GAME NOTES: Patriots Plow Through Jaguars

The wrecking crew known as the New England Patriots continued to roll through opponents Sunday with what may end up as one of the more lopsided games of the year.

Tom Brady threw for his 400th and 401st touchdown passes along with 358 yards as the Patriots routed the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17. The effort was the highest amount of points let up by Jacksonville in their franchise’s history.

“We were able to take advantage of some good field position offensively. And defensively getting off to a good start, they were getting the ball for the offense right away; it was good. I thought our special teams, even though it wasn’t a punting game for us, we had some plays in the punt return, stopped a fake punt, Steve [Gostkowski] kicked the ball well. So, it was a good overall team effort,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said.

Brady became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to break the 400-touchdown barrier late in the second quarter on a two-yard pass to Danny Amendola in the back of the end zone. The 401st came in the next quarter, on a 13-yard pass to Keshawn Martin.

The highlights were minimal for Jacksonville with Blake Bortles’ 59-yard pass to Allen Hurns with 6:25 to play in the third quarter representing one of the few bright spots for a team that was unable to build any momentum.

Most of the day was a struggle for the Jacksonville quarterback, who finished with 242 yards and two touchdowns, once of which was scored late in the fourth quarter.

Bortles attempted to take a shot at the Patriots late in the first half, throwing deep to Marcedes Lewis, only for Devin McCourty to pick up an interception at the New England 16-yard line and return it to their own 43.

“Bad play, bad throw, having Marcedes [Lewis] running down with the linebacker trailing him and just missed him. It was a bad throw and that really can’t happen,” Bortles said.

Coming off a week where the defense arguably let the Buffalo Bills into the game during the fourth quarter, perhaps the defense needed to bring more consistency to their game, holding Jacksonville to only 293 net yards and only six third down conversions.

“All week we’ve been hearing about it – playing 60 minutes and finishing every play. And I thought in the second half, we came out with that sense of urgency with some key third-down stops on defense and then our offense moving the ball and then that last drive, keeping the ball for so long. I think defensively, obviously we want to play better. I guess it started with maybe three or four minutes left on the drive, they scored. I think to get off the field would’ve been a better execution of 60 minutes, but overall, I thought it was a decent job,” McCourty said.

On the ground, LeGarrett Blount led the game with 78 yards rushing and three touchdowns, primarily in the second half while Dion Lewis put the Patriots up early in the first quarter with an eight-yard run,

In his first game of the year with noticeable production, Blount displayed the hard running style that he has become known for, scoring all his touchdowns from the one-yard line. A 22-yard run from Blount in the second quarter put New England inside the red zone and would lead to a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a 17-yard run in the third quarter helped set up the Martin touchdown.

Below are game notes provided by Patriots Media Relations:

PATRIOTS OFF TO 3-0 FOR NINTH TIME IN TEAM HISTORY

The New England Patriots improved to 3-0 with their 51-17 win over Jacksonville. The Patriots are 3-0 for the ninth time in team history, and for the fifth time since Bill Belichick became the head coach in 2000. The Patriots also started 3-0 in 1964, 1974, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2013.

PATRIOTS TIE TEAM RECORD WITH 35 FIRST DOWNS

The Patriots had 35 first downs against Jacksonville, tying the team record for most first downs in a game. New England also had 35 first downs in a 31-21 win over Denver on October 7, 2012.

PATRIOTS SET FRANCHISE MARK FOR MOST POINTS IN FIRST THREE GAMES

The Patriots have scored 119 points through three games in 2015, setting a team record for the most points in the first three games of a season. The previous record was 115 points through the first three games of the 2002 season.

PATRIOTS IMPROVE UPON BEST HOME RECORD SINCE 2002

The Patriots improved to 103-19 all-time at Gillette Stadium. Their .844 home winning percentage since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002 is the best in the NFL.

PATRIOTS EXTEND WIN STREAK WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF

The Patriots led the Jaguars 20-3 at halftime and won the game 51-17. It marked the Patriots’ 76th straight victory when holding a halftime lead at home, dating back to 2000. New England is now 68-0 when leading at halftime in games at Gillette Stadium.

PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 20 STRAIGHT HOME WINS AGAINST NON-DIVISION AFC FOES

The Patriots have now won 20 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 REMAIN UNDEFEATED AGAINST THE JAGUARS AT HOME

The Patriots improved to 4-0 all-time at home against Jacksonville. The Jaguars are one of four teams the Patriots own an undefeated regular season home record. The Patriots are 4-0 against Baltimore, 4-0 against Chicago and 2-0 against Houston.

PATRIOTS SCORE 40 FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK

The Patriots scored at least 40 points for the second straight week after finishing with 51 points against Jacksonville. The 2014 Patriots tied a team mark with the 2012 team with five games with 40 or more points. Before today, the last time the Patriots broke the 50-point mark was on October 26, 2014, in a 51-23 win over Chicago. New England’s 34-point margin of victory against Jacksonville was the Patriots’ largest margin of victory since the Patriots also had a 34-point win on December 22, 2013, in a 41-7 win at Baltimore.

PATRIOTS SET NFL RECORD FOR MOST FIRST DOWNS THROUGH THREE GAMES

The Patriots have a total of 88 first downs through three games in 2015, the highest total through three games for any team in NFL history. The previous record was 86 first downs by Buffalo through the first three games of the 1991 season. The Patriots’ previous team record for most first downs through three games was 85 in 2011 (a total that now ranks third in NFL annals).

PATRIOTS SOLID ON THIRD DOWN

The Patriots converted 11-of-14 third-down opportunities against Jacksonville (78.6%). New England’s 78.6% third-down conversion percentage ranks as the second-best in team history, trailing only the franchise record 81.8% (9-of-11) third down conversion rate in a 42-20 win at Indianapolis on November 16, 2014. The Patriots’ 11 third-down conversions against the Jaguars also ranks second in team history, trailing only the 12 conversions in a 36-7 win at Chicago on December 12, 2010.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

MOST CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES

(regular season only) Bold indicates active players

1. Peyton Manning 533*

2. Brett Favre 508

3. Dan Marino 420

4. Tom Brady 401

5. Drew Brees 398

6. Fran Tarkenton 342

7. John Elway 300

8. Warren Moon 291

9. Johnny Unitas 290

10. Vinny Testaverde 275

*-Not Including game on 9/27/15

BRADY RANKS THIRD IN COMBINED REGULAR SEASON AND PLAYOFF TOUCHDOWNS

Tom Brady’s first touchdown pass of the day was the 453rd scoring pass of his career including regular season and playoff games and finished with 454 career combined touchdown passes. With his first touchdown of the day, Brady moved past Dan Marino (452) and into third in NFL history for most combined regular season and playoff touchdowns. Additionally, Brady now ranks second in NFL history for most combined regular season and playoff touchdowns with a single team, passing Marino (452 with Miami) and trailing only Brett Favre (481 with Green Bay). Brady’s career total of 454 regular season touchdowns ranks fourth in NFL history and his total of 53 playoff touchdowns are the most in NFL history.

ALL-TIME TOUCHDOWN PASS LEADERS (INCLUDING PLAYOFFS)

Player Years Team(s) Total TD Reg. Season Playoffs

Peyton Manning* 1998-Present IND/DEN 571 533 38

Brett Favre 1991-2010 ATL/GB/NYJ/MIN 552 508 44

Tom Brady 2000-Present NE 454 401 53

Dan Marino 1983-1999 MIA 452 420 32

Drew Brees 2001-Present SD/NO 422 398 24

Fran Tarkenton 1961-1978 MIN/NYG 353 342 11

John Elway 1983-1998 DEN 327 300 27

Joe Montana 1979-1994 SF/KC 318 273 45

*-Not Including game on 9/27/15

MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES WITH ONE TEAM (INCLUDING PLAYOFFS)

Player Years Team(s) Total TD Reg. Season Playoffs

Brett Favre 1992-2007 GB 481 442 39

Tom Brady 2000-Present NE 454 401 53

Dan Marino 1983-1999 MIA 452 420 32

Peyton Manning 1998-2010 IND 428 399 29

BRADY TIES ARMSTRONG FOR MOST GAMES PLAYED IN TEAM HISTORY

Brady played in his 212th game against Jacksonville and is now tied with Bruce Armstrong for the most games played in team history. Brady has started in 210 of the 2012 games he has played and needs two more starts to match Armstrong’s 212 starts for the most in team history.

BRADY OFF TO A GREAT START

Tom Brady has completed 96 of 133 passes for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions through the first three games. Brady’s 96 completions through three games are the most by any player in NFL history in the first three games of a season. Brady is the third player in NFL history to begin a season with nine or more touchdown passes with no interceptions through his team’s first three games, joining Peyton Manning (twice) and Don Meredith.

MOST COMPLETIONS THROUGH A TEAM’S FIRST THREE GAMES

Player Team Year Completions

Tom Brady New England 2015 96

Tom Brady New England 2011 93

Tom Brady New England 2002 93

Drew Brees New Orleans 2011 89

Peyton Manning Denver 2013 89

MOST TD PASSES WITHOUT AN INT THROUGH A TEAM’S FIRST THREE GAMES

Player Team Year Most TD passes without an INT.

Peyton Manning Denver 2013 12

Tom Brady New England 2015 9

Peyton Manning Indianapolis 2010 9

Don Meredith Dallas 1966 9

Donovan McNabb Philadelphia 2004 8

Randall Cunningham Philadelphia 1992 8

Roman Gabriel LA Rams 1969 8

BRADY REMAINS UNDEFEATED AGAINST THE JAGUARS

Jacksonville is one of eight NFL teams that Tom Brady has an undefeated regular season record against as a starting quarterback. Brady is now 5-0 in his career in games started against Jacksonville in the regular season. He is also 2-0 in the playoffs against the Jaguars.

BRADY’S BEST WIN PERCENTAGE AS A STARTER AGAINST SPECIFIC TEAMS

TEAM RECORD

Jacksonville Jaguars 5-0

Atlanta Falcons 4-0

Chicago Bears 4-0

Dallas Cowboys 3-0

Detroit Lions 4-0

Minnesota Vikings 4-0

Philadelphia Eagles 3-0

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-0

BRADY HANGS 50 FOR THE 8TH TIME

Brady led the Patriots to a 51-17 victory over Jacksonville, the eighth time that the Patriots have scored at least 50 points in a game started by Brady, the most by a quarterback in NFL history. Pro Football Hall of Famer Len Dawson has the second most with six.

DATE OPPONENT SCORE

10/28/07 vs. Washington 52-7

11/18/07 at Buffalo 56-10

10/18/09 vs. Tennessee 59-0

9/30/12 at Buffalo 52-28

11/18/12 vs. Indianapolis 59-24

11/03/13 vs. Pittsburgh 55-31

10/26/14 vs. Chicago 51-23

9/27/15 vs. Jacksonville 51-17

GOSTKOWSKI SETS NFL RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE PATS

Stephen Gostkowski set the NFL record for most consecutive extra points by going 6-for-6 to extend his streak to 425 consecutive extra points.

Most Consecutive (Kicking) Points After Touchdown

425 Stephen Gostkowski, New England, 2006-present

422 Matt Stover, Baltimore, 1996-2008; Indianapolis, 2009

371 Jason Elam, Denver, 1993-2002

371 Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis, 1999-2007

360 Jay Feely, Atlanta, 2002-04; N.Y. Giants, 2005-06; Miami, 2007; N.Y. Jets, 2008-09; Arizona, 2010-2013, Chicago, 2014

EDELMAN HAS AT LEAST SEVEN RECEPTIONS IN SEVEN STRAIGHT GAMES

WR Julian Edelman increased his streak to seven straight games with at least seven receptions, dating back to the last four games he played in 2014, and the first three games of 2015. He had 11 receptions in the win vs. Pittsburgh in the season-opener, 11 receptions vs. Buffalo and 8 receptions vs. Jacksonville.

EDELMAN MOVES INTO THE TOP TEN FOR PATRIOTS RECEPTIONS

Julian Edelman finished with eight receptions and now has 296 receptions with the Patriots, to move past Gino Cappelletti into 10th place on the Patriots all-time reception list. Ron Gronkowski is is in 9th place with 324 receptions.

GRONKOWSKI HAS 16TH 100-YARD DAY; THIRD TIME IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES.

Rob Gronkowski had his third back-to-back week with 100 yards receiving after finishing with 4 receptions for 101 yards. He had seven receptions for 113 yards at Buffalo (9/20/15). It is 17th 100-yard receiving day, extending his Patriots record for most 100-yard receiving days by a Patriots tight end.

BRADY GOES OVER 300 FOR 66THTIME IN HIS CAREER

Tom Brady registered his 66th 300-yard game and his 13th time with back-to-back 300-yard games. He had 466 yards at Buffalo on Sept. 20 and 358 yards passing against Jacksonville.

LeGARRETTE BLOUNT TIES TEAM MARK FOR SECOND MOST RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS; SETS PERSONAL-BEST FOR REGULAR SEASON

LeGarrette Blount had three rushing touchdowns against Jacksonville, and his total of three rushing touchdowns ties the second-highest total in team history, trailing only Jonas Gray’s four rushing scores at Indianapolis on Nov. 16, 2014. The Patriots have also seen three-touchdown performances in the running game from Sam Cunningham (10/20/74), Tony Collins (9/18/83), Mosi Tatupu (12/11/83), Curtis Martin (11/3/96), and Corey Dillon (12/3/06). The game against Jacksonville was the first time Blount has had three or more rushing touchdowns with the Patriots in the regular season, but he has achieved the feat twice in the playoffs, scoring four times on the ground in the 2013 divisional playoffs against Indianapolis and tallying three rushing scores in the 2014 AFC Championship Game against the Colts.

ADDITIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

• Jabaal Sheard sacked Jaguars QB Blake Bortles for a 6-yard loss on third down in the first quarter, setting up a Jacksonville punt on the next play. The sack was Sheard’s second of the season.
• Jamie Collins sacked Bortles in the second quarter and forced a fumble on the play. Jacksonville recovered the ball. The sack gave Collins a team-leading total of 3.5 sacks in 2015 and was the second time in as many weeks that Collins forced a fumble on a sack. Last week in Buffalo, Collins had 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
• Dominique Easley smothered Jacksonville RB Bernard Pierce for a 3-yard loss on a pass play on the final play of the first half.

Photo Credit: New England Patriots