New England 38, Cincinnati 24
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 12, 2010
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Temperature:
62°
Head Official:
Carl Cheffers
Attendance:
68756
By SportsDirect Inc.
Tom Brady set about earning his big new contract with 258 yards and three touchdowns to lead the New England Patriots to a 38-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener on Sunday.
Wes Welker made his return from a knee injury with a pair of touchdown catches and Brandon Tate returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Patriots, who have won seven consecutive home openers.
Brady, who signed a four-year extension that could pay him as much as $18 million per season earlier in the week, found his favorite target Welker on New England’s first drive for a 9-yard score.
Stephen Gostkowski added a 32-yard field goal later in the first and Brady found Welker again with 8:58 left in the half, hitting him over the middle to push it to 17-0.
The Patriots’ defense got into the act next when Gary Guyton intercepted Carson Palmer’s pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.
Tate took some more wind out of the Bengals when he opened the second half with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that extended the edge to 31-3.
Cincinnati got back into it with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, but Brady found rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski midway through the fourth for another touchdown to make it a three-score game.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
| Cincinnati |
|
New England |
|
Cedric Benson |
Player |
Fred Taylor |
|
15 |
Attempts |
14 |
|
43 |
Yards |
71 |
|
2.9 |
Avg Yards |
5.1 |
|
1 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
|
10 |
Long |
24 |
Receiving
| Cincinnati |
|
New England |
|
Chad Johnson |
Player |
Wes Welker |
|
12 |
Receptions |
8 |
|
159 |
Yards |
64 |
|
13.2 |
Avg Yards |
8.0 |
|
1 |
Touchdowns |
2 |
|
28 |
Long |
12 |
Team Stats Summary
| |
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
| Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
| Cincinnati
|
428 |
87 |
341 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
| New England
|
376 |
118 |
258 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
New England will play their next game on the road against N.Y. Jets. The Patriots have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Cincinnati will play their next game at home against Baltimore. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.