TEAM NOTES
• Patriots win 12 games for NFL-record eighth straight season
• Patriots extend NFL record with 11th straight 400-point season
• Patriots have two players reach 1,000 yards receiving
PATRIOTS WIN 12 GAMES FOR THE 8TH STRAIGHT SEASON TO SET NFL MARK
The Patriots have won at least 12 games for an NFL-record eighth straight season. It is the 12th time in team history that the Patriots have won at least 12 games in a season.
CONSECUTIVE 12-WIN SEASONS SINCE 1970 MERGER
New England Patriots 8 (2010-17)
Indianapolis Colts 7 (2003-09)
Dallas Cowboys 4 (1992-95)
12-WIN SEASONS SINCE 1970 MERGER
1. San Francisco 13
2t. New England 12
2t. Dallas 12
4. Denver 11
5. Pittsburgh 9
6. Indianapolis 8
PATRIOTS ADD TO THEIR NFL RECORD WITH 11 STRAIGHT 400 POINT SEASONS
The Patriots extended their NFL record to 11 straight seasons with at least 400 total points (2007-17). The Patriots entered the Buffalo game with 395 points and added 37 to push their 2017 season total to 432 points.
PATRIOTS HAVE TWO 1,000-YARD RECEIVERS IN SAME SEASON FOR SIXTH TIME *
WR Brandin Cooks (1,003) went over 1,000 yards for the season against Buffalo. TE Rob Gronkowski (1,084) went over 1,000 yards for the season last week at Pittsburgh. The Patriots have now had two players reach 1,000-yards in the same season six times. The Patriots and Kansas City (Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce) are the only teams in 2017 with two 1,000-yard receivers.
PATRIOTS SEASONS WITH TWO 1,000-YARD RECEIVERS
2017 – Rob Gronkowski (1,084) and Brandin Cooks (1,003)
2011 – Wes Welker (1,569) and Rob Gronkowski (1,327)
2009 – Wes Welker (1,348) and Randy Moss (1,264)
2008 – Wes Welker (1,165) and Randy Moss (1,008)
2007 – Wes Welker (1,175) and Randy Moss (1,493)
1979 – Harold Jackson (1,013) and Stanley Morgan (1,002)
PATRIOTS SWEEP BUFFALO FOR 25TH TIME
The Patriots swept the 2017 season series with Buffalo. It is New England's 25th sweep of the season series with the Bills, dating back to the inception of the series between the old AFL rivals in 1960. The Patriots have won 31 of the last 36 games between the teams since Bill Belichick became head coach of the Patriots in 2000.
THE PATRIOTS DEFENSE HELD BUFFALO WITHOUT A TD IN TWO GAMES
Buffalo had 19 offensive possessions in two games against New England in 2017 and were held without an offensive touchdown. The Patriots limited Buffalo to just four field goals.
STRONG GROUND GAME VS. BUFFALO
The New England offense rushed for 193 yards on 38 carries (5.1 avg.) against Buffalo on Sunday, marking the second time this season the Patriots have eclipsed 190 yards rushing against the Bills. On December 3, the Patriots rushed for 191 yards on 35 carries (5.5 avg.). In total over two games against the Bills this year, the Patriots have rushed 73 times for 384 yards (5.3 avg.).
RED ZONE DENIAL*
The New England defense held the Buffalo offense out of the end zone in six red zone trips over two games this season. The Bills were 0-for-2 in their meeting on December 3, and 0-for-4 in the red zone in the Patriots 37-16 win on Sunday.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
BELICHICK WINS 12 FOR 12TH TIME
Bill Belichick owns the NFL record among head coaches with 12 seasons of 12 or more wins. He owns the record with eight consecutive 12 win seasons (2010-17). Tony Dungy (2003-08) and Tom Landry (1976-81) are second with six straight 12-win seasons.
BRADY WINS 12 FOR 12TH TIME
Since entering the NFL in 2000, Tom Brady's teams have reached 12 regular-season wins in 12 different seasons, the most by a starting quarterback in NFL history.
STARTING QBS WITH THE MOST 12-WIN REGULAR SEASONS IN NFL HISTORY
PLAYER SEASONS
Tom Brady 12
Peyton Manning 11
Brett Favre 6
John Elway 4
Jim Kelly 4
BRADY THROWS FOR 30 TDS FOR THE 7TH TIME IN HIS CAREER
Brady threw two touchdowns against Buffalo and now has 30 touchdowns for the season. It is the seventh time in his career that he has thrown for at least 30 touchdowns in a season. The only other Patriots quarterback to have a 30-touchdown season was Vito "Babe" Parilli in 1964 when he led the AFL with 31. Only Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees (all with nine) have more seasons with 30 or more touchdowns.
MOST SEASONS WITH 30-PLUS TOUCHDOWN PASSES
Brett Favre 9
Peyton Manning 9
Drew Brees 9
TOM BRADY 7
Aaron Rodgers 6
Philip Rivers 5
Dan Marino 4
Tony Romo 4
Eli Manning 3
Kurt Warner 3
BRADY BEATS BUFFALO
Tom Brady owns a 28-3 record against the Buffalo Bills. Brady's 28 wins against Buffalo are the most wins by a quarterback against a single opponent.
MOST WINS BY A STARTING QUARTERBACK AGAINST AN OPPONENT
Player Wins
Tom Brady 28 wins against Buffalo
Brett Favre 26 wins against Detroit
Tom Brady 24 wins against the Jets
Brett Favre 23 wins against Chicago
Dan Marino 22 wins against Indianapolis
BRADY CLIMBS THE PASSING CHART
Brady now has 4,387 passing yards in 2017. It is the seventh-highest total in his career and in the Patriots history.
BRADY IS GOOD AT 40
Brady already has the most passing yards (4,387) and the most wins in a single season by a quarterback at the age of 40, and his 12 wins overall at the age of 40 are now second all-time for a quarterback in his 40s, behind only Brett Favre who won 13 games at the age of 40.
MOST REGULAR SEASON WINS BY A QUARTERBACK AT THE AGE OF 40
Brett Favre 13
Tom Brady 12
Warren Moon 11
BRADY NEARING THE TOP FOR MOST WINS AMONG ALL NFL PLAYERS.
Tom Brady has the most wins by an NFL quarterback with 220 overall career wins. His 220 wins are the second wins all-time by an NFL player, behind the 224 wins by Adam Vinatieri.
MOST WINS BY AN NFL PLAYER (INCLUDING POSTSEASON GAMES)
(GAMES PLAYED)
Player Wins
Adam Vinatieri 224
Tom Brady 220
George Blanda 218
Jerry Rice 211
Gary Anderson 210
Peyton Manning 201
Brett Favre 201
Morten Andersen 194
DION LEWIS HAS SECOND CAREER 100-YARD GAME; SETS CAREER HIGH WITH 129 YARDS
RB Dion Lewis set a career-high with 129 yards rushing. It was his second NFL 100-yard game. He had his first NFL 100-yard game on Nov. 26, 2017, vs. Miami, with 112 yards. The Patriots are 47-1 since 2000 in the regular season when a Patriots running back eclipses 100 yards rushing.
LB MARQUIS FLOWERS CREDITED WITH FIRST CAREER SACKS
LB Marquis Flowers was credited with his first career NFL sack on a 6-yard loss of Buffalo QB Tyrod Taylor on a fourth-down play from the New England 6-yard line in the second quarter. He added a 1-yard sack late in the fourth quarter.
RB MIKE GILLISLEE HAS FIRST RECEPTION OF THE SEASON
RB Mike Gillislee caught his first pass of the 2017 on a 15-yard reception from QB Tom Brady in the second quarter.
GOSTKOWSKI IS CLOSE TO SETTING A CAREER-BEST
K Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals to push his 2017 total to 36 field goals. His career high is 38 field goals in 2013.
COOKS REACHES 1,000-YARDS
WR Brandin Cooks (1,003) became the 11th Patriots player to have a 1,000-yard season after reaching 1,000 yards in the win against Buffalo. It is his third straight season that he has reached 1,000 yards.
GRONK SCORES AGAINST BUFFALO
TE Rob Gronkowski scored on a 17-yard pass in the second quarter. He now has 12 touchdowns in 13 games against Buffalo.
GRONKOWSKI NEARING SIXTH 10-TD SEASON
Gronkowski became the first tight end in NFL history to have five seasons with 10 or more touchdowns. Gronkowski now has eight touchdowns so far in 2017.
MOST 10-PLUS TOUCHDOWN SEASONS / PATRIOTS HISTORY
5 Rob Gronkowski – 2010-12, 2014-15
3 Randy Moss – 2007-09
3 Corey Dillon – 2004-06
2 BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 2010-11
2 Curtis Martin – 1995-96
2 Stanley Morgan – 1979, 1986
BRADY AND GRONK CONNECTIONS
TE Rob Gronkowski and QB Tom Brady connected on a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It is the 75th connection between the two, second all-time among tight ends and the fifth-most connections all-time.
LINEUP NOTES
• RB Mike Gillislee was active and played for the first time since Week 8 vs. the LA Chargers on Oct. 29.
• DL Ricky Jean Francois made his first start as a member of the Patriots.
• LB Marquis Flowers made his second start of the season at linebacker in place of LB Kyle Van Noy, who was out with an injury. Flowers also started at Miami on December 11.
