Patriots make history
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With one mighty heave, Tom Brady and Randy Moss took care of the record books. Now it’s down to business for the unbeaten New England Patriots: stamping themselves as the greatest team in NFL history.
The Patriots completed a perfect if somewhat joyless journey through the regular season Saturday night, finishing with a remarkable 16-0 record following a thrilling 38-35 comeback victory over the New York Giants.
New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0. This victory required a comeback from a 12-point deficit engineered by the brilliant Brady, and smashed the Patriots’ league mark for consecutive victories.
Validation of their inexorable march through the season can only come by adding a Super Bowl championship, their fourth of the decade. Do that and there’ll be no challenge to their spot at the top.
Brady and Moss hooked up twice for touchdowns, including a 65-yarder with just over 11 minutes remaining to give New England a 29-28 lead. The 2-point conversion gave the Patriots a three-point lead.
After an Eli Manning interception, the Patriots drove 52 yards in nine plays and Maroney ran in from the 5 to make it a 10-point margin.
Brady and Moss set single-season records for touchdown passes and TD catches, respectively.
The 65-yard play gave Brady 50 TD passes for the season, breaking Peyton Manning’s 2004 record of 49. Moss now has 23 TD catches, breaking the mark of Jerry Rice, who did it in 12 games during a strike-marred 1987 season.
The play and subsequent two-point conversion gave the Patriots a 31-28 fourth-quarter lead over the New York Giants and a record 582 points for the season. The old mark was 556 by the 1998 Vikings.