Patriots’ Brady, Moss set records

Dec.30, 2007 in Market Outlook

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) — The New England Patriots continued their chase for a perfect season in record-setting style.

Quarterback Tom Brady and Randy Moss each shattered NFL records on the same play in Saturday’s game against the New York Giants.

Brady hit Moss with a 65-yard touchdown pass with 11:06 left in the game - the second scoring connection for the duo in the contest.

It was the 50th TD pass of the season for Brady, eclipsing the previous league mark set by Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts in 2004.

And it was the 22nd touchdown reception of the season by Moss, breaking Jerry Rice’s all-time single-season record set in 1987.

New England also broke the NFL single-season record for points in a season in the second quarter against the Giants.

The Patriots, who are seeking to become the second team in NFL history to complete an undefeated regular season since the 1970 merger, broke the record on Brady’s 4-yard pass to Moss with 14:55 left in the first half.

The touchdown gave New England 561 points for the season, surpassing the mark of 556 set by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998.

Ironically, Moss was a rookie on that record-setting Vikings team in 1998, when he establish his previous season high of 17 touchdown catches.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins, who completed a 17-0 season en route to winning the Super Bowl, are the only other team to start a regular season 14-0. The league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

New England can also eclipse its own league record of 18 consecutive regular-season victories - set over the 2003-04 - with a win over the Giants.

The Patriots’ last regular-season loss came, ironically, to the Dolphins, 21-0, on December 10, 2006.

While the Patriots became the first team to open the regular season at 15-0, they are one of five teams to win that many games in the regular season, joining the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1998 Vikings, the Chicago Bears (1985) and San Francisco 49ers (1984).

Last week, the Patriots broke the league record for touchdowns in a season with 71, breaking the mark held by the Dolphins in 1984.

New England also has had 21 different players score touchdowns, tying the NFL mark held by the Los Angeles Rams (1987) and Denver Broncos (2000).

Wide receiver Wes Welker also set a record Saturday when he caught his 102nd pass, snapping Troy Brown’s franchise mark of 101 in a season.

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