This Week: The New England Patriots (3-1) will begin the month of October on the road when they face division rival Miami Dolphins (3-1) this weekend at Pro Player Stadium (75,000 capacity). New England has won seven of their last eight games inside the division, including four straight division road games. The last time they won in Miami was a 14-12 victory on Dec. 22, 1997.
Television: This week's game will be broadcast nationally on CBS (locally on WBZ Channel 4). The play-by-play duties will be handled by Greg Gumbel, who will be joined in the booth by Phil Simms. Armen Keteyian will provide sideline reports throughout the game.
Radio: Every Patriots game can be heard in stereo on the Patriots official flagship station WBCN 104.1 FM. Gil Santos, now in his 26th season as the voice of the Patriots, will call the game along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti, who will provide in-depth analysis for his 22nd season. A complete list of the Patriots WBCN Rock Radio Network can be found on pages 462-463 of the 2002 Patriots media guide or at www.patriots.com.
National Radio: This week's game will also be broadcast nationally on CBS Radio. Dave Sims and Rick Walker will be calling the play-by-play.
Deion Branch: The Patriots rookie wide receiver recorded 13 catches for 128 yards against the Chargers last week. He tied the second highest single-game reception mark by a rookie in NFL history behind Don Looney of the Philadelphia Eagles. Looney established the mark on Dec. 1, 1940 against the Washington Redskins. He tied running backs Sid Blanks (Houston, 1964) and LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego, 2001) for the second spot. Branch is on pace to break the record for most receptions by a rookie in NFL history, 90, set by Terry Glenn in 1996.
Streakin': The Patriots have gained over 400 yards in each of their last three games (456.0 average). It was the first time the Patriots had accomplished the feat since the first three games of the 1994 season when they averaged 462 yards per game. The last time the Patriots accumulated over 400 yards in more than three games was during a five-game stretch from 9/27/81 – 10/25/81.
Super Streak: The Patriots have never lost to the Dolphins in the season after they have appeared in the Super Bowl (5-0). In 1997, the Patriots defeated the Dolphins three times, twice in the regular season and once in the postseason and became just the sixth team since 1970 to defeat an opponent three times in one season. In 1986, the Patriots outscored the Dolphins 68-34 in their two meetings.
