Patriots(7-2) vs. Colts (6-3)
*Sun., Nov. 21, 2010 at 4:15 p.m. EST
Gillette Stadium (68,756)
*
The New England Patriots return to the confines of Gillette Stadium to face an Indianapolis Colts team that has defeated the Patriots in five of the last six meetings overall.
The Patriots and Colts enter this week's game with the two best records since the start of the 2000 season with New England in front with a 133-54 record followed by Indianapolis at 130-56, including the postseason. New England's 126 wins in the decade from 2000-2009 is the all-time best mark for a decade in NFL history. Indianapolis has the second-best record in a decade with 124 wins. Both teams surpassed the 1990s San Francisco 49ers' 122 wins.
The Colts and Patriots each won five consecutive division titles (2003-07), before finishing second in their respective divisions in 2008. Indianapolis and New England returned to the top of their respective divisions last season. The Patriots and Colts are two of nine organizations to win five or more consecutive divisional flags since the NFL merger.
Last week, the Patriots rebounded from a loss at Cleveland with a 39-26 win at Pittsburgh. Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 25-2 (.926) in games following a regular-season loss. Over the last eight seasons (2003-10), the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on two occasions, once in 2006 and once in 2009. Since 2001, the Patriots have an NFL-best 76-23 (.768) record in games played after Nov. 1. Pittsburgh has the second-best record after Nov. 1 since 2001 with a 66-31-1 (.679) record followed by Indianapolis with a 67-33 record (.670).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION:This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by CBS and can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties with Phil Simms providing color. The game will be produced by Lance Barrow and directed by Mike Arnold.
NATIONAL RADIO:This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Westwood One. Howard Davidand Tony Boselli will call the game.
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.
PATRIOTS ARE ALL-TIME DECADE LEADERS
The Patriots' 126 wins in the 2000s is the all-time best mark for a decade in NFL history.
STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF
Since 2001, New England has done a remarkable job of finishing the season strong, compiling a 76-23 (.768) record after Nov. 1, including playoff games.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Patriots and Colts will face off for the 11th time since 2003 and for the 74th time in the history of the franchises. The clubs have clashed in each of the last seven regular seasons (2003-09) and also faced each other in the playoffs following the 2003, 2004 and 2006 seasons.
- The two teams share a long-time rivalry, as the Patriots and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts played twice each year from 1970 to 2001 as members of the AFC East, with the exception of the 1982 strike season.
- New England is 18-10 against Indianapolis since 1993, and has won 14 of the series' last 21 games. The games have tended to be high-scoring affairs, as the Patriots have scored 20 or more points against the Colts in 19 of their last 21 meetings.
- New England holds an overall record of 14-9 in games played in Indianapolis and 24-12 when playing at home. The Colts beat the Patriots in each of the last two seasons with an 18-15 win on Nov. 2, 2008 and a 35-34 win on Nov. 15, 2009. Both of those games were played at Lucas Oil Stadium.
SERIES TRENDS
Overall Record (including 2-1 in playoffs) 44-29
Overall at Home 24-12
in Foxborough 24-11
in Boston 0-1
Overall on Road 20-17
in Indianapolis 14-9
in Baltimore 6-8
Largest Victory 39 points (10/06/74)
Largest Defeat -31 points (11/26/72)
Highest Combined Point Total 72 points (11/30/03 and 1/21/07)
Lowest Combined Point Total 6 points (12/06/92)
Longest Winning Streak 7 (1996-99)
Longest Losing Streak 3 (1970-71, 2005-07)
Seasonal Sweeps of 2 or more wins Patriots 12, Colts 5
PATRIOTS - COLTS QUICK HITS
- Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Patriots lead the NFL with a 133-54 record followed by the Colts with a 130-56 record.
- Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is 8-6 against the Colts as the head coach of the Patriots and is 10-8 against Indianapolis as a head coach overall.
- This week's game will mark the sixth straight year that the Patriots and Colts will play during the month of November. The Patriots faced the Colts in the first week of November for four seasons (2005-08), then faced the Colts on Nov. 15 last season.
- Despite not being in the same division, the Patriots and Colts will play each other for the eighth straight season.
CONNECTIONS
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Colts DE Dwight Freeney was born in Hartford, Conn., and attended Bloomfield High School, where he was a SuperPrep, Prep Football Report, USA Today, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant and Blue Chip Illustrated All-American selection.
- Colts WR Pierre Garcon played one year at Norwich Academy (Vt.) before transferring to Mount Union.
- Indianapolis Linebackers Coach Mike Murphy was a defensive line coach at the University of Vermont from 1970-73.
- Colts Special Teams Coordinator Ray Rychleski served as Northeastern's defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach from 1989-90.
- Colts Strength and Conditioning Coach Jon Torine attended and played football for Springfield (Mass.) College from 1991-95.
- Indianapolis Area Scout Bob Guarini worked as Western Connecticut State University's offensive coordinator/assistant athletic director from 1992-93.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri played for the Patriots for 10 seasons from 1996-2005 and is New England's all-time leading scorer with 1,158 points and also holds the team record with 263 successful field goals.
- Indianapolis RB Javarris James was a member of the Patriots practice squad earlier this season.
FORMER COLTS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began his NFL coaching career as a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975 under head coach Ted Marchibroda.
- Patriots assistant head coach/offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was the offensive line coach for the Colts from 1989-90. Outside of those two seasons, Scarnecchia has been on the Patriots sidelines for each year since 1982.
FORMER TEAMMATES
- New England LB Tracy White and Indianapolis DT Dan Muir both played for the Green Bay Packers in 2007.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Patriots WR Wes Welker and Colts DT Keyunta Dawson were teammates at Texas Tech in 2003.
- Pats DB Darius Butler and Colts RB Donald Brown were classmates and teammates at Connecticut for four years from 2005-08.
- New England DL Mike Wright and Indianapolis LB Tyjuan Hagler played defense played for the University of Cincinnati together from 2003-04.
- Patriots P Zoltan Mesko and LB Shawn Crable were Wolverines at Michigan with Colts RB Mike Hart from 2006-07.
- Pats rookies - TE Rob Gronkowski, TE Aaron Hernandez and LB Brandon Spikes and Colts rookie WR Brandon James all played for the University of Florida together from 2007-09.
- In addition to being a former Patriot, Colts RB Javarris James was a member of the University of Miami Hurricanes football team with Patriots S Brandon Meriweather in 2006.
- New England defensive captain LB Jerod Mayo and Indy OG Jacques McClendon 'Volunteer'ed for Tennessee together from 2006-07.
- Patriots WR Julian Edelman and Colts DT Dan Muir were college teammates at Kent State in 2006.
- Pats LB Rob Ninkovich and Colts backup QB Curtis Painter were both Boilermakers at Purdue from 2004-05.
- Patriots CB Jonathan Wilhite and Colts DB Jerraud Powers were three-year teammates at Auburn from 2005-07.
- New England veteran TE Alge Crumpler and Indianapolis C Jeff Saturday played college football together at North Carolina from 1997-98.
- Patriots DL Myron Pryor and Colts TE Jacob Tamme were both Wildcats at Kentucky from 2005-07.
- Pats LB Gary Guyton and Colts LB Philip Wheeler played all four years together at Georgia Tech from 2004-07.
- New England backup QB Brian Hoyer used to throw passes to Indy WR Blair White at Michigan State from 2005-08.
PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady's very first NFL start was against the Colts on Sept. 30, 2001 at Foxboro Stadium. He finished 13-of-23 for 168 yards in a 44-13 Patriots win. Brady owns a 5-3 record in the regular season against Indianapolis and 2-1 record in the postseason. He has thrown three touchdowns against the Colts in five of those games. He is 2-2 in the regular-season in home games, and 2-0 at home in the postseason.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
BY THE NUMBERS
2
The number of kickoff returns that WR Brandon Tate has returned for a touchdown in 2010 after he returned a 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown vs. Cincinnati (9/12) and a 103-yard kickoff for a touchdown at Miami (10/4). Tate is the first Patriots' player to return two kicks for a touchdown in a season since Kevin Faulk returned two for a touchdown in 2002. The Patriots' record for most returns in a single season is three by Raymond Clayborn in 1977.
2
The number of blocked kicks recorded by S Patrick Chung in 2010 after he blocked a punt and a field goal in the Patriots win at Miami (10/4). He is the first NFL player to block a field goal and a punt in the same game since CB Ramon Walker of Houston blocked a field goal and a punt vs. New England on Nov. 23, 2003.
3
The number of interceptions that the Patriots have returned for a touchdown in 2010 after LB Gary Guyton returned an interception 59 yards for a score vs. Cincinnati (9/12), S Patrick Chung returned an interception 51 yards for a score at Miami (10/4) and S James Sanders returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown at Pittsburgh (11/14).
6
The number of touchdown receptions by rookie TE Rob Gronkowski in 2010, a record for most touchdown catches by a rookie tight end in Patriots history. The old mark was 4 by Russ Francis in 1975 and Don Hasselbeck in 1977.
6
The number of rushing touchdowns in 2010 by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, establishing a career high. His previous best was the 5 he had as a rookie in 2008. He is on pace to finish with 10-plus rushing touchdowns, which would be the first since Corey Dillon had 13 in 2006.
11
The number of 10-plus reception games by Wes Welker. He has the most 10-plus reception games in Patriots' history.
24
The number of consecutive regular-season starts that Tom Brady has won at Gillette Stadium. The NFL record for most consecutive home wins by a starting quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger is held by Brett Favre, who won 25 straight games for Green Bay (1995-98).
28.7
The number of points the Patriots are averaging in 2010, the highest in the NFL. The Patriots are on pace to finish with 459 points, which would be second in team history to the 589 scored in 2007.
72
The number of consecutive regular-season games that Welker has caught at least one pass. He has caught at least one pass in all 58 games as a member of the Patriots, including three postseason games.
75
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 63-12 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
112
The number of total tackles by LB Jerod Mayo. He is on pace to finish the season with 199 tackles. That number would be the highest since LB Steve Nelson had 207 tackles in 1984.
104
The number of wins that Brady has as a starting quarterback. He reached the 100-win milestone in the fewest number of starts (131) among all quarterbacks in the modern era.
TOM BRADY NUMBERS
3The number of times Tom Brady has passed for 4,000 or more yards in a season after his team-record third 4,000 yard season in 2009. His 4,398 passing yards last season are second to the team-record 4,806 passing yards he had in 2007.
5The number of times that Brady has finished a season with 25 or more touchdowns after closing out the 2009 season with 28 touchdown passes. He is tied with Drew Brees for the fifth most seasons with 25 or more touchdowns. Brady has 17 TD passes in 2010 and is on pace to finish with 30 TD passes.
15The number of times Tom Brady has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He earned the award two times in 2009 - vs. Buffalo and vs. Tennessee.
31The number of regular season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record. Brady's seven 300-yard games in 2009 moved him past Drew Bledsoe (26) for the team record.
THE KRAFT ERA
3The 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.
5The 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.
17The 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.
25The 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.
176The number of 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
4Bill 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 Noll 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.
114-39The Patriots' regular season record since 2001 under Head Coach Bill Belichick. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won 74.5 percent of their regular season games, recording the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that span.
Patriots(7-2) vs. Colts (6-3)
*Sun., Nov. 21, 2010 at 4:15 p.m. EST
Gillette Stadium (68,756)
*
The New England Patriots return to the confines of Gillette Stadium to face an Indianapolis Colts team that has defeated the Patriots in five of the last six meetings overall.
The Patriots and Colts enter this week's game with the two best records since the start of the 2000 season with New England in front with a 133-54 record followed by Indianapolis at 130-56, including the postseason. New England's 126 wins in the decade from 2000-2009 is the all-time best mark for a decade in NFL history. Indianapolis has the second-best record in a decade with 124 wins. Both teams surpassed the 1990s San Francisco 49ers' 122 wins.
The Colts and Patriots each won five consecutive division titles (2003-07), before finishing second in their respective divisions in 2008. Indianapolis and New England returned to the top of their respective divisions last season. The Patriots and Colts are two of nine organizations to win five or more consecutive divisional flags since the NFL merger.
Last week, the Patriots rebounded from a loss at Cleveland with a 39-26 win at Pittsburgh. Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 25-2 (.926) in games following a regular-season loss. Over the last eight seasons (2003-10), the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on two occasions, once in 2006 and once in 2009. Since 2001, the Patriots have an NFL-best 76-23 (.768) record in games played after Nov. 1. Pittsburgh has the second-best record after Nov. 1 since 2001 with a 66-31-1 (.679) record followed by Indianapolis with a 67-33 record (.670).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION:This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by CBS and can be seen in Boston on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties with Phil Simms providing color. The game will be produced by Lance Barrow and directed by Mike Arnold.
NATIONAL RADIO:This week's game will be broadcast to a national audience by Westwood One. Howard Davidand Tony Boselli will call the game.
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.
PATRIOTS ARE ALL-TIME DECADE LEADERS
The Patriots' 126 wins in the 2000s is the all-time best mark for a decade in NFL history.
STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF
Since 2001, New England has done a remarkable job of finishing the season strong, compiling a 76-23 (.768) record after Nov. 1, including playoff games.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Patriots and Colts will face off for the 11th time since 2003 and for the 74th time in the history of the franchises. The clubs have clashed in each of the last seven regular seasons (2003-09) and also faced each other in the playoffs following the 2003, 2004 and 2006 seasons.
- The two teams share a long-time rivalry, as the Patriots and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts played twice each year from 1970 to 2001 as members of the AFC East, with the exception of the 1982 strike season.
- New England is 18-10 against Indianapolis since 1993, and has won 14 of the series' last 21 games. The games have tended to be high-scoring affairs, as the Patriots have scored 20 or more points against the Colts in 19 of their last 21 meetings.
- New England holds an overall record of 14-9 in games played in Indianapolis and 24-12 when playing at home. The Colts beat the Patriots in each of the last two seasons with an 18-15 win on Nov. 2, 2008 and a 35-34 win on Nov. 15, 2009. Both of those games were played at Lucas Oil Stadium.
SERIES TRENDS
Overall Record (including 2-1 in playoffs) 44-29
Overall at Home 24-12
in Foxborough 24-11
in Boston 0-1
Overall on Road 20-17
in Indianapolis 14-9
in Baltimore 6-8
Largest Victory 39 points (10/06/74)
Largest Defeat -31 points (11/26/72)
Highest Combined Point Total 72 points (11/30/03 and 1/21/07)
Lowest Combined Point Total 6 points (12/06/92)
Longest Winning Streak 7 (1996-99)
Longest Losing Streak 3 (1970-71, 2005-07)
Seasonal Sweeps of 2 or more wins Patriots 12, Colts 5
PATRIOTS - COLTS QUICK HITS
- Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Patriots lead the NFL with a 133-54 record followed by the Colts with a 130-56 record.
- Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is 8-6 against the Colts as the head coach of the Patriots and is 10-8 against Indianapolis as a head coach overall.
- This week's game will mark the sixth straight year that the Patriots and Colts will play during the month of November. The Patriots faced the Colts in the first week of November for four seasons (2005-08), then faced the Colts on Nov. 15 last season.
- Despite not being in the same division, the Patriots and Colts will play each other for the eighth straight season.
CONNECTIONS
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Colts DE Dwight Freeney was born in Hartford, Conn., and attended Bloomfield High School, where he was a SuperPrep, Prep Football Report, USA Today, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant and Blue Chip Illustrated All-American selection.
- Colts WR Pierre Garcon played one year at Norwich Academy (Vt.) before transferring to Mount Union.
- Indianapolis Linebackers Coach Mike Murphy was a defensive line coach at the University of Vermont from 1970-73.
- Colts Special Teams Coordinator Ray Rychleski served as Northeastern's defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach from 1989-90.
- Colts Strength and Conditioning Coach Jon Torine attended and played football for Springfield (Mass.) College from 1991-95.
- Indianapolis Area Scout Bob Guarini worked as Western Connecticut State University's offensive coordinator/assistant athletic director from 1992-93.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri played for the Patriots for 10 seasons from 1996-2005 and is New England's all-time leading scorer with 1,158 points and also holds the team record with 263 successful field goals.
- Indianapolis RB Javarris James was a member of the Patriots practice squad earlier this season.
FORMER COLTS
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began his NFL coaching career as a special assistant for the Baltimore Colts in 1975 under head coach Ted Marchibroda.
- Patriots assistant head coach/offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia was the offensive line coach for the Colts from 1989-90. Outside of those two seasons, Scarnecchia has been on the Patriots sidelines for each year since 1982.
FORMER TEAMMATES
- New England LB Tracy White and Indianapolis DT Dan Muir both played for the Green Bay Packers in 2007.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- Patriots WR Wes Welker and Colts DT Keyunta Dawson were teammates at Texas Tech in 2003.
- Pats DB Darius Butler and Colts RB Donald Brown were classmates and teammates at Connecticut for four years from 2005-08.
- New England DL Mike Wright and Indianapolis LB Tyjuan Hagler played defense played for the University of Cincinnati together from 2003-04.
- Patriots P Zoltan Mesko and LB Shawn Crable were Wolverines at Michigan with Colts RB Mike Hart from 2006-07.
- Pats rookies - TE Rob Gronkowski, TE Aaron Hernandez and LB Brandon Spikes and Colts rookie WR Brandon James all played for the University of Florida together from 2007-09.
- In addition to being a former Patriot, Colts RB Javarris James was a member of the University of Miami Hurricanes football team with Patriots S Brandon Meriweather in 2006.
- New England defensive captain LB Jerod Mayo and Indy OG Jacques McClendon 'Volunteer'ed for Tennessee together from 2006-07.
- Patriots WR Julian Edelman and Colts DT Dan Muir were college teammates at Kent State in 2006.
- Pats LB Rob Ninkovich and Colts backup QB Curtis Painter were both Boilermakers at Purdue from 2004-05.
- Patriots CB Jonathan Wilhite and Colts DB Jerraud Powers were three-year teammates at Auburn from 2005-07.
- New England veteran TE Alge Crumpler and Indianapolis C Jeff Saturday played college football together at North Carolina from 1997-98.
- Patriots DL Myron Pryor and Colts TE Jacob Tamme were both Wildcats at Kentucky from 2005-07.
- Pats LB Gary Guyton and Colts LB Philip Wheeler played all four years together at Georgia Tech from 2004-07.
- New England backup QB Brian Hoyer used to throw passes to Indy WR Blair White at Michigan State from 2005-08.
PASSING PERFORMANCES
Tom Brady's very first NFL start was against the Colts on Sept. 30, 2001 at Foxboro Stadium. He finished 13-of-23 for 168 yards in a 44-13 Patriots win. Brady owns a 5-3 record in the regular season against Indianapolis and 2-1 record in the postseason. He has thrown three touchdowns against the Colts in five of those games. He is 2-2 in the regular-season in home games, and 2-0 at home in the postseason.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
BY THE NUMBERS
2
The number of kickoff returns that WR Brandon Tate has returned for a touchdown in 2010 after he returned a 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown vs. Cincinnati (9/12) and a 103-yard kickoff for a touchdown at Miami (10/4). Tate is the first Patriots' player to return two kicks for a touchdown in a season since Kevin Faulk returned two for a touchdown in 2002. The Patriots' record for most returns in a single season is three by Raymond Clayborn in 1977.
2
The number of blocked kicks recorded by S Patrick Chung in 2010 after he blocked a punt and a field goal in the Patriots win at Miami (10/4). He is the first NFL player to block a field goal and a punt in the same game since CB Ramon Walker of Houston blocked a field goal and a punt vs. New England on Nov. 23, 2003.
3
The number of interceptions that the Patriots have returned for a touchdown in 2010 after LB Gary Guyton returned an interception 59 yards for a score vs. Cincinnati (9/12), S Patrick Chung returned an interception 51 yards for a score at Miami (10/4) and S James Sanders returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown at Pittsburgh (11/14).
6
The number of touchdown receptions by rookie TE Rob Gronkowski in 2010, a record for most touchdown catches by a rookie tight end in Patriots history. The old mark was 4 by Russ Francis in 1975 and Don Hasselbeck in 1977.
6
The number of rushing touchdowns in 2010 by BenJarvus Green-Ellis, establishing a career high. His previous best was the 5 he had as a rookie in 2008. He is on pace to finish with 10-plus rushing touchdowns, which would be the first since Corey Dillon had 13 in 2006.
11
The number of 10-plus reception games by Wes Welker. He has the most 10-plus reception games in Patriots' history.
24
The number of consecutive regular-season starts that Tom Brady has won at Gillette Stadium. The NFL record for most consecutive home wins by a starting quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger is held by Brett Favre, who won 25 straight games for Green Bay (1995-98).
28.7
The number of points the Patriots are averaging in 2010, the highest in the NFL. The Patriots are on pace to finish with 459 points, which would be second in team history to the 589 scored in 2007.
72
The number of consecutive regular-season games that Welker has caught at least one pass. He has caught at least one pass in all 58 games as a member of the Patriots, including three postseason games.
75
The number of times that Brady has thrown two or more touchdowns in a game. The Patriots are 63-12 when he throws for two or more touchdowns.
112
The number of total tackles by LB Jerod Mayo. He is on pace to finish the season with 199 tackles. That number would be the highest since LB Steve Nelson had 207 tackles in 1984.
104
The number of wins that Brady has as a starting quarterback. He reached the 100-win milestone in the fewest number of starts (131) among all quarterbacks in the modern era.
TOM BRADY NUMBERS
3The number of times Tom Brady has passed for 4,000 or more yards in a season after his team-record third 4,000 yard season in 2009. His 4,398 passing yards last season are second to the team-record 4,806 passing yards he had in 2007.
5The number of times that Brady has finished a season with 25 or more touchdowns after closing out the 2009 season with 28 touchdown passes. He is tied with Drew Brees for the fifth most seasons with 25 or more touchdowns. Brady has 17 TD passes in 2010 and is on pace to finish with 30 TD passes.
15The number of times Tom Brady has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He earned the award two times in 2009 - vs. Buffalo and vs. Tennessee.
31The number of regular season 300-yard passing games by Tom Brady, a team record. Brady's seven 300-yard games in 2009 moved him past Drew Bledsoe (26) for the team record.
THE KRAFT ERA
3The 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.
5The 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.
17The 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.
25The 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.
176The number of 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
4Bill 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 Noll 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.
114-39The Patriots' regular season record since 2001 under Head Coach Bill Belichick. Under Belichick, the Patriots have won 74.5 percent of their regular season games, recording the highest winning percentage of any major American professional sports team over that span.
