Patriots Vs. Dolphins: Tom Brady Piles Up Stats In 38-24 Win

Never get too high and never get too low. That’s part of who Belichick is, despite how much you want to see the guy get excited for what was clearly a strong performance by his team.

That said, his approach has resulted in a few Super Bowl appearances, so maybe others should take note.

The two teams also combined for the second-most net yards of offense in a game in NFL history, at 1,110 yards, coming up just short of the 1,133 yards in a 1950 game between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Yanks. The Patriots’ 622 net yards of offense was a team record.

Brady’s also, somehow, the first quarterback in NFL history to complete a 99-yard pass and throw for over 400 yards. (Obviously, he’s also the only quarterback in NFL history to throw a 99-yarder in a 500-yard game.) But tonight’s game wasn’t the first to feature a quarterback throwing for 400 yards and a 99-yard play: on October 2, 1983, the Washington Redskins beat Jim Plunkett’s Oakland Raiders, 37-35, behind Joe Theismann’s 417 yards, despite Plunkett hooking up with Cliff Branch on a 99-yard pass.

After the jump, video of Welker turning on the after burners.

Watch Welker closely and notice at the sneaky strength.

Ron Jaworski dropped the s-bomb on-air during Monday Night Football. It wasn’t as though he was trying to say “sit” and slipped, either. It was as if he was at a sports bar, trying to describe a play to a friend after a few drinks. And it harmed all of our delicate ears in the process.

Of course, the moment was more funny than anything else, even if it will draw the ire of Jaworski’s higher-ups. In fact, someone probably already screamed in his ear because Jaworski apologized for his on-air sailor mouth moment, creating one awkward situation in the booth.

So you can excuse ESPN announcer Ron Jaworski is he’s a little excited. Though, he should probably move away from the mic Tay Zonday-style if he’s gonna keep dropping S-bombs live on television...

Tom Brady is having one of the best nights by a quarterback in NFL history. And an NFL record-tying 99-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker just made it better.

After New England’s defense pitched a goal line stand against the Miami Dolphins, Brady led the Patriots onto the field to start a possession on their own 1. On that series’ first play, Brady rifled a throw to Welker, who beat a cornerback and took the pass 99 yards for a touchdown.

The New England Patriots lost their lead early in the third quarter after a rare Tom Brady interception, then took it back behind two touchdowns from Brady’s unstoppable passing game.

After an interception to Jared Odrick set up a game-tying Miami touchdown, Brady led 73- and 78-yard touchdown drives, capped by throws to Deion Branch and Aaron Hernandez for six, respectively. Those touchdown drives bookended a Dolphins field goal, and gave the Patriots a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The New England Patriots have had a decided statistical advantage in their Monday Night Football tussle with divisional foe Miami. But that hasn’t quite translated to the scoreboard, where the Pats’ lead has evaporated early in the third quarter.

The Patriots have outgained the Dolphins by over 100 yards — Tom Brady has 232 passing yards already — but a poorly-timed Brady interception to Jared Odrick gave the Dolphins a short field to work with. And Chad Henne made quick work of it, connecting with Brian Hartline on a 10-yard touchdown pass for the game-tying touchdown. The score is now tied, 14-14, midway through the third quarter.

While it’s unclear what the injury was, Koppen’s left leg was bent at an incredibly awkward angle as it was swallowed up in the pile. It was clear Koppen was in serious pain as a result of the injury, though we’ve heard no word on the extent yet.

With Koppen out, the Patriots defensive line shifts going forward. Dan Connolly takes over in relief of Koppen, manning the center spot that’s all-important in the New England offense.

Thomas came down with a hamstring injury at the worst possible moment for the Dolphins, straining the muscle in practice on Wednesday. Miami appears to be exercising an abundance of caution with Thomas by declaring him inactive, perhaps in an effort to prevent the injury from recurring. As we’ve seen before, hamstring injuries are prone to becoming nagging problems throughout the season, especially if a player is rushed back to action.

Be sure to check out Pats Pulpit, our Patriots blog, and The Phinsider, our Dolphins blog, for more on the game.

And Patriots fans aren’t alone. On the other side of the coin, Miami fans are wondering what the run game will produce, or if it will produce at all.

Be sure to check out Pats Pulpit, our Patriots blog, and The Phinsider, our Dolphins blog, for more on the game.

Game Date/Time: September 12, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida.