PATRIOTS HAVE SECOND HIGHEST NET YARDAGE OUTPUT IN TEAM HISTORY
The Patriots totaled 530 net yards of offense in their 48-28 win over Miami, recording the second highest offensive yardage output in team history and the most since gaining a team-record 597 total net yards against the New York Jets on Sept. 9, 1979.
PATRIOTS RECORDS / TOTAL NET YARDS IN GAME
Date Opp. Total Net Yards Passing Rushing
09/09/79 N.Y. Jets 597 365 232
11/23/08 at Miami 530 408 122
10/29/78 N.Y. Jets 529 289 240
12/18/65 Houston Oilers 526 336 190
11/13/08 N.Y. Jets 511 386 125
11/18/07 Buffalo 510 383 127
09/21/86 Seattle 506 386 120
PATRIOTS IMPROVE TO 17-1 FOLLOWING LOSSES SINCE 2003The Patriots bounced back from last week's loss to the Jets defeat the Dolphins today, improving their record following losses to 17-1 (.944) since the beginning of the 2003 season. Over the last five-plus seasons (2003-08), the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on one occasion (Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, 2006).
CASSEL BECOMES FIFTH PLAYER IN NFL HISTORY TO HAVE BACK-TO-BACK 400-YARD PASSING GAMES
Matt Cassel threw for 415 yards today, marking the fifth time in NFL history a quarterback has totaled 400 or more passing yards in back-to-back games. Cassel threw for 400 yards against the New York Jets on Nov. 13. Cassel is the first player to achieve the feat since Tennessee's Billy Volek did it in 2004 (426 yards on 12/13/04 and 492 yards on 12/19/04). In addition to Volek, the other NFL passers to have achieved the feat are San Diego's Dan Fouts in 1982 (444 yards on 12/11/82 and 435 yards on 12/20/82), Miami's Dan Marino in 1984 (470 yards on 12/2/84 and 404 yards on 12/9/84) and the New York Giants' Phil Simms in 1985 (432 yards on 10/6/85 and 513 yards on 10/13/85).
CASSEL BECOMES SECOND PATRIOTS PLAYER TO PASS FOR 400 YARDS TWICE
Matt Cassel joined Drew Bledsoe as the only Patriots quarterbacks to pass for 400 yards or more in two or more games. Cassel has two career 400-yard passing games (last week against the Jets and today against the Dolphins). Bledsoe had four 400-yard passing games with the Patriots (two in 1994, one in 1996 and one in 1998). The other Patriots players to achieve the feat are Tom Brady (1), Tony Eason (1), Steve Grogan (1) and Tom Ramsey (1).
ALL-TIME PATRIOTS 400-YARD PASSING GAMES
Player Date Opp. Yards A-C-TD-INT
Drew Bledsoe 11/13/94* MIN 426 70-45-3-0
Drew Bledsoe 11/23/98 MIA 423 54-28-2-2
Drew Bledsoe 09/04/94 at MIA 421 51-32-4-2
Drew Bledsoe 11/03/96 MIA 419 41-30-3-2
Matt Cassel 11/23/08 at MIA 415 43-30-3-1
Tony Eason 09/21/86 SEA 414 45-26-3-0
Tom Brady 09/22/02* KC 410 54-39-4-1
Tom Ramsey 11/29/87* PHI 402 53-34-3-2
Steve Grogan 10/12/86 NYJ 401 42-23-3-0
Matt Cassel 11/13/08* NYJ 400 51-30-3-0
CASSEL'S 415 PASSING YARDS ARE FIFTH-MOST IN TEAM HISTORY
Matt Cassel's 415 passing yards against the Dolphins today are the fifth-highest single-game total in team history, trailing only four performances by Drew Bledsoe. Cassel's 415 yards trail only Bledsoe's franchise-record 426 passing yards against Minnesota on Nov. 13, 1994, in addition to Bledsoe's totals of 423 yards (11/23/98), 421 yards (9/4/94) and 419 yards (11/3/96). Cassel's 415 passing yards against the Dolphins are the most for a Patriots player in exactly 10 years, dating back to Bledsoe's 423 yard performance against the Dolphins at Foxboro Stadium on Nov. 23, 1998.
FAULK JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB OF 2,000-YARD RUSHERS AND 3,000-YARD RECEIVERS THIS DECADEOn his second reception of the day - a 6-yard catch on the Patriots' opening drive - Kevin Faulk joined an exclusive club of players who have totaled at least 2,000 rushing yards and at least 3,000 receiving yards this decade. Following that catch, Faulk had totaled 2,717 rushing yards and 3,004 receiving yards since 2000. The only other NFL players to have at least 2,000 rushing yards and at least 3,000 receiving yards in the 2000s are Tiki Barber, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brian Westbrook and Michael Pittman.
KEVIN FAULK TOTALS 105 SCRIMMAGE YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN
Kevin Faulk had a 21-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter to give the Patriots a 31-21 lead. Faulk totaled 105 yards from scrimmage in the game (53 rushing, 52 receiving). The score was Faulk's third rushing touchdown of the season (he had two against San Francisco on Oct. 5). Faulk also has a touchdown reception this year, bringing his total to four touchdowns this year. Faulk's 21-yard scoring run was the longest Patriots touchdown run since Laurence Maroney had a 59-yard scoring run against Miami on Dec. 23, 2007. The 21-yard scamper was Faulk's longest rush since Oct. 12, 2003, when he had a 23-yard rush against the New York Giants.
MOSS CATCHES THREE TOUCHDOWN PASSES, MOVING INTO 3RD PLACE ON THE NFL'S ALL-TIME LIST
Randy Moss caught three touchdown passes -- a 25-yard touchdown pass from Matt Cassel in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 17-14 lead, an 8-yard scoring grab in the third quarter to give the Patriots a 24-21 lead and a 29-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots 38-28. The catches marked his 130th, 131st and 132nd career touchdown receptions, tying and then moving past Cris Carter for third place on the NFL's all-time touchdown receptions list. Terrell Owens ranks second all-time with 136 touchdown catches, and Jerry Rice is the league's all-time leader with 197 career scoring catches. Moss entered today's game as the NFL's all-time leader in receptions per touchdown, scoring on one of every 6.36 catches (129 touchdowns on 820 receptions entering today). Moss's eight touchdown catches this season lead the team and are tied for the 10th highest single-season touchdown reception total in team history.
MOSS HAS FIFTH CAREER THREE-PLUS TOUCHDOWN GAME; 31st CAREER TWO-PLUS TOUCHDOWN CATCH GAME
Randy Moss had three touchdown catches, marking the fifth time in his career he has had three or more touchdowns in a game. It marked the second time Moss has had three or more touchdown receptions as a Patriot, joining his four-touchdown catch performance at Buffalo on Nov. 18, 2007. Moss's three scoring catches tie the second highest single-game total in team history, trailing only his franchise-record four touchdown catches against Buffalo (11/18/07). Today's game marked the 31st time in Moss's career that he had totaled two or more touchdown catches in a game. Moss's career total of 31 games with two or more scoring grabs trails only Jerry Rice's NFL record of 43 such games. Terrell Owens ranks third with a career total of 30 games with two or more touchdown receptions (including today's games). Moss is playing in his second career game in Miami, and in his first game here on Oct. 21, 2007, he also caught two touchdown passes. Today's scoring catches brought Moss's Patriots totals to 30 scoring catches in 27 games since joining New England prior to last season.
MOSS HAS 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME
Randy Moss had 125 yards on eight catches, marking his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, his 13th 100-yard receiving game as a Patriot and the 59th 100-yard receiving game of his career. Moss's 59 100-yard receiving games are tied for second in NFL history with Marvin Harrison, trailing only Jerry Rice's NFL-record 76 100-yard receiving games.
GREEN-ELLIS SCORES FIFTH TOUCHDOWN OF SEASON
BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. His five rushing scores lead the team (Sammy Morris, 4). Green-Ellis has had a rushing touchdown in five of the last six games. He has played in seven contests since being signed from the practice squad on Oct. 11.
WELKER HAULS IN CAREER-LONG 64-YARD CATCH
Wes Welker caught a 64-yard pass from Matt Cassel in the third quarter that was the key play on a drive that ended in a 21-yard touchdown run by Kevin Faulk and a 31-21 Patriots lead. The 64-yard reception was the longest of Welker's career, topping a 47-yard catch on Nov. 13, 2005, while playing for the Miami Dolphins against the Patriots at Dolphin Stadium.
WELKER HAS THIRD STRAIGHT 100-YARD RECEIVING GAME
Wes Welker totaled 120 yards on eight receptions, setting a season-high for receiving yards and marking his third consecutive game with 100 or more receiving yards. Welker had totaled four 100-yard receiving games in 71 career games prior to his current streak of three straight 100-yard games. Welker now has a total of seven career 100-yard receiving games - four in 2007 and three so far in 2008. The Patriots record for most consecutive 100-yard receiving games is four, achieved by Randy Moss in 2007 and Stanley Morgan from 1985-86.
CASSEL SCORES
Matt Cassel scored on an 8-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter to give the Patriots a 10-7 lead. The scoring run was Cassel's second of the season and was the third of his career. His other touchdown this season came on a 13-yard scoring run against Buffalo on Nov. 9. Entering today's game, Cassel had 185 rushing yards on 51 carries this season, marking the highest single-season rushing total by a Patriots quarterback since 1979, when Steve Grogan had 368 yards on 64 carries. On Nov. 13 against the New York Jets, Cassel had 62 rushing yards on eight carries, marking the highest single-game rushing total by a Patriots quarterback in 30 years.
MERIWEATHER HAS FOURTH INTERCEPTION OF SEASON
Brandon Meriweather intercepted a Chad Pennington pass in the fourth quarter, snaring his team-leading fourth interception of the season. Deltha O'Neal ranks second on the team with three interceptions. Meriweather's interception was also the fourth of his career since being selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
SCORING FIRST STREAK
The Patriots scored first in today's game and have now won 23 straight games when scoring first. The Patriots scored first against the Dolphins today on a 30-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski giving New England a 3-0 first-quarter lead. The last time New England lost a game in which it scored first was on Nov. 12, 2006 against the New York Jets.
GOSTKOWSKI SETS CAREER HIGH FOR TOUCHBACKS
Stephen Gostkowski boomed a second-quarter kickoff out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. The touchback was his career-best 16th of the season, topping his previous career high of 15 touchbacks, set in 2007. Gostkowski's 15 touchbacks entering today's game ranked third in the NFL behind Carolina's Rhys Lloyd (19) and Denver's Matt Prater (17). According to STATS LLC, Gostkowski's 16 touchbacks this season are the most by a Patriots player since their single-season touchbacks records begin in 1991.
QUICK HITS
- The Patriots led 17-14 at halftime of today's game and have now won 39 consecutive regular-season games when leading at halftime, setting a post-merger NFL record (1970-present). New England has not lost when holding a halftime lead since a Dec. 20, 2004 game at Miami. The Patriots have won 69 of their last 70 games when leading at halftime, a streak that dates back to October 2001.
- Richard Seymour sacked Chad Pennington for a 4-yard loss on third down in the third quarter. The sack was Seymour's team-high seventh of the season. His single-season career-high is 8.0 sacks, recorded in 2003.
- Rookie linebacker Vince Redd made his NFL debut today, seeing his first career game action on a first-quarter punt return. Redd was signed to the Patriots' active roster from their practice squad on Saturday, Nov. 22.
- Matt Cassel completed his first five passes of the game for 56 yards, driving the Patriots into position for a 30-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead
- Randy Moss made a skillful one-handed reception along the sidelines for a 22-yard gain in the first quarter to extend a touchdown drive that ended in an 8-yard touchdown run by Matt Cassel.
- Matt Cassel plowed up the middle for a 6-yard gain on fourth-and-one from the Dolphins' 43-yard line in the first quarter to extend a drive that ended in his 8-yard touchdown run.
- The Patriots lost the opening coin toss today and won a game for the first time this season when losing the coin toss. New England entered this week's game with an 0-4 record this season when losing the coin toss and a 6-0 record when winning the coin toss.
- Jerod Mayo tackled Ronnie Brown for a 1-yard gain on third-and-three in the second quarter on a direct snap play out of the Dolphins' "Wildcat" formation, forcing a Miami punt on the next play.
EVEN STEPHENStephen Gostkowski hit both of his field goal tries, nailing a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead and a another 30-yarder in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots up 41-28. Gostkowski improved to 26-for-28 (92.9 percent) for the season. His 26 field goals are the highest single-season total of Gostkowski's three-year career, topping his 21 successful field goals in 2007 (21-for-24, 87.5 percent). His 26 field goals this season are the most for a Patriots kicker since Adam Vinatieri made 31 field goals in 2004. Gostkowski was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October, 2008. He is the Patriots' all-time leader in field goal percentage, having converted 85.9 percent of his kicks (67-for-78) since being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
WELKER EXTENDS NFL RECORDWes Welker had eight receptions for 120 yards, extending his NFL record for most consecutive games with six or more receptions to begin a season. Welker has had at least six catches in each of New England's 11 games this year, topping the previous mark of eight straight games with six or more catches to begin the season (Jimmy Smith, 2001). Dating back to last season, Welker has had six or more receptions in 12 straight regular-season games and 15 straight games including playoffs. The NFL record for more regular-season games with six or more catches is 16, achieved by Marvin Harrison from 2002-03.
