Patriots (2-1) at Dolphins (2-1)
Monday, October 4, 2010 at 8:30pm EDT
Sun Life Stadium - Miami, Fla.
The New England Patriots will travel to Miami for their first prime time game of the season on Monday Night Football against the Dolphins. The game will be the Patriots' third consecutive game against an AFC East opponent. The Patriots lost to the New York Jets on Sept. 19 at the New Meadowlands Stadium, then returned home where they beat Buffalo, 38-30, last Sunday.
The Patriots and Dolphins have squared off in prime time action 14 times, with 13 of those games being played in Miami. The teams have played on Monday Night Football nine times, Sunday Night Football three times, and Thursday Night Football two times. The Patriots are 4-5 all-time against Miami on Monday Night, including 3- 5 at Miami.
Bill Belichick is 46-20 against AFC East opponents as head coach of the Patriots and QB Tom Brady owns a 40-11 record against AFC East opponents as a starter, including a 10-6 record against Miami.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION: This week's game will be nationally televised by ESPN and can be seen in Boston on WCVB-TV Channel 5. Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Grudenwill call the game. Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya will be the sideline reporters.
NATIONAL RADIO:This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Westwood One Radio Sports. Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason will call the game. Steve Taskerwill report from the sidelines.
RADIO:98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network's 36 stations can be found here. Play-by-play broadcaster Gil Santos is in his 34th season as the voice of the Patriots and will call the action along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Santos and Cappelletti are celebrating their 27th season as a tandem.
DIVISIONAL DOMINANCE
The New England Patriots own a 44-14 (.759) record in regular season AFC East games since the beginning of the 2001 season, compiling the best intra-division record of any team in the NFL over the last nine seasons. The Patriots finished 4-2 in the division in 2009.
SERIES HISTORY
The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins will square off for the 90th time, including three playoff games, in their 45th year as division foes. The Dolphins and Patriots began playing twice a year during the regular season in 1967.
[
]()The Patriots have won 10 of the last 15 games against Miami. The teams have split the annual series in each of the last two seasons and five of the last six seasons. Last year, the Patriots beat Miami 27-17 (11/08/09) at Gillette Stadium before losing the rematch, 22-21 (12/06/09) in Miami.
The Patriots and Dolphins have squared off in prime time action 14 times, with 13 of those games being played in Miami. The teams have played on Monday Night Football nine times, Sunday Night Football three times, and Thursday Night Football two times. The Patriots are 4-5 alltime against Miami on Monday Night, including 3-5 at Miami.
This week's game is the first meeting on Monday Night Football between the two teams since Dec. 20, 2004 when the Dolphins beat the Patriots, 29-28 in Miami.
The Patriots have had the upper hand at home against Miami, as they hold a 26-17 record in games played in Boston in the regular-season, including a 6-2 record at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots are 11-33 all-time in Miami.
The two have played three times in the postseason with New England holding a 2-1 advantage.
SERIES TRENDS
Miami 50, New England 39
(Including New England 2, Miami 1 in Playoffs)
*-A Miami home game was played in Tampa in 1969
- Record in New England - 27-17 (Incl. 1-0 in playoffs)
- Record in Foxborough - 25-15 (1-0)
- Record in Boston - 2-2
- Record in Miami - 11-33 (Incl. 1-1 in playoffs)
- Record at Dolphins / Pro Player / Joe Robbie/ Sun Life - 8-15
- Record at Orange Bowl -3-18 (1-1)
- Record in Tampa* - 1-0
- Seasonal Sweeps - Patriots 6, Dolphins 13
- Seasonal Splits - 23 (Most recent 2009)
- Bill Belichick vs. Miami - 11-11 (11-9 with New England)
- Tony Sparano vs. New England - 2-2
PATRIOTS-DOLPHINS QUICK HITS
- Since Bill Belichick became Patriots head coach in 2000, New England is 11-9 (.579) against the Miami Dolphins. Since 2001, the Patriots are 44-14 against AFC East opponents. Half of those losses (7) have come to Miami. The Patriots are 11-7 against the Dolphins over that span and are 13-6 against the New York Jets and 18-1 against the Buffalo Bills in that time.
- The Patriots have not been swept in their season series with a divisional opponent since 2000, when they lost both games to Miami and also to the New York Jets.
- In six career games against the Dolphins, Wes Welker has caught 47 passes for 613 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.8 catches and 102 receiving yards per game against his former club. Those averages are the best against any team Welker has faced more than once in his career. He also has three 100-yard games against Miami with a 138-yard game at Miami (10/21/07), a 120-yard game at Miami (11/23/08) and a 10-catch 169-yard game last season at Miami (12/06/09).
- Last season, Randy Moss caught six passes for 147 yards with a 71-yard touchdown vs. Miami (11/08/09) and then had a 58-yard touchdown pass at Miami (12/06/09). He has four career 100-yard games against Miami with three as a member of the Patriots.
PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady is scheduled to start at quarterback against Miami for the 17th time and has recorded a 10-6 record in his previous 16 starts against the Dolphins. Brady is 40-11 in his career as a starter in the regular-season against AFC East opponents, with five of the nine losses coming to the Dolphins.
PATRIOTS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
The New England Patriots are 17-22 all-time on Monday Night Football, including 10-5 under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots had a six-game winning streak on Monday Night Football snapped last season when they dropped a 38-17 decision at New Orleans on Nov. 30, 2009. The Patriots played two Monday Night Football games in 2009, beating Buffalo in the Monday Night Football opener, 25-24 on Sept. 14, 2009 before losing to the Saints. The Patriots are 8-8 in home Monday Night Football games and 9-14 on the road.
BRADY AGAINST THE AFC EAST
As a starter against the AFC East, Tom Brady owns a 40-11 (.784) record. He is 16-1 against Buffalo, 12-4 against the New York Jets, 10-6 against Miami and was 2-0 against Indianapolis when they were in the AFC East (2001 season).
NFL'S BEST ROAD WARRIORS THIS DECADE
Since the start of the 2000 season, the Patriots have the third best road record with a 51-30 record, behind Indianapolis. (56- 26) and Philadelphia (53-28-1).
BRADY ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
QB Tom Brady owns an 8-4 record when playing on Monday Night Football. His best statistical performance on Monday Night Football was the 2009 season opener when he went 39-of-53 for 378 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Patriots to a 25-24 win over Buffalo. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the week honors for his performance. He has thrown three or more touchdowns in a Monday Night game six times, including a four-touchdown performance in a 31-7 win at Minnesota (10/30/06).
CONNECTIONS
- Miami Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells served as Head Coach of the New England Patriots from 1993-96.
- Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano was raised in West Haven, Conn. and was a four-year letterman at the University of New Haven. Sparano later became the offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of New Haven from 1984-87 and its head coach from 1994-98. Sparano was also the offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator/academic liaison at Boston University from 1988- 89 and BU's offensive coordinator from 1990-93.
- Miami Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning was the head coach at Boston College from 1994-96.
- Miami Director of College Scouting Chris Grier is a native of Holliston, Mass., and son of former Patriots' Vice President Bobby Grier.
- Patriots WR Wes Welker and RB Sammy Morris played for the Miami Dolphins from 2004-06, as did LB Rob Ninkovich in 2007.
- Patriots LB Jerod Mayo and Dolphins CB Jason Allen and DT Tony McDaniel were teammates at Tennessee in 2005. McDaniel was later a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars with Patriots RB Fred Taylorand OL Dan Connollyin 2006.
- Patriots LS Jake Ingramand Dolphins WR Davone Bess, WRMarlon Moore and LB Ikaika Alama-Franciswere teammates at Hawaii from 2005-06.
- Patriots NT Vince Wilfork, S Brandon Meriweather and Dolphins T Vernon Carey were teammates at the University of Miami from 2002-03.
- Patriots backup QBBrian Hoyer and Dolphins P Brandon Fieldswere Spartans together at Michigan St. from 2005-06.
- Patriots P Zoltan Mesko and Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne and OL Jake Long sported the navy blue and maize for Michigan together from 2006-07.
- New England WR Randy Mosscaught passes from Miami backup QB Chad Pennington in 1997.
- Dolphins backup QB Tyler Thigpen, CB Benny Sapp and Patriots S Jarrad Pageplayed for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007.
- Patriots S James Sandersand Dolphins S Tyrone Culver and RB Clifton Smith were teammates at Fresno State from 2002-04.
- Miami rookie OL John Jerryand New England RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis played together for Ole Miss from 2006-07.
- New England OL Mark LeVoirand Miami TE Anthony Fasano were teammates at Notre Dame from 2003-05.
- Patriots rookie TE Rob Gronkowskiand Dolphins DE Lionel Dotsonlined up across from each other in practice at Arizona in 2007.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2010
RANDY MOSS
- Moss is in fifth place on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list with 14,604 yards and needs 605 receiving yards in 2010 to move into second place all-time, behind Jerry Rice (22,895). He needs 396 receiving yards to become the fourth player in NFL history with 15,000 receiving yards. Jerry Rice (22,895), Isaac Bruce (15,208) and Terrell Owens (15,103) are the only other players to accomplish the feat.
- Moss is 10th place on the NFL's all-time list for receptions with 935. He needs 65 receptions to become just the seventh player in NFL history with 1,000 career receptions.
- Moss is in fourth place in NFL history with 152 overall touchdowns. He is just the fourth player in NFL history with at least 150 touchdowns. He has 151 receiving touchdowns and joins Jerry Rice (197) as the only players to top 150 touchdown catches.
- Moss has recorded 1,000 receiving yards in a season 10 times in his 12-year career. Moss can join Jerry Rice (14) as the only players in NFL history with 11 seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.
TOM BRADY
- Brady has 99 wins and needs one win to become the 11th NFL QB to reach 100 wins.
WES WELKER
- Welker has a streak of 66 straight regular-season games with at least one reception. The last time Welker did not catch a pass in a game was 12/24/05 when he played for the Dolphins. He has caught at least one pass in each of his 52 games as a Patriot, including three postseason games.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
BY THE NUMBERS
3
The number of consecutive seasons Randy Moss has recorded 10 or more touchdown catches to become the first Patriots player with three seasons of 10-plus TD catches. He had 23 in 2007, 11 in 2008 and an NFL-leading 13 in 2009. His nine seasons of 10 or more touchdowns tie Jerry Rice for the NFL record.
3
Wes Welker and Moss became the first Patriots to have back-toback 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2008 and stretched that to three straight 1,000-yard seasons after both went over 1,000 yards in 2009.
3
The number of seasons that Welker has reached 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards to join Marvin Harrison (4), Jerry Rice (3), Herman Moore (3) and Brandon Marshall (3) as the only players to catch 100 passes and have 1,000 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons.
6
The number of times in NFL history that a team has had two players go three straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving after Moss and Welker completed their third straight season with over 1,000 yards receiving in 2009.
7
The number of NFL receivers who have reached 14,000 receiving yards. Moss became the seventh player to reach the milestone in 2009 and now has 14,604 receiving yards.
7
The number of seasons that Tom Brady has passed for more than 3,000 yards to tie the team record with Drew Bledsoe.
66
The number of consecutive regular-season games that Welker has caught at least one reception. He has caught at least one pass in all 52 games as a member of the Patriots, including three postseason games.
72
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 61-11 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
151
The number of receiving touchdowns by Moss, who joins Jerry Rice (197) as the only two NFL players to top 150 touchdown catches.
152
The number of total touchdowns by Moss, who is just the fourth NFL player to ever reach 150 overall touchdowns.
THE KRAFT ERA
3
The number of Super Bowl championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Only Denver (2; 1997 and 1998) and Pittsburgh (2; 2005 and 2008) have won multiple Super Bowl titles since 1994.
5
The number of conference championships the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh is second with three conference titles since 1994.
17
The number of playoff games the Patriots have won since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994. That mark is the highest total in the NFL over that span. Pittsburgh ranks second with 15 playoff wins over that span.
25
The number of playoff games the Patriots have appeared in since 1994. The mark is the highest in the NFL, ahead of the 23 games played by Pittsburgh.
174
The number consecutive home games the Patriots have sold out, a streak that includes every preseason, regular season and playoff game since the 1994 regular season opener.
THE BELICHICK ERA
4
Bill Belichick is one of just four coaches to win three championships since the Super Bowl era began. Belichick joins three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the exclusive club (Chuck Knoll 4, Joe Gibbs 3 and Bill Walsh 3). Belichick is the only coach to win three Super Bowls in the post-1993 salary cap era and the only one to ever win three in four years.
109-38
The Patriots' regular season record since 2001 under Head Coach Bill Belichick. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won 74.1 percent of their regular season games, recording the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that span.
AMONG THE GREATS
Coach Belichick has recorded 165 career wins and is one of 15 coaches in NFL history to win 160 or more games. Belichick owns a career winning percentage of .627, which is fifth all-time, behind George Halas (.682), Don Shula (.666), Curly Lambeau (.630) and Joe Gibbs (.629).
