Brady's six TDs give him 27 TDs after seven games
VIDEO PLAYLIST 
| Scouts Buzz |
New England did a great job in this game of spreading Miami out by formation and exploiting both the two-deep zones and man coverage schemes the Dolphins employed in an attempt to limit Patriots QB Tom Brady and his explosive wide receivers. Brady was consistently able to get the ball deep and WR Randy Moss continues to show why he is once again one of the best vertical threats in the league. Miami was able to make up a little ground late in the second half and did manage to rush for 179 yards, something that might cause some concern for Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his staff. Brady’s six touchdown passes still made this an old-fashioned beat down.
-- Ken Moll, Scouts Inc.
· Complete Week 7 Scouts Buzz
|
| WERE YOU THERE? |
Did you attend this game? If so, start chronicling your sports memories today with ESPN's Sports Passport. Enter the games you attend, upload your photos and share your memories! I was there »
|
| Team Stat Comparison |
| |  |  |
| 1st Downs | 23 | 25 |
3rd down efficiency | 3-7 | 4-13 |
4th down efficiency | 0-0 | 3-3 |
| Total Yards | 443 | 382 |
| Passing | 359 | 203 |
Comp-Att | 22-28 | 24-37 |
Yards per pass | 12.8 | 5.5 |
| Rushing | 84 | 179 |
Rushing Attempts | 22 | 30 |
Yards per rush | 3.8 | 6.0 |
| Penalties | 5-40 | 4-41 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 24:55 | 35:05 |
|
| | Miami Passing | | | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | | Lemon | 24/37 | 236 | 0 | 1 |
|
| |
| New England Receiving | | | REC | YDS | TD | LG | | Welker | 9 | 138 | 2 | 36 | | Moss | 4 | 122 | 2 | 50 |
| |
| New England Fumbles | | | FUM | LOST | REC | | Warren | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | Miami Fumbles | | | FUM | LOST | REC | | Lemon | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER | NWE | MIA |
 | TD | 09:51 | Donte' Stallworth 30 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 7 | 0 |
 | TD | 04:28 | Kyle Brady 2 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 14 | 0 |
| SECOND QUARTER | NWE | MIA |
 | TD | 14:57 | Cleo Lemon 4 Yd Run (Jay Feely Kick) | 14 | 7 |
 | TD | 14:45 | Willie Andrews 77 Yd Kickoff Return (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 21 | 7 |
 | TD | 10:44 | Randy Moss 35 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 28 | 7 |
 | TD | 06:47 | Randy Moss 50 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 35 | 7 |
 | TD | 00:25 | Wes Welker 14 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 42 | 7 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | NWE | MIA |
 | TD | 11:35 | Patrick Cobbs 1 Yd Run (Jay Feely Kick) | 42 | 14 |
 | TD | 10:30 | Jason Taylor 36 Yd Interception Return (Jay Feely Kick) | 42 | 21 |
 | TD | 08:11 | Wes Welker 16 Yd Pass From Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski Kick) | 49 | 21 |
 | TD | 03:45 | Jesse Chatman 7 Yd Run (Jay Feely Kick) | 49 | 28 |
MIAMI -- Tom Brady emerged from the locker room Sunday
wearing a suit and tie complemented by a pocket scarf, his stylish
look marred only by a few small drink stains on one side.
| My Fair Brady |
|
Tom Brady is threatening to shatter the NFL record book this season. In fact, no quarterback had had a better start to the season, in terms of tossing touchdown passes, than the New England QB in 2007.
|
|
Player
|
TDs thru 7 games
|
Total TDs
|
| Tom Brady, 2007* |
27 |
? |
| Peyton Manning, 2004 |
22 |
49 |
| Kurt Warner, 1999 |
21 |
41 |
| Brett Favre, 1996 |
21 |
39 |
| *At least 3 TD passes in all 7 games |
So he's not perfect.
But he and the
New England Patriots are awfully good.
Flawless at the start and off the bench, Brady threw a
team-record six touchdown passes to help the unbeaten Patriots rout
the winless
Miami Dolphins 49-28.
With his team comfortably ahead, Brady came out early in the
fourth quarter, then re-entered and threw for New England's final
score. His TD total exceeded his career high of five, set last week
against Dallas.
"He's looking awesome," Dolphins linebacker
Zach Thomas said.
"He has always been awesome. That's where it all starts for them.
But he has more talent to work with now."
The Patriots, who led 42-7 at halftime, improved to 7-0 for the
first time in their 48-year history.
"We've got a long way to go," Brady said. "Our goals are
bigger than winning seven games this year."
Brady completed his first 11 passes for 220 yards and four
scores, including throws of 35 and 50 yards to
Randy Moss. His
other touchdown passes covered 14 and 16 yards to
Wes Welker, 30 to
Donte Stallworth and 2 to
Kyle Brady.
| Patriot Missiles |
|
The Patriots offense has been downright scary this season. In fact, only two teams in NFL history scored more points in their first seven games.
|
|
Team
|
Points
|
| Rams, 2000 |
296 |
| Rams, 1950 |
285 |
| Patriots, 2007 |
279 |
| Cowboys, 1966 |
266 |
| Bears, 1956 |
258 |
"Those guys are making the plays," Brady said. "I'm just
throwing it. They're making my job awful easy."
Brady has 27 touchdown passes after seven games and is on pace
for 62. The NFL record is 49 set by
Peyton Manning in 2004.
The drubbing was the biggest downer yet for the Dolphins, who
fell to 0-7 for the first time in their 41 seasons. They next play
the
New York Giants in London.
"We can't win in America," defensive end
Jason Taylor said.
"Maybe we can win overseas."
Miami also lost running back
Ronnie Brown to a knee injury in
the third quarter. Brown, who came into the game leading the NFL in
yards from scrimmage, is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Monday.
The Patriots have won all seven of their games by at least 17
points, matching a league record to start a season. They showed
little letup until backup quarterback
Matt Cassel entered the game
with 11 minutes left.
When Taylor intercepted Cassel's second pass and returned it 36
yards for a touchdown to make the score 42-21, Patriots coach Bill
Belichick sent Brady back in.
"I did it because of the score," Belichick said. "One more
turnover, and then it's a 14-point game in the middle of the fourth
quarter."
"Coach Belichick looked back over at me and goes, 'Yep, you're
going back in,'" Brady said. "By that time I had taken all my
stuff off, so I suited back up."
Brady then drove New England 59 yards in four plays, the last a
touchdown pass to Welker.
The Patriots were that relentless all afternoon, dominating even
on special teams.
Willie Andrews returned a kickoff 77 yards for a
touchdown. The first time the Patriots punted,
Chris Hanson's kick
pinned the Dolphins at their 1.
Even when Miami forced New England into a third-and-18
situation, Brady hit Moss for a touchdown. Moss outfought defenders
in the end zone for both of his scores, making one of the catches
one-handed.
"If you want to know why we're 0-7, you look at plays like
that, and it says a lot," Miami cornerback
Andre Goodman said.
But the entire NFL is struggling to stop Moss, who has 10
touchdown catches in his first season with the Patriots.
"You give him a chance, he usually comes down with it," Brady
said. "He's such a mismatch. He has a size and speed advantage on
every defender he plays against."
Brady finished 21-for-25 for 354 yards and no turnovers. For the
second game in a row, the Patriots scored their highest points
total in 23 years. Their 42 points by halftime were a franchise
record for a half.
Game notes
S
Renaldo Hill hurt his right knee on Moss' second
touchdown pass. S
Courtney Bryan hurt his thigh, further depleting
Miami at a position plagued by injuries. ... Taylor's touchdown was
the eighth of his career, breaking the modern career NFL record for
a defensive lineman he shared with George Martin. ... Patriots RB
Laurence Maroney returned after missing three games with a groin
injury. He carried six times for 31 yards.