC team was Nov. 5, 2006 in a 27-20 defeat to Indianapolis.

BRADY SETS TEAM RECORD WITH 19 CONSECUTIVE PASS COMPLETIONS

Tom Brady completed 19 consecutive passes against Pittsburgh, setting a new team record. Brady had 14 straight pass completions vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 27, 2009. He set a Super Bowl record with 16 straight pass completions vs. the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. The NFL record for most consecutive completions in a single game is 22, set by Mark Brunell while with Washington in a game vs. Houston on Sept. 24, 2006 and David Carr while with Houston vs. Buffalo on Nov. 19, 2006.

BRADY HAS 23rd CAREER GAME WITH 4+ TOUCHDOWN PASSES

Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns against the Steelers, marking his 23rd career game with four or more scoring passes. Brady now has 18 career games with four or more touchdowns and no interceptions, tying Peyton Manning and Drew Brees for the NFL record for the most such games.

MOST GAMES WITH 4-PLUS TOUCHDOWN PASSES

1. Peyton Manning 35
2. Drew Brees 26
3. Tom Brady 23
4. Brett Favre 23
5. Dan Marino 21
6. Johnny Unitas 17

MOST GAMES WITH 4-PLUS TOUCHDOWNS AND NO INTERCEPTIONS

1. Tom Brady 18
2. Peyton Manning 18
3. Drew Brees 18
4. Brett Favre 12

DION LEWIS HAS 120 YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE

RB Dion Lewis had 120 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches in his Patriots debut, tallying 69 rushing yards on 15 carries (4.6 avg) and adding 51 receiving yards on 4 catches, including a 19-yard reception. The 120 scrimmage yards set a new career high for Lewis, topping his 58 yards from scrimmage (all rushing) while playing for Philadelphia against Washington on Jan. 1, 2012. Lewis’s 69 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards against Pittsburgh were each career highs.

GOSTKOWSKI HANDLES THE NEW EXTRA POINT RULE; EXTENDS HIS STREAK

Stephen Gostkowski kicked the first extra point under the NFL’s new rule that moved the extra point attempts from the 2-yard line to the 15-yard line for a 33-yard kick. He extended his streak of consecutive extra points to 415.

Most Consecutive (Kicking) Points After Touchdown

1. 422 Matt Stover, Baltimore, 1996-2008; Indianapolis, 2009
2. 415 Stephen Gostkowski, New England, 2006-present
3. 371 Jason Elam, Denver, 1993-2002
4. 371 Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis, 1999-2007
5. 360 Jay Feely, Atlanta, 2002-04; N.Y. Giants, 2005-06; Miami, 2007; N.Y. Jets, 2008-09; Arizona, 2010-2013, Chicago, 2014

2015 FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK MALCOM BROWN RECORDS FIRST NFL SACK

2015 first-round draft pick DL Malcom Brown registered his first NFL sack on the game’s first series when he dropped WR Antonio Brown for an 8-yard loss after Brown attempted a pass off of a lateral. The sack came on first down at the Patriots’ 24 yard line and began a stand by the Patriots defense that stopped Pittsburgh’s initial offensive momentum on a game-opening drive that ended with a missed field goal

GRONKOWSKI SCORES FIRST POINTS OF 2015; HAS NOW SCORED IN FOUR STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON GAMES

Rob Gronkowski scored the Patriots first points of the season on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the second quarter. He has now caught a touchdown pass in four straight regular season games after closing out the 2014 by scoring a touchdown in the final three regular season games. He has now caught a touchdown pass in seven straight games, including the postseason. Gronkowski’s longest streak of consecutive regular season games with a receiving touchdown is six in 2011, which is a franchise record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown.

GRONKOWSKI TIES TEAM MARK WITH FOUR GAMES WITH THREE OR MORE TOUCHDOWNS.

With his three touchdowns against Pittsburgh, Gronkowski tied the Patriots record for most games with three or more touchdowns with four such games. The record is shared with Randy Moss.

Most Overall Games with Three or More Touchdowns

1. 4 Rob Gronkowski
2. 4 Randy Moss
3. 2 Billy Lott
4. 2 Curtis Martin
5. 2 Larry Garron
6. 2 Sam Cunningham

GRONKOWSKI SCORES IN SEASON OPENER FOR FIFTH TIME IN FIVE TRIES

Rob Gronkowski played in a season-opener for the fifth time in his career and scored a touchdown for the fifth time. Gronkowski scored a touchdown in the Patriots’ first game of the season in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. He did not play in the season opener in 2013.

GRONKOWSKI MATCHES CAREER LONG

Gronkowski had a 52-yard reception in the fourth quarter, matching his career long. He had a 52-yard touchdown reception vs. Kansas City on Nov. 21, 2011.

EDELMAN HAS SIXTH CAREER GAME WITH 10-PLUS CATCHES

Edelman had his sixth regular-season game with at least 10 catches, finishing with 11 grabs for 97 yards.

SCOTT CHANDLER SCORES TOUCHDOWN WITH THE PATRIOTS

Scott Chandler scored his first touchdown as a member of the Patriots in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady.

HIGHTOWER RECORDS FIRST SACK OF SEASON

LB Dont’a Hightower sacked Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for a 6-yard loss on second down in the first quarter, setting up a third-and-long that the Steelers did not convert. Hightower had a career-high 6 sacks in 2014.

BRADY COMPLETES THREE STRAIGHT TO LEAD TO FIRST SCORE OF SEASON

With the Patriots facing a second-and-seven from Pittsburgh’s 48-yard line in the second quarter, Tom Brady completed three consecutive passes to lead the Patriots to their first touchdown of the season. Brady hit Julian Edelman for a 13-yard completion, then connected with Rob Gronkowski on back-to-back plays in the second quarter, with the two passes to Gronkowski totaling 35 yards and ending in a 16-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Patriots lead.

HARMON RECORDS FOURTH QUARTER INTERCEPTION

Duron Harmon intercepted a deep ball from Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter with the Patriots holding a 28-14 lead. The pick was the fourth of Harmon’s career and was the only turnover of the game.

Photo Credit: New England Patriots